TEHRAN – Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, 76, passed away on Tuesday.

He died of heart attack at Khatam al-Anbia hospital in Tehran.

The ayatollah was senior advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, on Islamic world.

Taskhiri was a renowned religious figure in the Islamic world. He served as secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.  During his tenure in that position, he made great efforts for unity among Muslims.

He also acted as a member of the Assembly of Experts for two terms, first time representing the northern province of Gilan and then Tehran. 

Fluent in Arabic language, he wrote and translated tens of books about Islam and the Islamic world. 

NA/PA