Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Persian: محمود احمدی نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadinezhād mæhmuːde æhmædiːneʒɒːd ; born 28 October 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country. An engineer and teacher from a poor background, Ahmadinejad joined the Office for Strengthening Unity after the Islamic Revolution. Appointed a provincial governor, he was removed after the election of President Mohammad Khatami and returned to teaching. Tehran's council appointed him mayor in 2003. He took a religious hard-line, reversing reforms of previous moderate mayors. His 2005 presidential campaign, supported by the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, and garnered 62% of the runoff election votes, becoming President on 3 August 2005.
Ahmadinejad is a controversial figure both within and outside Iran. He has been criticized domestically for his economic lapses and disregard for human rights. He launched a gas rationing plan in 2007 to reduce the country's fuel consumption, and cut the interest rates private and public banking facilities could charge. He supports Iran's nuclear program, which he says is for electricity generation. His election to a second term in 2009 was widely disputed and caused significant uproar both domestically and abroad. Major opposition parties, traditional clerical circles and influential Iranian politicians questioned the legitimacy of his presidency. International bodies and governments also expressed concerns about the election.
Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of United States foreign policy and Israel. He does not regard the state of Israel as legitimate or representative of the region's population. He advocates "free elections" for the region, and believes Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region's future. His comment initially translated as calling for the "occupying regime" (taken to mean Israel) to be "wiped off the map," caused significant controversy, though its t
ranslation and interpretation are still widely disputed. He has also been criticized for describing the Holocaust as a myth, which has led to accusations of anti-Semitism. Ahmadinejad has rejected accusations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, saying that he "respect[s] them very much" and that he was not "passing judgment" on the Holocaust. Nevertheless, his comments, such as the one Reuters quoted him as saying on September 18, 2009, that using the Holocaust as a "pretext for the foundation of the Zionist regime is a lie," continue to come across as abrasive and even threatening to Israel and Israel's allies.
Background
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born near Garmsar in the village of Aradan, the fourth of seven children of an ironworker, grocer, barber and blacksmith who changed his name from Saborjhian when the family moved to Tehran. However, Kasra Naji who wrote one of the most important biographies of Ahmadinejad available in the English language, contradicts this claim and adds that the name was actually 'Sabaghian' which means 'dye-masters' in Persian.
In 1976, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance contests. He was ranked 132nd out of 400,000 participants that year, and soon enrolled in the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. He received a PhD in transportation engineering and planning from IUST in 1997.
Supporters of Ahmadinejad consider him a "simple man" that leads a "modest" life. As president, he wanted to continue living in his "modest" family home in Tehran, until his security advisers forced him to move. Ahmadinejad rolled up the antique Persian carpets in the Presidential palace, sent them to a carpet museum, and used low-cost carpets instead. He is said to have refused the V.I.P. seat on the Presidential plane, and that he eventually replaced it with a cargo plane instead. Also upon gaining Iran's presidency, Ahmadinejad held his first cabinet meeting in the Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad, an act perceived as "pious".
Ahmadinejad is married with two sons and a daughter. One of his sons formerly studied at the Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic).
Administrative and academic careers
Some details of Ahmadinejad's life during the 1980s are not publicly known, but it is known that he held a number of administrative posts in the province of West Azerbaijan.
Many reports say that after Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, Ahmadinejad joined the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and served in their intelligence and security apparatus, but his advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi says "He has never been a member or an official member of the Revolutionary Guards", having been a Basiji-like volunteer instead.
Ahmadinejad was accepted to a Master of Science program at his alma mater in 1986. He joined the faculty there as a lecturer in 1989, and in 1997 received his doctorate in civil engineering and traffic transportation planning.
Embassy siege
Main article: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the 1979 Hostage Crisis
Stories suggesting that Ahmadinejad was a participant in the 1980 siege of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran are now generally considered to have been discredited.
Early political career
After the Islamic Revolution, Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office for Strengthening Unity, an organization developed to prevent students from sympathizing or allying with the budding Mojahedin-e Khalq.
He first took political office as unelected governor to both Maku and Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province during the 1980s. He eventually became an advisor to the governor g
eneral of Kurdistan Province for two years. During his doctoral studies at Tehran, he was appointed governor general of Ardabil Province from 1993 until Mohammad Khatami removed him in 1997 when he returned to teaching.
Mayor of Tehran
In 2003, a 12 percent turnout elected conservative candidates from the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran to the City Council of Tehran. The Council appointed Ahmadinejad mayor.
As mayor, he reversed changes made by previous moderate and reformist mayors. He put religious emphasis on the activities of cultural centers they had founded, publicized the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices, and suggested that people killed in the Iran–Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. He also worked to improve the traffic system and put an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.
After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad's resignation as the mayor of Tehran was accepted on 28 June 2005. After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was one of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005, selected from 550 nominees, only nine of them from Asia. He was among three strong candidates for the top ten list, but his resignation made him ineligible.
Ahmadinejad is a controversial figure both within and outside Iran. He has been criticized domestically for his economic lapses and disregard for human rights. He launched a gas rationing plan in 2007 to reduce the country's fuel consumption, and cut the interest rates private and public banking facilities could charge. He supports Iran's nuclear program, which he says is for electricity generation. His election to a second term in 2009 was widely disputed and caused significant uproar both domestically and abroad. Major opposition parties, traditional clerical circles and influential Iranian politicians questioned the legitimacy of his presidency. International bodies and governments also expressed concerns about the election.
Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of United States foreign policy and Israel. He does not regard the state of Israel as legitimate or representative of the region's population. He advocates "free elections" for the region, and believes Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region's future. His comment initially translated as calling for the "occupying regime" (taken to mean Israel) to be "wiped off the map," caused significant controversy, though its t
ranslation and interpretation are still widely disputed. He has also been criticized for describing the Holocaust as a myth, which has led to accusations of anti-Semitism. Ahmadinejad has rejected accusations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, saying that he "respect[s] them very much" and that he was not "passing judgment" on the Holocaust. Nevertheless, his comments, such as the one Reuters quoted him as saying on September 18, 2009, that using the Holocaust as a "pretext for the foundation of the Zionist regime is a lie," continue to come across as abrasive and even threatening to Israel and Israel's allies.Background
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born near Garmsar in the village of Aradan, the fourth of seven children of an ironworker, grocer, barber and blacksmith who changed his name from Saborjhian when the family moved to Tehran. However, Kasra Naji who wrote one of the most important biographies of Ahmadinejad available in the English language, contradicts this claim and adds that the name was actually 'Sabaghian' which means 'dye-masters' in Persian.
In 1976, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance contests. He was ranked 132nd out of 400,000 participants that year, and soon enrolled in the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. He received a PhD in transportation engineering and planning from IUST in 1997.
Supporters of Ahmadinejad consider him a "simple man" that leads a "modest" life. As president, he wanted to continue living in his "modest" family home in Tehran, until his security advisers forced him to move. Ahmadinejad rolled up the antique Persian carpets in the Presidential palace, sent them to a carpet museum, and used low-cost carpets instead. He is said to have refused the V.I.P. seat on the Presidential plane, and that he eventually replaced it with a cargo plane instead. Also upon gaining Iran's presidency, Ahmadinejad held his first cabinet meeting in the Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad, an act perceived as "pious".
Ahmadinejad is married with two sons and a daughter. One of his sons formerly studied at the Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic).
Administrative and academic careers
Some details of Ahmadinejad's life during the 1980s are not publicly known, but it is known that he held a number of administrative posts in the province of West Azerbaijan.
Many reports say that after Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, Ahmadinejad joined the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and served in their intelligence and security apparatus, but his advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi says "He has never been a member or an official member of the Revolutionary Guards", having been a Basiji-like volunteer instead.
Ahmadinejad was accepted to a Master of Science program at his alma mater in 1986. He joined the faculty there as a lecturer in 1989, and in 1997 received his doctorate in civil engineering and traffic transportation planning.
Embassy siege
Main article: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the 1979 Hostage Crisis
Stories suggesting that Ahmadinejad was a participant in the 1980 siege of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran are now generally considered to have been discredited.
Early political career
After the Islamic Revolution, Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office for Strengthening Unity, an organization developed to prevent students from sympathizing or allying with the budding Mojahedin-e Khalq.
He first took political office as unelected governor to both Maku and Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province during the 1980s. He eventually became an advisor to the governor g
eneral of Kurdistan Province for two years. During his doctoral studies at Tehran, he was appointed governor general of Ardabil Province from 1993 until Mohammad Khatami removed him in 1997 when he returned to teaching.Mayor of Tehran
In 2003, a 12 percent turnout elected conservative candidates from the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran to the City Council of Tehran. The Council appointed Ahmadinejad mayor.
As mayor, he reversed changes made by previous moderate and reformist mayors. He put religious emphasis on the activities of cultural centers they had founded, publicized the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices, and suggested that people killed in the Iran–Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. He also worked to improve the traffic system and put an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.
After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad's resignation as the mayor of Tehran was accepted on 28 June 2005. After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was one of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005, selected from 550 nominees, only nine of them from Asia. He was among three strong candidates for the top ten list, but his resignation made him ineligible.
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Tech-savvy Iranian youth take aim at Ahmadinejad
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Ahmadinejad offers talks on nuclear program Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Wikipedia
User-crested profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - New York Times
Profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with an archive of New York Times stories about him.topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/... -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - BBC News
Profile of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected as Iran's president in June 2005.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4107270.stm -
Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment ...
Newsweek magazine online plus daily news, features and commentary from our ... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was consolidating on an early strong lead he had taken in ...www.newsweek.com/related.aspx?subject=Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - The Official Blog - Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offical blog, in Farsi, translated into Arabic, English, and French.www.ahmadinejad.ir -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Background
Presidency
2009 Iranian...
Domestic...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Mahmoud_Ahmedinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Biography from Answers.com
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , Political Figure / President of Iran Born: 28 October 1956 Birthplace: Garmsar, Iran Best Known As: President of Iran,www.answers.com/topic/mahmoud-ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Worldnews Network
World News on Mahmud Ahmadinejad the Iranian President, Persia, Persian and Iranian issues ... TEHERAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Britain's new ...wn.com/mahmoudahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Photos and News
TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday he would propose at ... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received what was viewed as a broad mandate as ...www.nypost.com/t/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad -
Iran's Ahmadinejad Questions if Holocaust was 'Real'
Iran's Ahmadinejad Questions Whether Holocaust was a 'Real Event', Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday lashed out at Israel and the West, questioning ...www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551981,00.html
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - News Results
Tech-savvy Iranian youth take aim at Ahmadinejad
Iranian filmmakers hit out at Ahmadinejad
Ahmadinejad offers talks on nuclear program Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Wikipedia
User-crested profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - New York Times
Profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with an archive of New York Times stories about him.topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/... -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - BBC News
Profile of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elected as Iran's president in June 2005.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4107270.stm -
Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment ...
Newsweek magazine online plus daily news, features and commentary from our ... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was consolidating on an early strong lead he had taken in ...www.newsweek.com/related.aspx?subject=Mahmoud+Ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - The Official Blog - Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offical blog, in Farsi, translated into Arabic, English, and French.www.ahmadinejad.ir -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Background
Presidency
2009 Iranian...
Domestic...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Mahmoud_Ahmedinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Biography from Answers.com
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , Political Figure / President of Iran Born: 28 October 1956 Birthplace: Garmsar, Iran Best Known As: President of Iran,www.answers.com/topic/mahmoud-ahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Worldnews Network
World News on Mahmud Ahmadinejad the Iranian President, Persia, Persian and Iranian issues ... TEHERAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Britain's new ...wn.com/mahmoudahmadinejad -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Photos and News
TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday he would propose at ... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received what was viewed as a broad mandate as ...www.nypost.com/t/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad -
Iran's Ahmadinejad Questions if Holocaust was 'Real'
Iran's Ahmadinejad Questions Whether Holocaust was a 'Real Event', Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday lashed out at Israel and the West, questioning ...www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551981,00.html
