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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Template:Fa
6th President of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office August 3, 2005
Vice President	Parviz Davoodi
Preceded by	Mohammad Khatami
Personal details
Born	October 28, 1956 Aradan, Iran
Political party	Islamic Society of Engineers

Audio file "Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad.ogg" not found, (born October 28, 1956) is the 6th and current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on 6 August 2005 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Before becoming president, he was the Mayor of Tehran, being among the shortlisted finalists for World Mayor in 2005.

Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of the Bush Administration, is supportive of strengthened relations with Russia, and has refused to stop the nuclear program of Iran against the wishes of the United Nations. He was widely condemned for saying that Israel "must be wiped off the map" and repeatedly describing the Holocaust as a "myth", although he has insisted that he is not antisemitic.

Early political career

Born in Garmsar, near Tehran, the son of a blacksmith, he holds a PhD in traffic and transport engineering and planning from Tehran's University of Science and Technology, where he was also a lecturer. Although involved in politics as a student during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis (during which he opposed the embassy takeover, an act which Alireza Haghighi holds contributed to his marginalization by the Iranian left at the time), Ahmadinejad was an obscure figure when he was appointed Mayor of Tehran by the second City Council of Tehran on May 3, 2003, after a 12% turnout led to the election of the conservative candidates of Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran in Tehran. During his mayorship, he reversed many of the changes put into effect by previous moderate and reformist mayors, putting religious emphasis on the activities of the cultural centers founded by previous mayors, going on the record with the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices, and suggesting that the bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. Such actions were coupled with an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.

After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was shortlisted in a list of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005. Out of the 550 nominated mayors, nine were from Asia.

He was not much better known when he entered the presidential election campaign, although he had already made his mark for rolling back earlier reforms. After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad resigned from his post as the mayor of Tehran. His resignation was accepted on June 28, 2005.

He is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but he has a more powerful base inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran) and is considered one of the main figures in the alliance.

Personal life and education

In 1976, Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance exams (konkoor) to gain admission into Iran's top universities. His test score reportedly ranked him 132nd among over 400,000 participants that year, landing him at the prestigious Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering.

After the revolution, in furthering of his studies, he entered the Master of Science program for civil engineering in 1984. In 1997, he received his PhD in traffic and transportation engineering and planning. The graduate program was a special program for Revolutionary Guard members funded by the organization. He was Governor General of Ardabil Province (1993-1997) during his doctoral studies in Tehran. After graduation, he was appointed an assistant professor at the civil engineering department at IUST. ISI listed no publication for him, nor he has any patent. Ahmadinejad is married, and has two sons and two daughters.

Presidency

Presidential campaign

Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, which some US-based analysts considered to have been designed to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes . His campaign motto was, "It's possible and we can do it." (Template:Fa).

In his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad took a populist approach, with emphasis on his own modest life, and had compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, the second president of Iran—a claim that raised objections from Rajai's family. Ahmadinejad claims he plans to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He is a self-described "principlist"; that is, acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals is "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", referring to Iran's oil profits being distributed among the poor.

Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. Also, in an interview with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting a few days before the elections, Ahmadinejad accused the United Nations of being "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He has openly opposed the veto power given to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. In the same interview, he stated, "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." In addition, he has defended Iran's nuclear program and has accused "a few arrogant powers" of attempting to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.

After his election he proclaimed, "Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world." He said, that "the wave of the Islamic revolution" would soon "reach the entire world."

During his campaign for the second round, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government.…This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." Also he has mentioned that he has an extended program on fighting terrorism in order to improve foreign relations and has called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "people should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours." Since his election to the presidency he has taken a tough stand on a number of foreign policy matters, in line with his hard-line background.

As confirmed by Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom, is President Ahmadinejad's ideological mentor and spiritual guide. Mesbah is the founder of Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's campaign during presidential election in 2005.

Election

Ahmadinejad became the President of Iran on August 6, 2005, after wining 62% of the vote in the run-off poll, nearly twice that of ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He received the presidential authorization from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on August 3, 2005. During the authorization ceremony he kissed Khamenei's hand in demonstration of his loyalty to him. Journalist Amir Taheri claims that Khamenei's eldest son Mujtaba acted as Ahmadinejad's campaign manager during the election.

Cabinet

Ahmadinejad was required to introduce his suggested ministers to Majlis for a vote of approval in fifteen days, after which Majlis would have one week to decide about the ministers. It was mentioned by Masoud Zaribafan, Ahmadinejad's campaign manager, that Ahmadinejad would probably introduce his cabinet on the same day of his vow, which did not happen, but the list was finally sent to the Majlis on August 14. The Majlis were set to vote on the suggested ministers by August 21.

The parliament had held a private meeting on August 5, when Ahmadinejad presented a shortlist of three or four candidates for each ministry, to know the opinion of Majlis about his candidates. The final list was officially sent to the Majlis on August 14, 2005.

After a few days of heavy discussions in Majlis, which started on August 21, 2005, Ahmadinejad's cabinet was voted for on August 24, 2005, and became the first cabinet since the Iranian revolution in not winning a complete vote of approval. Four candidates, for the ministries of Cooperatives, Education, Petroleum, and Welfare and Social Security, all previous colleagues of Ahmadinejad in the Municipality of Tehran, were voted down, with the other candidates becoming ministers.

The list of suggested ministers and their votes went:

The new board of ministers held its first meeting on August 25 in Mashhad, promising to keep frequent meetings to cities other than the capital, Tehran. Temporary supervisors for two of the four ministries without new ministers were appointed by Ahmadinejad on August 27, Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Davoud Madadi for the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.

Domestic policy

Economy

Ahmadinejad submitted his first annual budget, covering April 2006–March 2007, to Iran’s parliament on January 15, 2006. The draft budget called for 1,956 trillion Rials (US$217.4 billion) in total spending, 27% more than in the fiscal 2005–06 budget. The oil-revenue projections, a significant portion of fiscal revenues, were based on a US$39.70/barrel price forecast for oil exports. The plan called on state-owned banks to allocate a larger portion of their resources to consumer loans for low-income families and small enterprises in underdeveloped regions. It also called for a visible increase in housing subsidies for low-income families, accounting for roughly US$1 billion in construction costs for the worse off.

Despite the government's hostility toward NGOs, Ahmadinejad devoted approximately 35 billion Rials (roughly US$3.5 million) to an NGO associated with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, an increase of almost tenfold.

In June 2006, 50 Iranian economists wrote a letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, criticising price interventions to stabilize prices of goods, cement, and government services, as well as a decree issued by the High Labor Council and the Ministry of Labor proposing an increase of workers' salaries by 40%. Ahmadinejad publicly responded harshly to the letter and denounced the accusations.

On January 25, 2007, The president called high petrol consumption as the main problem facing national economy.

“So far, this year (started March 21, 2006) the Oil Ministry has spent billions of dollars for importing petrol”, he noted. The government is trying to control the high petrol consumption, but it has no plan to sell the petrol at the market price, he stated. He also refused a gradual increase of petrol prices, saying after making necessary preparations such as a development of public transportation system the government will free up petrol prices after five years.

Family planning and population policy

In October 2006, President Ahmadinejad opposed encouraging families to have just two children and said his country could cope with 50 million more people than the 70 million it has now, the student news agency ISNA reported.

In remarks that have drawn criticism, he told MPs he wanted to scrap existing birth control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children.

Critics reacted with alarm and said the president’s call was ill-judged at a time when Iran was struggling with surging inflation and rising unemployment, unofficially estimated at around 25%. Mr Ahmadinejad’s call for a higher birth rate echoes a similar demand by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the triumph of Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979. The policy led to a population explosion but was later reversed because of the strain on the economy. As a result, population growth dropped from an all-time high of 3.2% in 1986 to around 1.2% today, similar to that of the United States.

Housing

The first legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion Rial (US$1.3 billion) fund called "Reza's Compassion Fund" which was named after one of Shi'a Islam's Imams, Ali al-Rida. By tapping into Iran's oil revenues, Ahmadinejad's government claims that this fund will be used to help young people to get jobs and to afford marriage, as well to assist in purchasing their own homes. The fund also sought charitable donations, and includes a boards of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The new plan is subject to the approval of the conservative-held Majlis, but is seen as unlikely to encounter strong opposition, given that deputies in the Majles have also shown an eagerness to focus on resolving economic problems. The legislation was in response to the costly housing in urban centres which is pushing up the national average marital age (currently around 25 years for women and 28 years for men). In 2006 the Iranian parliament rejected the fund. However, Ahmadinejad allegedly put his proposal into practice by ordering the administrative council to execute the plan.

Women's rights

On 24 April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that a ruling which prevented women from watching men playing sports in stadiums would soon be reversed.. A state television announcer reported that Ahmadinejad "ordered the head of the sports organization to provide facilities in the stadiums to watch national matches." Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying: "The best stands should be allocated to women and families in the stadiums in which national and important matches are being held." Two days earlier, Ahmadinejad had objected to punishment of women appearing in stadiums without proper hijab. His remarks angered some supporters. Soon after his remarks, several of the highest-ranking clerics and marjas including, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, Grand Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani and Ayatollah Mirza Javad Tabrizi announced their objection to his decision, urgently calling for cancellation of the order. In Qom, many clerics demonstrated against the president's letter.Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reversed the decision and 60,000+ mullahs at the grassroots level of sharia courts to national level expressed concerns. A Shi'ite news agency quoted one of Ahmadinejad's advisors saying that the President's statement about the attendance of women in stadium was a political measure to defend the government against a US-led conspiracy. According to these reports, Ahmadinejad's government believed that the attendance of women in stadiums were against Sharia and therefore had to be banned, contrary to the earlier letter.

Conservatives in Iran have been angered by a perceived deterioration in obedience to the republic's female Islamic dress code. Conservative MP Rafat Bayat has blamed Ahmadinejad for this, saying that observance of the required hijab has declined because Ahmadinejad is "not that strict on this issue".

Science

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad government reportedly forced numerous Iranian scientists and University professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as "second cultural revolution" after the Islamic Cultural Revolution earlier. The policy has been said to replace current professors with younger ones. Many University professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly. In November 2006, 53 University Professors were forced to retire all at once at Iran University of Science and Technology, according to Advar News agency.

In 2006, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government applied a 50% quota for male students and 50% for female students in the University entrance exam for Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. The plan was supposed to stop the growing prsence of female students in the Universities. In a responce to critics, Iranian minister of health and medical education, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani argued that there is not enough facility and dormitories for female students. Masoud Salehi, president of Zahedan University said that presence of women generates some problems with transportations. Also Ebrahim Mekaniki, presdient of Babol University of Medical Sciences stated that an increase in the presence of women will not let us to distribute the facilities in a suitable manner. Bagher Larijani, the president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences also made similar remarks. Since the establishment of Ahmadinejad's government such restrictions have been practiced without legal foundation and justified to be a support for valuing the concept of "family" and "religion".

Sivand Dam and destruction of Iranian heritage

On January 22, 2007, Islamic’s Republic of Iran’s (IRI) Minister of Energy announced his intention to begin flooding the Sivand Dam within a week. This Dam will flood the ancient archeological sites of Bolaghi Gorge and Pasargad Plains where the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great is situated. The date chosen for this act is coincided with the anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's return to Iran and taking over the reigns of power 28 years ago.

Sivand dam project has been one of the most condemned projects in post-revolution Iran due to its' immense threat to Iranian cultural heritage. Most Iranians are furious about the construction of the dam and argue that there is no objective in the world worthy to justify the construction of a dam, so close to Pasargadae.

Nuclear program

Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program. On January 11, 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran would have peaceful nuclear technology very soon. He also emphasized that building a nuclear bomb is not the policy of his government. He has said that there was no such policy and that such a policy was "illegal and against our religion."

He also added at a January 2006 conference in Tehran that a nation that had "culture, logic and civilisation" would not need nuclear weapons, but that countries which sought nuclear weapons were those which wanted to solve all problems by the use of force.

In April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully refined uranium to a stage suitable for the nuclear fuel cycle. In a speech to students and academics in Mashad, he was quoted saying that Iran's conditions had changed completely as it became a nuclear state and could talk to other states from that stand.

On April 13, 2006, Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the peaceful Iranian nuclear technology would not pose a threat to any party because "we want peace and stability and we will not cause injustice to anyone and at the same time we will not submit to injustice."

However, the office of the Iranian President is not responsible for nuclear policy. It is instead set by the Supreme National Security Council. The council includes representatives appointed by the Supreme Leader, military officials and members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government (see eg. Ali Larijani), and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.

On November 15, 2006 the Iranian President announced that "Today the Iranian nation possesses the full nuclear fuel cycle."

National criticism of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran's President Ahmadinejad is becoming increasingly unpopular at home because he's spending too much time bashing the United States and not enough time reforming his nation's stagnant economy.

Prices for vegetables have tripled in December 2006, housing prices have doubled since summer 2006 — and as costs have gone up, so has Iranians‘ discontent with hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his focus on confrontation with the West. He is being challenged not only by reformers but by the conservatives who paved the way for his stunning victory in 2005 presidential elections. Ahmadinejad‘s government "has been strong on populist slogans but weak on achievement," said Mohammad Khoshchehreh, who campaigned for Ahmadinejad during the election.

Islamic Republic's increasing economic and diplomatic isolation, have pushed conservatives inside Iran to further distance themselves from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More than 50 parliamentary members signed a letter in January 2007, calling on Ahmadinejad to appear before parliament to explain himself.Iranian sources noted that Ahmadinejad may be vulnerable as Khamenei has voiced his displeasure with him and due to the fact that the latter has the authority to dismiss the president. Khamenei himself usually refrains from speaking in public but in his privately owned newspaper he slammed the president's "personalization" of the nuclear issue.Ahmadinejad’s team lost the 2006 City council elections and his spiritual mentor, Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi was only ranked sixth on the country's Assembly of Experts.

While the campaign to summon Ahmadinejad to appear in the Majlis is gathering momentum, some Majlis deputies have threatened to impeach the ministers of interior and education. According to reports published by various news agencies, the bills to impeach Mostafa Pourmohammadi (Minister of the Interior) and Mahmoud Farshidi (Minister of Education) will be introduced in Majlis on 24 Jan 2006.

Many Friday prayer leaders have heavily criticized the government’s failure to control inflation. Conservatives in Iran have expressed unhappiness with Ahmadinejad’s power-grabbing actions, and many blame Ahmadinejad’s rash statements for the passage of the recent Security Council resolution against Iran.

In January 2006, Hossein Ali Montazeri harshly criticized Ahmadinejad and accused him of harming the country. Montazeri, 85, is the most senior theologian of the Shiite Muslim faith. Also Mohammad Moussavian, a former senior nuclear negotiator accused Ahmadinejad of lying to the people about the grave consequences of the penalties voted for by the Security Council. "Our advice to the president is to speak about the nuclear issue only during important national occasions, stop provoking aggressive powers like the United States and concentrate more on the daily needs of the people, those who voted for you on your promises," wrote the Islamic Republic, a newspaper owned by Khamenei.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is a capitalist, has invoked the supreme leader, suggesting the leader was pained by the very slow pace of privatisation under Mr Ahmadinejad's government.

December 2006 Student protest

On December 11, 2006, students disrupted a speech by Ahmadinejad at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. According to the Iranian Student News Agency, students set fire to photographs of Ahmadinejad and threw firecrackers. The protesters also chanted "death to the dictator". It was the first major public protest against Ahmadinejad since his election. In a statement carried on the students' Web site, they announced that they had been protesting the growing political pressure under Ahmadinejad, also accusing him of corruption, mismanagement, and discrimination. "The students showed that despite vast propaganda, the president has not been able to deceive academia", the statement added. It was also reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust. A student activist was quoted as saying the conference was "shameful" and had "brought to our country Nazis and racists from around the world."

In response to the students slogans, the president said: "We have been standing up to dictatorship so that no one will dare to establish dictatorship in a millennium even in the name of freedom. Given the scars inflicted on the Iranian nation by agents of the US and British dictatorship, no one will ever dare to initiate the rise of a dictator". Iranian media reported even though the protestors broke the TV cameras, and threw hand-made bombs at Ahmadinejad , the president asked the officials not to question or disturb the protestors.

1,000 students also protested the day before to denounce the increasing pressure on the reformist groups at the university, newspapers reported. In the week prior, more than 2,000 students protested at Tehran University on the country's annual student day , with speakers saying there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.

2006 Councils and Assembly of Experts election

In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, allies of the Iranian President failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Turnout of about 60 percent was reported, with the results suggesting a voter shift toward more moderate policies. "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support . . . moderate figures", the independent daily newspaper Kargozaran said in an editorial. "This is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah-Yazdi's list", an Iranian political analyst was quoted as saying.

Parliamentary Opposition and vetoes by the Supreme Leader

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has had a number of struggles first of all on winning the Presidential election to get his nominations for official positions through parliament and to pass his legislation.

He was vetoed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei when he attempted to change the law to permit women to attend sporting events, and there are also notable difference between the Supreme Leader and President Ahmadinejad over other issues such as how dress codes should be enforced with contrary to expectations about how his election would affect the course of Iranian society has actually led to a more liberal approach on many issues relating to women.

His criticism of the West has been controversial in the Iranian Parliament, leading to attempts to compel him to go to the parliament to answer questions, although impeachment is unlikely.

Foreign policy

Iran-United States relations

On May 8, 2006, Ahmadinejad sent a personal letter to United States President George Bush to propose "new ways" to end Iran's nuclear dispute. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley both reviewed the letter and dismissed it as a negotiating ploy and publicity stunt that did not address U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program. A few days later at a meeting in Jakarta, Ahmadinejad said, "the letter was an invitation to monotheism and justice, which are common to all divine prophets."

On August 8, 2006, he gave a television interview to Mike Wallace, a correspondent for 60 Minutes.

In mid 2006, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited President George W.Bush to a debate at the United Nation General Assembly which was to take place on the 19 of September 2006. The debate was to be about Iran's right to enrich uranium. The invitation was promptly rejected by the a White House spokesman Tony Snow who said "There's not going to be a steel-cage grudge match between the President and Ahmadinejad."

On November 29, 2006, Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to the American people, representing some of his anxieties and concerns. He stated that there is an urgency to have a dialog because of the activities of the US administration in the Middle East, and their concealing the truth about current realities. The letter criticized many policies of the US administration, and claimed that the American people "showed their discontent in the recent elections." In the letter, he also claims that Iran condemns all terrorism, though many in the United States consider Iran to be the world's leading state supporter of terrorism.

Iran-Russia relations

Ahmadinejad has moved to strengthen relations with Russia, setting up an office expressly dedicated to the purpose in October 2005. He has worked with Vladimir Putin on the nuclear issue, and both Putin and Ahmadinejad have expressed a desire for more mutual cooperation on issues involving the Caspian Sea. However, Western intelligence officials recently accused Ahmadinejad of sanctioning the training and funding of Chechen rebels, who are fighting against Russia, inside Iran.

Anti-Israel statements

On October 26, 2005 Ahmadinejad gave a speech that contained statements against Israel. According to widely published translations, he agreed with a statement he attributed to Ayatollah Khomeini that the "occupying regime" had to be removed, and referred to it as a "disgraceful stain the Islamic world" that must be "wiped off the map".

Ahmadinejad's comments were condemned by major Western governments, the European Union, Russia, the United Nations Security Council and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Egyptian, Turkish and Palestinian leaders also expressed displeasure over Ahmadinejad's remark. Canada's then Prime Minister Paul Martin said, “this threat to Israel's existence, this call for genocide coupled with Iran's obvious nuclear ambitions is a matter that the world cannot ignore.”

The translation of his statement has been disputed. Some experts claim that the phrase in question is more accurately translated as "eliminated" or "wiped off" or "wiped away" from "the page of time" or "the pages of history", rather than "wiped off the map". Reviewing the controversy over the translation, New York Times deputy foreign editor Ethan Bronner observed that "all official translations" of the comments, including the foreign ministry and president's office, "refer to wiping Israel away".

Ahmadinejad has compared Israel's actions in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict to Adolf Hitler's actions during World War II saying that "Just like Hitler, the Zionist regime is just looking for a pretext for launching military attacks" and "is now acting just like him."

On August 8, 2006, he gave a television interview to Mike Wallace, a correspondent for 60 Minutes, in which he questioned American support of Israel's "murderous regime" and the moral grounds for Israel's invasion of Lebanon.

On December 2, 2006, Ahmadinejad met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah in Doha, Qatar. At that meeting, he said that Israel "was created to establish dominion of arrogant states over the region and to enable the enemy to penetrate the heart Muslim land." He called Israel a "threat" and said it was created to create tensions in and impose US and UK policies upon the region.

On December 12, 2006, Ahmadinejad addressed the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, and made comments about the future of Israel. He said, "Israel is about to crash. This is God's promise and the wish of all the world's nations." He continued, "Everyone must know that just as the U.S.S.R. disappeared, this will also be the fate of the Zionist regime, and humanity will be free."

Holocaust denial and accusations of antisemitism

In December 2005 Ahmadinejad made several controversial statements about the Holocaust, calling it "a myth", and criticizing European laws against Holocaust denial. In a May 30, 2006 interview with Der Spiegel Ahmadinejad again questioned the Holocaust several times, insisting there were "two opinions" on it. When asked if the Holocaust was a myth, he responded "I will only accept something as truth if I am actually convinced of it".

In response to these statements and actions, a variety of sources, including the U.S. Senate, have accused Ahmadinejad of antisemitism. Ahmadinejad has recently insisted that he is not an antisemite, saying "Some people think if they accuse me of being anti-Jew they can solve the problem. No, I am not Anti-Jew. I respect them very much."

That Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust is disputed. Some say that he was only criticizing the use of the Holocaust in justifying the existence of the Israeli regime. According to Information Clearing House Ahmadinejad was criticizing the exploitation of the Holocaust to promote the Israeli regime, and his words were taken out of context and made to look like he was denying the Holocaust.

According to the Iranian national press, the IRNA Ahmadinejad said " the real holocaust should be sought in Palestine, where the blood of the oppressed nation is shed every day and Iraq, where the defenceless Muslim people are killed daily. 'Some western governments, in particular the US, approve of the sacrilege on the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), while denial of the >Myth of Holocaust<, based on which the Zionists have been exerting pressure upon other countries for the past 60 years and kill the innocent Palestinians, is considered as a crime' "

"Myth of Holocaust" is interpreted by some to mean the myth that Israel can never be wrong, because of the Holocaust, and not a denial that the historical event occured.

On December 11, 2006 the "International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust" opened, to widespread condemnation. The conference, called for by and held at the behest of Ahmadinejad, was widely described as a "Holocaust denial conference" or a "meeting of Holocaust deniers", though Iran insists it is not a Holocaust denial conference.

Human rights

Main article: see Human rights in Islamic Republic of Iran.

The current human rights situation in Iran under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is poor; for example, the Canadian government listed Iran as one of the thirteen worst abusers of human rights in 2006. According to Amnesty International, dissidents who oppose the government non-violently face harassment, torture and execution and the election of Ahmadinejad signalled the defeat of "pro-reform" supporters . According to Human Rights Watch, "espect for basic human rights in Iran, especially freedom of expression and assembly, deteriorated in 2006. The government routinely tortures and mistreats detained dissidents, including through prolonged solitary confinement."

Human Rights Watch described the source of human rights violations in contemporary Iran as coming from on the one hand the Judiciary, accountable to Ali Khamenei, and on the other to members directly appointed by Ahmadinejad. Again according to Human Rights Watch, "ince President Ahmadinejad came to power, treatment of detainees has worsened in Evin prison as well as in detention centers operated clandestinely by the Judiciary, the Ministry of Information, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." Ahmadinejad has appointed and promoted officials directly involved in torture and murder of dissidents, including the prosecutor responsible for the death of journalist Zahra Kazemi

Tolerance of public protest varies under Ahmadinejad. Human Rights Watch writes that "he Ahmadinejad government, in a pronounced shift from the policy under former president Mohammed Khatami, has shown no tolerance for peaceful protests and gatherings."

In January 2006 security forces attacked striking bus drivers in Tehran and detained hundreds. The government refused to recognize the drivers’ independent union or engage in collective bargaining with them. In February government forces attacked a peaceful gathering of Sufi devotees in front of their religious building in Qum to prevent its destruction by the authorities, using tear gas and water cannons to disperse them. In March police and plainclothes agents charged a peaceful assembly of women’s rights activists in Tehran and beat hundreds of women and men who had gathered to commemorate International Women’s Day. In June as women’s rights defenders assembled again in Tehran, security forces beat them with batons, sprayed them with pepper gas, marked the demonstrators with sprayed dye, and took 70 people into custody.

An exception to this pattern of suppression appeared to come personally from Ahmadinejad in December 2006, when he advised officials not to disturb students who engaged in a rowdy protest during a speech of his at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran., although speakers at other protests have included among their complaints the fact that there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.

See also

• Politics of Iran
• Haghani Circle
• Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi
• 2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy

References

1. IPA: [mæhˈmud æhmædineˈʒɒd]. His name transliterates into Persian as Template:Fa Maḥmūd Aḥmadīnezhād, and can be transcribed into English as Mahmud or Mahmood, Ahmadinezhad, Ahmadi-Nejad, Ahmadi Nejad, or Ahmady Nejad.
2. ^ Fathi, Nazila (October 30, 2005). "Text of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Speech". Week in Review. The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "Ahmadinejad: Why so sensitive about Israel?". CNN. September 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-18. Ahmadinejad has said in the past that Israel should be wiped off the map. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Iranians say Israel spat is really about nukes". MSNBC. October 30, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-18. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remark on Wednesday that Israel should be 'wiped off the map' sparked international condemnation, including a rebuke from the U.N. Security Council. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. "Iran vote seen as referendum on Ahmadinejad". The Boston Globe. December 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-27. To the outside world, Ahmadinejad (pronounced ah-MAHDI-ne-JAD) is best known for spurring confrontation with the West -- restarting the uranium enrichment program that the United States believes is aimed at making a nuclear bomb; denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map"; and declaring that Iranian influence should replace American sway in the Middle East. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ "When Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks out candidly — as is his habit — he scares a lot of people. He has said more than once that Israel should be wiped off the map, and that the Holocaust is an overblown fairytale.…‘Israel, you have said time and again, Israel must be wiped off the map. Please explain why. And what is Iran doing about that?’ Wallace asked.…Then Wallace tried to get the president back to his most inflammatory statement regarding Israel. ‘You are very good at filibustering,’ Wallace remarked. ‘You still have not answered the question. You still have not answered the question. Israel must be wiped off the map. Why?’
   ‘Well, don't be hasty sir,’ the president said. ‘I'm going to get to that. I think that the Israeli government is a fabricated government.’" "Iranian Leader Opens Up:Ahmadinejad Speaks Candidly With Mike Wallace About Israel, Nukes, Bush", 60 Minutes, CBS News, August 13, 2006. Accessed 2006-10-18 Cite error: The named reference "MA 60 Minutes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
7. "The European Union and Russia have joined condemnation of the Iranian president's public call for Israel to be 'wiped off the map'." "Iran leader's comments attacked", BBC News, October 27, 2005.
8. "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has again caused international outcry by repeating his view that the Holocaust was a myth. In a speech broadcast live on state television on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad told a crowd in the southern city of Zahedan: 'They have fabricated a legend under the name Massacre of the Jews, and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves. If somebody in their country questions God, nobody says anything, but if somebody denies the myth of the massacre of Jews, the Zionist loudspeakers and the governments in the pay of Zionism will start to scream." "Ahmadinejad: Holocaust a myth", Al Jazeera, December 15, 2005.
9. "'They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets,' Ahmadinejad said in a speech to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan, according to a report on Wednesday from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. 'The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets,' he said. '(It) deals very severely with those who deny this myth but does not do anything to those who deny God, religion, and the prophet.'". "Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth'", CNN, December 14, 2005.
10. "Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'", BBC News, September 21, 2006.
11. Secor, Laura (28 January 2007). "Whose Iran?". New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
12. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Entekhab News. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
13. vom Hove, Tann (2005). "More than 87,000 took part in the World Mayor 2005 project". World Mayor Award. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
14. The 2005 World Mayor finalists
15. "Iran's president launches weblog". BBC. August 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. ""Hard Line Figure in Iran Runoff"".
19. ""Iran and the art of crisis management"".
20. Brea, Jennifer. "Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran". About.com. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
21. Navai, Ramita (30 June 2005). "President invokes new Islamic wave". The Times (UK) Online. Retrieved 2006-05-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. "Profile of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Friend or foe?".
23. "Iran Symposium: 'Divide and empower'".
24. "Iran hardliner hails poll victory". BBC. June 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
25. "Iran hardliner becomes president". BBC. August 3, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
26. "Behind Ahmadinejad, a Powerful Cleric". New York Times. September 9, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. http://tofoiran.packdeal.com/clips/DrIman/20060906-DrIman-CNN-225.asx
28. "Winners and Losers Turn the Fate of Iran". Gulf News. June 29, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
30. Habibi, Nader (2006). "Iran's 2006–07 Budget Puts More Emphasis on Economic Justice". Perspectives. GLOBAL INSIGHT. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
31. Rafizadeh, Shahram (January 15, 2006). "NGO Crackdown in Iran". Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Entekhab News. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
33. Asefi, Soheyl (June 28, 2006). "The Need for Economic Solutions". Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. Times, Tehran (January 25, 2007). "Iran trying to prevent another UN resolution: president". Tehran Times. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. Dr. Bakhtiar, Abbas (January 25, 2007). "Ahmadinejad's Achilles Heel". Payvand. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
36. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
37. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
38. Reuters (April 24, 2006). "Iran president says let women into sports stadiums". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2006-10-17. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday women should be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time, reversing the Islamic Republic's code preventing them watching men playing sports in big venues {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
40. Iran split over female soccer fans CNN
41. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
42. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
43. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Gooya. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
44. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Gooya. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
45. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Gooya. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
46. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Gooya. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
47. Iran to keep stadium ban on women
48. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Baztab. Retrieved 2006-10-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
49. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6213854.stm
50. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
51. Irani, Hamed (June 23, 2006). "Cleansing in the Name of Retirement". Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
52. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Aftab news. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
53. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Aftab news. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
58. "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
59. "Excerpts: Ahmadinejad conference". BBC News. January 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
60. "Ahmadinejad: Iran can now talk to world from vantage point of a nuclear state". Arabicnews.com. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
61. "Ahmadinejad: Iran nuke right non-negotiable". UPI. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |orgurl= ignored (help)
62. Recknagel, Charles (June 27, 2005). "Iran: Election Of Ahmadinejad Unlikely To Affect Nuclear Negotiations". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
63. "Ahmadi Nejad: Iran Completes Nuclear Cycle". The Media Line. November 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
76. Nazila Fathi (December 12, 2006). "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief". New York Times News Service. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
77. MICHAEL THEODOULOU (December 12, 2006). "Protesters condemn Holocaust conference". The Scotsman. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
78. Edmund Blair (December 18, 2006). "Results in Iranian Vote Seen as Setback for Ahmadinejad". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
79. Iran women sports ruling vetoed BBC News, 8 May 2006
80. Iran police move into fashion business BBC News, 02 January 2007
81. Growing pressure on Ahmadinejad BBC News, 16 January 2007
82. "Timeline: US-Iran ties". BBC News. May 31, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
83. Vick, Karl (May 9, 2006). "No Proposals in Iranian's Letter to Bush, U.S. Says". The Washington Post. pp. A18. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
84. "President says his letter to President Bush was invitation to Islam". Islamic Republic News Agency. May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Thursday that his letter to President George W. Bush did not concern the nuclear dossier, but rather was an invitation to Islam and the prophets culture. "We act according to our laws and our activities are quite clear. We are rather intent on solving more fundamental global matters. The letter was an invitation to monotheism and justice, which are common to all divine prophets. If the call is responded positively, there will be no more problems to be solved", added the president. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
85. "No 'steel-cage, grudge match' between Bush, Ahmadinejad". CNN. Thursday, September 07, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
86. "President rules out UN debate with Iran". Iran Focus. Friday, September 08, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
87. "Message of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of the Republic of Iran to the American People" (PDF). Foxnews. November 29, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
88. Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State (November 28, 2003). "U.S. Policy and Iran. Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
89. R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs (November 30, 2005). "U.S. Policy and Iran. Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
90. Iran. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. November 30, 2006. Last accessed December 1, 2006.
91. "Ahmadinejad: Special Hq to be formed for Tehran-Moscow cooperation". Islamic Republic News Agency. October 26, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
92. "Teheran 'secretly trains' Chechens to fight in Russia". The Telegraph. November 27, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
93. "Annan 'dismayed' by Iran remarks". BBC News. October 28, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
94. "UN raps Iran's anti-Israel rant". BBC News. October 28, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
95. Martin, Paul (November 15, 2005). "Prime Minister Martin Speaks Before Jewish Leaders in Toronto". Carolyn Bennett. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
96. Steele, Jonathan (June 14, 2006). "Lost in translation". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
97. Bronner, Ethan (June 11, 2006). "Just How Far Did They Go, Those Words Against Israel?". Retrieved 2006-06-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
98. "Ahmadinejad compares Israel to Hitler". IndiaeNews.com. July 16, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
99. "President Ahmadinejad, Palestinian PM meet in Doha". IRNA. December 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
100. "Iran students rebel over Holocaust denial". UPI. December 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
101. "Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth'", CNN, December 14, 2005.
102. [http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,418660,00.html "We Are Determined": Spiegel interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad], Der Speigel, May 30, 2006.
103. Condemning antisemitic Statements of the President of Iran
104. BBC News, Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'
107. "Iran hosts Holocaust conference". CNN. December 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
108. "Iran: Holocaust Conference Soon in Tehran". Adnkronos International (AKI). January 5, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
109. *"Holocaust denial outrages Europe", The Washington Times, December 13, 2006.
     • "Holocaust deniers gather in Iran", Edmonton Journal, December 13, 2006.
     • "Holocaust deniers rebuked". Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2006.
     • "Canadian prof attends Tehran's gathering of Holocaust deniers", The Globe and Mail, December 13, 2006.
     • "THE CONFERENCE for Holocaust deniers hosted by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a transparent polemical stunt." "Iran's great pretender", The Boston Globe, December 13, 2006.
     • "WHAT'S THE perfect way to top off a Holocaust denial conference featuring input from the likes of such scholars as former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke?" "Holocaust denial can be dangerous", Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2006.
     • "Across Europe, outrage over meeting of holocaust deniers", Zee News, December 13, 2006.
     • "World reacts with outrage over meeting of Holocaust deniers in Iran", Calgary Sun, December 13, 2006.
     • "Holocaust deniers' meeting spurs outrage", Houston Chronicle, December 12, 2006.
     • "Across Europe, outrage over meeting of Holocaust deniers in Iran", International Herald Tribune, December 12, 2006.
     • "Holocaust deniers gather in Iran for 'scientific' conference", The Guardian, December 12, 2006.
     • "Revisionist fringe gathers for Iran's Holocaust denial jamboree", The Independent, December 12, 2006.
     • "Holocaust Denied at Iran Forum to `Research' Nazis", Bloomberg Television, December 11, 2006.
     • "Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran", The New York Times, December 11, 2006.
     • "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at a Tehran conference denying the existence of the Holocaust, said Israel will disappear like the Soviet Union." "Iran students rebel over Holocaust denial", United Press International, December 12, 2006.
     • "Some are treating this week's Holocaust denial conference in Iran - initiated by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - as an extraordinary occurrence." "There's no denying Arabs' Holocaust lies", New York Daily News, December 12, 2006.
     • "Israel could not catch a break even during a week where the two big Mideast stories were (a) the Holocaust denial conference sponsored by Iran's president and (b) Fatah and Hamas gunning each other down in the Palestinian territories in a bid to seize control of a government in which they're theoretically partners." "Ever heard of terrorism?", Toronto Sun, December 21, 2006.
     • "A Swedish schoolteacher has been suspended for participating at a holocaust denial conference in Teheran organized by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Swedish teacher at Holocaust denial conference, The Local, 14 December 2006.
     • "Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr comments on the recent Holocaust denial conference hosted and sponsored by the Iranian government in Tehran." "Iran Further Isolates Itself with 'Holocaust Denial'", Weekend Edition, National Public Radio, December 17, 2006.
     • CAIR "Condemns Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference", Council on American-Islamic Relations, December 13, 2006.
     • "Statement on Holocaust Denial Conference Sponsored by Iranian Regime", The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, December 12, 2006.
110. "Berlin Counters Holocaust Conference". Spiegel Online. December 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
112. Nazila Fathi (December 12, 2006). "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief". New York Times News Service. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
113. MICHAEL THEODOULOU (December 12, 2006). "Protesters condemn Holocaust conference". The Scotsman. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Further reading

• Harris, David (2004). The Crisis: the President, the Prophet, and the Shah—1979 and the Coming of Militant Islam. Little, Brown. {{cite book}}: External link in |author= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

• Official website of the President of Iran
• Blog of President Ahmadinejad
• Interview with Ahmadinejad in TIME Magazine
  • Time.com's People Who Mattered 2006 Photoessay "Iranian Paradox"
• Media Vilification Of Ahmadinejad

v t e Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Member of Expediency Discernment Council (2013–present) Ex officio member at Presidency Era • 6th President of Iran (2005–2013) • Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces (2005–2013) • 53rd Mayor of Tehran (2003–2005) • 1st Governor of Ardabil Province (1993–1997) •28th Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement (2012–2013) • Chairperson of the ECO (2009–2010) • Chairperson of the Group of 15 (2006–2010)
Life and politics	Electoral history 2000 legislative election 2005 presidential election 2009 presidential election Presidency First Cabinet Second Cabinet Mehr Housing plan Gasoline rationing plan Riots Subsidy reform plan Foreign policy Controversies Deviant current Israel 1979 hostage crisis Letter to George W. Bush International Conference to Review the Holocaust 10th ECO Summit International Conference on Non-Proliferation 14th G-15 summit 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement 2017 presidential election
Political parties	Office for Strengthening Unity (1979–1980) Islamic Society of Engineers (1988–present; inactive since 2005) Society of Devotees (1999–2011) Alliance of Builders (2003–2005)
Related articles	Council for Spreading Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Thoughts Durban Review Conference
Family	Azam al-Sadat Farahi (wife) Davoud Ahmadinejad (brother) Parvin Ahmadinejad (sister) Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (co-fathers-in-law)
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