Mohammad-Ali Rajai

Mohammad-Ali Rajai
محمدعلی رجائی
Rajai in 1981
2nd President of Iran
In office 2 August 1981 – 30 August 1981
Supreme Leader	Ruhollah Khomeini
Prime Minister	Mohammad-Javad Bahonar
Preceded by	Abolhassan Banisadr (June 1981)
Succeeded by	Ali Khamenei (October 1981)
42nd Prime Minister of Iran
In office 12 August 1980 – 2 August 1981
President	Abolhassan Banisadr vacant
Preceded by	Mehdi Bazargan (1979)
Succeeded by	Mohammad Javad Bahonar
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Acting
In office 11 March 1981 – 15 August 1981
President	Abolhassan Banisadr
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Karim Khodapanahi (Acting)
Succeeded by	Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Minister of Education of Iran
In office November 1979 – 28 May 1980
Prime Minister	Mehdi Bazargan
Preceded by	Gholam-Hossein Shokouhi
Succeeded by	Mohammad Javad Bahonar
Member of the Parliament of Iran
In office 28 May 1980 – 1 August 1981
Constituency	Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr
Majority	1,209,012 (56.6%)
Head of Mostazafan Foundation
In office 17 September 1980 – 30 August 1981
Appointed by	Ruhollah Khomeini
Preceded by	Alinaghi Khamoushi
Succeeded by	Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Personal details
Born	(1933-06-15)15 June 1933 Qazvin, Imperial State of Persia
Died	Tehran, Iran
Resting place	Hafte Tir Mausoleum
Political party	Islamic Republican Party Islamic Association of Teachers of Iran
Other political affiliations	Freedom Movement (Until 1979) People's Mujahedin (Until 1975)
Spouse(s)	Ateghe Sediqi (m. 1958)
Children	3
Alma mater	Tarbiat Moallem University
Signature	Mohammad-Ali Rajai's signature

Mohammad-Ali Rajai (Persian: محمدعلی رجائی‎‎; 15 June 1933 – 30 August 1981) was the second president of Iran from 2 August 1981 until his death. He served also as prime minister under Abolhassan Banisadr. In addition, Rajai was minister of foreign affairs from 11 March 1981 to 15 August 1981, while he was prime minister. He was assassinated in a bombing on 30 August 1981 along with prime minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar.

Early life and education

File:Mohammad Ali Rajai Museum.jpg

Mohammad-Ali Rajai house in Baharestan street, Tehran

Mohammad-Ali Rajai was born on 15 June 1933 in Qazvin, Iran. His father, a shopkeeper named Abdulsamad, died when he was 4 years old. Rajai grew up in Qazvin and moved to Tehran in the late 1940s. He joined the Air Force at age sixteen or seventeen. In 1959 he graduated from Tarbiat Moallem University with a degree in education. He worked as a teacher of mathematics.

Political career

Before the Islamic revolution

After moving to Tehran, Rajai became involved in the anti-Shah movement and was associated with Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani and the Fadaeian group. At one time a member of the largely anti-clerical People's Mujahedin of Iran (MKO), Rajai turned against its leftist orientation and in 1960 joined the Freedom Movement of Iran. He was arrested at least twice by the Shah's forces for his opposition activities. He displayed his bare foot at the United Nations while describing being tortured by the Shah's interrogators in 1980. His longest detention extended from May 1974 to late 1978.

After the Islamic revolution

He was actively involved in the Iranian Revolution and was a leader in the movement to purge Iranian universities of American and European influences, which was later called the Cultural Revolution. Rajaei was appointed to important occupations after the victory of Islamic revolution. The occupations were as follow:

• As the minister of Ministry of Education (Iran)
• As the candidate of Islamic Consultative Assembly
• As the prime minister
• As the president

Ministry of Education

File:Rajai Khomeinis.jpg

Rajai, Ahmad, and Ruhollah Khomeini

At the beginning, Gholam Hosein Shokohi was the minister of education, and Rajaei was one of his chancellors. After Shokohi's resigning due to illness, Muhammad Ali Rajaei was appointed as the supervisor of the ministry of education. He was introduced by Muhammad Javad Bahonar, and he became the supervisor of education ministry from 18th Shahrivar month to 7th Mehr at 1357 solar. Finally, Mehdi Bazargan presented him as the minister of education in his cabinet. His programs in the ministry of education included fair distribution of facilities, fair distribution of finance among staffs, reforming of centers of educating teachers, creating a suitable pedagogical system for Muslim society, developing of Islamic ethics among teachers and pupils, creating a good relation between parents and teachers and respect to dignity of teachers according to Islam. These schedules were very important for Rajaei, and he tried to realize them. He was in charge of the ministry for nine months. The most important achievements were the consistency of all schools and also trying to do away with discrimination and differences. He also tried to change the contents of educational books and also made attempts of Islamization of their contents.

Appointment as Prime Minister

File:Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar.jpg

Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar

In 1979, Rajai left the Freedom Movement. Following the Iranian Revolution, he was appointed minister of education in the government of Mehdi Bazargan, and although Bazargan's cabinet resigned on 6 November 1979, he did not resign and remained in the post until 12 August 1980 when he became prime minister. Following the presidency of Bani Sadr, after 5 months, he nominated Rajai for the position, and parliament voted him in. He appointed Khodapanahi as foreign minister, Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani as interior minister and Javad Fakori as defense minister. During his premiership, the Iran–Iraq War started and his government's first policy became the "victory and defence". He was in office until 2 August 1981 when he became the second president of Iran.

Presidency

Bani Sadr was impeached on 22 June 1981 by parliament, and Khomeini held a Provisional Presidential Council by 6 people headed by Mohammad Beheshti and later Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili. Rajai was one of the members of that Council. He nominated himself for the presidential election in 1981. He was the first president from the Islamic Republican Party after winning 91% of the votes. He officially became the president after the Oath of Office on 2 August 1981. He named Mohammad-Javad Bahonar to the Parliament to become the next prime minister. Parliament voted in to Bahonar and he formed a new government.

Assassination

Main article: 1981 Iranian Prime Minister's office bombing

On 30 August 1981, President Rajai held a meeting of Iran's Supreme Defence Council, along with the Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar. Witnesses later stated that a trusted aide brought a briefcase into the conference room, set it between the two leaders, and then left. Another person opened the case, triggering a bomb that set the room ablaze and killed Rajai, Bahonar, and three others. This attack occurred two months after the Hafte Tir bombing. Iranian officials identified Massoud Keshmiri as the culprit, an operative of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, though others allege the bombing was orchestrated by political rivals within the Islamic Republican Party. Rajai was buried in Behesht-e Zahra.

Political positions

Rajai's political programs were based on a form of constitutional law that included a position of privilege for Islam. He insisted that those in control of the state must be Muslim, emphasized the Velayat-e Faqih, and believed it essential that the government cooperate with institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Islamic Revolutionary Court. He respected people's freedom insofar as it did not contravene Islamic law and tried during his tenure to create a consistent government.

External links

• Media related to Mohammad-Ali Rajai at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Mehdi Bazargan	Prime Minister of Iran 1980–1981	Succeeded by Mohammad Javad Bahonar
Preceded by Karim Khodapanahi (Acting)	Minister of Foreign Affairs (Acting) 1981	Succeeded by Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Preceded by Abulhassan Banisadr	President of Iran 1981	Succeeded by Ali Khamenei
Party political offices
Preceded by Hassan Habibi	Islamic Republican Party nominee for President of Iran July 1981	Succeeded by Ali Khamenei

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