Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari
| Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Title | Grand Ayatollah |
| Born | January 5, 1905 Tabriz, Iran |
| Died | April 3, 1986 (aged 81) Tehran, Iran |
| Ethnicity | Iranian Azerbaijani |
| Era | Modern history |
| Religion | Islam |
| Creed | Usuli Twelver Shia Islam |
Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari (Azerbaijani: Məhəmməd Kazım Şəriətmədari, Persian: محمد کاظم شریعتمداری), also spelled Shariat-Madari (5 January 1905 – 3 April 1986), was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He favoured the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics away from governmental positions and was a critic of Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, denouncing the taking hostage of diplomats at the US embassy in Tehran. In 1982 he was accused of being part of a plot to bomb Khomeini's home and to overthrow the Islamic state, and he remained under house arrest until his death in 1986.
Born to an Iranian Azerbaijani family in Tabriz in 1905, Shariatmadari was among the most senior leading Twelver Shia clerics in Iran and Iraq and was known for his forward looking and liberal views. After the death of Supreme and Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi (Marja' Mutlaq) in 1961 he became one of the leading marjas, with followers in Iran, Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Kuwait and the southern Persian Gulf states.
In 1963, he prevented the Shah from executing Ayatollah Khomeini by recognizing him as a Grand Ayatollah, since according to the Iranian constitution a Marja' could not be executed. Khomeini was exiled instead. As the leading Mujtahid he was the head of Qom's seminary until Khomeini's arrival. He was in favour of the traditional Shiite view of keeping clerics away from governmental positions and a vehement critic of Khomeini. He headed the Centre for Islamic Study and Publications and was the administrator of the Dar al-Tabligh and the Fatima Madrasa in Qom. Following the demonstrations by religious dissidents in Qom the Shah's security forces opened fire and six people were killed. Shariatmadari condemned the killings and called for the return of Ayatollah Khomenei. He congrulated Khomenei's return, sending him a letter on 4 February 1979.
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