Farah Karimi
Encyclopedia
Farahnaz Karimi ' onMouseout='HidePop("19496")' href="/topics/Iran">Iran
), 15 November 1960) is an Iran
ian-Dutch
politician
. She was member of the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2006 for GreenLeft
.
and secondary education
in Teheran between 1966 and 1978. In 1978 she went to the Isfahan University of Technology
to study industrial design
. From the age fifteen Karimi became interested in progressive interpretations of Islam
of Shariati. Since her youth Karimi has been involved in resistance against Shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Karimi saw the Iranian Revolution
as moment to put a form of Islamic socialism
into practice. Instead the Iranian revolution, brought, in Karimi's eyes, a conservative government into power.
In 1980 Karimi left the university to join the Mojahedin-e Khalgh, a left-Islamistic resistance movement against the Islamic government
. For the Mojahedin-e Khalgh she worked on secretely listening to police communication. In 1983 she fled from Iraq
to Germany
. In Germany she got political asylum on a partially untrue story. Between 1985 and 1986 Karimi worked for the Mojahedin-e Khalgh in Paris
where she developed untrue stories for refugees. In 1986 Karimi broke with the Mojahedin-e Khalgh. In her 2005 book The Secret of Fire Karimi describes her political developmnet in her youth, her experiences with the Mojahedin-e Khalgh and her break with the organization. The Mojahedin-e Khalgh is considered a terrorist organization
by the European Union
and the United States of America. Karimi currently considers the organization a "criminal sect."
In Hamburg
, Germany, Karimi attended a college for foreign students in 1985. Between 1986 and 1988 mathematics
and information science
at University of Kiel
. Between 1983 and 1988 Karimi was active in different refugee groups in Germany and France. Her sister Farzanah remained active in the Mojahedin-e Khalgh, which cost her her life.
In 1989 Karimi went to the Netherlands with her family. At the University of Groningen
Karimi studied "Policy and Governance in International Organizations". She also obtained the Dutch nationality
. In 1993 Karimi began to work in the semi-public sector. between 1993 and 1994 she began to work for the foundation Probe in Hoogezand-Sappemeer
. Since 1994 she worked as a coordinator for Aisa, a project for the emancipation and support of black, migrant and refugee women. In 1997 she became a member of GreenLeft. In April 1998 she became a member of the party board of GreenLeft. In 1998 she was a briefly national project leader for "Heel de Buurt" of the Dutch Institute for Care and Welfare. Karimi was also active in civil society. Between 1991 and 2001 she was member of the Board of Vluchtelingenorganisaties Nederland.
Karimi was elected to the House of Representatives for GreenLeft
. When she became active in GreenLeft, she did not reveal her past in the Mojahedin-e Khalgh. In the House of Representatives, she was involved in foreign affairs
, development cooperation, European affairs and defense
. As such she was vice chair of the permanent committee for European Affairs. She also was member of the committee for justice
. In 1999 she was one of two MPs (the other one was Ineke van Gent
) who voted in favour of a motion of Harry van Bommel
to end the NATO bombings which were part of the Kosovo War
.
In 2003 she proposed together with Niesco Dubbelboer of the PvdA and Boris van der Ham
of the D66 to hold a referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
. The proposal became law in 2005. She also asked question to Minister Jozias van Aartsen
on the American Service-Members' Protection Act, which obliges the American government to free American citizens who are brought to the International Criminal Court
in The Hague
-even with the use of violence- and Minister Ben Bot
on the Dutch support for the Iraq War. She also took an initiative to support free Iranian Media, Rooz
and Radio Zamaneh
, with 15 million euro. This was accepted by the House of Representatives at the end of 2004. Karimi did not put herself forward as a candidate in the 2006 elections
.
For her work Karimi traveled extensively to many conflict regions. In May 2005 she visited the opposition in Iran. She was interrogated at the Teheran airport and information was copied from her diary. This led to a formal protests by Minister Bot to the Iranian ambassador.
The main themes of her work in the House of Representatives were human rights
and international law
in foreign relations of the Netherlands
. She spend particular attention on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
and the developments in Afghanistan en Iran. She wrote about it in her books Battlefield Afghanistan and The Secret of Fire.
. She was senior consultant for the UNDP in in Afghanistan
for project SEAL (Support to the Establishment of the Afghan Legislator): she taught and supported candidate-members of National Assembly of Afghanistan
. In November 2007 she was appointed general director of Oxfam Novib
. She succeeded Sylvia Borren.
Karimi is also active in civil society. She writes for Rooz
, a free, Persian, online newspaper. Since 2004 she is member of the Board of Advice of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World in Leiden. Since 2006 she is founder-president of Bridging the Gulf, a foundation for human security
in the Middle East
. Between 2006 and 2007 she was member of the board of Parliamentarians for Global Action in New York.
, Dutch
, English
, Turkish
and German
.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), 15 November 1960) is an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
. She was member of the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2006 for GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
.
Life before Politics
Karimi was born in Iran. She attended the primary educationPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
in Teheran between 1966 and 1978. In 1978 she went to the Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan University of Technology is one of the most prestigious engineering universities in Iran. It is located 15 Kilometers north west of Isfahan and is one of the major universities and research poles in Iran in the fields of science, engineering and agriculture...
to study industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
. From the age fifteen Karimi became interested in progressive interpretations of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
of Shariati. Since her youth Karimi has been involved in resistance against Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Karimi saw the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
as moment to put a form of Islamic socialism
Islamic socialism
Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur'an and Muhammad are compatible with principles of equality and the redistribution of wealth....
into practice. Instead the Iranian revolution, brought, in Karimi's eyes, a conservative government into power.
In 1980 Karimi left the university to join the Mojahedin-e Khalgh, a left-Islamistic resistance movement against the Islamic government
Politics of Iran
The politics of Iran take place in a framework of theocracy guided by an Islamist ideology. The December 1979 constitution, and its 1989 amendment, define the political, economic, and social order of the Islamic Republic of Iran, declaring that Shi'a Islam of the Twelver school of thought is...
. For the Mojahedin-e Khalgh she worked on secretely listening to police communication. In 1983 she fled from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In Germany she got political asylum on a partially untrue story. Between 1985 and 1986 Karimi worked for the Mojahedin-e Khalgh in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where she developed untrue stories for refugees. In 1986 Karimi broke with the Mojahedin-e Khalgh. In her 2005 book The Secret of Fire Karimi describes her political developmnet in her youth, her experiences with the Mojahedin-e Khalgh and her break with the organization. The Mojahedin-e Khalgh is considered a terrorist organization
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United States of America. Karimi currently considers the organization a "criminal sect."
In Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany, Karimi attended a college for foreign students in 1985. Between 1986 and 1988 mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and information science
Information science
-Introduction:Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information...
at University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
. Between 1983 and 1988 Karimi was active in different refugee groups in Germany and France. Her sister Farzanah remained active in the Mojahedin-e Khalgh, which cost her her life.
In 1989 Karimi went to the Netherlands with her family. At the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
Karimi studied "Policy and Governance in International Organizations". She also obtained the Dutch nationality
Dutch nationality law
Dutch nationality law is based primarily on the principle of Jus sanguinis and is governed by the Kingdom act regarding Dutch citizenship . Thus citizenship is conferred primarily by birth to a Dutch parent, irrespective of place of birth...
. In 1993 Karimi began to work in the semi-public sector. between 1993 and 1994 she began to work for the foundation Probe in Hoogezand-Sappemeer
Hoogezand-Sappemeer
Hoogezand-Sappemeer is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. It is the second largest municipality in the province of Groningen, after the city of Groningen. It is well known for its ship building industry....
. Since 1994 she worked as a coordinator for Aisa, a project for the emancipation and support of black, migrant and refugee women. In 1997 she became a member of GreenLeft. In April 1998 she became a member of the party board of GreenLeft. In 1998 she was a briefly national project leader for "Heel de Buurt" of the Dutch Institute for Care and Welfare. Karimi was also active in civil society. Between 1991 and 2001 she was member of the Board of Vluchtelingenorganisaties Nederland.
Political life
In 1998 electionsDutch general election, 1998
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998.-Result:...
Karimi was elected to the House of Representatives for GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
. When she became active in GreenLeft, she did not reveal her past in the Mojahedin-e Khalgh. In the House of Representatives, she was involved in foreign affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development...
, development cooperation, European affairs and defense
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
. As such she was vice chair of the permanent committee for European Affairs. She also was member of the committee for justice
Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior...
. In 1999 she was one of two MPs (the other one was Ineke van Gent
Ineke van Gent
Wilhelmina van Gent is a Dutch politician. She has been a member of the House of Representatives for GreenLeft since May 19, 1998...
) who voted in favour of a motion of Harry van Bommel
Harry van Bommel
Henricus van Bommel is a Dutch politician, anti-globalization activist and former educator. As a member of the Socialist Party he has been an MP since May 19, 1998...
to end the NATO bombings which were part of the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
.
In 2003 she proposed together with Niesco Dubbelboer of the PvdA and Boris van der Ham
Boris van der Ham
Boris van der Ham is a Dutch politician and former actor. On 23 May 2002 he has become a member of the Dutch House of Representatives for Democrats 66 , a social liberal party. In November 2006 he has also become vice-Parliamentary group leader...
of the D66 to hold a referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
. The proposal became law in 2005. She also asked question to Minister Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias Johannes van Aartsen is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Mayor of the Hague since March 27, 2008....
on the American Service-Members' Protection Act, which obliges the American government to free American citizens who are brought to the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
-even with the use of violence- and Minister Ben Bot
Ben Bot
Bernard Rudolf "Ben" Bot is a Dutch diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 3, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III....
on the Dutch support for the Iraq War. She also took an initiative to support free Iranian Media, Rooz
Rooz
Rooz is a Persian and English news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi and Nikahang Kowsar with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi and Ahmad Zeidabadi...
and Radio Zamaneh
Radio Zamaneh
Radio Zamaneh is an Amsterdam-based Persian language radio. "Zamaneh" is the Persian literary term for "time".Radio Zamaneh is founding by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs but in content an independent broadcasting organization, registered as a non-profit organization in the Netherlands, with...
, with 15 million euro. This was accepted by the House of Representatives at the end of 2004. Karimi did not put herself forward as a candidate in the 2006 elections
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
.
For her work Karimi traveled extensively to many conflict regions. In May 2005 she visited the opposition in Iran. She was interrogated at the Teheran airport and information was copied from her diary. This led to a formal protests by Minister Bot to the Iranian ambassador.
The main themes of her work in the House of Representatives were human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
in foreign relations of the Netherlands
Foreign relations of the Netherlands
The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Netherlands was a neutral state, since the second World War the Netherlands became a member...
. She spend particular attention on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
and the developments in Afghanistan en Iran. She wrote about it in her books Battlefield Afghanistan and The Secret of Fire.
Life after politics
Early 2007 Karimi worked for the United Nations Development ProgrammeUnited Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
. She was senior consultant for the UNDP in in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
for project SEAL (Support to the Establishment of the Afghan Legislator): she taught and supported candidate-members of National Assembly of Afghanistan
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
. In November 2007 she was appointed general director of Oxfam Novib
Oxfam Novib
Oxfam Novib is the Dutch affiliate of the international Oxfam organization. It is an association dedicated to establishing a fair world with no poverty in it. The organization is based in The Hague.Oxfam Novib was founded under the name Novib in 1956...
. She succeeded Sylvia Borren.
Karimi is also active in civil society. She writes for Rooz
Rooz
Rooz is a Persian and English news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi and Nikahang Kowsar with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi and Ahmad Zeidabadi...
, a free, Persian, online newspaper. Since 2004 she is member of the Board of Advice of the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World in Leiden. Since 2006 she is founder-president of Bridging the Gulf, a foundation for human security
Human security
Human security is an emerging paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenge the traditional notion of national security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be the individual rather than the state...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Between 2006 and 2007 she was member of the board of Parliamentarians for Global Action in New York.
Personal
Karimi considers herself a "moderate believing Muslim." Karimi has been married twice. Her first husband was also involved in the Mojahedin-e Khalgh. When she broke from the organization in 1986 she also broke with him. She has one son with her first husband, who was born when Karimi fled from Iran. In 1989 she was married again. Now her marital status is "unmarried". Karimi spreaks PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Bibliografie
- Slagveld Afghanistan (Battlefield Afghanistan) (2006)
- Het geheim van het vuur (The Secret of Fire) (2005) together with Chris Keulemans
External links
- Drs. Farah Karimi on parlement.com