Ata'ollah Mohajerani
Encyclopedia
Ata'ollah Mohajerani (born 1954 in Arak, Iran
), is an Iran
ian historian, politician, journalist, and author. Ata`ollah Mohajerani served as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance
of Iran under reformist President Mohammad Khatami
until 2000 when he was resigned from office for alleged permissiveness."
, his M.S. in History and Iranian Culture from Shiraz University
and his PhD in History from Tarbiat Modares University
.
Mohajerani's political career began in 1980 after the Iranian Revolution
, when he won the first round of the parliamentary elections to become a representative of Shiraz
and the youngest member of the majlis. Later, he became the Parliamentary Deputy to the Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi
, when he started to write the weekly column Naghd-e Haal in the Ettela'at newspaper, and then Vice President of Parliamentary Affairs under Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
As Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, he officially announced and pursued a policy of "leniency" 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.
He survived an 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.
In April 2000 however he resigned due to heavy criticisms by the Iranian Supreme Leader
, Ayatollah Khamenei, because of his "liberal" policies. He also served as the speaker of the cabinet during that time. He later became the president of the Iranian International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations, but resigned from the post.
He was a member and a founder of Executives of Construction Party
, which is considered a backer of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Mohajerani participated in the funeral and burying of former revolutionary Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan
, when few Iranian officials dared doing so because of Bazargan's very unpopular status among the higher ranks of the Islamic Republic
government.
Of the books he has written, most famous are a "learned critique" of the Salman Rushdie novel Satanic Verses
, a book in support of Ferdowsi
(and against attacks by Ahmad Shamlou), and a book on Zaynab bint Ali
's role in and after Aashurah.
He is married to Dr. Jamileh Kadivar
, who is also a reformist politician and a former member of parliament. In 2004, the conservative Islamist news agency Fars
accused him of polygamous marriage and adultery, a charged denied by Mohajerani and his wife.
Mohajerani left Iran and as of 2009 lives in England with his wife with whom he shares a website called www.maktoub.ir.
Mohajerani is "a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy Green Movement
," and opposes violence against the Iranian regime saying
Arak, Iran
-Industries:thumb|right|250px|wagon parsArak is one of the main industrial cities of Iran, possessing many plants for heavy industries especially for the metal and machinery industries, including:...
), is an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian historian, politician, journalist, and author. Ata`ollah Mohajerani served as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is responsible for restricting access to any media of which the Islamic Regime in Tehran does not approve....
of Iran under reformist President Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
until 2000 when he was resigned from office for alleged permissiveness."
Overview
Dr. Mohajerani received his B.S in History from University of IsfahanUniversity of Isfahan
University of Isfahan is a state-operated university in Iran. It is one of the most prominent science and engineering schools in Iran and is the largest university in Isfahan Province in Iran. The university is located in the southern section of the city of Isfahan...
, his M.S. in History and Iranian Culture from Shiraz University
Shiraz University
Shiraz University , formerly known as Pahlavi University, is a public university located in Shiraz, Iran. It is one of the major universities of Iran....
and his PhD in History from Tarbiat Modares University
Tarbiat Modares University
Tarbiat Modares University is located in Tehran, Iran, and was founded in 1982. Tarbiat Modares University is the only exclusively graduate university in Iran, and is a highly reputed university, which was actually funded to train university professors.-Faculties and academics:TMU includes seven...
.
Mohajerani's political career began in 1980 after the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
, when he won the first round of the parliamentary elections to become a representative of Shiraz
Shiraz, Iran
Shiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and is the capital of Fars Province, the city's 2009 population was 1,455,073. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Roodkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river...
and the youngest member of the majlis. Later, he became the Parliamentary Deputy to the Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
, when he started to write the weekly column Naghd-e Haal in the Ettela'at newspaper, and then Vice President of Parliamentary Affairs under Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
As Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, he officially announced and pursued a policy of "leniency" 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.
He survived an impeachment by the 5th Majlis
Majlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
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.
In April 2000 however he resigned due to heavy criticisms by the Iranian Supreme Leader
Supreme leader
A supreme leader typically refers to a figure in the highest leadership position of an entity, group, organization, or state, who exercises strong or all-powerful authority over it. In religion, the supreme leader or supreme leaders is God or Gods...
, Ayatollah Khamenei, because of his "liberal" policies. He also served as the speaker of the cabinet during that time. He later became the president of the Iranian International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations, but resigned from the post.
He was a member and a founder of Executives of Construction Party
Executives of Construction Party
The Executives of Construction Party is a political party in Iran, founded by several members of the cabinet of the then President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani...
, which is considered a backer of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Mohajerani participated in the funeral and burying of former revolutionary Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan was a prominent Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government, making him Iran's first prime minister after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He was the head of the first engineering department of Tehran University...
, when few Iranian officials dared doing so because of Bazargan's very unpopular status among the higher ranks of the Islamic Republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
government.
Of the books he has written, most famous are a "learned critique" of the Salman Rushdie novel Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses controversy
The Satanic Verses controversy was the heated and sometimes violent Muslim reaction to the publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Many Muslims accused Rushdie of blasphemy or unbelief and in 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie...
, a book in support of Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
(and against attacks by Ahmad Shamlou), and a book on Zaynab bint Ali
Zaynab bint Ali
Zaynab bint Ali was the daughter of the Rashid Caliph and first Shi'i Imam, Ali and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah....
's role in and after Aashurah.
He is married to Dr. Jamileh Kadivar
Jamileh Kadivar
-Biography:Jamileh Kadivar was born in Fasa, a town near Shiraz in southern Iran. She attended school in Shiraz until she was 16 years old, when she moved to Tehran to get married. Her spouse is former Minister of Culture of Iran Ata'ollah Mohajerani and they have four children: Mohammad Mohsen ,...
, who is also a reformist politician and a former member of parliament. In 2004, the conservative Islamist news agency Fars
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
accused him of polygamous marriage and adultery, a charged denied by Mohajerani and his wife.
Mohajerani left Iran and as of 2009 lives in England with his wife with whom he shares a website called www.maktoub.ir.
Mohajerani is "a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy Green Movement
Green Movement
The Green Movement refers to a series of actions after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office...
," and opposes violence against the Iranian regime saying