Remembering Mr Rezazadeh
Mr. Issa Rezazadeh was born in the city of Ardakan (in Isfahan Province of Iran) in the year 1957.
After completing his primary and secondary schooling in Iran he pursued his higher education at Lamar University (Texas, USA) and graduated in Mechanical Engineering. During the course of his higher education in the USA, Mr. Rezazadeh was a member of the Islamic Association of Iranian Students of America and Canada and had been elected and served as the cultural secretary of the Association for several terms.
Having had extensive studies in different Islamic fields like philosophy, history, art, etc. Mr. Rezazadeh had participated in many domestic and international seminars and conferences as well as a number of TV discussions on different Islamic subjects.
After completing his higher education Mr. Rezazadeh returned to Iran and was, in a short while after the Islamic Revolution, appointed as the deputy to the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington in 1980 and after serving for two years he served as the first cultural counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Turkey from 1982 to 1986.
During the lifetime of his activities, Mr. Rezazadeh held a number of positions some of the most important of which are enumerated below:
- Director General of Department of Europe and North America (1986 – 1991)
- Cultural Counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Greece (1991 – 1995)
- Director General of Cultural and Art Cooperation, Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (1996 – 1999)
- Cultural Counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India (1999 – 2003)
- Media Advisor of the ECO Cultural Institute (2007 – 2009)
Alongside his official responsibilities, Mr. Rezazadeh also engaged in other activities such as teaching, making documentaries, painting, etc. Some of these activities will be briefly discussed hereunder.
He taught preparation of news items, conducting interviews, doing simultaneous translation, etc. at the News College of Tehran from 2007 onwards. He also taught Quran and exegesis in different academic and religious centers.
He also taught “Introduction to Islamic Studies” in the department of theology of the Athens University for one academic year.
Mr. Rezazadeh had produced TV documentaries entitled “Anti American Sentiments, The Role of International Monetary Fund in Latin America, Muslims in Brazil, A Path to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethanol: The Alternative Energy. He had also contributed to the production of several TV series like Muslims of Myanmar, the Syrian crisis, and Fire in Sweden.
The late Mr. Rezazadeh contributed articles on different subjects to different Iranian and foreign newspapers in both Persian and English languages. Some of his articles included
- Analytical articles on political affairs; published in the Kayhan Newspaper
- New Understanding of International Issues in India’s National Herald
- Islamic Way of Living in the Modern Ages in India’s National Herald
- Islam in Today’s World, published in Times of India
- Historical Relationships between Iran and India
- Ferdowsi and Shahnameh. Presented in a Conference in Mumbai, India.
Following the formation of the Cultural Coordination Center of the ACD, and by keeping in view his qualities and experience in different fields of cultural activities, Mr. Rezazadeh – who was then serving as the advisor of the Iranian Ministry of Culture in the field of art and cinema – was appointed by the then Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance as the chairman of the center.
Mr. Rezazadeh served in his position from 2014 until his sad demise in July 2020.
May his soul rest in peace and God almighty’s blessing be showered upon his soul.
For having a glance at part of Mr. Rezazadeh’s activities as the chairman of the CCCACD please visit our archives.