Spokesperson Mohammad Bastenegar Founded 2000 | Founder Ezatollah Sahabi Legalized Banned Headquarters Tehran, Iran | |
The Council of Nationalist-Religious Activists of Iran (Persian: شورای فعالان ملی-مذهبی ایران) or The Coalition of National-Religious Forces of Iran (Persian: ائتلاف نيروهای ملی-مذهبی ایران) is an Iranian political group, described as "nonviolent, religious semi-opposition" with a following of mainly middle class, intellectual, representatives of technical professions, students and technocrats.
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Formation
The alliance includes notable influential people like Ezzatollah Sahabi, Hoda Saber, Ebrahim Yazdi, Habibollah Peyman, Yousefi Eshkevari, Mohammad Hosssein Rafiee Fanood, Mohammad Tavasoli and also Reza Alijani, Ahmad Zeydabadi, Taghi Rahmani, Alireza Rajaee etc. Moreover, a number of important modern Iranian figures had been generally associated with the historical body of the alliance. Among them Ali Shariati, Mehdi Bazargan, Mahmoud Taleghani and Mohammad Nakhshab can be mentioned. The three organizations chiefly involved in its establishment in 2000 were the Freedom Movement of Iran (FMI, formed in 1961), the Revolutionary Movement of the People of Iran (Jonbesh-e Azadibakhsh-e Mardom-e Iran or JAMA, formed in 1963), and the Militant Muslim Movement (Jonbesh-e Mosalmanan-e Mardom or MMM, formed in 1976).
Orientation
The political and philosophical theoretical groundings of the alliance vary among the different parties and figures associated with it. Ali Shariati’s ideas about reformation in Islamic thought is, more or less, supported by all the branches of the alliance. Also, Mohammed Mosaddeq's Nationalism, which strongly considers the religious faith, is shared between the alliance's groups and people. Both leftist and rightist ideas and groups, are therefore gathered in the alliance over the centre of Nationalism and Islamic Reformation.
Organization
Official and public activities of the alliance have faced many difficulties by limiting policies of the Iran’s governments. The alliance does not have any official political body as of the modern parties. It does not have any membership procedure, official spokesman, formal central office, official meetings etc. About fifty members of the alliance were jailed in 2000 for nearly two years after an unofficial, periodical and normal meeting at a private house of one of the members.
Ezzatollah Sahabi, was president of the Alliance of the Nationalists-Religious Activists, that Iranian media and this is presumably by an internal agreement within the alliance itself. He was leader of Alliance until his death on 31 May 2011.