Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – February 23, 1999

We left for Qom early in the morning. At 8:30, we arrived at the Jafari Jurisprudence Encyclopedia Center, which is the meeting place of experts. It is a good building. Made by Mr. Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi; I have also helped.

The opening ceremony started at half past eight. After the Qur'an and the anthem, the leader's message and the report of [Mr. Ahmad Jannati], the secretary of the Guardian Council of the elections, the establishment of the Sunni leadership and the inauguration ceremony were held. The Sunni leader, who was Mr. Sheikh Abd al-Qadir [Zahidi], a Sunni and Saqqez scholar, was not justified; They didn't know what to do, it got bad. Later they complained why they were not justified. Mr. Jenty was supposed to justify them. In breathing, I justified them for the next order which was to elect a permanent board of directors.

The election of the board of directors was done after breathing. I voted the most for the vice president; 75 votes out of 85 members present in the meeting and Mr. [Ebrahim] Amini got 59 votes [for the second vice president] and Mr. [Ali] Meshkini got 66 votes for the presidency. There are several candidates for secretaries

Mr. Majid Ansari from the left wing had only 13 votes, which determines the number of their faction. Mr. [Syedhasan] Taheri Khorramabadi and Mr. [Qorban Ali] Dari Najafabadi were elected [as secretaries of the Board of Directors].

The board of directors was permanently established. Mr. Meshkini, [Chairman of the Assembly of Experts], spoke and then several proposals were given by the representatives, which often seem unprofessional. The new left group wanted to change the rules of the selection process before selecting the commissions; They did not succeed because they have few fans.

The office of Mr. [Syed Mahmoud] Hashemi Shahroudi, which has a large hall and a library, was intended for residence, and there were guards in the surrounding rooms. While having lunch, Mr. Hashemi [Shahrudi] also came. We discussed the center's research program, which is the compilation of an encyclopedia of Shia jurisprudence, and is an imitation of the work of the Ministry of Awqaf of Kuwait, regarding Sunni jurisprudence, as well as the martyrdom of Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Sadr in Iraq and its consequences.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the board of directors had a meeting. We had discussions and negotiations for the policy of managing the summit. At half past three, we started the second session. The first speakers after the order of Mr. [Ali Muhammad] Dastghib ​​and Seyyed Mohsen Mousavi [Tabrizi] were from the left wing, who criticized the special [Clergy] court and the foundation of the underprivileged and some of the dry support of the right-wing forces as a way to strengthen the leadership. After that, most of the speakers attacked them before the order and put them in trouble.

Then we entered the discussion. New plans with little content to activate the Assembly of Experts came one after the other, and the suggestions of the left members were not taken into consideration or accepted. I managed the meeting as usual.

In the evening, a group of researchers from the Qur'an Culture and Education Center, who work for the Tafsir collection of My Guide and Key to the Qur'an, came. Mr. [Mustafa] the lawyer gave a report and I talked about the importance and works of their important Quranic work. It was a good meeting. I am supposed to have a meeting later with the imam biography group, which is my other important work.

Then a group of the center's managers came to Moqram and we discussed the key to the Quran. They have corrected some of the problems that I pointed out in the previous meeting, but there are still problems and they no longer tolerate my strictness; It should be thought. I decided to check. We ate dinner together.

During the dinner, Mr. [Mohammed] Jafari Gilani, the head of the propaganda office [Islami Qom], complained about the bad publicity of the right wing and especially Mr. [Ahmed] Janati and [Mohammed] Yazdi... and also criticized the political work of Mr. [Syed Mohammad] Khatami's friends. They asked me to focus more on political issues. In the reports, half-clause agreements in the Kosovo negotiations and the threat of a deadline are noted. I read the reports on the mobile computer [= laptop] that is with us. I slept late.