A glimpse at the life of Maryam Rajavi

Maryam Rajavi

Maryam Rajavi

Date of Birth: December 4, 1953

Place of Birth: Tehran, Iran

Education: B.S. Degree in Metallurgy from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran

Current Profession:President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

Political career:

An organizer of the anti-Shah student movement, 1973-1979;

An official of the social section of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), 1979-1981;

Parliament candidate, 1980;

Joint-leader of the PMOI, 1985-1989;

Secretary General of the PMOI, 1989-1993;

President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the Parliament-in-exile, 1993 to the present.

Leading the Resistance Movement:

In her new position as the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, Maryam Rajavi, presents a formidable political, social, cultural and ideological challenge to the ruling mullahs.

Under her direction, women assumed the key positions within the ranks of the Resistance. Women make up half the members of the NCRI. They have various responsibilities in the resistance’s political, international, social and cultural affairs.

Rajavi has given extensive lectures on modern and democratic interpretations of Islam as opposed to the reactionary, fundamentalist interpretation of the religion. In her view, the most prominent distinction between these two diametrically opposed viewpoints centers around their outlook on women.

“Islam, Women and Equality” and “Women, the Force for Change” are publications based on her different speeches in conferences around the world.

She has also brought attention to Iran's rich, but endangered, artistic and cultural heritage. Many famous performers, filmmakers, artists, painters, sculptors, poets and writers have expressed their support for her platform for a free and secular Iran.

Women Against Fundamentalism

In March 2013, on International Women’s Day, Mrs. Rajavi presented her latest book, entitled “Women Against Fundamentalism” written in French. The book is a compilation of the experiences of women in the Iranian Resistance in the struggle against Islamic Fundamentalism.