in the West Azarbaijan Province

West Azarbaijan Province

West Azerbaijan Province or West Azarbaijan Province , is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in the North West of the country, bordering Turkey, Iraq and Nakhchivan, and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Kurdistan....

 of 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...

, Hijri graduated from the Teachers' College of Agriculture in Urumieh in 1963 and took up a post as a secondary school teacher in Saqqez. In 1970, he started studying Persian

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...

 literature at Tehran University

University of Tehran

The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...

, where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree. On returning to his home town, he re-started teaching at the secondary schools and a college here. Playing a considerable role in the mass demonstrations held in 1978 against the Shah's regime, he was nominated as a candidate for parliamentary elections in the townships of Naghadeh and Oshnavieh

Oshnavieh

Oshnavieh is a city in and the capital of Oshnavieh County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 29,896, in 6,572 families....

, where he won 90% of the votes, but the results, as in any electoral regions of Kurdistan, were announced null and void by the newly-established Islamic Republic of Iran.

Participating in the 4th Congress of the PDKI in 1979, he was elected as a member of the Central Committee, and a few months later, chosen as a member of the Political Bureau, holding steadily on his heavy task ever since Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou

Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou

Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was a Kurdish political leader.Ghassemlou was the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran from 1973 to 1989, when he was assassinated by perpetrators thought to be agents of the Islamic...

 was assassinated on July 13, 1989. Following the death of Dr.Ghassemlou, and on late Dr. Sadegh Sharafkandi

Sadegh Sharafkandi

Sadegh Sharafkandi was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran ....

’s appointment’s as General Secretary, Hijri was once more chosen to the membership of the Political Bureau, and Vice-General Secretary.

Dr. Sharafkandi having been killed on Sept. 17, 1992, Hijri was appointed as General Secretary, continuing his duty up till 1995, when the 10th Congress of the Party was convened, whereupon successfully carrying out his duties. After the above-mentioned date till the 12th Congress of the party in December 2000, he was chosen as a member of Political Bureau and elected afterwards as the Vice-General Secretary.

Since the 12th Congress up to the 13th Congress he unremittingly carried out his duties as a member of Political Bureau. He promotes federalism

Federalism

Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...

 as a model for governance and power sharing in 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...

. In his view, federalism must be based on geography and ethnicity, and this helps in resolving grievances of different ethnic groups in Iran. In addition, he advocates peaceful coexistence between Kurds and Azeri people in northwestern Iran. He was reelected to the position of General Secretary in the 14th Congress of PDKI held in September 2008.

See also

• Mahabad Republic
• Qazi Muhammad
  Qazi Muhammad
  Qazi Muhammad was a nationalist and religious Kurdish leader and the Head of the Republic of Kurdistan, the second modern Kurdish state in the Middle East ....
  
  
• Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
  Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
  Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was a Kurdish political leader.Ghassemlou was the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran from 1973 to 1989, when he was assassinated by perpetrators thought to be agents of the Islamic...
  
  
• Sadeq Sharafkandi
• Simko
  Simko Shikak
  Simko Shikak also Ismail Agha Shikak ) was a Kurdish chieftain of the Shakak tribe...