Karim Sanjabi
Encyclopedia
Karim Sanjabi (Persian
: کریم سنجابی ) was an Iran
ian liberal political leader of the 20th century. He was born in Kermanshah
, Iran
.
. He studied law and politics at Sorbonne University. He is notable as being one of the founders of the National Front
, a group of politically active Iranians who wished to rid Iran of foreign domination and introduce a parliamentary and democratic political system into the country. Sanjabi was a loyal supporter of Mohammad Mossadegh (the charismatic leader of the nationalists) and he later served as minister of education under Mossadegh (who became prime minister in April 1951) in 1952. Mossadegh had led the movement to nationalize the British
-controlled oil industry in Iran (which, after nationalization, became known as the National Iranian Oil Company
) and after this was accomplished, he became engaged in a heated battle with the British (who had previously controlled the oil industry and wished to reassert control over it) and with the forces rallying around Mohammad Reza Shah (the king of Iran who was opposed to Mossadegh's policies vis-a-vis the British, as well as the prime minister's efforts at limiting the Shah's power and influence). After a CIA-MI6 coup d'état overthrew Mossadegh in August 1953 and re-established the Shah on the throne, Sanjabi, along with other Mossadegh supporters, went into opposition against the Shah's regime. He was heavily involved in the formation of the Second National Front in 1960. The reconstituted National Front was to remain active for five years, but under increasingly worsening circumstances. Despite its moderate demands for electoral reforms and a Shah that would "reign and not rule", the Shah refused to tolerate the Front's activities. His powerful security forces, most notably the infamous SAVAK, silenced the likes of Sanjabi and other secular democrats. Due to this and a variety of other factors, it had dissolved by 1965. The Front was to remain dormant until the late 1970s. It reorganized in late 1977, with Karim Sanjabi as its leader, with a few others, such as Shapour Bakhtiar and Dariush Forouhar, also playing prominent roles.
of 1978–1979, Sanjabi and his colleagues initially wished to negotiate a peaceful solution with the Shah. However, in November 1978, he met as representative of the National Front with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in France. He had gone there hoping to convince Khomeini to support the creation of a coalition government headed by the National Front. Despite the rising revolutionary fervor, Sanjabi and many other liberals had remained loyal to the idea of a constitutional monarchy with the Shah as ceremonial figurehead and they wished to bring Khomeini over to their point of view. Khomeini, however, refused to budge and reiterated his demand for the overthrow of the monarchy. In the end, Sanjabi, acting as head of the National Front, capitulated to Khomeini's demands. Khomeini at the time was extremely popular amongst the religious masses, and Sanjabi emerged from his meeting "with a short declaration that spoke of both Islam and democracy as basic principles", and Sanjabi declared his support for Khomeini. Unfortunately for this agreement, after the overthrow of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, Khomeini "explicitly refused to put the same word, democracy, into either the title of the Republic or its constitution." Sanjabi served as the foreign minister of the provisional government (February–April 1979). After the creation of the Islamic republic, he became an opponent of Khomeini's regime and he fled Iran in 1982.
, United States
at the age of 90.
|-
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: کریم سنجابی ) was 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 liberal political leader of the 20th century. He was born in Kermanshah
Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
, 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...
.
Early life
He was born in September, 1904 in KermanshahKermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families.The overwhelming majority of Kermanshahi people are Shi'a Muslims...
. He studied law and politics at Sorbonne University. He is notable as being one of the founders of the National Front
National Front (Iran)
The National Front of Iran or Jebhe Melli is a Democratic, political opposition group founded by Mohammad Mossadegh and other secular Iranian leaders of Nationalist, Liberal, and Social-Democratic political orientation who had been educated in France in the late 1940s...
, a group of politically active Iranians who wished to rid Iran of foreign domination and introduce a parliamentary and democratic political system into the country. Sanjabi was a loyal supporter of Mohammad Mossadegh (the charismatic leader of the nationalists) and he later served as minister of education under Mossadegh (who became prime minister in April 1951) in 1952. Mossadegh had led the movement to nationalize the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-controlled oil industry in Iran (which, after nationalization, became known as the National Iranian Oil Company
National Iranian Oil Company
The National Iranian Oil Company , a government-owned corporation under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum of Iran, is an oil and natural gas producer and distributor headquartered in Tehran. It was established in 1948...
) and after this was accomplished, he became engaged in a heated battle with the British (who had previously controlled the oil industry and wished to reassert control over it) and with the forces rallying around Mohammad Reza Shah (the king of Iran who was opposed to Mossadegh's policies vis-a-vis the British, as well as the prime minister's efforts at limiting the Shah's power and influence). After a CIA-MI6 coup d'état overthrew Mossadegh in August 1953 and re-established the Shah on the throne, Sanjabi, along with other Mossadegh supporters, went into opposition against the Shah's regime. He was heavily involved in the formation of the Second National Front in 1960. The reconstituted National Front was to remain active for five years, but under increasingly worsening circumstances. Despite its moderate demands for electoral reforms and a Shah that would "reign and not rule", the Shah refused to tolerate the Front's activities. His powerful security forces, most notably the infamous SAVAK, silenced the likes of Sanjabi and other secular democrats. Due to this and a variety of other factors, it had dissolved by 1965. The Front was to remain dormant until the late 1970s. It reorganized in late 1977, with Karim Sanjabi as its leader, with a few others, such as Shapour Bakhtiar and Dariush Forouhar, also playing prominent roles.
Political carrer
As the leader of the National Front during the revolutionary uprisingIranian 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...
of 1978–1979, Sanjabi and his colleagues initially wished to negotiate a peaceful solution with the Shah. However, in November 1978, he met as representative of the National Front with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in France. He had gone there hoping to convince Khomeini to support the creation of a coalition government headed by the National Front. Despite the rising revolutionary fervor, Sanjabi and many other liberals had remained loyal to the idea of a constitutional monarchy with the Shah as ceremonial figurehead and they wished to bring Khomeini over to their point of view. Khomeini, however, refused to budge and reiterated his demand for the overthrow of the monarchy. In the end, Sanjabi, acting as head of the National Front, capitulated to Khomeini's demands. Khomeini at the time was extremely popular amongst the religious masses, and Sanjabi emerged from his meeting "with a short declaration that spoke of both Islam and democracy as basic principles", and Sanjabi declared his support for Khomeini. Unfortunately for this agreement, after the overthrow of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, Khomeini "explicitly refused to put the same word, democracy, into either the title of the Republic or its constitution." Sanjabi served as the foreign minister of the provisional government (February–April 1979). After the creation of the Islamic republic, he became an opponent of Khomeini's regime and he fled Iran in 1982.
Death
He passed away on July 4, 1995 in Carbondale, IllinoisCarbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of 90.
See also
- 1953 Iranian coup d'état
- Mohammed Mosaddeq
- Abadan CrisisAbadan CrisisThe Abadan Crisis occurred from 1951 to 1954, after Iran nationalised the Iranian assets of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and expelled Western companies from oil refineries in the city of Abadan .-Prelude:...
- Iranian nationalismIranian nationalismIranian nationalism refers to nationalism among the people of Iran and individuals whose national identity is Iranian. Iranian nationalism consists of political and social movements and sentiments prompted by a love for Iranian culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in Iran and...
- National FrontNational Front (Iran)The National Front of Iran or Jebhe Melli is a Democratic, political opposition group founded by Mohammad Mossadegh and other secular Iranian leaders of Nationalist, Liberal, and Social-Democratic political orientation who had been educated in France in the late 1940s...
External links
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Sources
- Siavoshi, Sussan, Liberal Nationalism in Iran: The Failure of a Movement, Westview Press, March 1990.