Hawzah News Agency- Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hojatoleslam Seyyed Jafar Mousavizadeh said the event marks the second consecutive year that missionaries active during Arbaeen will be recognized. He described the initiative as part of a “noble, jihadi and civilizational movement” in international religious outreach that has yielded tangible results through careful planning and broad coordination.
Mousavizadeh characterized Arbaeen as a major civilizational phenomenon, noting that the annual pilgrimage—drawing more than 20 million people—has reshaped cultural and social dynamics across the Islamic world. He stressed that its defining feature is its popular character, with Iraqi citizens hosting pilgrims while governments play only a supporting role.
Referring to gaps in religious outreach along local Arbaeen routes inside Iraq, he said consultations with Iraqi grassroots groups revealed that many southern routes, active from late Muharram, had received limited attention from seminary missionaries. Subsequent field assessments identified 13 walking routes across 13 Iraqi provinces, where nearly 600 processions were selected to host missionary activities.
According to Mousavizadeh, around 600 missionaries were organized for deployment, more than 90 percent of whom were fluent in Arabic and focused primarily on engaging Iraqi audiences at the request of local groups. The remaining missionaries worked in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Urdu, and Azeri to communicate with non-Arabic-speaking pilgrims on the Najaf–Karbala route.
He added that joint Iranian and Iraqi supervisory teams oversaw the activities in each province, with daily evaluations indicating satisfaction rates exceeding 70 percent among Iraqi audiences. In recent months, Iraqi officials and popular groups visiting Iran have publicly praised the initiative.
Highlighting the post-Baathist context in Iraq and the emergence of deviant currents, Mousavizadeh said the presence of seminary missionaries played an important role in addressing doctrinal doubts, particularly among Iraqi youth. He noted that the missionaries combined religious guidance with on-the-ground support services, working with what he described as a “jihadi spirit.”
He also announced expanded multilingual media activities during Arbaeen this year, with around 30 missionaries and media activists producing content, conducting live interviews, and filing field reports in multiple languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Malay. These productions focused on introducing Arbaeen to global audiences, highlighting the services of Iraqi hosts, the role of women, accommodation and food networks, and the broader spirit of solidarity.
Alongside outreach efforts, Mousavizadeh said international scientific meetings on Arbaeen were held in Karbala, bringing together scholars from Iran and abroad. The sessions were broadcast live to several countries and received wide attention.
The conference honoring the international Arbaeen missionaries will be held on January 1 in Qom, with the participation of heads of missionary groups, Iranian and Iraqi officials, and all deployed missionaries.
Mousavizadeh concluded by thanking the Arbaeen Cultural Committee, the International Propaganda Headquarters, the Islamic Culture and Communications Organization, the international office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the authority of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and Iraqi popular groups, stressing that the initiative will continue with greater strength in the coming years.
Your Comment