Khatami, Mohammad

Born September 29, 1943 in Ardakan , Yazd in the family of Ayatollah . His younger brother, Mohammad Reza Khatami, has been married since 1983 to Ayatollah Khomeini Zahra’s granddaughter.

At 19, he went to Qom , where he studied theology. In 1965 he entered the University of Isfahan , in 1969 received a bachelor's degree in philosophy. In the same year he was called up for service in the armed forces of Iran . In 1970 he continued his studies at Tehran University , after which he returned to Qom.

In the 1970s, he began cooperation with forces in opposition to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi . In 1978, he was elected head of the Islamic Center in Hamburg in Germany . After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was elected deputy from Ardakan.

From 1982 to 1992 he was the Minister of Culture of Iran. In 1992, he was appointed adviser to the president and head of the National Library. He taught at higher educational institutions of Iran.

On May 23, 1997, he was elected President of Iran, receiving 69.5% of the vote. He proclaimed the beginning of a policy of tolerance for culture and the establishment of closer ties with Western countries. In 2001, he was re-elected for a second term.

Khatami speaks Persian , Arabic , English and German ^[2] . Married, has three children.

Speaking at Harvard University on September 11, 2006, Khatami said that in Islam, homosexuality is a crime and crimes should be punished. However, he noted that the use of the death penalty for homosexuals can be the subject of debate ^[3] . Asked about evaluating the events of September 11, 2001 , Khatami said that "those who cast others into hell will never reach paradise."

In 2002, the International Dialogue of Civilizations Prize was awarded.

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