| Mohammad Khatami | |
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| In office 2 August 1997 – 3 August 2005 |
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| Vice President | Hassan Habibi (1997 - 2001) Mohammad Reza Aref (2001 - 2005) |
| Preceded by | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani |
| Succeeded by | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
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| Born | September 29, 1943 Ardakan, Iran |
| Political party | Association of Combatant Clerics |
| Religion | Twelver Shi'a Islam |
Mohammad Khatami (Persian : سید محمد خاتمی Seyyed Moḥammad Khātamī) (born September 29, 1943, in Ardakan, Yazd Province) is an Iranian scholar and politician. The President of Iran is the highest elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hassan Ebrahim Habibi (in Persian: حسن ابراهیم حبیبی (born 1937 ? is an Iranian politician and scholar presently the Head of Academy Mohammad Reza Aref ( PhD, born 1941 in Yazd) is an Iranian academic Electrical engineer and Politician and a professor at Sharif University Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( Persian:اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī) Hashemi Bahramani Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدینژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ardakan or Ardekan ( is the second major city of Yazd province, Iran. The Association of Combatant Clerics ( Persian: مجمع روحانیون مبارز majma'-e rowhāniyūn-e mobārez) also translated as the Assembly of Combatant See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ardakan or Ardekan ( is the second major city of Yazd province, Iran. Yazd (pronounced /jæzd/ (In Persian: یزد is the capital of Yazd province, "the second most ancient and historic city in the world" and a centre A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 2, 2005, and was succeeded by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The President of Iran is the highest elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدینژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran He also acted as Iran's Minister of Culture in 1980s and 1990s.
During his presidency, Khatami was an advocate of freedom of expression, tolerance and civil society. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning Society as opposed to the force-backed His government tried to establish constructive diplomatic relations with other states including EU and Asian governments. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in His economic policy was mostly a continuation of former policy of free market and attraction of foreign investments. A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers
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Khatami received a B.A. in Western philosophy from Isfahan University, but left academia while studying for a Master's degree in Educational Sciences at Tehran University and went to Qom to complete his previous studies in Islamic sciences. Western philosophy is a term that refers to philosophical thinking in the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies The University of Isfahan is the largest university in Isfahan Province in Iran. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency The University of Tehran ( also known as Tehran University and UT, is the oldest and largest university of Iran. He studied there for seven years and completed the courses to the highest level, Ijtihad. Ijtihad (Arabic اجتهاد is a technical term of Islamic law that describes the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources After that, he went to Germany to chair the Islamic Centre in Hamburg, where he stayed until the Iranian revolution. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Islamic Centre Hamburg ( Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg) is one of the oldest Iranian Shiite Mosques in Germany and Europe Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed
Before serving as president, Khatami had been a representative in the parliament from 1980 to 1982, supervisor of the Kayhan Institute, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance (1982-1986, and then for a second term from 1989 to May 24, 1992 (when he resigned), the head of the National Library of Iran from 1992 to 1997, and a member of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution. The Majlis of Iran ( Persian: مجلس شورای اسلامی lit Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) "Kayhan" ( Persian: کيهان means "cosmos" or "universe" in Persian. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The National Library of Iran is situated in Tehran, Iran, although several branches are scattered throughout the city Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Cultural Revolution (1980-1987 (in Persian انقلاب فرهنگي was a period following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran where the academia of Iran was
He is also a member and chairman of the Central Council of the Association of Combatant Clerics. The Association of Combatant Clerics ( Persian: مجمع روحانیون مبارز majma'-e rowhāniyūn-e mobārez) also translated as the Assembly of Combatant
(See also Reforms of Mohammad Khatami). Mohammad Khatami was elected as the President of Iran in 1997 after having based his campaign on a reform program promising implementation of a democratic and more tolerant society the Khatami was elected president on May 23, 1997, and was re-elected on June 8, 2001, for a second term. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Khatami won largely due to the female and youth vote, who voted for him because he promised to improve the status of women and respond to the demands of the young generation in Iran. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics.
The day of his election, the 2nd of Khordad, 1376, in the Iranian calendar, is regarded as the starting date of "reforms" in Iran. The Iranian calendar or Solar Hejri (تقویم هجری شمسی؛ سالنمای هجری خورشیدی Taqwim Hejri Shamsi Salanmay Hejri Khurshidi) is an astronomical His followers are therefore usually known as the "2nd of Khordad Movement". The Iranian reform movement (Persianاصلاح طلبان or the Reforms Front (Persian جبههٔ اصلاحات also known as 2nd of Khordad Front (Persian
Khatami is regarded as Iran's first reformist president, since the focus of his campaign was on the rule of law, democracy and the inclusion of all Iranians in the political decision-making process. However, his policies of reform led to repeated clashes with the hardline and conservative Islamists in the Iranian government, who control powerful governmental organizations like the Guardian Council, whose members are appointed by the Supreme Leader. Khatami lost most of those clashes, and by the end of his presidency many of his followers had grown disillusioned with him.
As President, according to the Iranian political system, Khatami was outranked by the Supreme Leader, and had no legal authority over many key state institutions such as the armed forces (the police, the army, the revolutionary guards, etc. The post of Supreme Leader ( Persian: رهبر انقلاب Rahbare Enqelab, lit ), the state radio and television, the judiciary, the prisons, etc. (See Politics of Iran). The politics and government of Iran takes place in the framework of a Republic with an Islamic ideology
Khatami presented the so called "twin bills" to the parliament during his term in office, these two pieces of proposed legislation would have introduced small but key changes to the national election laws of Iran and also presented a clear definition of the president's power to prevent constitutional violations by state institutions. Khatami himself described the "twin bills" as the key to the progress of reforms in Iran. The bills were approved by the parliament but were eventually vetoed by the Guardian Council.
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President | Mohammad Khatami | 1997–2005 |
| First Vice President | Hassan Habibi | 1997–2001 |
| Mohammad Reza Aref | 2001–2005 | |
| Foreign Affairs | Kamal Kharrazi | 1997–2005 |
| Agricultural | Issa Kalantari | 1997–2000 |
| Mahmoud Hojjati | 2000–2005 | |
| Commerce | Mohammad Shariatmadar | 1997–2005 |
| ICT | Mohammad Reza Aref | 1997–2000 |
| Ahmad Motamedi | 2000–2005 | |
| Cooperatives | Morteza Haaji | 1997–2001 |
| Ali Soufi | 2001–2005 | |
| Culture | Attaollah Mohajerani | 1997–2000 |
| Ahmad Masjed-Jamei | 2000–2005 | |
| Defense | Ali Shamkhani | 1997–2005 |
| Economy | Hossein Namazi | 1997–2001 |
| Tahmasb Mazaheri | 2001–2004 | |
| Safdar Hosseini | 2004–2005 | |
| Education | Hossein Mozzafar | 1997–2001 |
| Morteza Haaji | 2001–2005 | |
| Power | Habibolah Bitaraf | 1997–2005 |
| Health | Mohammad Farhadi | 1997–2001 |
| Masoud Pezeshkian | 2001–2005 | |
| HUD | Ali Abdolalizadeh | 1997–2005 |
| Industrial | Gholamreza Shafei | 1997–2001 |
| Eshaq Jahangiri | 2001–2005 | |
| Intelligence | Ghorbanali Dorri Najafabadi | 1997–1998 |
| Ali Younesi | 1998–2005 | |
| Interior | Abdollah Nouri | 1997–1998 |
| Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari | 1998–2005 | |
| Justice | Mohammad Ismaeil Shooshtari | 1997–2005 |
| Labour | Hossein Kamali | 1997–2001 |
| Safdar Hosseini | 2001–2004 | |
| Nasser Khaleghi | 2004–2005 | |
| Petroleum | Bijan Namdar Zangeneh | 1997–2005 |
| Roads | Mahmoud Hojatti | 1997–2000 |
| Rahman Dadman | 2000 | |
| Ahmad Khorram | 2000–2004 | |
| Mohammad Rahmati | 2004–2005 | |
| Science | Mostafa Moeen | 1997–2003 |
| Jafar Towfighi | 2003–2005 | |
| Welfare | Mohammad Hossein Sharifzadegan | 2004–2005 |
Khatami's economic policies followed the previous government's commitment to industrialization. The President of Iran is the highest elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader. Vice President of Iran is defined by article 124 of the Iranian constitution, as anyone appointed by the President to lead an organization related to the Presidential Hassan Ebrahim Habibi (in Persian: حسن ابراهیم حبیبی (born 1937 ? is an Iranian politician and scholar presently the Head of Academy Mohammad Reza Aref ( PhD, born 1941 in Yazd) is an Iranian academic Electrical engineer and Politician and a professor at Sharif University The first Minister of Foreign Affairs (or Foreign Minister) of Iran was Mirza Abdolvahhab Khan Mo'tamed od-Dowleh Neshat who served between 1819 and 1824 Seyed Kamal Kharazi (کمال خرازی (born 1 December, 1944 in Tehran as Ali-Naghi Kharazi علینقی خرازی was the Iranian Issa Kalantari (In Persian: عیسی کلانتری (born 1952 in Marand) is an Iranian politician Mohammad Reza Aref ( PhD, born 1941 in Yazd) is an Iranian academic Electrical engineer and Politician and a professor at Sharif University Seyyed Ahmad Motamedi (In Persian: سید احمد معتمدی (born 1953 in Tehran) is an Iranian politician The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the Ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ata'ollah Mohajerani (عطاالله مهاجرانی born 1954 in Arak Iran, is an Iranian historian politician Ahmad Masjed-Jamei is an Iranian Reformist politician who served as Culture Minister under President Mohammad Khatami from 2000 to 2005 and was elected Ali Shamkhani (علی شمخانی is an Iranian Admiral. He was the Iranian Minister of Defense until August 24, 2005, and was replaced Safdar Hosseini ( Persian: صفدر حسینی is an Iranian politician Habibolah Bitaraf was Energy Minister of Iran for 8 years during the Mohammad Khatami presidency Masood Pezeshkian (مسعود پزشکیان was Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran between 2001 and 2005. Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi (In Persian: اسحاق جهانگیری کوهشاهی (born 1957 in Sirjan) is an Iranian politician The Ministry of Intelligence and National Security ( Persian: وزارت اطلاعات و امنیت کشور Vezarat-e Ettela'at va Amniat-e Keshvar) is the Ayatollah Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi ( is an Iranian Politician and Cleric, previously the Minister of Intelligence of Hojatoleslam Ali Younesi was the director of the Ministry of Intelligence and a member of the Supreme National Security Council during the presidency The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in charge of performing supervising and reporting elections and policing, among other responsibilities related to Hojjatoleslam Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari (born 1954 was the Interior minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for prosecuting the government cases Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Ismaeil Shooshtari (born in 1949 Quchan in Khorasan province was the Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran for 1997-2005 Hossein Kamali (In Persian: حسین کمالی (born 1953 in Doroud) is an Iranian politician Safdar Hosseini ( Persian: صفدر حسینی is an Iranian politician The Iranian constitution prohibits the granting of petroleum rights on a concessionary basis or direct equity stake Bijan Namdar Zangeneh ( is an Iranian politician He was the Minister of Energy in president Hashemi Rafsanjani 's cabinet and the Minister of Rahman Dadman ( was an Iranian Politician born in Ardabil. He was the Minister of Roads and Transportation under President Mohammad Khatami Ahmad Khorram (احمد خرم (born 1950 is Iranian Politician. Mostafa Moeen, MD (مصطفی معین born April 1, 1951) also spelled Moin, is an Iranian Politician and Professor is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one At a macro-economic level, Khatami continued the liberal policies that Rafsanjani had embarked on in the state's first five year economic development plan (1990-1995). Macroeconomics is a branch of Economics that deals with the performance structure and behavior of a national or regional Economy as a whole On April 10, 2005 Khatami cited economic development, large-scale operations of the private sector in the country's economic arena and the 6-percent economic growth as among the achievements of his government. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. $5 billion had been allocated to the private sector for promoting the economy, adding that the value of contracts signed in this regard has reached $10 billion.
Conservative critics accused President Khatami of neglecting the economy in favour of politics. . A year into his first term as president of Iran, Khatami acknowledged Iran's economic challenges, stating that the economy was, "chronically ill . . . and it will continue to be so unless there is fundamental restructuring".
For much of his first term, Khatami saw through the implementation of Iran’s second five-year development plan. On 15 September 1999, Khatami presented a new five-year plan to the Majlis. Aimed at the period from 2000-2004, the plan called for economic reconstruction in a broader context of social and political development. The specific economic reforms included "an ambitious program to privatize several major industries . . . the creation of 750,000 new jobs per year, average annual real GDP growth of 6% over the period, reduction in subsidies for basic commodities . . . plus a wide range of fiscal and structural reforms. " Unemployment remained a major problem, with Khatami’s five-year plan lagging behind in job creation. Only 300,000 new jobs were created in the first year of the plan, well short of the 750,000 that the plan called for. The 2004 World Bank report on Iran concludes that "after 24 years marked by internal post-revolutionary strife, international isolation, and deep economic volatility, Iran is slowly emerging from a long period of uncertainty and instability. "[1]
At the macroeconomic level, real GDP rose from 2. Macroeconomics is a branch of Economics that deals with the performance structure and behavior of a national or regional Economy as a whole 4 percent in 1997 to 5. 9 percent in 2000. Unemployment was reduced from 16. 2 percent of the labor force to less than 14 percent. The consumer price index fell to less than 13 percent from more than 17 percent. Both public and private investments increased in the energy sector, the building industry, and other sectors of the country's industrial base. The country's external debt was cut from $12. 1 billion to $7. 9 billion, its lowest level since the Iran-Iraq cease-fire. The World Bank granted $232 million for health and sewage projects after a hiatus of about seven years. The government, for the first time since the 1979 wholesale financial nationalization, authorized the establishment of two private banks and one private insurance company. The OECD lowered the risk factor for doing business in Iran to 4 from 6 (on a scale of 7). [2]
The government's own figures put the number of people under the absolute poverty line in 2001 at 15. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 5 percent of the total population--down from 18 percent in 1997, and those under relative poverty at 25 percent, thus classifying some 40 percent of the people as poor. Private estimates indicate higher figures. [3]
Among 155 countries in a 2001 world survey, Iran under Khatami was 150th in terms of openness to the global economy. On the United Nation's Human Development scale, Iran ranked 90th out of 162 countries, only slightly better than its previous position at 97 out of 175 countries four years earlier. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security [4] The overall risk of doing business in Iran improved only marginally from "D" to "C. "[5][6]
During Khatami's presidency, Iran's foreign policy began a process of moving from confrontation to conciliation. In Khatami's notion of foreign policy, there was no "clash of civilizations", he favoured instead a "dialogue among civilizations". A policy is a deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome(s The Clash of Civilizations is a Theory, proposed by Political scientist Samuel P The Dialogue Among Civilizations is a theory in international relations Relations with the US remained marred by mutual suspicion and distrust, but during Khatami's two terms, Tehran increasingly made efforts to play a greater role in the Persian Gulf region and beyond. The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the
As President, Khatami met with many influential figures including Pope John Paul II, Koichiro Matsuura, Jacques Chirac, Johannes Rau, Vladimir Putin, Abdulaziz Bouteflika and Hugo Chávez. Pope is the current Director-General of UNESCO. He was first elected in 1999 to a six-year term and reelected on 12 October 2005 for four years following a reform instituted Johannes Rau ( January 16, 1931 &ndash January 27, 2006) was a German Politician of the SPD. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (; born 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, USSR; now Saint Petersburg, Russia was the second President of Russia Abdelaziz Bouteflika (abdəlazɪz butəflika ( عبد العزيز بوتفليقة) (born March 2 1937 in Oujda, Morocco) has been the President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. In 2003 Khatami refused to meet militant Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Hojatoleslam Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr or Moktada al Sadr ( ar سيد مقتدى الصدر Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr) (born August 12, [7]
After the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran, the Iranian government rebuffed Israel's offer of assistance. Bam is a city in Kerman Province of Iran. The city is the center of Bam County. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. On April 8, 2005, Khatami sat near Iranian-born Israeli President Moshe Katsav during the funeral of Pope John Paul II because of alphabetical order. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian The President of the State of Israel (נשיא המדינה Nesi HaMedina, lit Moshe Katsav (משה קצב born 5 December 1945) is a former President of Israel and member of the Knesset. The funeral of Pope John Paul II was held on April 8 2005, six days after his death on April 2. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope Later, Katsav claimed that he shook hands and spoke with Khatami. Katsav himself is in origin an Iranian Jew, and from a part of Iran close to Khatami's home - he stated that they had spoken about their home province. That would make this incident the first political contact between Iran and Israel since diplomatic ties were severed in 1979. [3] [4] However, after he returned to Iran, Khatami was subject to harsh criticism from conservatives for having 'recognised' Israel by speaking to its president. Subsequently, the country's state-run media reported that Khatami strongly denied shaking hands and chatting with Katsav[5]
In 2003, Iran approached the United States with proposals to negotiate all outstanding issues including the nuclear issue and a two-state settlement for Israel-Palestine. [8]
In February 2004 Parliament elections, the Council of Guardians banned thousands [9] of candidates, including most of the reformist members of the parliament and all the candidates of the Islamic Iran Participation Front party from running. The first round of the 2004 elections to the Majlis of Iran were held on February 20, 2004. The Guardian Council of the Constitution (شورای نگهبان قانون اساسی or Guardian Council and also Council of Guardians is an appointed and The Islamic Iran Participation Front ( Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami, جبهه مشارکت ایران اسلامی in Persian) is a Reformist political This led to a win by the conservatives of at least 70% of the seats. Approximately 60% of the eligible voting population participated in the elections.
Khatami recalled his strong opposition against holding an election his government saw as unfair and not free. He also narrated the story of his visit to the Supreme Leader, Khamenei, together with the Parliament's spokesman (considered the head of the legislature) and a list of conditions they had handed him before they could hold the elections. The list, he said, was then passed on to the Guardian Council, the legal supervisor and major obstacle to holding free and competitive elections in recent years. The members of the Guardian Council are appointed directly by the Supreme Leader and were considered to be applying his will. "But," Khatami said, "the Guardian Council kept neither the Supreme Leader's nor its own word [. . . ] and we were faced with a situation in which we had to choose between holding the election or risking huge unrest [. . . ] and so damaging the regime. " At this point a slogan was repeatedly chanted by the student protesters: "Jannati* is the nation's enemy. " Khatami strangely replied, "If you are the nation, then we are the nation's enemy," and closed his speech. [10]
When the Guardian Council announced the final list of candidates on January 30, 125 Reformist members of parliament declared that they would boycott the election and resign their seats, and the Reformist interior minister declared that the election would not be held on the scheduled date, February 20. An election boycott is the Boycotting of an Election by a group of voters each of whom abstains from voting However, President Khatami then announced that the election would be held on time, and he rejected the resignations of his cabinet ministers and provincial governors. These actions paved the way for the election to be held and signaled a split between the radical and moderate wings of the Reformist movement. [11]
Following earlier works by renowned philosopher Dariush Shayegan, President Khatami introduced the theory of Dialogue Among Civilizations as a response to Huntington's theory of Clash of Civilizations. Dariush Shayegan (born in 1935 in Tehran) ( is one of Iran 's prominent thinkers cultural theorists and comparative philosophers The Dialogue Among Civilizations is a theory in international relations The Clash of Civilizations is a Theory, proposed by Political scientist Samuel P After introducing the concept of his theory in several international societies (most importantly the U. N. ) the theory gained a lot of international support. Consequently the United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the United Nations' Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, as per Khatami's suggestion [6] [7]. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Dialogue Among Civilizations is a theory in international relations Pleading for the moralization of politics, Khatami argued that “The political translation of dialogue among civilizations would consist in arguing that culture, morality and art must prevail on politics. The Dialogue Among Civilizations is a theory in international relations ” Khatami has become an international personality, and he has gained much fame among intellectuals all over the world.
Khatami’s dialogue of civilisations, challenging Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order (Huntington, 1998), is not just a domestic plea but a worldwide invitation. In 1998, Khatami addressed an international audience at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to delineate his main arguments (Khatami, 2001c, pp. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous 11–22) and the UN declared the year 2001 as the Year of Dialogue Among Civilisations. His proposal for such a dialogue is an inclusive concept that reaches beyond Iranian/non-Iranian, Muslim/non-Muslim dichotomies. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion It is an appeal to all humanity in the midst of growing violence and conflict worldwide, ultimately aiming at the betterment of human life. The dialogue of civilisations has several goals: laying the ground for peaceful, constructive debate among nations; providing a context in which civilisations can learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses; replacing fear, blame, and prejudice with reason, fairness, and tolerance; and facilitating a dynamic exchange of experiences among culture, religions, and civilisations aimed at reform and amelioration. A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements Khatami believes that such dialogue would strike a balance between the two extremes of self-denial, unquestioning imitation, and surrender and hatred, irrational rejection, and execration. [12]
Khatami's main research field is Political philosophy. Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights One of Khatami's academic mentors was Javad Tabatabaei, a very influential Iranian political philosopher. Dr Javad Tabatabaei (also Tabatabai) is an Iranian political philosopher historian and a distinguished university professor who was born and brought up in Later on Khatami became a University lecturer at Tarbiat Modarres University where he taught Political philosophy. Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights Khatami also published a book on political philosophy in 1999. The ground he covers is the same as that covered by Javad Tabatabaei: the Platonizing adaptation of Greek political philosophy by Farabi (d. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Abū Nasr Muhammad ibn al-Farakh al-Fārābi ( Nastaliq:) or Abū Nasr al-Fārābi 950), its synthesis of the "eternal wisdom" of Persian statecraft by Abu'l-Hasan Amiri (d. 991) and Mushkuya (miskawayh) Razi (d. 1030), the juristic theories of al-Mawardi and Ghazali, and Nizam al-Mulk's treatise on statecraft. He ends with a discussion of the revival of political philosophy in Safavid Isfahan in the second half of the 17th century. The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan or Hispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān
Further, Khatami shares with Tabatabaei the curious idea of the "decline" of Muslim political thought beginning at the very outset, after Farabi.
Aristotle's Politics became available in Persian to Khatami's generation only in a translation by the late Hamid Enayat (d. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. 1982). Like Tabatabaei, Khatami brings in the sharply contrasting Aristotelian view of politics to highlight the shortcomings of Muslim political thought. Khatami's explanations of the decline in Muslim political thought in terms of the transition from political philosophy to royal policy (siyasat-i shahi) and its imputation to the prevalence of "forceful domination" (taghallub) in Islamic history carries little conviction. [13]
Khatami highlights the contradiction between the Western notion of "liberty" and the Islamic concept of "salvation". The Western concept of liberty refers to emancipation from outside bonds and aims at social, political, and civil freedom. Its positive achievements are having humans determine their own fate while governments serve the people and are accountable to them. A negative consequence of this school of thought, according to Khatami, is unbridled individualism and the belief that humans and their needs and desires are of central importance at all times. The Islamic notion of salvation, on the other hand, refers to emancipation from internal bonds, such as carnal desires, lust, and worldliness. Khatami believes that both viewpoints are incomplete. Salvation neglects humans’ social and political freedom. [14]
In his address at Washington National Cathedral, Khatami, a philosopher and scholar who specialized in German and Western philosophical trends in modern and post-modern eras, provided a historical overview of Western thought from the Renaissance to the current post-modern age. Washington National Cathedral, whose official name is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a Cathedral of The Episcopal Church. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The West is driven by intellectuals who emphasize individuality, he pointed out, and who have turned human beings into a new religion: Westerners believe that man can successfully dominate the world and nature, and have turned to aggression, domination and colonialism. Nature, in the broadest sense is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism In Khatami’s opinion, Western thinkers propagated the views of "survival of the fittest" and "might is right". The West went on to build aggressive social and political systems, and dominate both nature and weak societies. The Eastern spiritual beliefs of the three Abrahamic faiths, based on the principles of truth and justice, have suffered as a result. With the advance of Western civilization, the West either dominated or integrated other "civilizations into a unified Western one", Khatami said. Western philosophers and politicians now expect "older civilizations" to give in and accept Western ideals, just as "agricultural civilizations physically gave in to the industrial and post-industrial civilizations. "[15]
In his "Letter for Tomorrow", he wrote: "This government is proud to announce that it heralded the era where the sanctity of power has been turned into the legitimacy of critique and criticism of that power, which is in the trust of the people who have been delegated with power to function as representatives through franchise. So such power, once considered Divine Grace has now been reduced to an earthly power that can be criticized and evaluated by earthly beings. Instances show that although due to some traces of despotic mode of background we have not even been a fair critique of those in power, however, it is deemed upon the society, and the elite and the intellectuals in particular, not to remain indifferent at the dawn of democracy and allow freedom to be hijacked. "
After his presidency, Khatami founded two NGOs which he currently heads:
Notable events in career of Mr. Khatami after his presidency include:
On December 22, 2005, a few months after the end of Khatami's presidency, the monthly magazine Chelcheragh with a group of young Iranian artists and activists organized a ceremony in honor of Mr. Chelcheragh is the name of a weekly social magazine printed in Iran. Khatami. The ceremony was held on Yalda night at Tehran's Bahman Farhangsara Hall. Shabe Yaldā ( or Shabe Chelle ( is an Iranian festival originally celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year that is on the The Bahman Cultural Center (Bahman Farhangsara is municipally created public space for cultural advancement in Tehran. The ceremony, titled A Night with: The Man with the Chocolate Robe by the organizers, was widely attended by teenagers and younger adults. A Night with The Man with the Chocolate Robe ( مردی با عبای شکلاتی) was the title of an event held on December 22 2005 in honor of former Iranian One of the presenters and organizers of the ceremony was Pegah Ahangarani, a popular young Iranian actress. Pegah Ahangarani, ( born 1984 is an Iranian actress She is the daughter of actress and director Manijeh Hekmat and movie director Jamshid Ahangarani. The event did not get a lot of advance publicity, but it drew a huge amount of attention afterwards. In addition to formal reports on the event by the BBC, IRNA, and other major news agencies, googling the term "مردی با عبای شکلاتی" ("The Man with the Chocolate Robe" in Persian) shows thousands of results of mainly young Iranians' weblogs mentioning the event. The significance of this event was that it was arguably the first time in the history of Iran that an event in such fashion was held in honor of a head of government. Some weblog reports of the evening described the general atmosphere of the event as "similar to a concert!", and some reported that "Khatami was treated like a pop star" among the youth and teenagers in attendance during the ceremony. Many bloggers also pointed out the disappoinment of many of his supporters because of his failure to carry out his plans for a more democratic, tolerant, and open society after his 8 years of presidency. The event itself, and the enormous amount of weblog and internet discussions that were sparked by it, are considered by many to be indicative of the strong feelings still evoked in Iran's youth by Mr. Khatami and the reform program he was associated with.
In May 2007, a video was released showing Mohammad Khatami publicly shaking hand with two female participants of a conference in Italy where he was an invited speaker. Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi (محمدعلی ابطحی (born January 27, 1958 in Mashhad) is an Iranian (Persian Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Strict interpretations of Islamic law forbid physical contact with a person of opposite sex other than a relative.
Khatami was criticised by the conservative press for committing an "unforgivable offense against sacred Islamic rules". [20] After initially denying the handshake had occurred, Khatami admitted he "might have shaken some hands, but I don't remember exactly". [20]
Websites close to the conservative government of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that an increasing number of clerics in the holy Shiite city of Qom believed that Khatami should be convicted for his behaviour. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدینژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Khatami attracted world attention in his first election to the presidency when as "a little known cleric, he captured almost 70% of the vote. "[21] His two terms as president, however, were widely regarded as unsuccessful in achieving their goals of making Iran more free and democratic. [22]
Mohammad Khatami has been criticized by conservatives, reformers, and opposition groups for some of his policies and viewpoints. Khatami was criticized for desribing Asadollah Lajevardi as a "valiant son of Islam and revolution, a servant of the regime and the people". Asadollah Lajevardi, (also Sayyed Assadollah Ladjevardi) ( 1935 - August 22, 1998) was the warden of the notorious Evin Prison in A former chief guardian of the infamous Evin Prison, Mr Lajevardi is known for his role in suppression of political prisoners. [23] Khatami also expressed his sadness upon the death of Sadeq Khalkhali, known as the hanging judge. Ayatollah Sadeq Givi aka Sadegh Khalkhali ( Persian) ( July 27, 1926 – November 26, 2003) was a hardline [24] He also praised Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, calling him "an open-minded Muslim", "prominent follower of Khomeini's path" and "valubale figures in seminaries". Clerical activities Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani was declared as the most knowledgeable specialist in the field of the Islamic law ( Marja al-taqlid) by the central [25] Lankarani is well-known for his death fatwas for Rafiq Tağı and Salman Rushdi as well as his fatwa against the attendance of women in sport stadiums. Rafiq Tağı, born Rafig Nazir oglu Taghiyev is an Azerbaijani journalist who worked for Sanat newspaper until police arrested him and Senet editor Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie Kt (born 19 June 1947 is an Indian - British novelist and essayist
Khatami also came under attack from philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush, who accused him of failing to push for reforms since his May, 1997, election. Hosein Haj Faraj Dabbagh (1945 -)(, mostly known by his pen-name Abdolkarim Soroush (Persian عبدالكريم سروش) or Abdulkarim Soroush is an "The peaceful and democratic uprising of the Iranian people against religious dictatorship in May 1997 was a sweet experience," Soroush said in a letter addressed to Khatami. "But your failure to keep the vote and your wasting of opportunities put an end to it and disappointed the nation. Now, failures have turned into unrest. " [26]
Khatami's definition of civil society and freedom has been also subject to criticisms. Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning Society as opposed to the force-backed Khatami raised the idea of civil society when he came to power. That encouraged many thinkers and scholars to write about the issue extensively. But suddenly Khatami said in one of his speeches: "what I meant by civil society was the Prophet’s Medina". His statement disappointed many Iranian scholars. Referring to this point Abdolkarim Soroush said: "That poured cold water on everyone. Either this was the understanding that he had of civil society from the start or he later changed his mind for particular political and theoretical reasons and replaced civil society with the Prophet’s Medina. This was clear vacillation in his thinking. We witnessed this same vacillation when he spoke about freedom. "[27] In a speech in November 18 1998, Khatami said: "Only those have the right to political activity and existence in Iran who have faith in Islam and the leadership. "[28] [29]
Despite the fact that President Khatami was supportive of democratic reforms, Defenders of Human Rights Center which is Iran's main human rights organization, did not succeed in official registration and its qualification was not approved after three years of sending requests. Defenders of Human Rights Center (also known as the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, Persian: کانون [30] He was also criticized for inappropriate reaction to Shirin Ebadi's Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi is also the president of Defenders of Human Rights Center. Defenders of Human Rights Center (also known as the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, Persian: کانون [31]
President Khatami has refrained from criticizing the fundamental principle of velayat-e-faqih, of rule by the religious scholar, the governmental principle imposed by Ruhollah Khomeini and the basic ideology of the state. Islamic leadership|Ja'fari jurisprudence Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists ( Arabic: ولاية الفقيه, Persian: ولایت فقیه [32] After taking the office Khatami said: "We declare to the world that we will continue to tread along Imam Khomeini’s path. . . We will persevere to do so". He also added: "Imam Khomeini’s notion of velayat-e faqih is the main pillar of the Islamic Republic. All citizens of the Islamic Republic have a practical commitment to velayat-e faqih. This means that all those who live under this system must abide by this principle and regulate their conduct within the framework of the constitution. "[33][34]
In an interview at Harvard University, Khatami was asked about his opinion on homosexuality. He said: "homosexual activity is a crime in Islam. . . And crimes are punishable. . . The fact that could crimes be punished by execution is debatable. "[35]
In 2001, Some 78 Iranian lawmakers have called on President Mohammad Khatami to allocate an appropriate share to the Sunni minority of the country. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic However Khatami did not appoint any one from the Sunni minority to cabinet posts in his 8 years of presidency. [36] He did however appoint Shia Kurds to his cabinet, a first in post-Revolutionary Iran.
Islamic Republic did not allow a single Sunni mosque to be build in Tehran. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of Although President Mohammad Khatami promised during election times to build a Sunni mosque in Tehran, he refused to do that after taking the office. After he won the elections, he was reminded of his promise but he claimed that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had not agreed to the proposal. [37]
In July 2007, Khatami said that Ruhollah Khomeini was the leading "reformist" of our time. Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 [38] Ruhollah Khomeini is considered a populist and fundamentalist by some experts[39] . Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 Khomeini was also a leader of a movement that led to a revolution and radical change in Iranian political structure.
Khatami in many occasions praised Basij. The Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, or Baseej-e Mostaz'afin or "The Mobilized Oppressed"" or بسيج is a volunteer based Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told the cabinet on 22 November 2000 that "the Basij is a progressive force which seeks to play a better role in maintaining religious faith among its allies, and acquiring greater knowledge and skills. " [40] Khatami also praised Basij activities during the July 1999 unrest in Iran. "The Basij forces, standing alongside the Law Enforcement Forces, demonstrated courage, firmness, and initiative. They demonstrated the power and potency of the system, and they also revealed the self-restraint exercised by the system. " By not resorting to deadly force, Khatami said, the Basij "brought the unrest to an end, and in the process they brought calm and security back to the country. "[41]
Khatami married Zohreh Sadeghi, daughter of a famous professor of religious law, and niece of Imam Musa al-Sadr, in 1974 (at the age of 31). For the Twelver Shī‘ah Imām, see Mūsá al-Kāżim Sayyid Mūsá aṣ-Ṣadr (1928-1978 (السيد موسى They have two daughters and one son: Leila (born 1975) who is now a mathematics professor, Narges (born 1982), and Emad (born 1988). Leila Khatami (born 1975 is a research mathematician working in commutative algebra and a daughter of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami.
Khatami's father, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khatami, was a high ranking cleric and the Khateeb (the one who delivers the sermon for Friday prayers) in the city of Yazd in the early years of the Iranian Revolution. (not to be mistaken with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who was the leader of the 1979 Iranian revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khatami Khatib or khateeb (خطيب khaṭīb) is an Arabic term used to describe a person who delivers the sermon ( khuṭbah) during Yazd (pronounced /jæzd/ (In Persian: یزد is the capital of Yazd province, "the second most ancient and historic city in the world" and a centre The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed
Khatami's brother, Dr. Mohammad Reza Khatami was elected as Tehran's first member of parliament in the 6th term of Majlis, during which he served as deputy speaker of the parliament. Seyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami ( also known as Reza Khatami, born 1959 in Ardakan, Iran) is an Iranian Politician. Majlis (also spelled Majalis or Mejlis, Arabic مجلس is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting" used to describe various types of formal He also served as the secretary-general of Islamic Iran Participation Front (Iran's largest reformist party) for several years. The Islamic Iran Participation Front ( Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami, جبهه مشارکت ایران اسلامی in Persian) is a Reformist political Mohammad Reza is married to Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini (founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran) who is a feminist human rights activist. Zahra Eshraghi ( Persian: زهرا اشراقی Zahrâ Eshrâqi) is an Iranian feminist and human rights activist Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics.
Khatami's other brother, Ali Khatami, a businessman with a master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Brooklyn[42], served as the President's Chief of Staff during President Khatami's second term in office, where he kept an unusually low profile. Ali Khatami (born 1953 is the younger brother of former Iranian president, Mohammed Khatami, and served as his chief of staff during his second term in office Industrial engineering is also not good and shit Operations management, Systems engineering, production engineering manufacturing engineering or manufacturing systems Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City.
Khatami's eldest sister, Fatemeh Khatami was elected as the first representative of the people of Ardakan (Khatami's hometown) in 1999 city council elections. Ardakan or Ardekan ( is the second major city of Yazd province, Iran. City and Village Councils (full title is Provincial City District and Village Councils are local councils which are elected by public vote in all cities and villages throughout
Mohammad Khatami speaks several languages including Persian, Arabic, and a bit of English and German. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.
Khatami has written a number of books in Persian, Arabic and English:
Books in Persian
Books in English
Books in Arabic
A full list of his publications is available at his official personal web site (see below). Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States
| Preceded by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani |
President of Iran 1997–2005 |
Succeeded by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Khatami, Mohammad |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Iranian politician, former President of Iran |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 29, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ardakan, Iran |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |