Maurice Motamed or Morris Motamed (; born 1945) is an Iranian politician and expert who was elected in 2000 and again in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

as a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

member of the

Iranian Parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the unicameral national legislative body of Iran. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an i ...

. He was preceded by

Manuchehr Eliasi Manuchehr Eliasi or Manouchehr Eliasi () is a former member of the Iranian Parliament who was succeeded by Maurice Motamed in 2000. He was born in the city of Sanandaj in 1946, and during his student days, he campaigned against the Shah's regime ...

and succeeded by

Siamak Moreh Sedgh Siyamak More Sedgh (, Hebrew: ; born 1965) is a Jewish Iranian politician and doctor who was the holder of the Iranian Parliament's reserved seat for the Jewish minority from 2008 to 2020, and is also the chairman of the Jewish charitable i ...

, representing the

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

which has by Iran's constitution retained a reserved seat since the

Persian Constitution of 1906 The Persian Constitution of 1906 (), was the first constitution of the Sublime State of Iran (Persia) and a result of the Persian Constitutional Revolution. It was written by Hassan Pirnia, Hossein Pirnia, and Esmail Momtaz od-Dowleh, among ...

Early life and career

Motamed was born in 1945 to a religious Jewish family from

Hamedan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...

. He attended Ferdowsi Elementary and Takht-e Jamshid High Schools in Tehran. After completing his education in 1967 with an Associate Degree in Surveying and Cartography, he joined the National Cartographic Center, a subsidiary of the Planning and Budget Organization. He pursued further studies and in 1972, earned his Bachelor's degree from the School of Surveying, a division of Khajeh Nassir Toosi University. In 1973, he received an international scholarship from the G.S.I. organization in Japan, where he studied Geodesy and Seismic Forecasting. Four years later, he was awarded another scholarship, this time by I.T.C. at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, to study Aerial Photogrammetry and Surveying. From 1967 until 1986, Motamed served in the government sector for two decades, holding various positions at both the Bachelor and Masters levels, eventually leading significant divisions. In the private sector, he transitioned to an engineering consulting firm, becoming its C.E.O. for 14 years.

Member of Parliament

In 2000, Motamed became most prominent as he won the Jewish seat in the Sixth Islamic Parliament, where he served as a representative for the Jewish community. This required him to relinquish other professional roles. In Parliament, he has been active in defending

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

s against discrimination. He also played a prominent role in the efforts to alleviate the sentences against some members of the Jewish community for alleged spying or illegally trying to flee the country. He also served as a member of the Parliament's Energy Committee. In various media, Motamed has regularly expressed his support for the official positions of the Iranian government on international affairs in order to stress the national loyalty of Iranian Jews for the country, including support for

Iran nuclear program Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

(he was a member of the Majlis energy commission). With regard to Holocaust denial comments made by Iran's former president

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

, Motamed has expressed significant concerns, noting that "Denial of such a great historical tragedy that is connected to the Jewish community can only be considered an insult to all the world's Jewish communities." He also criticised Iranian television for broadcasting

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

programmes. He also added that, "The Iranian Jews have been present in this country for a long time, for some 2,700

ears In vertebrates, an ear is the organ that enables hearing and (in mammals) body balance using the vestibular system. In humans, the ear is described as having three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear co ...

During these 2,700 years they have always been in full understanding with the society, they've lived in friendship and brotherhood, so therefore I don't think that bringing up such an issue could damage the Jewish community in Iran." Motamed was re-elected to the Seventh Islamic Parliament in 2004, continuing his work while still holding his previous roles. He attended numerous international conferences on interfaith dialogue, furthering his involvement in religious tolerance and diplomacy. Among his legislative achievements, Motamed played a key role in ratifying the law of dieh, ensuring equal monetary retribution for bodily harm or death regardless of religious affiliation, which represented a significant advancement in the protection of religious minorities' rights in Iran. He also helped secure annual government budgets to support the cultural, social, and religious needs of religious minorities. Additionally, he fought against discrimination in government employment, particularly in education, and helped ease barriers faced by religious minorities.

Energy Committee and Philanthropy

At the beginning of his parliamentary term in 2000, Motamed accompanied Speaker Mehdi Karoubi and later Iranian President

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He also joined Khatami at the 2000 World Leaders Summit. During his tenure in the Sixth Parliament, Motamed was appointed to the Energy Committee and traveled to various global oil and gas industries, including in

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Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and the

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. He was also honored to represent Iran as Deputy Chair of the Iran-Australia Parliamentary Friendship, visiting Australia as part of the Iranian parliamentary delegation. His philanthropic efforts began in 1982, notably when he contributed to the revision of the Tehran Jewish Association’s charter and aided in the creation of a kosher meat preparation facility. In 1986, he joined the Board of Directors of the Tehran Jewish Association, later chairing committees and ultimately serving as President for two terms.

Personal life

In his personal life, Maurice Motamed married Mitra Golian in 1981. After his eight years of service in Parliament, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Dr. Rouhollah Sapir Hospital in 2007, where he was unanimously selected as Chair. Today, he continues to contribute to the Jewish community, serving as a high-ranking advisor to the Tehran Jewish Association, alongside his other ongoing commitments.

References

External links