Mohammad Reyshahri
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Reyshahri (born 1946), best known as Reyshahri, is an Iran
ian politician
and cleric who was first Iranian Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran from 1984 to 1989 in cabinet of Prime Minister
Mir Hossein Mousavi.
.
He married the daughter of Ayatollah
Ali Meshkini
in 1968, when she was 9. It was Ayatollah
Meshkini
who first called him Reyshahri ("of the city of ").
Reyshahri is generally feared in Iran and sometimes referred to as "the scary Ayatollah" (آيتالله مخوف). He and his successor at the ministry of intelligence, Ali Fallahian
, are alumni of the Haqqani School in Qom
. Reyshahri has written on the sayings of the prophet Mohammad and Shia Imams. His book میزان الحکمه (mizan al hikmah) summarizes thousands of these sayings with very interesting discussions. He has also published his memoirs.
During the revolution, Reyshahri claimed to have discovered two abortive Coup d'état
: the Nozheh coup, which was supposed to happen on July 8, 1980 by supporters of Shapour Bakhtiar
, and was reported to Reyshahri by Saeed Hajjarian
, and the Ghotbzadeh
coup, which led to the execution of Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
and the removal of grand ayatollah Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari from being a marja
by the Society of Teachers of the Qom Hawza. The ayatollah was subsequently put under house arrest, and died in 1986. In his memoirs, Reyshahri reveals that he personally hit grand ayatollah Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari during the interrogations.
Into his tenure as Minister of Intelligence falls the case of Mehdi Hashemi. Reyshahri executed Hashemi two days ahead of schedule on September 28, 1987, so that Reyshahri would not need to follow a letter written by Khomeini on September 28, in which he informed Reyshahri that the sentence had been commuted to internal exile.
Reyshahri was appointed chief prosecutor of the Special Court for the Clergy in 1990. It was Reyshahri who drafted the court's 47-article ordinance passed in 1990.
Reyshahri was also an unsuccessful presidential candidate in the election on May 23, 1997, which led to the presidency of Mohammad Khatami
. Reyshahri ranked fourth among the four candidates approved to run by the Guardian Council
.
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 politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and cleric who was first Iranian Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran from 1984 to 1989 in cabinet of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Biography
Reyshahri was born in ReyRey, Iran
Rey or Ray , also known as Rhages and formerly as Arsacia, is the capital of Rey County, Tehran Province, Iran, and is the oldest existing city in the province....
.
He married the daughter of Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ali Meshkini
Ali Meshkini
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Feyz Meshkini was an Iranian hardline cleric and politician.-Life:Meshkini was an Iranian Azerbaijani born in a village near Meshkinshahr and the Sabalan mountain. He was born as Āli, but preferred the pronounciaton, Ali during his career. He succeeded Ayatollah Montazeri as...
in 1968, when she was 9. It was Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Meshkini
Ali Meshkini
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Feyz Meshkini was an Iranian hardline cleric and politician.-Life:Meshkini was an Iranian Azerbaijani born in a village near Meshkinshahr and the Sabalan mountain. He was born as Āli, but preferred the pronounciaton, Ali during his career. He succeeded Ayatollah Montazeri as...
who first called him Reyshahri ("of the city of ").
Reyshahri is generally feared in Iran and sometimes referred to as "the scary Ayatollah" (آيتالله مخوف). He and his successor at the ministry of intelligence, Ali Fallahian
Ali Fallahian
Hojatoleslam Ali Fallahian, is an Iranian politician and cleric. He has served as a member of the 3rd Assembly of Experts of the IRI and as the Minister of Intelligence of Islamic Republic of Iran in cabinet of President Hashemi Rafsanjani...
, are alumni of the Haqqani School in Qom
Qom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
. Reyshahri has written on the sayings of the prophet Mohammad and Shia Imams. His book میزان الحکمه (mizan al hikmah) summarizes thousands of these sayings with very interesting discussions. He has also published his memoirs.
During the revolution, Reyshahri claimed to have discovered two abortive Coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
: the Nozheh coup, which was supposed to happen on July 8, 1980 by supporters of Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar
Shapour Bakhtiar was an Iranian political scientist, writer and the last Prime Minister of Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi...
, and was reported to Reyshahri by Saeed Hajjarian
Saeed Hajjarian
Saeed Hajjarian is an Iranian intellectual, prominent journalist, pro-democracy activist and university lecturer. He has been an intelligence official, a member of Tehran's city council, and advisor to president Mohammad Khatami...
, and the Ghotbzadeh
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh was a close aide of Ayatollah Khomeini during his 1978 exile in France, and Iranian Foreign Minister during the Iran hostage crisis following the Iranian Revolution...
coup, which led to the execution of Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh was a close aide of Ayatollah Khomeini during his 1978 exile in France, and Iranian Foreign Minister during the Iran hostage crisis following the Iranian Revolution...
and the removal of grand ayatollah Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari from being a marja
Marja
Marja , also known as a marja-i taqlid or marja dini , literally means "Source to Imitate/Follow" or "Religious Reference"...
by the Society of Teachers of the Qom Hawza. The ayatollah was subsequently put under house arrest, and died in 1986. In his memoirs, Reyshahri reveals that he personally hit grand ayatollah Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari during the interrogations.
Into his tenure as Minister of Intelligence falls the case of Mehdi Hashemi. Reyshahri executed Hashemi two days ahead of schedule on September 28, 1987, so that Reyshahri would not need to follow a letter written by Khomeini on September 28, in which he informed Reyshahri that the sentence had been commuted to internal exile.
Reyshahri was appointed chief prosecutor of the Special Court for the Clergy in 1990. It was Reyshahri who drafted the court's 47-article ordinance passed in 1990.
Reyshahri was also an unsuccessful presidential candidate in the election on May 23, 1997, which led to the presidency of Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
. Reyshahri ranked fourth among the four candidates approved to run by the Guardian Council
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council of the Constitution , also known as the Guardian Council or Council of Guardians, is an appointed and constitutionally-mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran....
.