About Ali Haddad-Adel Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel (غلامعلی حداد عادل in Persian) born in 1945 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian philosopher, politician and former chairman of the Iranian parliament. He is the first non-cleric in the post since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. While officially ranking as the last (30th) candidate of Tehran in the Iranian Parliament election, 2000 after some recounts by the Council of Guardians which had led to annulment of 700,000 Tehrani votes and removal of Alireza Rajaei and Ali Akbar Rahmani from the top 30, Haddad-Adel collected the most votes from Tehran four years later, in Iranian Parliament election, 2004, when many reformist candidates where not allowed to run. He was supported by the Abadgaran alliance. He became the Speaker of Parliament for one year on June 6, 2004, with 226 votes out of 259. There was no other candidate running. Haddad-Adel got his PhD in philosophy from University of Tehran in 1975, and has a BSc and an MSc in Physics, respectively from University of Tehran and University of Shiraz. He has studied Islamic philosophy under Morteza Motahhari and has also studied under Sayyed Hossein Nasr who is famous for his critique of Marxism. He is a critic of Ali Shariati's viewpoints on Safavid Shiism, and promotes a conservative order active in culture. After the Iranian Revolution which resulted in his membership in Islamic Republic Party, he has served in many governmental posts, including Vice Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Vice Minister of Education, the head of the Iranian Academy of Persian Language and Literature (until August 2004), and Executive Director of Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation. He has also helped start the national scientific olympiads in Iran. He is also currently a member of Academy of Persian Language and Literature, the High Council of Cultural Revolution, and the Expediency Discernment Council. Haddad-Adel's daughter has married Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. This has led to the popular belief that he is among the very trusted allies of Ayatollah Khamenei.