Abdulla Mohtadi facts for kids

Abdullah Mohtadi (Persian: عبدالله مهتدی; Sorani Kurdish: عەبدوڵڵا موهتەدی; born 1949) is the leader of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

He was born in Bukan, a city in western Iran. Since he started his political journey, he has played an important part in the Kurdish struggle for their rights against the Iranian government. Abdullah Mohtadi is also a member of a group called Iran's Transitional Council (ITC), which works for changes in Iran. In the news around the world, he is known as an expert who explains what is happening in the Middle East, especially in Iran and Iranian Kurdistan. He is a well-known political figure in Iran and Kurdistan, and he has been active in politics for over 30 years.

Abdullah Mohtadi's ideas for the Komala Party are about creating a "democratic secular pluralist federal Iran." This means he wants Iran to be a country where people have a say, different groups can live together peacefully, and everyone has basic rights. He believes in social democracy, which means the government helps make sure everyone has a fair chance. His main goal is to change the government in Iran, rather than creating a separate Kurdish country. He focuses on working together with all different groups of people in Iran, while also encouraging the Kurdish people to get involved.

Abdullah Mohtadi's Life Story

Early Life and Family Background

Abdullah Mohtadi was born in Bukan in 1949. His family was well-known for being involved in Kurdish politics for a long time. His father, Haji Abdul Rahman aghai Ilkhanizadeh, was a minister in the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in 1946. When this republic ended, his father moved to Tehran. In the 1950s, his father changed the family name to Mohtadi and taught Sunni theology at the University of Tehran.

Growing up, Abdullah's home was often visited by many politicians, poets, and writers from all over Iran and Kurdistan. This showed how important and wealthy his family was. Abdullah's older brother, Salahadin, was also very involved in politics.

Education and Political Beginnings

Abdullah went to elementary school at Alborz School in Tehran. After high school, he studied business at the University of Tehran. At first, he was very interested in poetry, but soon he became passionate about politics. He quickly became an important political figure, especially in Kurdistan.

In the late 1960s, a revolutionary movement started in Iranian Kurdistan. Abdullah's family, especially his older brother Salahadin, was closely connected to this movement. When this movement faced difficulties, Abdullah decided to continue the fight in new ways with his friends.

By his third year in college, Abdullah was openly sharing his Marxist ideas. These ideas were about class struggle and social progress. He and his family would often discuss these complex political topics, including the role of religion in society.

On October 27, 1969, Abdullah Mohtadi and six other Kurdish students in Tehran secretly started the Komala party. This group included Foad Mostafa Soltani, Mosleh Sheikh-alislam, Shoib Zakaryai, Sedigh Kamangar, and Mohammad Husein Karimi. Abdullah's work with Komala was kept completely secret while he continued his studies.

Komala Party's Secret Work in the 1970s

In the 1960s, political activities in Kurdistan were strictly controlled. Many activists had to go to Iraqi Kurdistan for safety. Abdullah's older brother, Salahedin, was involved with many of these groups. After some disagreements, a group of activists formed the "Revolutionary Committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran" to fight the Shah's government.

This group faced many challenges, and by 1967, most of its members were killed. These events greatly influenced Abdullah. While at the University of Tehran, he and his friends decided to create a new party. They wanted to learn from past defeats and prepare for future struggles.

The Komala Party was officially founded in October 1969. Abdullah and his friends worked hard to keep their activities secret from SAVAK, the Shah's secret police. They knew the Shah's government was very strict with any political movements. The Mohtadi family was well-known, so their homes were always watched by SAVAK. Abdullah's older brother, Salahedin, was arrested several times to pressure Abdullah to be careful.

Despite their efforts to stay hidden, Abdullah Mohtadi was arrested three times in the 1970s. His last arrest led to him being imprisoned for over three years because of his activism against the Shah's government. Eventually, SAVAK could not find enough evidence, and he was released.

After his release, Abdullah and his friends met weekly to plan their activities. They carefully chose new members, making sure they were committed to the party's goals. They decided to divide their student activities into two groups: one in Tabriz and one in Tehran. Abdullah, along with Foad Mustafa Sultani, Mohammad Husein Karimi, and Mosleh Sheikkhol-islami, focused on Tehran. They managed to attract many people without drawing SAVAK's attention.

Later, with new members like Jafar Shafiee, Khane Moini, Ibrahim Alizadeh, Faroq Babamiri, Omar Ilkhanizadeh, and Abobakr Modaresi, Komala's work expanded. They started working in other cities in Kurdistan and attracted more people to their ideas. Many educated people, like students, teachers, engineers, doctors, and nurses, joined them.

Abdullah and his friends wanted to connect with all parts of Kurdish society, especially workers and farmers. To do this, they decided to live and work like them. They worked in construction, agriculture, and even baking in different villages and cities. This helped them understand the lives of ordinary people and gain their trust. Even when Abdullah Mohtadi, Foad Mostafa Soltani, and Khane Moini were arrested again in 1974, their network of resistance continued to function.

Supporting Kurdish Movements in Iraq

In 1975, an agreement was signed between the Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. This agreement meant the Shah stopped supporting Mustafa Barzani's Kurdish movement in Iraq. Barzani had to move to Tehran. A year later, in 1976, Mam Jalal led another uprising against Saddam Hussein. He needed help, but the Shah did not support them, and Saddam had strong control over Iraqi Kurdistan.

Through his older brother, Salahedin, Abdullah learned about Mam Jalal's difficult situation. He immediately shared this with Kak Foad, who was seen as a leader of their group. They all agreed to help Mam Jalal and his Peshmerga fighters. They started a campaign to collect donations from people in cities and villages. These donations were sent to Mam Jalal, which helped prevent a major defeat for the Iraqi Kurdish movement. This experience taught Abdullah and his companions a lot about Kurdish movements in Iraq, which helped them in their own work in Iranian Kurdistan.

Between 1977 and 1978, Komala was officially established. In the autumn of 1978, after Kak Foad was released from prison, Abdullah and his friends decided to formally introduce their organization to the public. They met in Sanandaj and then in Naqadah for security reasons. After their discussions, three members were chosen as leaders: Foad Mustafa Soltani, Abdulla Mohtadi, and Sa'ed vatandoust. This meeting is known as the first congress of Komala.

"Jamiyat"s and the Iranian Revolution

In the years leading up to the 1979 revolution, the Shah's government arrested many political activists. It was hard to organize social and political movements, but students still protested in universities. After being released from prison, Abdullah Mohtadi, Kak Foad, and Khane Moini decided to expand their organization using groups called "Jamiyat," which means "union."

They set up "Jamiyat"s in all cities of Kurdistan. Sometimes, several "Jamiyat"s were created in one city. The first one in Sanandaj was called "Jamyat-e- Defa az Azadi va Enqlab" (The union for the Defense of Freedom and Revolution). These "Jamiyat"s had a coordination council with representatives from each group. This council also elected an executive group of three members: Abdullah Mohtadi, Farouq Babamiri, and Saddiq Kamangar. Saddiq Kamangar also wrote a plan for Kurdistan to have more autonomy.

When the Democratic Party was not very active among the people of Kurdistan, Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends were able to grow their organization. Most of the protests against the Shah's government were organized by Komala. The "Jamiyat"s helped them easily organize demonstrations in all cities, villages, and neighborhoods of Kurdistan.

During one protest in Saqqez, a key member named Mohammad Husein Karimi was injured by the Shah's forces. He died a few days later, on February 17, 1979. After this, Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends decided to reveal their organization to the public. From that day on, they officially continued their political activities as the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

Mohammad or Hama Husein Karimi was from a well-known family in Saqqez. He had a degree in electronics and was in charge of the Saqez "Jamiyat." He was a very active political figure in Kurdistan.

Right after the revolution, Komala gained a lot of support from young, educated people in cities who liked its radical ideas. At this time, Khomeini had returned to Iran, and the Shah's government had fallen. Many political parties and groups were formed, and most of them supported Khomeini.

Almost all parts of Iran supported Khomeini, but Kurdish cities were doubtful about him and his policies. Kurdish parties and activists decided to ask the new Khomeini-led government for more self-rule for Kurdistan. Khomeini refused this request strongly. He told Kurds to accept his leadership and give up their demand for autonomy.

Abdullah and his friends in Komala, along with other Kurdish political parties, did not accept Khomeini's demands. They also did not take part in the vote for the new constitution. Khomeini then ordered a "jihad" (holy war) against the Kurdish people in Kurdistan. His government sent all its armed forces into Kurdistan. Komala and other Kurdish parties were very upset and decided to fight back.

At first, Khomeini's forces were defeated. The Khomeini government then pretended to want to negotiate, which gave them several months to reorganize their forces. Once they were ready, they attacked Kurdistan again.

On September 30, 1979, Kak Foad was killed in a battle with Khomeini's forces between Saqqez and Marivan. His death deeply affected Abdullah, who had lost his best friend and a key leader of Komala since its founding in 1969.

From 1979 to 1980, Komala fought alongside another main Iranian Kurdish armed group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). This uprising happened because Kurds wanted more self-rule after the Iranian Revolution. They saw an opportunity to gain rights they didn't have under the Shah. The new Islamic Republic was disorganized, and other armed groups were also fighting the government. The new constitution did not give Kurds any special rights. The uprising began in March 1979 when Kurds took control of police and military buildings in towns like Sanandaj, Paveh, Divandarreh, Saqqez, and Mahabad. This led to a large uprising in Kurdish areas of northwestern Iran, which resulted in about 6,200 Kurds being killed.

In 1983, Komala decided to join with other leftist groups in Iran to form the Iranian Communist Party. They invited important people like Mansour Hikmat. After many meetings, they created the Communist Party of Iran, and Abdullah Mohtadi became its secretary-general. This was a way for Komala to find allies across Iran.

By 1988, Abdullah Mohtadi and his friends felt that the Communist Party had not achieved its goals. Abdullah began to openly criticize the party.

Reforming the Komala Party

The group split again in 2000. One part, the Komala Social Democrat Party of Iran, which also calls itself Komala, is still Social Democrat. A few years before this, Mohtadi had strongly criticized the policies of the Communist Party of Iran. These criticisms were not well-received, leading to big disagreements within the party.

After many long discussions, Mohtadi and his friends decided to leave the Communist Party of Iran. They decided to bring back Komala with the goal of rebuilding it. From this point, Abdullah and his friends worked to make Komala more realistic by looking back at their past actions and learning from them. They started making reforms within the party, and very quickly, they gained many supporters both inside and outside Kurdistan.

Komala has fought with Iranian forces in the past. However, since the 1990s, its Peshmerga fighters have mainly focused on defending training camps and Kurdish settlements in Iraq. Some of their fighters also joined the fight against ISIS in Iraq in 2014.

For the past few years, Abdullah Mohtadi and his party (Iranian Kurdistan's Komala Party) have been leading efforts to unite different groups. Their goal is to replace Iran's religious government with a decentralized federal government. This new government would have a constitution that protects the rights of all the country's different ethnic groups.

Komala of Iran describes itself as a party that follows the ideas of Social Democrats.

Important Roles Held by Abdullah Mohtadi

• Founder of the Komala Party (1969)
• Member of the 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 by Abdullah Mohtadi

• مقدمه‌ای بر گسست و گذار
• شۆرش لە سەردەمی نوێدا