Salam (newspaper)

Salam (Persian: سلام, lit. 'Salute') was a Persian newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It was highly influential in the country during its brief existence from 1991 to 1999.

Salam
PublisherMohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha
Founded9 February 1991
Political alignmentReformist
LanguagePersian
Ceased publication1999
HeadquartersTehran
CountryIran

History and profile

Salam was established by a group of reformist people attached to the Association of Combatant Clerics, and the first issue appeared on 9 February 1991.[1][2] The name of the paper was given by Ahmad Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini's son.[2] It was one of the early reformist dailies published following the Islamic revolution in Iran.[2] The paper was based in Tehran[3] and became one of the most read dailies in the country soon after its launch.[1][4]

The publisher of Salam was Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha[5][6] who remained in the post until 1999 when it was disestablished.[7]

Content, political stance and editors

In addition to quality editorials, Salam provided investigative articles about financial scandals.[1] It was among the first newspapers in the country to deal with injustice and corruption.[4] The paper also included a special section in which readers wrote their comments or raised questions.[8]

The daily had an anti-American and social democrat political stance.[9] It had also a liberal stance[10] and advocated state planning in economy.[11] It criticized Ali Akbar Rafsanjani while he was serving as the President[9] and supported the next President Mohammad Khatami during his election campaign.[12][13]

One of the editors-in-chief of the daily was Ibrahim Abedi.[14] Abbas Abdi also served in the post.[15][16]

Bans and closure

Abbas Abdi, editor-in-chief of Salam, was jailed for eight months in 1993 for his critical writings published in the paper.[17][18][19] On 7 July 1999 Salam was temporarily banned by the Special Court for the Clergy following its publication of a secret ministry report.[12][5] This incident led to six-day student demonstrations in Tehran.[20]

On 4 August 1999 the paper was banned for five years and its publisher, Mohammad Mousavi Khoeiniha, was banned from journalistic activity for three years.[21][22]

References
  1. Hossein Shahidi (2007). Journalism in Iran: From Mission to Profession. London; New York: Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-134-09391-5.
  2. Muhammad Sahimi (14 July 2013). "The Iranian Student Uprising of 1999: 14 Years Later". Muftah. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  3. David Menashri (2001). Post-revolutionary Politics in Iran: Religion, Society, and Power. London: Frank Cass. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-7146-5074-6.
  4. Hossein Shahidi (March 2006). "From Mission to Profession: Journalism in Iran, 1979–2004". Iranian Studies. 39 (1): 1–28. doi:10.1080/00210860500470177.
  5. "Assault on Independent Press in Iran Intensifies". The Iranian. 28 July 1999. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  6. Peter Feuilherade (1 April 1994). "Iran: media and the message". The Middle East. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  7. Güneş Murat Tezcür (2010). Muslim Reformers in Iran and Turkey: The Paradox of Moderation. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0292728837.
  8. David Menashri (Spring–Summer 2007). "Iran's regional policy: between radicalism and pragmatism". Journal of International Affairs. JSTOR 24357976.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  9. Ray Takeyh (2009). Guardians of the Revolution: Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-19-979313-6.
  10. Ray Takeyh (1 October 2000). "God's will. Iranian democracy and the Islamic context". Middle East Policy. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  11. "The Iranian press". Index on Censorship. 27 (4): 140. 1998. doi:10.1080/03064229808536401.
  12. "Iran closes down newspaper". BBC. 7 July 1999. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  13. Shahram Rafizadeh; Mahsa Alimardani. "The Political Affiliations of Iranian Newspapers" (PDF). ASL19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  14. Lamis Andoni (7 April 1995). "When Iran Hedges Closer, US Pushes Away". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  15. A. W. Samii (December 1999). "The Contemporary Iranian News Media, 1998-1999". Middle East Review of International Affairs. 3 (4).
  16. Gholam Khiabany; Annabelle Sreberny (2001). "The Iranian Press and the Continuing Struggle Over Civil Society 1998-2000". International Communication Gazette. 63 (2–3). doi:10.1177/0016549201063002007.
  17. Mehrzad Boroujerdi; Kourosh Rahimkhani. "Iran's Political Elite". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  18. Reza Aslan (3 August 2009). "Iran's Most Wanted". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  19. "Human Rights Watch World Report 1995 [Iran-Human Rights Developments]". Bahai News. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  20. Geneive Abdo (25 April 2000). "Iran Tightens Crackdown on Reformist Publications". The New York Times. Tehran. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  21. Attacks on the Press 1999: Iran Committee to Protect Journalists March 2000
  22. Ramin Karimian; Shabanali Bahrampour (Fall 1999). "Iranian Press Update". Middle East Research and Information Project. 29.
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