Biography of Hassan Yusefi Eshkevari

Hassan Yousefi Ehskevari was born in countryside of Ramsar, a city by Caspian Sea, in 1949. His parents have been illiterate farmers. He has started his introductory in traditional school, which have been usual at that time.

In 1961, his father encouraged him to the seminary of the city to be trained as a clergyman. After some years he has gone to Qom, the famous clergy training country in Iran. The new context did have a tremendous learning attraction and facilities such as libraries and religious cultural center.

In this period of time, along religious education, he spent his time studying literature, novels and social books. H did not have enough money to bye books, so he barrow books. He also continued his mild contact with socio-political issues of that time. He became a sympath to Ayatollah Khomeini, with a great dynamism for social and political activites. Since he had a broad knowledge of his personal studies, the official seminarian education did not have proper attraction for him. But he continued his religious and cultural concerns.

He met Dr. Ali Shariati in 1969. This event has been a new window to Islam. Afterwards he has believed in the priority of cultural development to religion activities.

Eshkevari has published his first paper in Daneshmand (Scientist), a scientific magazine for public. He has also published some articles in religious and intellectual journals. In 1974 he has been considered as a political dissident and put in jail for several months.

He has been a strong provoker for revolution in the 1970s. He had great enthusiasm for spreading revolutionary activities in the nation, by traveling and giving lecture to people.

He become a member of the first parliament after 1979 revolution, from Tonokabon, a city by Caspian sea .he has taken part in a small independent parliament fraction. The fraction opposed to some state manners, mainly with respect to freedom of speech. He, similar to many independent, political figures, has been politically isolated.

After the first parliament, he mainly focused on research, study, and writing. In this period his political activities have been confined to the condemnation of human right violations in Iran. These have been issued by some social and political figures of the nation.

He has been invited as a lecturer by Allameh-Tabataba-ee University in 1986.He also has been requested to provide a text for “history of Islam”. In parallel has been invited to provide papers for “The Great Encyclopedia of Islam”(GEI). Till now, he has been a research member of GEI, institute. He has been the author of more than 50 academic papers for GEI. These papers have been welcomed widely.

He also has been invited by the “Encyclopedia of Shi-a”(ES). Later on he became a main editor of ES. During this period, he also has translated several books.

By 1993, he helped Mr. Ezzatollah Sahabi to publish “Iran-farda”, a socio-political magazine, a powerful and prevailing tribune of the independent political thinkers. He has been a member of board of editors. This activity has been continued till the closure of the magazines  by the government.

President Khatami was selected in 1998, and a new era of democracy has been stated afterwards. Eshkevari has started a widespread activities by writing and teaching. He has published more than 70 articles in the newly emergent freedom supporter journals. He has been the author and also translator of several books, extensively.

Eshkevari established the center for the Cultural Research of Dr. Ali Shariati. This has been a remarkable initiation for socio-cultural activities in Iran.

Eshkevari never has been a member of any political parties or groups. He has emphasized on his independent political status, especially about condemnation of human rights violation and suppression of freedom-supporters.

Since 1996 Eshkevari has been invited for lecture from various countries. He had several trips to Europe and the USA. His last trip was to take part in Heinrich Böll conference in Berlin. In that conference, Eshkevari declared his standpoint about religious intelligentsia women human rights in Islam. In his lecture, he declared his findings about women dressing in Islamic society. His idea has been in conflict with the mainstream and official understanding in Iran.

When Eshkevari has been a diabetee under medical recovery in France, he has been prosecuted in Iran because of his lecture in Heinrich Böll conference. He returned to Iran to explain his beliefs to the Iranian judiciary system on July 5,2000 .he has been arrested after his arrival in Iran, submitted to “special court for clergymen”(SCC)

Eshkevari has been accused of apostasy in an official inquisition court.

The verdict of the court has been unofficially capital punishment for the accusations.

There have been a widespread protests in the nation and in over the world by well-known cultural and political figures. Even the leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamena-ee unofficially declared his discontent about the verdict of the court .for the last 8 months the verdict has been in  a vague silence, waiting for appeal .

Eshkevari should inject Insulin two times per day. Recently, by the new political suppression of the national-religious freedom-supporters in Iran, Ehskevari has been put in confined cells complex. The complex is located in a military garrison, having no light, band any talking, and with eye-covering band.

There is a great concern about Eshkevari`s health as a diabetee in such a terrible confined cells.

Bibliography

1-In seek of freedom, a review of the life, works, and thought of Mehdi Bazargan, 1^st vol., Tehran: Ghalam 1997-2^nd vol., Tehran Ghalam 2000

2-The Caravan’s bell, seven papers in introduction to the life, works, and thoughts of Seyyed Jamal Addin Asadabadi, Tehran:  Chapakhsh 1997

3-Shariati, Ideology, Strategy, Tehran: chapakhsh 1998

4-Shariati and criticism of traditions, Tehran: Yadavaran 2000

5-Broken Idols, an analysis of the foundations of the twentieth century civilization, Qom, Khazar1977

6-Causes of crimes and the way to fight them, Qom, 1964

7-Religious revivalism, analysis and criticism of the contemporary Islamic movement, interview with ten political-cultural figures, Tehran: Ghasideh, 1^st edition 1998, 2^nd edition 1999

8-A review of the study of creation, issues in Islamic Anthropology, Tehran: Ghalam 1997

9-A hundred years of Iranian history (1879-1979), Qom, 1974

10-Justice in the monotheism worldview, Qom, 1975

11-Wisdom in the feast of religion, Tehran, Ghasideh, 2000

12-in memory of the days, political approaches of the reformist movement in Iran, Tehran: Gameno, 2000  

 Translations

1-Imam sadig and the four sects, by Asad Heydar, Tehran: Sahami-Enteshar, 1990 

2-Bin Badis and Algeria, by Mohammad Al Meyli, Tehran, Yadavaran, 1991

3-Muslim Pioneers of modernism in the new era, by Ahmad Amin, Tehran: Elmi-Farhangi, 1997

4-Criticism of religious discourse, by Nasr Hamed Abouzeyd, Tehran: 2001(under publication)