Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi

Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (Born in 1953 Kerman) is an Iranian politician and was the former minister of science and technology in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first cabinet from 2005 to 2009. He was approved by Iran's parliament with the least number of supporting votes possible. (supporters had only one vote more than opponents). Zahedi got his PhD in Mathematics from Kerman University where he is currently a "full professor". However, his scientific qualification has been questioned widely by Iranian scientific community.[1] Zahedi's profile claims he is a member of New York Academy of Sciences. An investigation taken place by BBC Persian in July 2009 debunked this claim.[2]

His profile also claims that he was named among the most prominent Mathematicians of the century by American Mathematical Society for which there is no evidence found on American Mathematical Society website.

Zahedi has 15 scientific articles in ISI with very few citations (most of them self citations). He repeatedly called himself "one of the greatest mathematicians of the time".[3][4][5] With such a minor scientific achievement he was promoted to full professorship in 1999 (when he had only published 11 articles).

Expulsion of university scientists

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad government systematically forced numerous Iranian scientists and University professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as a second cultural revolution.[6] The policy has been said to replace current professors with younger ones.[7][8] Many University professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly.[9]

However many believe that the government's main goal is to replace Iranian scientists with fundamentalists and finally convert the universities into Howza (traditional religious schools).

Despite huge demonstrations and protests of Iranian students, Zahedi appointed several mullahs with no academic degrees as chancellors of several Universities (the most prominent example being that of Tehran University).

Expelling the politically active students

Zahedi has expelled dozens of politically active students and those who were working in internal newspaper of university by refusing to enroll them for the new academic year (Fall 2006) [10]. He first denied the existence of such students but recently he said that those students had criminal cases such as robbery and sexual harassment. This made the students very angry and they asked the MPs for his impeachment.

Ignoring scientific merit in appointments

Zahedi's appointments and dismissals at the Science, Research and Technology Ministry were not based on merit. University chancellors had been formerly appointed after consulting university professors. However, the situation changed as Zahedi become Iran's minister of science and the criterion of meritocracy has been ignored.[11]

Zahedi appointed Abbasali Amid Zanjani, a cleric with no academic degree as the chancellor of Tehran University.

Political life

Zahedi has been a member and head of Kerman city council since 2002.

See also

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
• Abbasali Amid Zanjani
• Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi

External links

• Cleansing in the Name of Retirement
• Zahedi praises himself! (in Persian)
• Threatening human sciences in Iranian Universities (in Persian)
• Commission to Grill Science Minister

Publications

• 1. Zahedi MM, Saeid AB, Borzooei RA, Implicative hyper K-algebras

CZECHOSLOVAK MATHEMATICAL JOURNAL 55 (2): 439-453 2005 Times Cited: 0

• 2. Borzooei RA, Zahedi MM, Fuzzy structures on hyperK-algebras

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UNCERTAINTY, FUZZINESS AND KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS 10 (1): 77-93 FEB 2002 Times Cited: 0

• 3. Ameri R, Zahedi MM, Fuzzy chain complex and fuzzy homotopy

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 112 (2): 287-297 JUN 1 2000 Times Cited: 0

• 4. Zahedi MM, Hasankhani A, F-polygroups .2.

INFORMATION SCIENCES 89 (3-4): 225-243 MAR 1996 Times Cited: 2

• 5. HadjiAbadi H, Zahedi MM, Some results on fuzzy prime spectrum of a ring

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 77 (2): 235-240 JAN 29 1996 Times Cited: 0

• 6. ZAHEDI MM, ON FUZZY SEMIPRIMARY IDEALS

INFORMATION SCIENCES 82 (3-4): 257-266 JAN 1995 Times Cited: 0

• 7. ZAHEDI MM, UPPER-CONTINUOUS AND COMPACTLY GENERATED PROPERTIES OF LATTICE OF L-FUZZY MODULES

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 60 (1): 103-108 NOV 25 1993 Times Cited: 0

• 8. ZAHEDI MM, SOME RESULTS ON L-FUZZY MODULES

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 55 (3): 355-361 MAY 10 1993 Times Cited: 5

• 9. ZAHEDI MM, A NOTE ON L-FUZZY PRIMARY AND SEMIPRIME IDEALS

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 51 (2): 243-247 OCT 26 1992 Times Cited: 4

• 10. ZAHEDI MM, ON L-FUZZY RESIDUAL QUOTIENT MODULES AND P-PRIMARY SUBMODULES

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 51 (3): 333-344 NOV 10 1992 Times Cited: 5

• 11. ZAHEDI MM, SOME RESULTS ON A GALOIS CONNECTION BETWEEN LATTICES OF L-FUZZY IDEALS

JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AND APPLICATIONS 170 (2): 343-352 NOV 1 1992 Times Cited: 0

• 12. ZAHEDI MM, FUZZY RESEARCH AT KERMAN-UNIVERSITY, IRAN

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 50 (3): 359-359 SEP 25 1992 Times Cited: 0

• 13. MASHINCHI M, ZAHEDI MM, ON L-FUZZY PRIMARY SUBMODULES

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 49 (2): 231-236 JUL 27 1992 Times Cited: 7

• 14. ZAHEDI MM, A CHARACTERIZATION OF L-FUZZY PRIME IDEALS

FUZZY SETS AND SYSTEMS 44 (1): 147-160 NOV 5 1991 Times Cited: 7

• 15. MASHINCHI M, ZAHEDI MM, A COUNTEREXAMPLE OF DAS,P.S. PAPER

JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS AND APPLICATIONS 153 (2): 591-592 DEC 1990 Times Cited: 4

• 16. Zahedi, MM, Hasankhani, A, F-polygroups (II),

Information Sciences, v 89, n 3-4, Mar, 1996, p 225-243 Times Cited: 10

• 17. Zahedi, MM, Hasankhani, A, Bolurian,A, On polygroups and fuzzy–subpolygroups,

J. of Fuzzy Math, 1995 Times Cited: 9

Persondata
Name	Zahedi, Mohammad Mehdi
Alternative names
Short description	Government minister of Iran
Date of birth	1953
Place of birth	Kerman, Iran
Date of death
Place of death