| Hassan Khomeini | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 3, 1972 Qom, Iran |
| Other names | سيد حسن خمينی |
| Religion | Twelver Shi'a Islam |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Seyyed Hassan Khomeini (born 3 December 1972, Persian: سيد حسن خمينی) is a "mid-ranking"[1] Iranian cleric. He is the grandson [1] of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, and son of the late Hojat-Ol Eslam Ahmad Khomeini. Of Khomeini's 15 grandchildren he has been called "the most prominent"[2] and the one "who many think could have a promising political future."[1] He is in charge of Mausoleum of Khomeini where his grandfather and father are buried,[2] and has had official meetings with officials such as Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.[3] He is also studying in the holy city of Qom, and is expected soon to publish his first book on Islamic sects.[1]
He has been described as having "expressed frustration with some policies of a regime dominated by fundamentalists," such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[1] In an interview in February 2008, Hassan spoke out against military interference in politics.[4] Soon after, in what some observers believe may have been retaliation,[1][2] an article in a publication tied to president Ahmadinejad accused him of corruption,[2] "claiming that he drove a BMW, backed rich politicians and was indifferent to the suffering of the poor."[1] this was "the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic" that one of Khomeini's offspring was "publicly insulted," according to the Iranian daily newspaper Kargozaran.[2] More recently, Hassan met with reformers before the 2009 election[1] and has met personally with defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi and "supported his call to cancel the election results."[2]