Abstract
This article examines a specific line of thinking shared by several contemporary reformist Iranian religious scholars who present arguments in favor of freedom of religion. Focusing on the ideas of five prominent reformist Iranian scholars—Abdolkarim Soroush (b.1945), Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (b.1936), Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari (b.1950), Mohsen Kadivar (b.1959), and Ahmad Qabel (d.2012)—the article argues that these thinkers’ defense of freedom of religion is based not only on their interpretations of the Qurʾān and historical Islamic sources, but also philosophical arguments in which concepts from the fields of epistemology and hermeneutics are deployed. As the article demonstrates, some of these scholars connect the notion of freedom of religion to political arguments supporting religious tolerance, or the view that, in order to guarantee religious freedom, the state must be neutral towards the religious orientation of its citizens.
Highlights
Iranian religious scholars who present arguments in favor of freedom of religion
Ahmad Qabel (d.2012)—the article argues that these thinkers’ defense of freedom of religion is based on their interpretations of the Qur ān and historical Islamic sources, and philosophical arguments in which concepts from the fields of epistemology and hermeneutics are deployed. Some of these scholars connect the notion of freedom of religion to political arguments supporting religious tolerance, or the view that, in order to guarantee religious freedom, the state must be neutral towards the religious orientation of its citizens
The scholars whose ideas are discussed in this article are Abdolkarim Soroush (b.1945), Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (b.1936), Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari (b.1950), Mohsen Kadivar (b.1959), and Ahmad Qabel (d.2012)
Summary
This article does not seek to examine the ideas of the aforementioned reformist scholars in detail but instead to explore some of the broader concerns that unite their work, with respect to the question of freedom of religion. The article includes four main sections in which the thematic arguments presented by these scholars in their defense of freedom of religion are analyzed. It is useful to indicate from the outset that the scholars whose ideas are discussed in this article have often lamented Muslim thinkers’ failure to promote or discuss freedom of religion. The promotion of freedom of religion is necessary, though this is not promoted by the majority of fuqahā today
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