Ali Motahhari ( fa, علی مطهری; born 26 January 1958) is an Iranian politician who is known as a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and is also named as a sort of conservative
reformist
Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement.
Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...
, who represented
Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr electoral district in the
Parliament of Iran
The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Pa ...
since 2008 and was
Second Deputy of the Parliament of Iran from 2016 until 2019.
Motahhari is described as an
orthodox politician with
liberal conservative
Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by li ...
and
moderate conservative
Moderate conservatism is a moderate version of conservatism that is less demanding than classical conservatism and has several subtypes such as liberal conservatism.
The term is often used in countries where the political camp is divided into ' ...
views. He is the leader of the
People's Voice Coalition.
Motahhari heads Sadra Publications and teaches at
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...
, where he gained a PhD in philosophy.
Biography
Ali Motahhari was born in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. His father is noted Islamic scholar
Morteza Motahhari
Morteza Motahhari ( fa, مرتضی مطهری, also Romanized as "Mortezā Motahharī"; 31 January 1919 – 1 May 1979) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, lecturer. Motahhari is considered to have an important influence on ...
.
Motahari is a brother-in-law of the current Speaker of the Parliament
Ali Larijani
Ali Ardeshir Larijani ( fa, علی لاریجانی, ; born 3 June 1957) is an Iranian conservative politician, philosopher and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran ...
, and a harsh critic of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدینژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956), .
He criticized Ahmadinejad for his "self-centered" policies saying: "It is unprecedented and inappropriate that a president simply says I do not accept this law and will not execute it. This is a sign of despotism."
Motahhari tried to summon Ahmadinejad to parliament to face questioning and possible impeachment. Though a conservative, he has been something of a maverick.
On 13 March 2015, Motahari was injured in an attack by "motorcycle thugs" before giving a speech at
Shiraz University
Shiraz University ( fa, دانشگاه شیراز ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', formerly known as Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars, Iran, established in 194 ...
.
In 2020, he suggested that the Islamic Republic was to partially blame for the
Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, saying "We have scared the Arabs and pushed them towards Israel. An example of this is
storming the Saudi embassy and setting it ablaze. The policy of making Iran the enemy has been fruitful. This needs to be remedied.” This was a highly unusual response contrasted to that of other Iranian politicians.
On April 6, 2021, Motahari sparked controversy after he said in a podcast that European men were "not aroused and women are resorting to African men."
Electoral history
Public image
According to a poll conducted in March 2016 by ''Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC'' (iPOS) among Iranian citizens, Motahhari has 36% approval and 15% disapproval ratings and thus a +21% net popularity; while 40% of responders don't
recognize the name.
References
External links
Interviewby ''
PBS''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motahari, Ali
1958 births
Living people
Members of the 10th Islamic Consultative Assembly
Iranian publishers (people)
Members of the 9th Islamic Consultative Assembly
Members of the 8th Islamic Consultative Assembly
Voice of Nation politicians
Followers of Wilayat fraction members
Second Deputies of Islamic Consultative Assembly
Politicians from Tehran
University of Tehran alumni
University of Tehran faculty
Iranian politicians who have crossed the floor
Morteza Motahhari