Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani

Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani
Mahdavi Kani in 2013
Acting Prime Minister of Iran
In office 2 September 1981 – 29 October 1981
President	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Mohammad-Javad Bahonar
Succeeded by	Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Minister of Interior
In office 20 August 1980 – 1 October 1981
Prime Minister	Mohammad-Ali Rajai Mohammad-Javad Bahonar
Preceded by	Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Succeeded by	Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri
Minister of Justice
In office 12 August 1980 – 20 August 1980
Prime Minister	Mohammad-Ali Rajai
Preceded by	Ahmad Sayyed Javadi
Succeeded by	Assodollah Mobasheri
Chairman of the Assembly of Experts
In office 8 March 2011 – 21 October 2014
Deputy	Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Preceded by	Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Succeeded by	Mohammad Yazdi
Personal details
Born	25 August 1931 Kan District, Tehran, Iran
Died	21 October 2014 (aged 83) Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Political party	Combatant Clergy Association
Spouse(s)	Nesa Khaton Sorkhei (1960–2014, his death)
Children	Maryam (b. 1961) Mohammad Saeed (b. 1966) Mehdieh (b. 1972)[1]
Alma mater	Qom Seminary
Religion	Shia Islam
Website	Official website.
Military service
Allegiance	Iran
Service/branch	Revolutionary Committees
Years of service	1979–1982
Commands	Chief Commander of Revolutionary Committees

Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani (Persian: محمدرضا مهدوی کنی ‎‎, 25 August 1931 – 21 October 2014) was an Iranian cleric, writer and conservative politician who was Acting Prime Minister of Iran from 2 September until 29 October 1981. Before that, he was Minister of Interior and Minister of Justice in the cabinets of Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. He was the leader of Combatant Clergy Association and Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and also founder and president of Imam Sadiq University.

On 4 June 2014, Mahdavi Kani was hospitalized in Bahman Hospital and went into a coma after suffering a heart attack. He died on 21 October 2014.^[2]

Early life

Mahdavi Kani was born on 25 August 1931 in the village of Kan, near Tehran.^[3] His father was an Ayatollah and taught in the Mofid School. After he finished basic education in Kan, he studied at Borhan High School in Tehran. He left for Qom in 1947 to study at a religious seminary.^[4] His teachers included Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Boroujerdi and Allameh Sayyed Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei.

Career

After the demise of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Mahdavi Kani went back to Tehran and continued his struggle against the Pahlavi regime, something which he had started since he was 18, during the time of Ayatollah Boroujerdi. He was considerably active and effective in his participation in the Islamic movement of Iran led by Khomeini. Before the Islamic Revolution, he was appointed by Khomeini to the Revolutionary Council and later took up various political and religious positions. He is the leader of the Combatant Clergy Association, which he cofounded in 1977.^[4]

He was appointed chief of the Central Provisional Komiteh for the Islamic Revolution that was a body in charge of trials and executions of the civil and military officials of the Pahlavi era.^[5]

He served as the minister of interior in the cabinet of Mohammad-Ali Rajai to succeeding Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He was reappointed as minister of interior in the cabinet of Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. He became the interim prime minister on 2 September 1981 and was in office until 29 October 1981.^[6] He was also chairman of provisional presidential council, after the assassination of president Mohammad Ali Rajai and prime minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar. He has also been a member of the Constitutional Amendment Council of Iran, appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to review and amend the Constitution of Iran in 1989. He was also elected as member of the assembly in 2008 in a by-election from Tehran.

Mahdavi Kani is the founder and former head of Imam Sadiq University in Tehran, a university specializing in humanities.

He was elected as chairman of the Assembly of Experts on 8 March 2011 after Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani resigned from office.^[7] In March 2013, he was reelected to the post for further two years.^[7][8]

Illness and death

He was hospitalized for a stroke on Ruhollah Khomeini's death anniversary, which brought him to coma on 4 June 2014.^[9] He was in coma for more than five months and died on 21 October 2014 at the age of 83.^[2] Mahdavi Kani was survived by his three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Hours after Mahdavi Kani's death, his office announced that his state funeral will be held on 23 October and his body will be buried at Shah-Abdol-Azim shrine.^[10] Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani also announced two days of mourning in his memorial.^[11]

Works

Some of his works published are: The Beginning Points in Practical Ethics; the Origins and Basis of Islamic Economy and the Book of Beest goftar (20 Discourses).

References

1. Conversation with Mahdavi Kani's daughter
2. "Head of Assembly of Experts dies at 83".
3. Mahdavi Kani biography
4. Shone, Alex. "Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani: profile of the new chairman of Iran's Assembly of Experts". Defence Viewpoints. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
5. "Law And Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (Report). Amnesty International. 13 March 1980. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
6. Hosseini, Mir M. "Interim Government Formed". Fourman. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
7. "Iran's Assembly of Experts re-elects Mahdavi-Kani as chairman". Xinhua. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
8. Karami, Arash (6 March 2013). "Iran Mourns Passing of Hugo Chavez". Al Monitor. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
9. http://www.khabaronline.ir/detail/358505. Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. Mahdavi Kani's burial place was announced
11. President announced two days of mourning on Mahdavi Kani memorial

See also

• Interim government of Iran, 1981