Mustafa Hijri ( ku, مستەفا ھیجری, fa, مصطفی هجری) is an Iranian-Kurdish politician who is the current leader of the

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI; ku, حیزبی دێموکراتی کوردستانی ئێران, Hîzbî Dêmukratî Kurdistanî Êran, HDKA; fa, حزب دموکرات کردستان ایران, Ḥezb-e Demokrāt-e Kordest� ...

(KDPI).

Political life

Born in 1945 in the West Azarbaijan Province of

Iran 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 ...

, Hijri graduated from the Teachers' College of Agriculture in

Urumieh Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an alt ...

in 1963 and took up a post as a secondary school teacher in

Saqqez Saqqez ( ; fa, سقز ; ), also known as Saghez, Saqez, Saqqiz, Saqiz, and Sakīz, is the capital city of Saqqez County in Kurdistan Province, in northwestern Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population was 165,258. Etymology The nam ...

. In 1970, he started studying

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

literature at

Tehran University 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 obtained a bachelor's degree. On returning to his home town, he restarted teaching at the secondary schools and a college here. Playing a considerable role in the mass demonstrations held in 1978 against the Shah's regime where he won 90% of the votes, but the results, as in any electoral regions of

Kurdistan Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, Kurdish la ...

, were announced null and void by the newly established

Islamic Republic of Iran 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 ...

. Participating in the 4th Congress of the PDKI in 1979, he was elected as a member of the Central Committee, and a few months later, chosen as a member of the Political Bureau, holding steadily on his heavy task ever since Dr.

Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou ( ku, عه‌بدولڕه‌حمان قاسملوو, translit=Ebdulrehman Qasimlû; fa, عبدالرحمان قاسملو; 22 December 1930 – 13 July 1989) was an Iranian Kurdish politician and leader. Ghassemlou was t ...

was assassinated on July 13, 1989. Following the death of Dr. Ghassemlou, and on late Dr.

Sadegh Sharafkandi Sadegh Sharafkandi (Kurdish: سادق شەڕەفکەندی, ''Sadiq Şerefkendî''; 11 January 1938 – 17 September 1992) was a Kurdish political activist and the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI). Early l ...

’s appointment's as General Secretary, Hijri was once more chosen to the membership of the Political Bureau, and Vice-General Secretary. Dr. Sharafkandi having been killed on Sept. 17, 1992, Hijri was appointed as General Secretary, continuing his duty up till 1995, when the 10th Congress of the Party was convened, whereupon successfully carrying out his duties. After the above-mentioned date till the 12th Congress of the party in December 2000, he was chosen as a member of Political Bureau and elected afterwards as the Vice-General Secretary. Since the 12th Congress up to the 13th Congress he unremittingly carried out his duties as a member of Political Bureau. He promotes

federalism Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...

as a model for governance and power sharing in

. In his view, federalism must be based on geography and ethnicity, and this helps in resolving grievances of different ethnic groups in Iran. In addition, he attempted to push for coexistence between

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...

and

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...

in northwestern Iran. He was reelected to the position of General Secretary in the 14th Congress of PDKI held in September 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hijri, Mustafa 1945 births Living people Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan politicians People from West Azerbaijan Province