The genealogy of “the guardianship of jurists” at Qom Seminary since 1960s A Panel discussion in the honor of Professor Richard W. Buliet: A History of Shi'a Juridical Authority in Iran; Colombia University November 9, 2012
kadivarad332012/11/09
We the undersigned, categorically condemn the speech of Mr. Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iran’s vice president in the UN-sponsored international anti-drug conference in Tehran on June 26, 2012. These baseless allegations that include the responsibility of the book of Talmud for today’s international illegal drug trade and genocide are historically inaccurate, morally reprehensible, and politically contrary to the interests of the nation and government of Iran.
kadivarad332012/07/01
Durham, NC - In the years since the 1979 Iranian revolution, Mohsen Kadivar has intellectually evolved from being a supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic republic to a believer that Iran should be a secular democratic state. Now he thinks many Iranians are following the same path as he, and in an April 9 talk at Duke, Kadivar expressed optimism that the country is on the road to becoming a secular state. Speaking on "Evolution of the Relationship of Islam and the State in PostâRevolutionary Iran," Kadivar said "the diversity of…
kadivarad332012/04/19
Durham, NC - On Tuesday the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany agreed to resume negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. This news came one day after President Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program. Quotes: Regarding A Possible Attack on Iran by Israel: "Any military attacks on Iran, especially by Israel, would be an extremely big mistake and an enormous obstacle to the spread of democracy and human rights in Iran because it would be the…
kadivarad332012/03/09
In the wake of a Rafiq Tagi’s murder this fall, dissident Iranian cleric Mohsen Kadivar speaks out against “fatwas of terror”
kadivarad332012/02/17
Although he is known by many as a political dissident, Islamic scholar Mohsen Kadivar emphasized to me over lunch recently, “I never wanted to get involved in politics. I just wanted to be a scholar of religion.” But when the intelligence service in his home country of Iran killed at least four dissidents accused with apostasy and claimed a fatwa of unknown religious authority to justify the killings, Kadivar objected. In articles he wrote and speeches he delivered at a mosque to several thousands of believers during the holy nights…
kadivarad332012/02/01
The execution of apostates should be annulled but insulting religion should be recognized as hate speech. First of all, there should be a differentiation between Islam which is based on the principles of the Qur’an and the authentic tradition of the prophet and the sharia-oriented Islam. In the first, the freedom of speech and religion has been recognized. In the second, such freedom is faced with numerous limitations. I. The restrictions of freedom of speech in sharia In sharia-oriented Islam, an apostate will be executed. The insult and mockery…
kadivarad332012/01/25
Yasuyuki Matsunaga; Die Welt des Islams, Vol. 51, Nos. 3-4 (2011), pp. 358-381 Professor Yasuyuki Matsunaga* Graduate School of Global Studies Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Matsunaga, Mohsen Kadivar, an Advocate Abstract In 2001, Mohsen Kadivar (1959- ), a Qom-trained Shi‘ite mujtahid, began advocating what he has alternately termed “spiritual Islam, “goal-oriented Islam,” and “new-thinker Islam.” No longer just a critic of the “rule of the jurisprudent” (wil±yat-i faqµh) doctrine, Kadivar started to set forth his version of postrevivalist Islam, a kind that characteristically highlights its spiritual aspects but is…
kadivarad332012/01/06
Dick continues a series of conversations about choices made in the midst of change. Today Dick speaks with Mohsen Kadivar, a senior Iranian cleric who is in exile in the U.S. He speaks about his efforts to advocate for a merciful Islam in Iran, and how that landed him in prison. This understanding of Islam includes a place for human rights and social justice. He is watched closely by the current regime. Listen http://www.thestory.org/
kadivarad332012/01/03