Ali Khamenei

From Wikinfo

Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (Persian: سید علی خامنه‌ای) (born July 15, 1939) is the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Domestic policy 3 Foreign policy 3.1 Israeli-Palestinian conflict 4 Nuclear weapons 5 References 6 External links 6.1 References

Introduction

Khamenei studied Islamic philosophy and became a teacher in it. He was a key figure in the Islamic revolution and a close confident of leader Ayatollah Khomeini. In 1981 he was elected President of Iran, and became the first cleric to serve in the office. Khomeini had originally wanted to keep clerics out of the presidency, but this view was compromised. Many saw Khamenei's presidency as a sign that Iran was abandoning any hopes for secularism, and becoming even more theocratic. Shortly after he assumed the presidency, Khamenei narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb, concealed in a tape recorder at a press conference, exploded just beside him. Khamenei was not seriously injured and only lost some functions of his right hand, but the event helped affirm his reputation as a "living martyr" among his followers.

He was re-elected to a second term in 1985. As a close ally of Khomeini, his term in office had few clashes with the Supreme Leader that would characterize many of Iran's later presidents. When Khomeini died, Khamenei was elected as the new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts on June 4, 1989. Since Khamenei was originally not considered a high-ranking enough cleric to assume the office, and the new amendment to the constitution that allowed a cleric of his then status to be elected as the Supreme Leader were not put to the referendum yet, the Assembly internally titled him a temporary office holder until the new constitution became effective.

Khamenei's term as ruler has been marked by numerous clashes with reform-minded members of the Iranian parliament, who have contested many of his decrees and decisions. Many reform bills have been vetoed and many reformers has been barred from running for office by the Council of Guardians whose members are chosen directly or indirectly by Khamenei. This has led some radical elements to question his divine right to rule, a previously unthinkable notion. Khamenei has also maintained an aggressive stance towards Israel and the United States (and possibly other countries, which he calls by the general term the enemy), and in recent years there have been allegations that he has been supporting a covert nuclear weapons development project in Iran.

Domestic policy

Ali Khamenei has been supportive of science progress in Iran. He was among the first Islamic clerics to allow stem cell research and therapeutic cloning.^[1] In 2004, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the country's progress is dependent on investment in the field of science and technology. He also said that attaching a high status to scholars and scientists in society would help talents to flourish and science and technology to become domesticated, thus ensuring the country's progress and development.^[2]

In 2007, Khamenei requested that government officials speed up Iran's move towards economic privatization. Its last move towards such a goal was in 2004, when Article 44 of the constitution was overturned. Article 44 had decreed that Iran's core infrastructure should remain state-run. Khamenei also suggested that ownership rights should be protected in courts set up by the Justice Ministry; the hope was that this new protection would give a measure of security to and encourage private investment.^[3][4][5]

Additionally, Khamenei has stated that he believes in the importance of nuclear technology for civilian purposes because "oil and gas reserves cannot last forever."^[6][7]

Foreign policy

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he condemned the act and the attackers and called for a condemnation of terrorist activities all over the world, whether in the United States, Israel, the Balkans, or elsewhere.^[8] Candlelight vigils in Iran for the victims of the 9/11 attacks were commonplace during the next several nights.

On June 4, 2006, Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that Iran would disrupt energy shipments from the Persian Gulf region should the country come under attack from the US, insisting that Tehran will not give up its right to produce nuclear fuel.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

With regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Khamenei has expressed support for armed resistance,^[9] and like his predecessor, has called for the uprooting of Israel.^[10].^[11][12]

Nuclear weapons

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa saying the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons was forbidden under Islam. The fatwa was cited in an official statement by the Iranian government at an August 2005 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.^[13][14]

References

External links

• The office of Ayatollah Khamenei in Qom
• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's official website
• BBC News' profile on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Ali_Khamenei" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khamenei, used under the GNU Free Documentation License