The Association of Combatant Clerics () is an Iranian reformist clerical political party. It is regarded as a left-wing party within the Iranian political spectrum.
History
The Association of Combatant Clerics was founded in 1987 after abolition of the Islamic Republican Party, the last political party of that time. The association was originally radical, populist,Brumberg, Daniel, Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran, University of Chicago Press, 2001, p.162 rather than reformist in orientation, and favored a focus "on exporting the revolution and calling for the state's monopoly over the economy,"Mneisi, Ahmad. At the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. rather than democracy and freedom of expression. As of 2007, it advocated limits on clerical power in Iranian politics and extending individual freedoms—though not to the extent that might "lead to secularism or liberalism."[Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p.300]
After the resignation of Mehdi Karroubi from the post of secretary general, the party had no secretary general until late August 2005, when Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha was elected as the new secretary general. Former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami is the Chairman of the association's Central Council.
Members According to Muhammad Sahimi, the party "has a significant number of followers and sympathizers among the younger clerics".
Central council members 28 members of the party's central council are: Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha (Secretary-General) Majid Ansari (Speaker) Mohammad Khatami (Head of Council) Mohammad Hashemi Hadi Khamenei Ali Ajam Mohammad-Ali Abtahi Mohammad-Ali Ansari Mohammad Mousavi-Bojnourdi Issa Velayi Mohammad Razavi Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi Ali-Akbar Ashtiani Mohammad-Ali Khosravi Taqi Durchih'i Serajeddin Mousavi Ali Mohammad Dastgheib Shirazi Fazel Ferdosi Ali-Asghar Rahmani Khalili Assadollah Kian-Ersi Mohammad Moghaddam Mojtaba Nourmofidi Mohammad-Ali Nezamzadeh Mehdi Emam-Jamarani Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari Mohammad-Ali Sadoughi Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani
Other members Mehdi Karroubi (former member) Sadegh Khalkhali (deceased) Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur (deceased) Hadi Ghaffari Rasoul Montajabnia Abdollah Nouri Mohammad-Reza Tavassoli (deceased) Hassan Sane'i Mahmoud Doayi Ghodratollah Alikhani Mohammad-Ali Rahmani
See also Political parties in Iran Clericalism in Iran
Notes
References
External links Mr Khatami, the Chairman of the Central Council of Militant Clerics Society, from Mohammad Ali Abtahi's weblog (in Persian) Mousavi Khoiniha became the secretary general of the Militant Clerics Society, from BBC Persian First meeting notes of Militant Clerics Society, from Mohammad Ali Abtahi's Persian weblog