Saeed Hajjarian ( fa, سعید حجاریان, born 1954) is an
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
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 eve ...
political strategist
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
, journalist, pro-democracy activist and former
intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a rank, used in the same way a ...
. He was a member of
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 ...
's
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
, and advisor to president
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
. On 12 March 2000, he was shot in the face by an assailant and severely disabled, an act many Iranians believe was in retaliation for his help in uncovering the
chain murders of Iran
The chain murders of Iran ( fa, قتلهای زنجیرهای ایران) were a series of 1988–98 murders and disappearances of certain Iranian dissident intellectuals who had been critical of the Islamic Republic system. The murders a ...
and his significant help to the
Iranian reform movement
The Reformists ( fa, اصلاحطلبان, Eslâh-Talabân) are a political faction in Iran. Iran's "reform era" is sometimes said to have lasted from 1997 to 2005—the length of President Mohammad Khatami's two terms in office. The ...
in general, according to the BBC.
[Analysis: Who wanted Hajjarian dead? ](_blank)
BBC
Early life and education
Hajjarian was born in
Javadiyeh
Javadiyeh is a neighbourhood located south of the city of Tehran in Iran. Among area young male residents the neighborhood was nicknamed "Texas" because of the associations of the U.S. state with the Wild West. Hooman Majd
Hooman Majd (born 195 ...
neighborhood of
Tehran, Iran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, 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 th ...
in 1954 to parents from
Kashan
Kashan ( fa, ; Qashan; Cassan; also romanized as Kāshān) is a city in the northern part of Isfahan province, Iran. At the 2017 census, its population was 396,987 in 90,828 families.
Some etymologists argue that the city name comes from ...
. He studied
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
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 ...
. In 1977 Hajjarian was enrolled for
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...
in
Gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
. A young Iranian revolutionary during the 1979
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, he entered the
Islamic Revolution Committees
Islamic Revolution Committees or Committees of Islamic Revolution ( fa, کمیتههای انقلاب اسلامی, Komitehāye Enqelābe Eslāmi), simply known as the Committee ( fa, کمیته, Komīte), was a law enforcement force in Iran act ...
before becoming an Intelligence officer in Navy. Hajjarian continued his education and obtained a PhD in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from
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 ...
. His thesis advisor was
Hossein Bashiriyeh. He was one of the students who
took over the US embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Career
After the revolution, Hajjarian was involved in the formation of the intelligence apparatus of the newly founded
Islamic Republic
The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a theoretical form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been u ...
. Through the 1980s, he worked in the
ministry of intelligence, where his positions included vice minister for political affairs. In the late 1980s, he left the ministry, and established
Center for Strategic Research under the
presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...
. That was where he played an important role in creating a new discourse based on democracy and rule of law for his generation of revolutionaries.
When
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
was elected president in 1997, he appointed Hajjarian his political advisor. In 1999, he was elected to the
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of Tehran in the first city elections after the 1979 revolution. Hajjarian was also the editor of ''
Sobh-e Emrooz'' newspaper, which was a strong advocate of Khatami's reforms. He was believed to be the source of information for many articles written by the investigative journalists,
Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji ( fa, اکبر گنجی , born 31 January 1960 in Tehran) is an Iranian journalist, writer and a former member of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has been described as "Iran's preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly pop ...
and
Emadeddin Baghi
Emadeddin Baghi (born 25 April 1962) is an Iranian Journalist, human rights activist, prisoners' rights advocate, investigative journalist, theologian and writer. He is the founder and head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights an ...
. These included stories about the "
Chain murders" of dissident intellectuals by members of Iran's intelligence ministry.
Hajjarian was one of the personal key factors of president Khatami. He was a member of the reformist elite and has leadership support role in reform movement. He joined the ministry of intelligence and national security (MINS) in 1984 and he left it in 1989. He worked also in the center of strategic studies. Working in such a place, he was able to invite some of the officials of MINS to join the reform movement. All of them tried to develop the reform movement. People like Akbar Ganji, Mohsen Armin, Abbas Abdi, Hamid Reza Jalaeipour, Muhammad Mousavi Khouiniha, Ebrahim Asghar Zadeh and Mohsen Sazgaran are among those persons.
Assassination attempt
In March, 2000 he was shot in the face by a gunman on the doorstep of
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 ...
's city council.
The would-be assassin fled on a motorcycle with an accomplice. The bullet entered through his left cheek and lodged in his neck, and put Hajjarian into a coma. During this time, groups of young Iranians kept vigil outside Sina hospital, where he was being treated. Hajjarian was badly paralyzed for life.
His assailant, Saeed Asgar, a young man who was reported to be a member of the
Basij
The Basij ( fa, بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization"), Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij ( fa, نیروی مقاومت بسیج, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin ( fa, سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, "The ...
militia, was later arrested and sentenced to spend 15 years in jail. However, he was released after spending only a short term in prison. Asgar was accompanied by Mohsen Morteza Majidi on a motorbike. Others, who were involved, include Mohammad Ali Moghaddami, Mehdi Rowghani, Mousa Jan Nesari, Ali Pourchaluei (possibly the one who shot Hajjarian), Saeed Golounani and Safar Maghsoudi.
Possible cause
His attempted assassination is thought to be associated with the exposure of the "
Chain murders" in his ''Sobh Emrouz'' daily newspaper, and the "key role" he is believed to have played "in bringing about ... damaging disclosures," both as the editor of the exposing newspaper and one of the few reformists likely to be a source of information about activity in the intelligence ministry. Consequently, "some believe that remnants" of the chain murder "intelligence killer group may have been" behind his attempted assassination.
[''The New Yorker'', "Protest Vote," 29 June 2009, p.23](_blank)
Retrieved 11 July 2009
Recovery
Hajjarian slowly recovered somewhat from the shooting. By 2005, Hajjarian was still unable to speak with a clear voice and still using the wheelchair, although could walk with help. As of 2009 he still spoke with difficulty and was "dependent on the constant care of doctors and family."
Research works and viewpoints
Hajjarian has used the term “''dual sovereignty''” as an analytic tool to describe the balance of power in the
Islamic Republic's government system, in which there is a supposed split between the
Supreme Leader and popularly elected officials, e.g. the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. The idea has been publicly denounced by
Ali Khamenei
Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنهای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
in 2004, being called "damaging and a deadly poison" repeated by "irrational people".
He believes that a frontal assault on the fortresses of power is impractical. Hajjarian argued that domination of politics by clerics was wrong, but could be gradually eroded by "mobilizing the masses and using them as bargaining chips with Iran's rulers." His strategy for the reform movement was described as extending the reformists "reach by triangulating between the mass movement they represented and the autocratic state with which they shared power. He coined the phrase that would define the reformists' strategy: “''Pressure from below, negotiation at the top''.”
The strategy remarks that by developing
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.[public opinion
Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them.
Etymology
The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...]
, the reform movement can gain enough strength to not only resist the hardliners, but also push for deep changes within the system via bargains with top officials unwilling to reform.
Hajjarian formulated the proposed gradual move to a favorable democratic system as “''fortress to fortress triumph''”, meaning that reformers should concentrate on weakening and capturing key institutions, i.e. fortresses of power, one by one.
Hajjarian argued that there is a way of combating the predominance of
Valiyat al-faqih (rule of the Islamic jurist) by underlining the de facto secularization of religion by the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Khomeini. He allegedly showed the supremacy of politics as such over any religious norm when he said that the interests of the Islamic Republic are paramount in Islam and that
zakat
Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ne ...
,
salat
(, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wit ...
,
hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
, and everything else in Islam, are subordinate. This kind of decision, he states, means that politics are more important than religion and that this acknowledges the secularization of religion. In this context, he argues, it is possible to reassess velayat faqih and to reject its supremacy within the political field in Iran.
After reformists lost their "fortresses", Hajjarian said in 2004 that the reforms program have been failed and now there are multiple choices for the Iranian people. One option is giving up and accepting the current situation. Another choice is
apathy
Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of intere ...
, followed by adopting
defeatism
Defeatism is the acceptance of defeat without struggle, often with negative connotations. It can be linked to pessimism in psychology, and may sometimes be used synonymously with fatalism or determinism.
History
The term ''defeatism'' is common ...
—waiting for a possible
foreign military action against Iran and regime change— or to let the developing
lumpenproletariat
In Marxist theory, the ''Lumpenproletariat'' () is the underclass devoid of class consciousness. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels coined the word in the 1840s and used it to refer to the unthinking lower strata of society exploited by reactionary a ...
in the society grow until they ignite a
revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
in Iran. Hajjarian prefers what he calls the best alternative, which is to assume “''reforms is dead, long live the reforms''” and continue the reforms path patiently.P
2009 elections
On 16 June 2009, four days after the disputed
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
, it was reported that Hajjarian had been arrested. It was reported that he died in Evin prison under torture on 7 July. However, it was later added that he was still alive but had had a nervous breakdown on 8 July and was in critical condition in a military hospital in Tehran.
Later, there were reports that he was still in Evin Prison, possibly in a clinic there,
and that according to his wife, physician Vajiheh Marsoussi, his medical condition was "deteriorating severely" while in prison.
2015 speech
In May 2015, Hajjarian was allowed to give a short speech 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 ...
. According to the reformist ''
Shargh
''Shargh'' ( fa, شرق, lit=East) is one of the most popular Reformist newspapers in Iran.
History and profile
''Shargh'' was founded in 2003. The daily is managed by Mehdi Rahmanian. Its chief editor was Mohammad Ghouchani in its first period ...
'' Daily, enthusiasm for the speech was so great that seats were filled up hours before the event.
In a note he gave to a student to read, Hajjarian stated that the
1997 presidential election were the reformists prevailed were the first since the
1979 Iranian revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
in which there was "a competition", and that it "institutionalized" competition in the presidential elections, and introduced new debate on the issues of religion, economics and other foreign and domestic policies. But he believed those elections were an "exception" and doubtful of their repetition, "though he did not explain why", according to al-Monitor.
See also
*
Abbas Amir-Entezam
Abbas Amir-Entezam ( fa, عباس امیرانتظام, 18 August 1932 – 12 July 2018) was an Iranian politician who served as deputy prime minister in the Interim Cabinet of Mehdi Bazargan in 1979. In 1981 he was sentenced to life imprisonmen ...
*
Akbar Ganji
Akbar Ganji ( fa, اکبر گنجی , born 31 January 1960 in Tehran) is an Iranian journalist, writer and a former member of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has been described as "Iran's preeminent political dissident", and a "wildly pop ...
*
Gholamhossein Karbaschi
Gholamhossein Karbaschi ( fa, غلامحسین کرباسچی, Gholām-Hosein Karbāschī, ; born 23 August 1954) is an Iranian politician and former Shia cleric who was the Mayor of Tehran from 1990 until 1998. He is considered politically refor ...
*
History of political Islam in Iran
The history of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran covers the historical development of Islamic fundamentalism, Islamism, Islamic revivalism, and the rise of political Islam in modern Iran. Today, there are basically three types of Islam in Iran: t ...
*
Human rights in Islamic Republic of Iran
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...
*
Iranian reform movement
The Reformists ( fa, اصلاحطلبان, Eslâh-Talabân) are a political faction in Iran. Iran's "reform era" is sometimes said to have lasted from 1997 to 2005—the length of President Mohammad Khatami's two terms in office. The ...
References
External links
*
A Recent (2005) interview with Hajjarian by ''Vaghaye Ettefaghieh''BBC News story on Hajjarian assassination attemptSaeed Hajjarian newstag at IranHumanRights.orgTag: Saeed HajjarianInterview: New book on basij helps explain how Iran's hardline faction keeps country captive - The GuardianSaeed Hajjarian - Aljazeera* [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00210862.2014.942565 From Etelāʿāti to Eslāhtalabi: Saʿid Hajjarian, Political Theology and the Politics of Reform in Post-Revolutionary Iran, Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, Iranian Studies, Volume 47, Issue 6, 2014]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hajjarian, Saeed
1954 births
Living people
University of Tehran alumni
Deputies of the Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
Iranian reformists
Iranian writers
Iranian journalists
Iranian newspaper publishers (people)
History of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Iranian democracy activists
Islamic Iran Participation Front politicians
Shooting survivors
Vice Chairmen of City Council of Tehran
Tehran Councillors 1999–2003
Iranian political consultants
Presidential advisers of Iran
Islamic Revolution Committees personnel
Iranian politicians with disabilities
Iranian Gendarmerie personnel
Persian-language writers
Iranian critics