Ahmad Ghabel
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Ghabel (born ~1954) is a Hojjatoleslam Shia Muslim cleric, an Iran
ian theologian seminary lecturer, researcher, author and "prominent" member of Iran's largest reformist political party, the now outlawed Islamic Iran Participation Front
. On December 14, 2010 he was convicted of working against the ruling system and insulting the country's supreme leader
, and sentenced to 20 months in jail. He has 20 days to appeal the verdict.
In December 2009 he was arrested on his way to Qom
to attend the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. According to the reformist website kaleme.com he was freed on bail after 170 days in jail but then re-arrested in the summer 2010 for exposing "secret mass executions at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad
and his criticism of the Supreme Leader," according to kaleme.com. (According to the Washington Post newspaper "any criticism" of Supreme leader Ali Khamenei
, "who has the final say on all state matters, is interpreted by authorities as insulting the supreme leader."
He has been working on a project entitled "wisdom and religion". Earlier, while working as a journalist for Hayat-é-No he was arrested on 31 December 2001, upon orders of the Special Court for the Clergy. This earned the protest of the "international press watchdog" group Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders
) After his release he went into exile in Tajikistan
.
Ghabel has issued a fatwa
about hijab
or head and neck covering for Muslim women. He argues that only covering the body of Muslim women is obligatory, and covering other parts of the body like hair and neck are recommended.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian theologian seminary lecturer, researcher, author and "prominent" member of Iran's largest reformist political party, the now outlawed Islamic Iran Participation Front
Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front is a reformist political party in Iran...
. On December 14, 2010 he was convicted of working against the ruling system and insulting the country's supreme leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
, and sentenced to 20 months in jail. He has 20 days to appeal the verdict.
In December 2009 he was arrested on his way to Qom
Qom
Qom is a city in Iran. It lies by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River....
to attend the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. According to the reformist website kaleme.com he was freed on bail after 170 days in jail but then re-arrested in the summer 2010 for exposing "secret mass executions at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
and his criticism of the Supreme Leader," according to kaleme.com. (According to the Washington Post newspaper "any criticism" of Supreme leader Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
, "who has the final say on all state matters, is interpreted by authorities as insulting the supreme leader."
He has been working on a project entitled "wisdom and religion". Earlier, while working as a journalist for Hayat-é-No he was arrested on 31 December 2001, upon orders of the Special Court for the Clergy. This earned the protest of the "international press watchdog" group Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
) After his release he went into exile in Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
.
Ghabel has issued a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
about hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
or head and neck covering for Muslim women. He argues that only covering the body of Muslim women is obligatory, and covering other parts of the body like hair and neck are recommended.