New Majles representative

Mobedyar Kourosh Niknam has been elected the Zoroastrian repre­sentative to the Iranian Parliament known as the Majles for a four-year term, notes the FEZANA Journal (Summer 2004). The 280-member house has one seat reserved for Zoroastrians. His campaign motto was "non-separation of religion and state,” adds the Jour­nal.

A veteran of the Iraq-Iran war and a member of the Iranian Mobed Council in Tehran and Faith Council in Qum city, Niknam, 50, has taught the religion at the Firooz Bahram High School in Tehran for 30 years.

The election had been hotly contested with nine candidates filing their nominations. Among these were former representative Aflatoon Ziafat from Tehran who came in second, outgoing repre­sentative Dr Khosro Dabestani, also from Tehran, who earned third place, Mobedyar Mehran Ghiebi of Kerman and president of the Kerman Anjuman Mr Nazari, states the Journal. Outgoing Member of Parliament Dabes­tani is credited with a historical achievement in modifying the unfair Islamic law of ‘Dieh’ (payment of blood money to a victim or his heirs) for the benefit of all religious minorities in Iran, notes the Journal.