Gholamreza Hassani

Ayatollah Gholamreza Hassani (Persian: غلامرضا حسنی‎, Azerbaijani: Qulamrza Həsəni) July 21, 1927 – May 21, 2018)[3] was the previous Friday prayer, first First imam of Masjid-e-Jamé mosque of the city of Urmia in northwest Iran after Iranian Revolution., member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in the first term from electoral district of Urmia and representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in West Azarbaijan Province.[4] He has been described as one of the most, if not the most, conservative voices in Iran and Shia Islam world.[5] He is known for the highly challenging religious and political positions taken and his ultimate opposition to Caliphate and Anti-Sunni theories advocated in his controversial Friday sermons, which have reportedly drawn criticism from many of the Sunni leaders, Iranian reformists, Pan-Turkists, radical left organisations, Kurdish nationalists with adherence to Sunni tradition and Southern Azerbaijan patriot movement and been accused by "Iranian political satirists in their works."[6] In the aftermath of the 1979 revolution in Iran, he led the militia Javanmardan and fought the Kurds. He was involved in massacre in the village Qarna.[7] After a failed assassination attempt on him in 1981 he was flown to Ireland for treatment.[7] Hassani's devotion to the Islamic Revolution was such that in 1983, several years after the Revolution, he informed authorities of the hiding place of his son, Rashid,[8] a member of the opposition leftist guerilla group Fadayian Khalq, who was then executed by firing squad with Hassani's approval.[6] Hassani is quoted as telling an American journalist, "Abraham didn't sacrifice his son, but I did. Even today, I don't regret it."[5]

Ayatollah Gholamreza Hassani Bozorg-Abad
غلامرضا حسنی بزرگ‌آباد
Hassani in January 2014
Personal
Born	21 July 1927 Urmia, Iran
Died	21 May 2018 (aged 90) Urmia, Iran
Religion	Islam
Nationality	Iranian
Era	Modern
Region	Iran
Creed	Shia Islam, The Fourteen Infallibles
Main interest(s)	Islamic History and Islamic leadership doctrine
Notable idea(s)	Sunnism is invasion of Nubuwwah.
Notable work(s)	Divine Leadership and Quran, Fiqh and Jihad
Muslim leader
Influenced by Abdul-Adhim ibn Abdillah al-Hassani, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini
Influenced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Atieh Hassani, Mehdi Bakeri
Years active	1955–1979 Leader of Islamic militia movement against Pahlavi dynasty 1970–2014 as Friday prayer leader of Urmia
Successor	Ayatollah Qurayshi

Gholamreza Hassani
Member of the Iranian Parliament[1]
In office March, 1980 – August, 1980
Representative of the Supreme Leader in West Azerbaijan and Imam Jumu'ah of Urmia
In office 1980–2014
Succeeded by	Seyid Mehdi Ghoreishi
Personal details
Children	Allamah Atieh Al-Hassani, Rashid Hassani
Relatives	Imam Hasan ibn Ali
Alma mater	Qom Hawza
Awards	Order of Courage (1st class)[2]

In 2001, articles appeared in the English-language media about a Friday sermon he delivered that condemned the practice of owning and holding small dogs as unIslamic.[9] The New York Times reported him as saying, "I would like to thank the honorable police and judges and all those who worked to arrest dog lovers and to confiscate short-legged dogs in this city,"[10] Several years later a crackdown on dogs and dog owners was launched in Tehran.[11] He has also been quoted as saying that "Women who do not respect the hijab and their husbands deserve to die ... These women and their husbands and their fathers must die."[4][7]

In 2011 he was reportedly presented with the national "Medal of Bravery", "one of the most significant official medals awarded in Iran,"[6] by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The medal was reportedly awarded for his record of resistance against the Shah’s regime prior to the Islamic Revolution, against the Kurdish opposition in the first years of the Islamic Republic, and for his participation in the Iraq-Iran War.[6] In February 2014 he was dismissed from his post as a representative of Ali Khamenei.[7]

As of January 2014, Hassani had two living wives.[12] He has seven sons and four daughters.[5] Hassani died on 21 May 2018 at the age of 90.[13]

Hassani's children have become known figures in various fields with contrasting political leanings, most recently his granddaughter Ana Diamond has been recognized for her human rights activism in the United Kingdom following her false trial, imprisonment, and acquittal in Iran. [14]

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. نشان‌های دولتی در روزهای پایانی خاتمی و احمدی‌نژاد به چه‌کسانی رسید؟. Tasnim News Agency (in Persian). 24 August 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
3. https://www.khabaronline.ir/detail/778623/provinces/Azarbayjangharbi
4. "Iran: Top cleric says women without veils must die" | adnkronos.com | 19 December 2009
5. "Praying for a Century That Is Not the American One" By John F. Burns | nytimes.com | 1 January 2000
6. "Qarna Massacre Mullah Awarded with ‘Medal of Bravery’ in Iran" Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine | insideofiran.org | 5 April 2011
7. "Controversial Iranian Cleric Behind Qarna Massacre Loses Job". www.rudaw.net. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
8. "The Biography Of Great Martyr Br. Rashid Hasani" | referl.org | 14 September 2008
9. "Iranian cleric denounces dog owners" | news.bbc.co.uk | 14 October 2002
10. "Tehran Journal; Dog Lovers of Iran, Beware Growling Ayatollahs" By Neil MacFarquhar | nytimes.com | 24 August 2001
11. "Iran: Tehran Officials Begin Crackdown On Pet Dogs" | referl.org | 14 September 2007
12. "حجت الاسلام قریشی به امامت جمعه ارومیه و نماینده ولی فقیه در آذربایجان غربی منصوب شد/ تقدیر از مجاهدت و خدمات حجت الاسلام حسنی". Supreme Leader Website. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
13. http://fa.euronews.com/2018/05/21/gholamreza-hasani-former-friday-prayer-imam-of-western-city-of-urmia-in-iran-died-at-91
14. https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/ana-diamond-letter-to-iran-about-nazanin-1-6849529