Ata'ollah Mohajerani
Ata'ollah Mohajerani | |
---|---|
Member of the Parliament of Iran | |
In office 28 May 1980 – 28 May 1984 | |
Constituency | Shiraz |
Majority | 122,678 (79.8%)[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Arak, Markazi province, Imperial State of Iran | 24 July 1954
Political party | Executives of Construction Party |
Spouse | Jamileh Kadivar |
Children | 4 |
Residence(s) | London, England[2] |
Alma mater | University of Isfahan Shiraz University Tarbiat Modares University |
Website | mohajerani |
Education
Mohajerani received his bachelor's degree in history from University of Isfahan, his master's degree in history and Iranian culture from Shiraz University and his PhD in history from Tarbiat Modares University.
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran_-_visit_Eleventh_Tehran_International_Book_Fair_%287%29_%28Cropped%29.jpg/150px-Supreme_Leader_of_Iran_-_visit_Eleventh_Tehran_International_Book_Fair_%287%29_%28Cropped%29.jpg)
Mohajerani's political career began in 1980 after the
As minister of culture and Islamic guidance, he officially announced and pursued a policy of "leniency" (Persian: تساهل و تسامح) towards the field of culture and arts and removed many restrictions. He earned the wrath of conservatives by allowing hundreds of new publications to start up, the release of fifty-some Persian pop music albums, and the screening of the controversial movie Two Women.[6][7]
He survived impeachment by the 5th Majlis which was dominated by the conservatives in part with a "daring" speech defending the principle of freedom of speech in Islamic rather than Western terms.
Why does the Quran carry the harshest criticism of the Prophet? ... It was not in the nature of the Prophet to stifle discussion of opposing points of view.[8]
In April 2000, however, he resigned due to heavy criticisms by the Iranian
He was a member and a founder of
Mohajerani participated in the funeral and burial of former revolutionary Prime Minister
Works
Of the books Mohajerani has written, most famous are a "learned critique" of the
- Gray heaven/paradise, 2007.
- Mohajerani, Ata'ollah (2018). Haj Akhund. p. 282. ISBN 978-9-649-57439-4. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- Mohajerani, Ata'ollah; Khaniki, Hadi; Tabatabaii, Sadegh; Ameli, Saeed Reza (2003). "Dialogue (1)". National Studies. 3 (4): 197. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- Mohajerani, Ata'ollah; Khaniki, Hadi; Tabatabaii, Sadegh; Ameli, Saeed Reza; Ghaem, Mahdi Montazer (2003). "Dialogue (2)". National Studies. 4 (1): 227. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
Personal life
Mohajerani is married to Jamileh Kadivar, who is also a reformist politician and a former member of parliament.
Mohajerani left Iran and as of 2009 lives in England with his wife. They launched a website called www.maktoub.ir.
Mohajerani is "a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy Green Movement," and opposes violence against the Iranian government saying "If we answer violence with violence, we are no different from them."[5]
Advocating Khomeini's order to kill British author
After Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie because of his novel The Satanic Verses, Mohajerani published a book called Critique of the Satanic Verses Conspiracy in 1989. Mohajarani quoted Khomeini's fatwa at the beginning of his book and approved and justified the fatwa. In 1995, Mohajerani wrote a short story gleefully satirising this British writer's fear of being attacked.[12] Responding to Khomeini's Fatwa, on July 2, 1993, unknown assailants set fire to a hotel in the Turkish city of Sivas that was hosting a speech by Aziz Nesin, a renowned humorist who had translated the book into Turkish. A total of 35 people plus two perpetrators were killed in the blaze, and 145 people were injured. Mohajirani insisted that the massacre was a proud moment in what he called the glorious Islamic reawakening and wrote that Khomeini's fatwa had worked like a vaccine preventing further criticism of the prophet of Islam.[13] So far, no proper study has been conducted into the role of Mohajerani and his book in promoting this massacre of intellectuals, translators and publishers worldwide.[14]
In January 2023, The Guardian reported that the Metropolitan Police was reviewing a legal dossier filed in August 2022 that accused Mohajerani of encouraging terrorism contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.[15]
References
- ^ "Parliament members" (in Persian). Iranian Majlis. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- TheGuardian.com. 2 August 2015.
- ^ Christopher de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, New York Review of Books, 2007, p. 5
- ^ "Salman Rushdie and a question of power". The Spectator.
- ^ a b c Mohajerani goes to Washington PBS, Tara Mahtafar 20 October 2009
- ^ a b de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, 2007, p. 7
- ^ "Iran: A Call for Change". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
- ^ de Bellaigue, The Struggle for Iran, 2007, p. 8
- ^ International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations
- ^ "Ex-minister denies plans to return to Iran ahead of presidential election". BBC Monitoring International Reports. Financial Times Ltd. June 2009.
- ^ "Iranian official discusses dialogue of civilizations with Syrian president". BBC Monitoring International Reports. Financial Times Ltd. 19 January 2002.
- ^ "Video: Ataollah Mohajerani, the Fatwa Advocate in London".
- ^ "Exporting Terror. Part 3: The Fatwa Advocate in London". YouTube.
- ^ "Iranian official says Israel seeking to destroy Palestinian nation". BBC Monitoring International Reports. Financial Times Ltd. 14 April 2002.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (30 January 2023). "Met police urged to prosecute Iranian accused of backing Rushdie fatwa". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
External links
- Mohajerani's Persian weblog
- Mohajerani at the ICCNC in Oakland, California
- Video: Dr. Sayyed Ataollah Mohajerani speaks about Dialogue
- Ata'ollah Mohajerani - Archives for Baha’i Persecution in Iran
- The Fatwa Advocate, Ata'ollah Mohajerani
- Ataollah Mohajerani speaks to reporters April 24 about his impending impeachment hearing
- Academic Articles by Ata'ollah Mohajerani
- Ata'ollah Mohajerani's Biography