Ayatollah Abbasali Amid Zanjani
Former President of University of Tehran
Born	1937 Zanjan, Iran
Political party	Combatant Clergy Association
Religious beliefs	Shia Islam

Ayatollah Abbasali Amid Zanjani (born 1937) in Zanjan is a hardline Iranian politician and cleric.

Zanjani, an ethnic Iranian Azeri, is known for being the only cleric president of University of Tehran. Zanjani holds no secular academic degree[1] and was appointed by Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi, the minister of Science, Research, and Technology in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet in 27 December 2005. Before his selection, the president of the University of Tehran was elected by the faculty members. After his establishment as the president of University of Tehran, many students protested in front of the Central Library, where the establishment ceremony was held.

At the time of his appointment as the chancellor of Tehran University, Zanjani was a lecturer with a ranking equivalent to "associate professor".[2] However after his appointment, He and his allies tried to make a fake academic degree and university ranking for him. As an example Tehran University launched a webpage about his background education, claiming that "he holds a PhD degree from University Elites, Iran". [3][4]

Zanjani is a member of the Board of Directors of Imam Khomeini International University. He has published more than 40 books and 70 articles in local newspapers and journals. He is also the founder of the Research Center for Studies and Researches on Islamic Sciences.

During his post as the president of the university, Zanjani was repeatedly criticized for his mismanagements by students and academics. On 5 February 2008, Zanjani was replaced by economist academic Farhad Rahbar after three-days demonstration organized by Tehran University students. ^[1]

Contents 1 Political life 2 Expulsion of university scientists 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Political life

Zanjani has strong political ties with Iranian conservatives and a member of Combatant Clergy Association. Amid Zanjani has had an active presence in reconsideration of the Constitution in 1989 as the delegate of the Parliament in the Revising Council. He has served as a member of Islamic Parliament from Tehran for two terms.

[edit] Expulsion of university scientists

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad government systematicly forced numerous Iranian scientists and University professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as "second cultural revolution".[5] The policy has been said to replace current professors with younger ones.[6][7] Many University professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly.[8]

Zanjani expelled more than 40 of staff scientists of Tehran University. He reasoned that whoever is older than 65 years must get retired. However he himself was 68 years old at that time. [9]

[edit] See also

• Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

[edit] References

1. ^ BBCPersian.com

[edit] External links

• Iranian Students Protest Abrupt Installation of Conservative Cleric as President of Tehran U.
• Protests over appointment at Tehran
• Resignation of an Appointed Chancellor
• Tehran University students protest and throw out the new Mullah president installed by Ahmadinejad
• First mullah as the chancellor of Tehran University (BBC Persian)
• Students demonstrate against the appointment of new chancellor(BBC Persian)
• Cleansing in the Name of Retirement
• Retired scientists had "physical and mental problems"!