President mahmoud ahmadinejad biography for kids
He has called for an end to the Israeli state and has described the Holocaust as a myth. In OctoberMr Ahmadinejad made a statement in which he envisaged the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state. He was quoting Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution, and his words were widely translated as a call for Israel to be "wiped off the map", though this translation is disputed.
That was quickly interpreted by Western news agencies as an oblique threat to Israel. Mr Ahmadinejad has since stated that his president mahmoud ahmadinejad biography for kids was exaggerated and misinterpreted. He denied that he meant military intervention and said instead that Israel's "Zionist regime" would eventually collapse on its own.
During a speech at the UN in Aprilhe commented that Israel was a state founded on racist principles, an outburst that prompted a walk-out by delegates from at least 30 countries but earned him a hero's welcome on his return home. He often speaks of women as being at the heart of Iranian society. He talks of empowering them and makes much of his plan to provide insurance for housewives and share Iran's oil wealth with poorer families.
A major factor in Ahmadinejad's personal life and politics has been his faith. Ahmadinejad's personal religious views reflected that of Hojjatieh Shi'ism, a radical interpretation of Shi'ism with messianic and apocalyptic overtones that predict a period of universal chaos before the return of the Mahdi, the 12th Imam, who went into occultation or hiding.
The Hojjatieh was created in the s to eliminate the Bahai faith from Iran. InHojjatieh Shi'ism was banned by Ayatollah Khomeini, but was subsequently revived. Analysts put forth the interpretation that Ahmadinejad preceived his personal role to be the divine harbinger of the Mahdi's coming, to pave "the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi.
Reaffirming his religious views, Ahmadinejad said: "The ultimate promise of all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the emergence of a perfect human being [the 12th Imam], who is heir to all prophets. He will lead the world to justice and absolute peace. Oh mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one.
The Haqqani school was a school of thought known for advocating clerical control over the government and society. Yazdi also served as the personal marja-e taqlid or "object of emulation" for Ahmadinejad. In Shi'ism, lay persons are expected to have a marja-e taqlid. Yazdi issued a fatwa, or Holy Order, in support of Ahmadinejad's election. Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi was dubbed "Professor Crocodile" in a cartoon by Nikahang Kowsar depicting a crocodile strangling a journalist with its tail.
February 5, - During a visit to Egypt, a group of men throw shoes at Ahmadinejad. This is an insult in the Muslim world. June 14, - Hassan Rouhani wins the Iranian presidential election. August 4, - Rouhani is sworn in and Ahmadinejad officially leaves office. This is unexpected, as Ahmadinejad was previously instructed not to run by Khamenei. April 20, - The Guardian Council, a government forum that approves candidates, disqualifies Ahmadinejad from running in the upcoming presidential election.
Image caption, Mr Ahmadinejad calls himself a friend of the people 4 August A populist hardliner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often courted controversy since becoming the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in His strong rhetoric against the United States and Israel and unbending stance on Iran's nuclear programme has proved popular at home but has enraged the West.
Ininternational criticism intensified when his re-election caused his country's worst political unrest since the Islamic Revolution. The results, disputed by defeated reformists and moderates who demanded a rerun, led to violent anti-government protests. They were crushed but a deep rift was left within Iran's political and clerical elite.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state, declared the vote valid so that Mr Ahmadinejad could be sworn in for a second term.
President mahmoud ahmadinejad biography for kids
The president is among a younger generation of lay politicians who are fiercely loyal to him. Rising from obscurity The son of a blacksmith, Mr Ahmadinejad was born in in Garmsar, near Tehran, and holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran's University of Science and Technology, where he was a lecturer. He was not well-known when he was appointed mayor of Tehran in