Mohammad Saeed Mahdavi Kani Appointed President of Imam Sadiq University

Mohammad Saeed Mahdavi Kani, son of the late Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, former head of the Assembly of Experts, has been appointed as the president of Imam Sadiq University by Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, head of the university's board of trustees and head of the judiciary in Iran. According to Iranian news agencies, Mohammad Saeed Mahdavi Kani, who has succeeded his father, was born in 1966 and holds a PhD in culture and communications from the same university. He is also a faculty member, a trustee of the university, and the responsible editor of its research journal, and is the son-in-law of Mohammad Ali Shahidi Mahallati, head of the Martyrs Foundation and deputy president of Iran. Since the passing of Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani in October 2014, the management of Imam Sadiq University had been entrusted to his brother, Mohammad Baqir Bagheri Kani, who had been the deputy of his brother at the university for years. Following the death of Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, who was one of the founders and members of the board of trustees of this university and had been its president since its establishment in 1982, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed new members to the board of trustees this year. The new board members include Mohammad Baqir Bagheri Kani, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Ahmad Alamolhoda, Mohammad Saeed Mahdavi Kani, Alireza Amini, Ahmad Vaez, Abbas Mousavian, Mostafa Mirloohi, Seyed Ala Mir Mohammad Sadeqi, Ali Rezaian, and Mohammad Hadi Homayoun. In his decree appointing the new board of trustees of Imam Sadiq University, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the 'importance' of this university in the Islamic Republic system as 'one of the most important centers for the promotion of Islamic knowledge and the transformation of humanities.' Imam Sadiq University began operations in 1982 during the 'Cultural Revolution' and the closure of universities as the first 'Islamic university' in Iran. The university aims to establish an educational system and curriculum that combines modern humanities and Islamic sciences, bridging the gap between 'seminary and university,' and training future managers of the Islamic Republic. The university presents itself as a 'non-profit' institution that benefits from donations and charitable contributions as well as investments from the 'Jameh Sadiq' company. Imam Sadiq University operates based on gender segregation, consisting of two separate sections in two different locations. According to reports on the formation of this university, the idea was first proposed by clerics close to Ayatollah Khomeini, such as Hossein Ali Montazeri, Mohammad Talaghani, Mohammad Motahari, Mohammad Beheshti, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, and Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani. After its establishment in 1982, Ali Khamenei, Mohammad Imami Kashani, Ali Moshkini, Ebrahim Amini, and Hossein Ali Montazeri were among the founding members and trustees of this university. Mr. Montazeri was appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini as the supreme head of this university from the beginning, but after being dismissed from his deputy position to the leader of the Islamic Republic, he was also removed from the presidency of this university. Many high-ranking officials and members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly are graduates of this university, including Saeed Jalili, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Sarafraz, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Kazem Jalali, Mostafa Kaveh Kabi, and Kamal al-Din Mir Mohsen, members of parliament.