How the ideal book for “introduction of Shiite Islam in the West” should be?
Faculty member of the of Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute stated, “Imam Musa Sadr is an outstanding example of a successful international missionary who performed this important issue in the atmosphere of that time in Lebanon.”
ABWA Official Website - The 2nd scientific-specialized conference “The study of the works and indicators of the introduction of Shiite Islam in the international arena in the contemporary world” will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom.
The organizers of this conference were AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and Islamic Culture and Communication Organization, in cooperation with Al Bayan Institute for Communication, Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) University, University of Religions and Denominations, General Directorate of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Qom, Scientific Association of Translation and Foreign Languages of the Seminary, Faculty of Theology of Teheran University, Center for International and Communication of Seminaries, Tolou International Center, International Institute Al-Huda, and Al-Mortaza (a.s.) International Institute.
First part
In the first part of this conference, Hojat al-Islam, Dr. Mahdi Farmanian, Deputy for Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and a faculty member of the University of Religions and Denominations, gave lecture on the “Requirements to introduce Shiite Islam to non-Shiites”. Then Professor Legenhausen, translator and a Lasting Figure of philosophy and a faculty member of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute, gave lecture on the “Comparative study of the works of introduction of Islam and Christianity in the West”.
Second part
In the second part of this conference, Dr. Yousuf Daneshvar Nilo, Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Toronto and a faculty member of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute, gave a lecture on “Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism”.
Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism
Dr. Yousuf Daneshvar Nilo, who chose the topic of “Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism” for his speech, said, “We have never participated in the international scientific environment, or we did not know the way to do so. We should not only seek to invite scientific centers, but we should look for participation in international conferences or dialogues.”
Pointing out that Imam Musa Sadr was an outstanding example of a successful international missionary who propagated in Lebanon at that time, the faculty member of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute continued, “Imam Musa Sadr said that a quota of khums should be allocated for the clergy for their visit of the world to understand the international environment.”
“There is a need to write a collection of books needed by the world, not just one book. But more important than publishing a book is active presence among people or dialogue sessions. Since, whenever we participated in such sessions, we could have a positive impression,” Daneshvar said.
Pointing to the interdependence of text and content, he stated, “Our method should be like that of Western theologians in the 18th century onwards. Their method was in the form of proving the functions and solving the challenges and problems of man in the present era, not just discussing the religious and theological principles of Christianity, which is referred to as ‘defense writing’ or ‘defense-oriented’ text.”
“Shia should be introduced to the world in such a way that the audience understands the functions and principles of this school. According to my personal experience, sometimes even reading Surah AL-Hamd and explaining it in a church changes the frame of minds,” Dr. Daneshvar added.
Mentioning the problems that Shiites face in expressing their religious beliefs, he said, “The intellectual intensity of the Shiites has led to the lack of understanding of the audience. Even in the view of a Shiite, it is considered that the issues are only rational and not religious! Because their mental atmosphere is different from religious issues (as Christian theologians understood this issue well and acted accordingly).”
Pointing to the attractive spirituality among Shiites, which can be seen for example during the Arbaeen pilgrimage, he stated, “We have to define comprehensive divine frameworks and consider all audiences. Fluent expression along with robust content should be among the important features of these works.”
Regarding the effective activity in the international arena, he added, “The author of a work should be in the international environment and by knowing the language and culture of the audience, he (or she) should be able to convey the concepts in the form of correct words. For example, the word ‘ideology’ in the West is considered as a word with a negative connotation, which, in case of not paying attention to this issue and using it, hinders the effectiveness of the content.”
At the end of his speech, while pointing out some important issues that should be taken into consideration Dr. Daneshvar said, “In the international arena, there are some doubts against Shiites. For example, it is suggested that Shiites are a political branch of Islam! Or that the Shiites do not have an intellectual system; they are irrational and extreme; they are warmongers, and they do not have a believable theology, etc.! However, all these slanders can be answered in the best way with proper and logical activity in the international arena.”
Faculty member of the of Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute stated, “Imam Musa Sadr is an outstanding example of a successful international missionary who performed this important issue in the atmosphere of that time in Lebanon.”
ABWA Official Website - The 2nd scientific-specialized conference “The study of the works and indicators of the introduction of Shiite Islam in the international arena in the contemporary world” will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom.
The organizers of this conference were AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and Islamic Culture and Communication Organization, in cooperation with Al Bayan Institute for Communication, Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) University, University of Religions and Denominations, General Directorate of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Qom, Scientific Association of Translation and Foreign Languages of the Seminary, Faculty of Theology of Teheran University, Center for International and Communication of Seminaries, Tolou International Center, International Institute Al-Huda, and Al-Mortaza (a.s.) International Institute.
First part
In the first part of this conference, Hojat al-Islam, Dr. Mahdi Farmanian, Deputy for Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and a faculty member of the University of Religions and Denominations, gave lecture on the “Requirements to introduce Shiite Islam to non-Shiites”. Then Professor Legenhausen, translator and a Lasting Figure of philosophy and a faculty member of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute, gave lecture on the “Comparative study of the works of introduction of Islam and Christianity in the West”.
Second part
In the second part of this conference, Dr. Yousuf Daneshvar Nilo, Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Toronto and a faculty member of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute, gave a lecture on “Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism”.
Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism
Dr. Yousuf Daneshvar Nilo, who chose the topic of “Suitable book to introduce Shiite Islam, comparing the works of Western scholars who study Shiism” for his speech, said, “We have never participated in the international scientific environment, or we did not know the way to do so. We should not only seek to invite scientific centers, but we should look for participation in international conferences or dialogues.”
Pointing out that Imam Musa Sadr was an outstanding example of a successful international missionary who propagated in Lebanon at that time, the faculty member of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Education and Research Institute continued, “Imam Musa Sadr said that a quota of khums should be allocated for the clergy for their visit of the world to understand the international environment.”
“There is a need to write a collection of books needed by the world, not just one book. But more important than publishing a book is active presence among people or dialogue sessions. Since, whenever we participated in such sessions, we could have a positive impression,” Daneshvar said.
Pointing to the interdependence of text and content, he stated, “Our method should be like that of Western theologians in the 18th century onwards. Their method was in the form of proving the functions and solving the challenges and problems of man in the present era, not just discussing the religious and theological principles of Christianity, which is referred to as ‘defense writing’ or ‘defense-oriented’ text.”
“Shia should be introduced to the world in such a way that the audience understands the functions and principles of this school. According to my personal experience, sometimes even reading Surah AL-Hamd and explaining it in a church changes the frame of minds,” Dr. Daneshvar added.
Mentioning the problems that Shiites face in expressing their religious beliefs, he said, “The intellectual intensity of the Shiites has led to the lack of understanding of the audience. Even in the view of a Shiite, it is considered that the issues are only rational and not religious! Because their mental atmosphere is different from religious issues (as Christian theologians understood this issue well and acted accordingly).”
Pointing to the attractive spirituality among Shiites, which can be seen for example during the Arbaeen pilgrimage, he stated, “We have to define comprehensive divine frameworks and consider all audiences. Fluent expression along with robust content should be among the important features of these works.”
Regarding the effective activity in the international arena, he added, “The author of a work should be in the international environment and by knowing the language and culture of the audience, he (or she) should be able to convey the concepts in the form of correct words. For example, the word ‘ideology’ in the West is considered as a word with a negative connotation, which, in case of not paying attention to this issue and using it, hinders the effectiveness of the content.”
At the end of his speech, while pointing out some important issues that should be taken into consideration Dr. Daneshvar said, “In the international arena, there are some doubts against Shiites. For example, it is suggested that Shiites are a political branch of Islam! Or that the Shiites do not have an intellectual system; they are irrational and extreme; they are warmongers, and they do not have a believable theology, etc.! However, all these slanders can be answered in the best way with proper and logical activity in the international arena.”