Mohsen Kadivar

Mohsen Kadivar is a Shia cleric and philosopher who became one of the most prominent religious critics of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist). Trained in the Qom seminaries, he studied under Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri and earned a doctorate in philosophy from Tarbiat Modares University. In February 1999 he was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Special Clergy Court for 'disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic' and 'disturbing public opinion' — his real offence being published critiques arguing that absolute clerical rule has no basis in Islamic jurisprudence. After his release he continued teaching at Tarbiat Modares University until 2008, when he left Iran for a visiting position at Duke University, where he remains as a research professor of Islamic studies. He co-authored the 2010 Green Movement manifesto with Abdolkarim Soroush, Akbar Ganji, and others, calling for the resignation of Ahmadinejad and free elections.