Hosseini Nassab was born in Yazd, Iran and studied at the Islamic seminary in Qom.[5] He then went to Canada, where he founded Valie Asr Islamic Center in Toronto,[6] and Ahlul Bayt Center in Ottawa.[5] He chaired the Islamic Centre in Hamburg and founded the Cultural Islamic Center in Berlin. In September 2003, he resigned as head of the Islamic Center of Hamburg.[7] He then returned to Canada to found Imam Mahdi Islamic School in Windsor, and Imam Mahdi Islamic Center in Toronto, Ontario.[8]
Some New Fatwas
Forbiddance of forcing women to cover their hair: "It is not permissible to force women to cover their hair. It is necessary to respect the gender equality of men and women in law and rights."[9]
On covering a Muslim woman's hair: "Covering the body of a Muslim woman is obligatory in Islamic law. However, the ruling on covering the hair of a Muslim woman based on the Quranic verses and Islamic narrations was one of the Islamic governmental rulings to differentiate the free Muslim woman from the non-free maid in a certain period of time when the system of slavery was still in place."[10]
On forbidding the execution of apostates: "It is not permissible to execute an apostate at all."[11]
On stoning: "Stoning is not mentioned in the Holy Quran and is not allowed."[12]
On the purity of non-Muslims: "Non-Muslims, whether followers of divine religions or else, are all intrinsically clean."[13]
Publications
Hosseini Nassab has written more than 160 books and treatises about Islamic theology, Shia faith, philosophy, jurisprudence and logic.[14][15] His publications include:
