Minoo Khaleghi ( fa, مینو خالقی) is an Iranian jurist and

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...

activist. In the 2016 parliamentary elections, Khaleghi won a seat, however she was disqualified by the Guardian Council after the election.

Background

Khaleghi was born in 1985, in Isfahan. She comes from a well-known family, whose uncle – Nasser Khaleghi– served in the Cabinet of President Mohammad Khatami. A graduate of

University of Isfahan The University of Isfahan (UI) (Persian: دانشگاه اصفهان Dāneshgāh-e Esfāhān) is a state-operated university located in Isfahan, Iran. It is ranked among the top 10 universities in Iran. The university is located on Azadi square ...

and

Allameh Tabataba'i University Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU; �ælɒːˈme tæbɒːtæbɒːˈʔiː fa, دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی, ''Danushgah-e 'lâmh-e Tâbatâbai'') is one of the largest and the leading specialized public university in humanities and ...

in Law, she is now a

PhD Candidate "All but dissertation" (ABD) is a term identifying a stage in the process of obtaining a research doctorate, most commonly used in the United States. In typical usage of the term, the ABD graduate student has completed the required preparatory ...

Islamic Azad University The Islamic Azad University (IAU; fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی, ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a private university system headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleg ...

's Isfahan Science and Research Branch. Her fields of expertize include

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

and

communications law Communications law refers to the regulation of electronic communications by wire or radio. It encompasses regulations governing broadcasting, telephone and telecommunications service, cable television, satellite communications, wireless telecommu ...

. She has been a journalist in local media and an activist in local non-governmental organizations with a focus on

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...

. Khaleghi is also a member of "natural resources and climate change committee", Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines & Agriculture—Isfahan.

2016 election

Backed by the moderate–reformist

List of Hope Pervasive Coalition of Reformists: The Second Step ( fa, ائتلاف فراگير اصلاح‌طلبان: گام دوم), named The List of Hope ( fa, لیست امید) by Mohammad Khatami, was the sole coalition and electoral list affiliated ...

, she received the third-highest vote in

Isfahan County Isfahan County ( fa, شهرستان اصفهان) is located in Isfahan province, Iran. The capital of the county is Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 1,963,315, in 543,688 households. Retrieved 25 October 2022 At the ...

and was elected as a member of the parliament. In an interview with the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'', she said her aim is "to fight for the rights of women who head families and increase the support they get from the law". The election results were as follows:

Disqualification

On 20 March 2016, the last day of the

Iranian calendar The Iranian calendars or Iranian chronology ( fa, گاه‌شماری ایرانی, ) are a succession of calendars invented or used for over two millennia in Iran, also known as Persia. One of the longest chronological records in human history, ...

year, right before

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

, the Guardian Council ruled that Minoo Khaleghi couldn’t take her seat because her votes are “null and void”, and didn’t give a reason for ruling her out. In an open letter, Khaleghi said she had not met any council members in the days prior to or following the election, and she rejected “boundless rumors” which questioned her “dignity and character” as a Muslim. According to rumors quoted in multiple Iranian sources, she was disqualified because of an alleged photo of her without wearing hijab, or shaking hands with a non-

mahram In Islam, a ''mahram'' is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). One's spouse is also a mahram. A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram, and an adult male mahram may escort a woman ...

man. On 15 May 2016 Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, the prosecutor general of Tehran, said she has been summoned to the court to "explain about charges against her".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khaleghi, Minoo Living people Politicians from Isfahan 1985 births Iranian reformists University of Isfahan alumni Islamic Azad University alumni Iranian jurists 21st-century Iranian women politicians 21st-century Iranian politicians Iranian elected officials who did not take office

Background

2016 election

Disqualification

See also

References