1954 -
Iranian politician.
Born in 1954 in Arak, Ataollah Mohajerani received his degrees (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) in history from Isfahan, Shiraz, and the Teachers' Training universities. He was a student during the Iranian Revolution and entered politics by running for and serving in the first parliament in the Islamic Republic of Iran (1980 - 1984). After serving one year as the cultural ambassador to Pakistan, he became the deputy for legal and parliamentary affairs, first for the prime minister and later for the president (1985 - 1989). Shortly after serving as a spokesperson for the newly elected president Mohammad Khatami in 1997, Mohajerani was appointed minister of culture and Islamic guidance - a position he held until April 2000.
Mohajerani is a culturally progressive, politically pragmatic, and religiously liberal politician affiliated with the Executives of Construction Party, which was established in 1996 with the support of the president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as a counterforce to religious conservatives. Relative to his predecessors, Mohajerani was an extremely liberal and visionary culture minister. He was one of the driving forces behind Khatami's liberal policies after 1997. During Mohajerani's tenure, Iran experienced more press freedom; increased publication of books, magazines, and newspapers; and a resur-facing of the Iranian cinema in the international arena. Previously banned artists and writers were allowed to produce their works again.
Mohajerani's policies generated conflicting reactions. When Salman Rushdie wrote Satanic Verses and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatva [fatwa] that absolved any Muslim who might kill him, Mohajerani wrote a book in which he defended Khomeini's verdict and declared the Rushdie affair to be part of a recurring Western plot against Islam. The conservatives adored Mohajerani, but when he advocated direct negotiations with the United States in 1989, he angered Ali Khamenehi, the leader of the Islamic Republic, who denounced him and suspended any discussion of the issue. Some conservatives viewed Mohajerani's policies as an assault on their religious values, and accused him of being a CIA agent hired to undermine the values of the Islamic Revolution. Several high-ranking clerics denounced him and demanded his impeachment by the parliament or dismissal by the leader. In 1998, radical vigilantes physically attacked Mohajerani and Hojatoleslam Abdolah Nuri, the minister of the interior, during Friday prayers in Tehran University. In 1999 conservatives tried to impeach Mohajerani in the parliament, but his eloquent defense prevented his critics from gaining enough votes for his removal.
Pressure on Mohajerani mounted from allegations of financial impropriety and legal challenges to his decisions, and rumors of his resignation continued. Finally, in April 2000 Khatami accepted his fifty-page letter of resignation. In 2001 Khatami asked him to serve as the director of the International Centre for Dialogue Among Civilizations (ICDC). As head of ICDC, Mohajerani continues to travel, give speeches and interviews, and write books and articles. He is married to Jamileh Kadivar, a parliament deputy, and they have four children.
— ALI AKBAR MAHDI
Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
