Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad
Encyclopedia
Ayatollah
Seyyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad is an Iran
ian Shia cleric, and reformist who has been called "a leading instructor" in Iran's major seminary city of Qom
. He gained some prominence in English-language news sources after he was reported by "reformist Web sites" to have "sought to rally other clerics to oppose the use of moharebeh
charges against political protesters," following the conviction and death sentence of Mohammad Amin Valian
, a student who threw rocks at a 2009 election demonstration
.
According to his web site he received his traditional Islamic education in Arabic language
and literature, Qur’an and hadith
, Islamic philosophy, theology and jurisprudence at the Fayzieh School at Qom
and achieved the status of Mujtahid (Ayatollah
) in 1970. In addition he "pursued a modern academic education", receiving a B.A. in Islamic Philosophy (1969) and an M.A. in Islamic Jurisprudence (1980) from Tehran University. Following that he earned a Ph.D. in Law (Doctorat en Droit) at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium in 1996. As of 2007 he was a professor in Faculty of Law at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, and has been a fellow member of The Iranian Academy of Science since 1988.
He reportedly has held such posts in Iran as Chief of the State Inspectorate Organization, head of the Department of Islamic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Iran, head of Commission of Judicial Bill Collection of Iran, and head of Commission of Compiling Judicial Acts.
At a September 2005 speech in the United States written up by an Iranian American doctor, he gave his opinions that there are no irreconcilable differences between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and Islamic jurisprudence, that no compulsion is permissible in religion, that apostasy should be punished only if it involves undertaking actions to destabilize the social order, and that "nothing should be forced on the people by the government, not even daily prayers."
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Seyyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad is an Iran
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 Shia cleric, and reformist who has been called "a leading instructor" in Iran's major seminary city of 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....
. He gained some prominence in English-language news sources after he was reported by "reformist Web sites" to have "sought to rally other clerics to oppose the use of moharebeh
Moharebeh
Moharebeh is the title of a crime in Islamic law. Mohareb refers to the perpetrator of the crime. Moharebeh has been translated in English language media sources variously as "waging war against God," "war against God and the state," "enmity against God." Mohareb has been translated by English...
charges against political protesters," following the conviction and death sentence of Mohammad Amin Valian
Mohammad Amin Valian
Mohammad Amin Valian is an Iranian student who was sentenced to death for participating in a 28 December 2009 demonstration protesting the 2009 presidential election in Iran...
, a student who threw rocks at a 2009 election demonstration
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
.
According to his web site he received his traditional Islamic education in Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and literature, Qur’an and hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, Islamic philosophy, theology and jurisprudence at the Fayzieh School at 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....
and achieved the status of Mujtahid (Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
) in 1970. In addition he "pursued a modern academic education", receiving a B.A. in Islamic Philosophy (1969) and an M.A. in Islamic Jurisprudence (1980) from Tehran University. Following that he earned a Ph.D. in Law (Doctorat en Droit) at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium in 1996. As of 2007 he was a professor in Faculty of Law at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, and has been a fellow member of The Iranian Academy of Science since 1988.
He reportedly has held such posts in Iran as Chief of the State Inspectorate Organization, head of the Department of Islamic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Iran, head of Commission of Judicial Bill Collection of Iran, and head of Commission of Compiling Judicial Acts.
At a September 2005 speech in the United States written up by an Iranian American doctor, he gave his opinions that there are no irreconcilable differences between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
and Islamic jurisprudence, that no compulsion is permissible in religion, that apostasy should be punished only if it involves undertaking actions to destabilize the social order, and that "nothing should be forced on the people by the government, not even daily prayers."