Seyyed Ali-Asghar Gharavi () is an Iranian scholar of religion. He is also a political activist affiliated with the

Freedom Movement of Iran The Freedom Movement of Iran (FMI) or Liberation Movement of Iran (LMI; ) is an Iranian pro-democracy political organization founded in 1961, by members describing themselves as "Muslims, Iranians, Constitutionalists and Mossadeghists". It is th ...

. According to the ''

In These Times In These Times may refer to: *In These Times (magazine), ''In These Times'' (magazine), an American monthly magazine of news and opinion *In These Times (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), ''In These Times'' (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), a 2004 album b ...

'' magazine, he is "one of Iran's most prominent pro-democracy activists and political thinkers". In 1998, he was arrested and summoned to the

Special Clerical Court Special Clerical Court, or Special Court for Clerics ( , ''dādgāh-e vizheh-ye ruhāniyat'') is a special Iranian judicial system for prosecuting crimes, both ordinary and political, committed by Islamic clerics and scholars. The Special Clerical ...

for criticizing the regime in Iran. In 2013, '' Bahar'' newspaper was banned for publishing an article written by Gharavi, titled “Imam Ali, a Political Leader or a Religious Model?”. He was accused of "

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

" for implicitly challenging Iran's Supreme Leader. Article 19, Beyond Blasphemy: Why Two Iranian Newspapers Were Closed Down, 30 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54cf850e4.html ccessed 2 January 2020

References

Living people 21st-century Iranian writers Saint Joseph University alumni Freedom Movement of Iran politicians Muslim reformers Prisoners and detainees of Iran Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Iran Iranian male writers 20th-century Iranian writers 1940s births Members of the Association for Defense of Freedom and the Sovereignty of the Iranian Nation Members of the National Council for Peace Political prisoners in Iran {{Iran-politician-stub