Abdulla Mohtadi facts for kids

Abdullah Mohtadi (Persian: عبدالله مهتدی; Sorani Kurdish: عەبدوڵڵا موهتەدی; born in 1949 in Bukan, Iran) is a well-known political leader. He is the head of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

Mr. Mohtadi was born in Bukan, a city in western Iran. Since he started his political journey, he has played a big part in the Kurdish movement in Iran. He works to help the Kurdish people gain more rights. Abdullah Mohtadi is also a member of Iran's Transitional Council (ITC). Many international news outlets see him as an expert on the Middle East, especially on what is happening in Iran and Iranian Kurdistan. He has been active in politics for over 30 years.

Abdullah Mohtadi believes in a "democratic, secular, pluralist federal Iran." This means he wants a government that is fair, separate from religion, includes many different groups, and shares power. He also supports civil liberties, human rights, and social democracy. His main goal is to change the government in Iran, not to create a separate Kurdish state. He focuses on uniting all ethnic groups in Iran, while also encouraging the Kurdish people to be active.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Abdullah Mohtadi was born in Bukan in 1949. His family was very involved in Kurdish politics. His father was a minister in the short-lived Republic of Mahabad in 1946. After this government ended, his family moved to Tehran. Abdullah Mohtadi studied business at the University of Tehran.

As a teenager, Abdullah was interested in poetry. But soon, he became very passionate about politics. He grew up in a home where political discussions were common. His father supported his ideas, even when Abdullah started to explore Marxism. This was a new way of thinking about society and power.

Founding Komala

In the late 1960s, a new political movement began in Iranian Kurdistan. Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends wanted to continue this movement. In 1969, Abdullah Mohtadi and six other Kurdish students secretly started the Komala party in Tehran. They kept their activities hidden from the Shah's secret police, SAVAK. Abdullah continued his studies while working underground with Komala.

Political Activity in the 1970s

Even though they tried to stay secret, Abdullah Mohtadi was arrested three times in the 1970s. His last arrest led to him being in prison for over three years. After he was released, he and his friends continued to meet and plan. They wanted to grow their group carefully.

They decided to divide their student activities into two groups: one in Tabriz and one in Tehran. Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends worked in Tehran. They were able to attract many new members without being noticed by SAVAK.

Later, they expanded their work to other cities in Kurdistan. They attracted many educated people like students, teachers, engineers, doctors, and nurses. To connect with everyone, especially workers and farmers, they decided to live and work like them. They believed they needed to understand the daily lives of ordinary people. This helped them gain trust and support across Kurdistan.

In 1974, Abdullah Mohtadi was arrested again. But even then, their network continued to work and stay in touch with groups outside prison.

The Iranian Revolution of 1979

As the 1979 Iranian Revolution approached, Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends expanded their organization. They created local groups called "Jamiyat" (meaning "union") in many cities. These "Jamiyat" groups helped organize protests against the Shah's government.

During a protest in Saqqez, a key member named Mohammad Husein Karimi was hurt by the Shah's forces. He died a few days later. After this, Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends decided to make their organization public. From February 1979, they officially became the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

After the revolution, the Shah's government fell, and Khomeini came to power. Many new political groups formed. Most supported Khomeini, but Kurdish cities were unsure about his plans. Kurdish parties, including Komala, asked for more self-rule (autonomy) for Kurdistan. Khomeini refused and ordered a strong military action against the Kurdish people.

Komala and other Kurdish parties decided to resist. They fought against Khomeini's forces. In the early stages, Khomeini's forces were defeated. But they regrouped and attacked Kurdistan again.

In September 1979, Abdullah's close friend and a Komala leader, Kak Foad, was killed in a battle with Khomeini's forces. This was a very difficult time for Abdullah and the Komala organization.

From 1979 to 1980, Komala fought alongside another Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). This was part of a larger Kurdish movement for more rights after the Iranian Revolution. The fighting led to many people losing their lives.

Komala Party's Evolution

In 1983, Komala decided to join with other left-wing groups in Iran to form the Communist Party of Iran. Abdullah Mohtadi became the leader of this new party. They hoped this would help Komala find allies across Iran.

However, by 1988, Abdullah Mohtadi felt that the Communist Party was not meeting its goals. He had serious disagreements with its policies. He believed that communism could not truly meet the needs of the Kurdish people.

Because of these differences, in 2000, Abdullah Mohtadi and many of his fellow party members left the Communist Party of Iran. They decided to restart the Komala Party. They wanted to learn from their past and make reforms. They aimed to take a more realistic path, focusing on social democratic ideals. This new approach quickly gained support from many people inside and outside Kurdistan.

Today, Komala still faces challenges from Iranian forces. Since the 1990s, its fighters, called Peshmerga, mainly defend their training camps and Kurdish communities in Iraq. Some of their fighters even joined the fight against ISIS in Iraq in 2014.

Abdullah Mohtadi and the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan are now working to unite different groups. Their goal is to replace Iran's current government with a decentralized federal government. This new government would protect the rights of all ethnic minorities in the country. Komala describes itself as a party that follows social democratic ideas.

Posts

• Originator of the Komala Party (1969)
• Central Committee of Komala (1979)
• Secretary General of Komala (1980)
• Secretary General of the Communist Party (1983)
• Secretary General of Komala (2000)
• Secretary of the Transitional Council Iran (2019)

Books

• مقدمه‌ای بر گسست و گذار
• شۆرش لە سەردەمی نوێدا