Talk:Akbar Rafsanjani

message: Technically Rafsanjani is not an Ayatollah. His official clerical title is that of 'Hojjat al-Islam,' which is a lower rank than Ayatollah. I believe his family owns the Khoshgovar beverage company (which is licensed by Coca-Cola), among many other large factories and businesses. The article may wish to state that he is one of the wealthiest men in the world, and theoretically has more power than the so-called 'Supreme Leader' Khamanei. He is also probably one of the most hated men in Iran. A very sinister character.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.138.106.98 (talk) 19:42, 19 December 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: It would be nice if you could refrain from adding personal opinions to a public encycolopedia. --prashidi 02:12, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Commment

message: IRNA gives today his name as Akbar and his title as Hojjat ol-Islam. I do not think we can get much more authorative here  I think any further changes need to be accompanied by evidence rather than being simply blind reverts. Further, someone deleted the whole paragraph about the 2000 elections. I doubt that the information is in any way under dispute. 
Refdoc 16:01, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Akbar" and Hojjat ol-Islam 

message: OK, so I am using the link that you yourself put in the article to "support" your Zionist lies.  According to this site that you put in the article, (which is, by the way, too obviously a biased site) it says:
:Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of an influential government council and president of Iran from 1989 to 1997, gave a speech on Dec. 14, 2001, that has been interpreted widely as both a signal that Iran wants nuclear weapons and a threat to use them against Israel. Describing the establishment of the Jewish state as the worst event in history.
But the follwoing which is not "interpreted widely" and rather is a direct quote from him appears just a few lines below the above "wide interpretation" and reads: 
:"because of religious and moral beliefs and commitments that the Koran has created for us, we cannot and will not pursue such weapons that destroy humanity."''
You and HKT are obviously trying to "help" promote the zionist lies about Iran's nuclear programme.  What you people do not realize is that this overall strategy has actually helped both the Islamic regime as well as Iran's national unity tremendously, more than you can even imagine. You may win a few cheap media battles like this in the short term, but with this strategy, you are only helping your perceived enemy with more unity.  As an Iranian, I can tell to all you Zionists and your Shabbath Goy Bush: Thank you!— Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.16.105.173 (talk) 14:06, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: What has been "interpreted widely" is that Iran shares his sentiments. He is quoted directly as calling for nuking Israel. And your "just a few lines below trick" was actually a quote from three years later (!), when he recanted in the face of the coming election. (P.S. Please sign your posts. You can do this by entering ~~~~ after your post. Thanks). HKT 15:39, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Zionist lies and more lies 

message: a couple of points.
#Rafsanjani's words, interpreted literally, do not seem to mean what HKT says they mean. The words quoted are "If one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything. However, it will only harm the Islamic world."  Now, this clearly isn't showing friendly thoughts to Israel, but it's also not saying "Iran should get nuclear weapons, and then nuke Israel."  As far as I can gather, Rafsanjani is saying that if the Islamic world gets nuclear weapons, it should use the threat of nuking Israel as a way to get what it wants from the imperialists.  Later on, he says, "Therefore, in the future, the interests of colonialism and imperialism dictate whether Israel will survive or not."  I think this suggests that what he's really threatening is nuclear blackmail, not actually nuking Israel.  It could be interpreted that he wants to nuke Israel, but that's not what he's precisely saying.
#More importantly, putting this one quote into the article, with no context on Rafsanjani's broader political views at all - this statement is literally the only one in the entire article about his actual views - is just completely POV.  If the article were to be expanded to deal more broadly with Rafsanjani's political outlook, it would be completely fine to discuss this speech there (although not in a way that just repeats right wing news outlets' interpretation of his words).  But as the article stands, it is completely unbalanced to just have one paragraph about one particularly inflammatory speech, without discussing at all the much more complicated issue of Rafsanjani's political position. john k 17:55, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The quote has been interpreted that way in a number of sources, including articles in major newspapers.  In addition, it seems to me that articles on Israeli politicians are regularly inundated with unflattering and out of context quotes of theirs (e.g. Ehud Barak), so this seems to be the standard.  If it's added under the "Quotes" section will you be o.k. with it? Jayjg (talk) 18:07, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

text: "The use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything. However, it will only harm the Islamic world." I've actually seen this translated as "...whereas it will merely damage the Islamic world." It seems to me that the most obvious interpretation of his statements is that he was actually suggesting nuking Israel. However, another interpretation is possible, the relevant section should be readded with that interpretation included. This story's extensive coverage (as well as the quote's sabre-rattling nature by any interpretation) makes it extremely notable, but I have no problem with the inclusion of an alternative interpretation of his statements. P.S. Arafat also condemned the 9/11 attacks in English and praised them in Arabic. Condemning those attacks was politically critical for nearly everyone. HKT 18:37, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: You are taking it out of context.  He says "then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because" the quote you make.  He is saying that getting nuclear weapons will change the balance of power in the middle east because the west will have to take this fact into account.  He is not specifically saying that a nuclear attack should definitely be made - just that the threat of such an attack will change the calculus in terms of western support for Israel.  Obviously, he's not ruling out such an attack either, but I don't think he's specifically calling for it. john k 20:37, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Honestly, I don't have a complete transcript of his speech. Could you provide me with a link to one? It would be quite edifying. (I don't at all mind finding that he didn't call for nuking Israel; on the contrary, I'd much rather have nobody wanting to nuke it!) Thank you. HKT 20:45, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: There's a transcription by the BBC available on Lexis-Nexis, but I assume you probably don't get Lexis-Nexis.  I could email a copy of the article to you, if you'd like.  Personally, I think it's fairly clear that the speech isn't saying "The Islamic world needs to get a nuclear bomb so it can immediately nuke Israel."  It's fairly clear, I think, that Rafsanjani is thinking in terms of the political effects of the existence of a Muslim nuclear bomb on the west (presumably, Pakistan doesn't count as Muslim in this context).  I think it's equally obvious that Rafsanjani is also saying that the State of Israel should be destroyed, but I don't think it's at all clear that he means that this should be done by a nuclear attack - rather, the emphasis seems to be that the Arab world needs to do whatever it can to get the west to abandon Israel, so that it will be able to be defeated and a Palestinian state established in its place (and, presumably, the Jews of Israel driven forth into exile in Europe and America).  The threat of nuclear attack, Rafsanjani seems to be saying, given the inherent assymmatricality of the threat, might be enough to accomplish this.  I don't know that he's ruling out an actual nuclear attack, but I don't see that he's particularly calling for it. john k 20:51, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

text: Your assessment seems likely in light of your transcription. I really would appreciate if you could e-mail it to me. Thank you very much. HKT 20:58, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

text: I've received no e-mail from you. Your BBC source can not be used or considered valid if it cannot be linked, and I have no way of further assessing Rafsanjani's quote without additional sources. I believe that someone else readded the info, and, without your source, I must support his edit. HKT 20:59, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry - this page got lost on my watchlist, and I forgot to check it.  I'll find the article again and email it to you. john k 05:59, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

text: Ok, I got your e-mail. Thanks, HKT 02:34, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

text: Well, let's see how the Barak deletion stands; I suspect the quotes will be reverted back in soon enough.  As well, that was the tip of the iceberg; similar things can be found either in the Anti-Arabism article or in Wikiquotes for David Ben-Gurion and Ariel Sharon among others (they used to be in the articles until they were moved to Wikiquotes). Jayjg (talk) 18:41, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't really care about WikiQuotes - the point of that is to include quotations.  The Barak quotes would be perfectly appropriate in his wikiquotes article, as would be the Rafsanjani one, or whatever.  The Anti-Arabism article is pretty bad, but that's a problem beyond just the quotes.  At any rate, once again, if we had a full discussion of Rafsanjani's political views in that article, a balanced discussion of this speech would definitely be in order.  But as it stands now, any discussion of that one incident, out of his entire political career, is going to unbalance the article by making it seem as though this is the most important part of it.  As to the 9/11 quote, I think the way Rafsanjani discussed the issue was sufficiently anti-American (most of his discussion was warnings to Americans about retaliating too hard, and complaining about an American double standard) that it is hard to say that this was just some sort of mushy statement for American consumption.  john k 20:37, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

text: Can I also note: A New York Times article from May 2005 about Rafsanjani is nowhere near as reliable a source as a New York Times article from November 2001 about the original speech.  I don't see as a news article referring briefly to something that happened four years ago is a terribly authoritative source. john k 17:23, 13 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Quote about nukes 

message: The article says that R. is "the first president of Iran who has stepped down willingly".
I don't think that's very accurate. As far as I know, he couldn't run for a third consevutive turn and so was legally bound to step down. He only willingly obeyed the law. 
Furthermore, I think his predecessor Khamenei also stepped down willingly - at least as willingly as R. Or was Khamenai obliged to accept his appointment to Supreme Leader?
Str1977 15:40, 14 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Stepped down willingly 

message: What is the source that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has a PhD in Sociology from Berkeley?
I checked the Sociology Department home page, where PhD Alumni are listed,
and his name does not show. 
Neither does the UC Berkeley library catalog have a thesis written by him (since
PhD thesis are supposed to be there)
Also did he ever live in the US?
--132.77.4.129 11:37, 27 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dr. Rafsanjani I presume 

message: This article clearly lacks coverage of Rafsanjani's economic policies, science policies and foreign policy. --Mitso Bel20:01, 29 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  sections on policies needs to be expanded

message: I would like you to see this and write it in the page cause my english is very pour: 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501231.html— Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.82.88.94 (talk) 00:50, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Comment

message: I think there should be a mention of his wanted arrest by the Argentine government for the AMIA Bombing. Check  and . Gadig 23:12, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: some day, it would be useful to start an article on Jewish-Argentine Mutual Association as it was the target according to this article — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.24.112.56 (talk) 12:13, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It already exists. Check Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina. Gadig 15:15, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

text: I agree. It should be a mention of his wanted arrest bye de Argentine government.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.117.204.152 (talk) Revision as of 17:02, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Calling for his arrest 

message: Considering many of the foreign relations problems that plagued his administration, this section seems strange. He went so far as to attempt to prevent the Azerbaijan from separating from the USSR, which severely strained relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, a legacy which remains today. metaspheres 08:58, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  I have added citations to the statements made in the article regarding Rafsanjani's foreign relations. A quick search reveals that the two works I cited are also accessible through Google Books if anyone feels a need to check, although I don't know whether those particular pages are available for viewing. Cyril Washbrook (talk) 00:28, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Pursued good foreign relations?

message: If I am not mistaken, his title as "Ayatollah" is disputed and recognized by only some marjas, and so is not in widespread acceptance. Can anyone help with sources for this? Khodavand 23:33, 25 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Dispute about Ayatollah

message: can we get an ogg for this? see example at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad Towsonu2003 19:30, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  pronounciation 

message: Why is there nothing about his life and career before 1989?  Wikipedia articles on Iranian leaders are all horrible.  john k (talk) 18:04, 18 June 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  The quality of Wikipedia articles is to a significant extent related to the willingness of contributors to develop material through writing and research. If you feel that you have knowledge or research that would improve the article, you can assist by incorporating any contributions that you might have into this article. Cyril Washbrook (talk) 03:56, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Yet another terrible article about Iranian figures 

message: Dubai-based news agency Al-Arabiya reported on 13 June 2009 that Rafsanjani resigned from both his position as Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and head of the Expediency Council. The link can be found here: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/06/13/75853.html  I am looking for independent confirmations of this report, but I haven't been able to find any from independent media, Iran PressTV, or Iran IRIB. It probably doesn't help that I can't read Farsi, so I'm looking for help in confirming this report. Obviously I would not make an edit to the article until Al-Arabiya's assertion can be confirmed by at least one other reputable source (in this case, I would certainly say Iran's state news agencies qualify as "reputable") BostonFenian (talk) 09:21, 20 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hashemi Rafsanjani Resigned from Assembly of Experts and Expediency Council? 

message: It includes a melange of charges and random statements, some of which may be true, but has next to no facts about his background and career. Nothing about his clerical education and practice, or what he did before and during the Islamic Revolution, or his relationship with Khomeini, or how he became a leader of the Revolution (i.e. Chairman of the Majlis), or how he was elected President. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rrostrom (talk • contribs) 23:43, 30 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Per a previous comment: the quality of Wikipedia articles is to a significant extent related to the willingness of contributors to develop material through writing and research. If you feel that you have knowledge or research that would improve the article, you can assist by incorporating any contributions that you might have into this article. Cyril Washbrook (talk) 12:49, 9 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  This article is extremely weak. 

message: I was amused when fact checking to find this article cites the Encyclopedia Britanica site Biography.com (citation #28). However, that link is broken, and the current article url is http://www.biography.com/articles/Hashemi-Rafsanjani-37239. And, further, the article there does not support the statements in sentence. - Amgine (talk) 02:57, 16 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citation needed? 

message: I think that this claim in the intro section is a violation of BLP. What do you think? (Personaly I think that this is a false claim.)Farhikht (talk) 21:44, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Richest person in Iran 

message: Media reports (circa 4th Sept. 2013) claim that Rafsanjani affirms that the Assad Government was using poison gas on its own people - though it is unclear whether he is referring to the sarin gas attack in Damascus during late August which killed about 500 people.  This is a request for those in the know to address this issue as evidence comes out about his actual position, since such a reported position contradicts the official Iranian Government position.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.214.145.8 (talk) 16:06, 4 September 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Position on Assad Regime using Poison Gas 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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message: During his presidency economy was failing. Why? 2.191.165.207 (talk) 20:46, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Economy failure 

message: Is his descent Hashemite or not?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 37.144.246.65 (talk) 17:50, 30 July 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[Hashemite]]? 

message: In Western sources, he's usually referred to as "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani", "Hashemi Rafsanjani", and 'Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani".
In Persian sources, he's almost unanimously known as "Hashemi Rafsanjani".
On Wikipedia, his relatives are all named "[Name] Hashemi Rafsanjani" and his funeral page uses the aforementioned style. His Persian page uses this styling too.
I was going to make this change without making a talk topic but would like to get your thoughts. @TDKR Chicago 101 AryanamManifest (talk) 11:35, 4 June 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Change article name to "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani"