Maurice Motamed or Morris Motamed ( fa, موریس معتمد; born 1945) is an Iranian politician who was elected in 2000 and again in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

as a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

member of the

Iranian Parliament 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 P ...

(preceded by

Manuchehr Eliasi Manuchehr Eliasi or Manouchehr Eliasi ( fa, منوچهر الیاسی) is a former member of the Iranian Parliament who was succeeded by Maurice Motamed in 2000. See also *Persian Jews Persian Jews or Iranian Jews ( fa, یهودیان ای� ...

and succeeded by

Siamak Moreh Sedgh Siyamak More Sedgh ( fa, سیامک مره‌صدق, Siyāmak More-Sedq; born 1965) are a Iranian Jews, Jewish Iranian politician and doctor who was the holder of the Iranian Parliament's Iranian Parliament religious minority reserved seats, res ...

), representing the Jewish community which has by Iran's constitution retained a reserved seat since the

Persian Constitution of 1906 The Persian Constitution of 1906 ( fa, قانون اساسی مشروطه, Qanun-e Asasi-ye Mishirutâh), was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Persia (Qajar Iran), resulting from the Persian Constitutional Revolution and it was w ...

Career

In Parliament, he has been active in defending

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

s against discrimination. He also played a prominent role in the efforts to alleviate the sentences against some members of the Jewish community for alleged spying or illegally trying to flee the country. He also served as a member of the Parliament's Energy Committee. In various media, Motamed has regularly expressed his support for the official positions of the Iranian government on international affairs in order to stress the national loyalty of Iranian Jews for the country, including support for

Iran nuclear program Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(he was a member of the Majlis energy commission). With regard to Holocaust denial comments made by Iran's former president

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

, Motamed has expressed significant concerns, noting that "Denial of such a great historical tragedy that is connected to the Jewish community can only be considered an insult to all the world's Jewish communities." He also criticised Iranian television for broadcasting

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

programmes. He also added that, "The Iranian Jews have been present in this country for a long time, for some 2,700 ears During these 2,700 years they have always been in full understanding with the society, they've lived in friendship and brotherhood, so therefore I don't think that bringing up such an issue could damage the Jewish community in Iran."

References

External links

Reuters, Iran's religious minorities waning despite own MPs, February 16, 2000

* ttp://www.zoroastrians.info/news/newsDetail.jsp?newsID=42 Associated Press, Iran O.K's Equalizing 'Blood Money', November 3, 2002
Morris (Maurice) Motamed, A report on the activities of Iranian Jewish member of The Islamic Parliament, Ofegh Bina (Quarterly Magazine), Vol. 5, No. 21, Autumn 2003, pp.61-62
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motamed, Maurice 1945 births Living people Jewish Iranian politicians Iranian Jews Jewish Representatives in Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 6th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 7th Islamic Consultative Assembly