Association of Combatant Clerics

Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox political party The Association of Combatant ClericsTemplate:Efn (Template:Langx) is an Iranian reformist clerical political party. It is regarded as a left-wing party within the Iranian political spectrum.<ref>

HistoryEdit

File:MajmaRohaniunMobarez.jpg

Party's old logo

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,<ref>Brumberg, Daniel, Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran, University of Chicago Press, 2001, p.162</ref> rather than reformist in orientation, and favored a focus "on exporting the revolution and calling for the state's monopoly over the economy,"<ref>Mneisi, Ahmad. {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} At the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.</ref> 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."<ref>[Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p.300]</ref>

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.

MembersEdit

According to Muhammad Sahimi, the party "has a significant number of followers and sympathizers among the younger clerics".<ref name="Tehran Bureau">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>