Hasan Yousefi EshkevariHasan Yousefi Eshkevari (born August 11, 1949, in Eshkevar, Gilan Province, Iran) is an Iranian cleric, reformist thinker, and public intellectual. After completing his theological studies in Qom, he served as a member of the Iranian Parliament folloing the 1979 Islamic Revolution and co-founded the Ali Shariati Research Center. He has published numerous scholarly and religious works, contributing to the Great Islamic Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Shi'ism, and is regarded as one of the leading voices of Iran's reform-minded clergy.Over time, Eshkevari became a strong critic of Iran's theocratic system. Following his participation in the Berlin Conference in 2000, he was arrested, defrocked, and sentenced to several years in prison. Since his release in 2005, he has lived in exile, most recently in Germany. In his writings, he advocates for democracy, human rights, and the compatibility of Islam with a modern civil society. Read More Read Less