Association of Combatant Clerics

Not to be confused with Combatant Clergy Association.

Association of Combatant Clerics مجمع روحانیون مبارز
Leader	Ali Mohtashamipur
Founded	March 16, 1988
Headquarters	Tehran, Iran
Ideology	Moderate Islamism, Reformism Centrism
International affiliation	None
Website
http://rouhanioon.com/
Politics of Iran Political parties Elections

The Association of Combatant Clerics (Persian: مجمع روحانیون مبارز; majma'-e rowhāniyūn-e mobārez, also translated as the Assembly of Combatant Clerics, and Combatant Clerics League) is a reformist Iranian political party. It was established on March 16, 1988. It is not to be confused with the Combatant Clergy Association (Persian: جامعه روحانیت مبارز) which is a conservative political party.

History

The Association of Combatant Clerics was founded in 1987 after abolition of the Islamic Republic Party, the last political party of that time. The association was originally radical, populist,^[1] rather than reformist in orientation, and favored a focus "on exporting the revolution and calling for the state's monopoly over the economy,"^[2] rather than democracy and freedom of expression. As of 2007 it advocated limits on clerical power in Iranian politics and extending individual freedoms — though not to the extent that might "lead to secularism or liberalism."^[3]

After the resignation of Mehdi Karroubi from the post of secretary general, the party had no secretary general until late August 2005, when Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha was elected as the new secretary general. Former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami is the Chairman of the association's Central Council.

In August 2010, the party elected Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur as its new secretary general.

Current leading members

Its current leading members include Mohammad Khatami, Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha (former presecutor general of Iran), Rasoul Montajebnia (former Majlis representative), and Mohammad Ali Abtahi (former Vice President of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs).

As of August 2010^[update], some members of the party's central council are:

• Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur (Secretary-General)
• Majead Ansari (Deputy Secretary-General)
• Mohammad Khatami
• Mohammad Hashemi
• Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha
• Hadi Khamenei
• Mohammad Ali Abtahi
• Mohammad Ali Ansari
• Ashtiani
• Bojnourdi
• Dorchei
• Kian Ersi
• Emam Jamarani
• Khosravi
• Moghaddam
• Rasoul Montajebnia
• Mousavi-Khoini
• Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari
• Nezamzadeh
• Nourmofidi
• Rahmani
• Razavi
• Sadoughi
• Seraj
• Shakouri
• Tavassoli
• Velaee
• Zakeri

Notes

1. ^ Brumberg, Daniel, Reinventing Khomeini : The Struggle for Reform in Iran, University of Chicago Press, 2001, p.162
2. ^ Mneisi, Ahmad. "The power shift within Iran's right wing.". Archived from the original on 2006-02-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20060210063745/http://www.ahram.org.eg/acpss/eng/ahram/2004/7/5/EGYP1.HTM. Retrieved 2006-04-19.  At the Al-Ahram Center for Political & Strategic Studies.
3. ^ [Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p.300]

See also

• Clericalism in Iran

Source and external links

• Mr Khatami, the Chairman of the Central Council of Militant Clerics Society, from Mohammad Ali Abtahi's weblog (in Persian)
• Mousavi Khoiniha became the secretary general of the Militant Clerics Society, from BBC Persian
• First meeting notes of Militant Clerics Society, from Mohammad Ali Abtahi's Persian weblog