Hooman Majd | |
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Occupation | Writer/Journalist |
Hooman Majd, born 1957 in Tehran, is currently an Iranian-American journalist and author based in New York City, from where he makes frequest trips to Iran. Raised in a family involved in the diplomatic service, he attended boarding schools in England, and finished his college education in the United States of America.
His maternal grandfather was the Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Assar (1885-1975), who had been born in village Iraq "to an Iraqi mother and a Persian father". The Ayatollah, along with other contemporary ulema, overcame traditional opposition to serve as a professor of philosophy at the University of Tehran.[1] His own father, whose origins were in village Iran, became representative of a "middle class" that was "pro-democratic and pro-modernization".[2]
As a contributor to periodicals, Majd has written for GQ, The New York Times, The New Republic, The New Yorker, Salon, the New York Observer, and Interview, where he is also a contributing editor. Two of his books have been published:
Majd has also served as "an advisor and translator... on their trips to the United States and the United Nations" for two Iranian presidents:[3] the reforming, internationally oriented Seyed Mohammad Khatami (1997-2001, 2001-2005); and, the establishment nationalist and populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2009, 2009-present).
Evidently, following the controversial 2009 election in Iran, Majd continues to enjoy access to its politicians and officials, especially to former President Khatami. Admittedlly "emotionally invested in the politics of the country", a stated goal of the author is to shed light on the elusive "truth about Iran" that is fair for all of its people.[4]