Morteza Aghatehrani ( fa, مرتضی آقاتهرانی) is an Iranian

Shia cleric In Shi'a Islam the guidance of clergy and keeping such a structure holds a great importance. The clergy structure depends on the branch of Shi'ism is being referred to. Twelver Usooli and Akhbari Shia Twelver Muslims believe that the study ...

and

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 i ...

politician. He was former secretary-general of the

Front of Islamic Revolution Stability Front of Islamic Revolution Stability ( fa, جبههٔ پایداری انقلاب اسلامی, Jebha-ye pāydārī-e enqelāb-e eslāmī, also translated Persevering Front, Endurance Front and Steadfast Front) is an Iranian principlist politica ...

, and represented

Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis ( fa, تهران، ری، شمیرانات، اسلامشهر و پردیس) is a constituency for the Parliament of Iran encompassing the metropolitan area of Tehran and some of its satellite citie ...

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 ...

from 2008 to 2016. A ''protégé'' of

Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi Ayatollah Taqi Mesbah ( fa, تقی مصباح‌; born Taqi Givechi, fa, تقی گیوه‌چی), commonly known as Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi ( fa, محمدتقی مصباح‌ یزدی, 31 January 1935 – 1 January 2021) was an Iranian Shi' ...

, he was the "

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...

teacher" of the cabinet of

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

. Aghatehrani he was formerly

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

of 'Islamic Institute of New York', a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

mosque located in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Education

Aghatehrani went to Canada to pursue his graduate studies at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, before gaining a PhD in Middle East Studies from

State University of New York at Binghamton The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public research university with campuses in Binghamton, Vestal, and Johnson City, New York. It is one of the four university centers in the State ...

and defending a thesis entitled "Khajah Nasir al-Din Tusi on the Meta-Mysticism of Ibn Sina" in 2000.

Controversy

In 2012, it stirred controversy when it was revealed that Aghatehrani holds a

Green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

, tantamount to permanent residency status in the United States, while he is often regarded " strongly anti-foreign".

References

Profile at Iranian Parliament
1957 births Living people Deputies of Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr McGill University alumni Binghamton University alumni Members of the 8th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 9th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 11th Islamic Consultative Assembly Front of Islamic Revolution Stability politicians Secretaries-General of political parties in Iran Imams in North America Iranian expatriates in Canada Iranian expatriates in the United States Shia clerics from Isfahan {{Iran-politician-stub