Hawzah News Agency- The second international academic conference, "A Bridge Between Worlds, Building Peace," was organized by the Office of Religions and Denominations of the Deputy for Communications and International Affairs of the Islamic Seminaries, in cooperation with the Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, Jamiat al-Zahra Seminary, and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Vatican.
Addressing the gathering as the final speaker of the event, Dr. Masoumeh Esmaili, head of the philosophy and Imamate department at the Research Institute for Islamic Studies, and assistant professor and head of the philosophy department at Hoda Faculty of Jamiat al-Zahra Seminary, delivered an exposition on the concept of justice.
Pointing to the doctrinal foundations of Shia Islam, she underscored that justice is not merely a social value, but constitutes a fundamental principle within the tenets of the Shia faith. Without the realization of justice, other religious concepts lose their meaning and efficacy.
Dr. Esmaili added, "The first condition for religious leaders to be able to spread justice in the world is that they themselves act justly, and that their individual and social character be free from all forms of oppression and discrimination."
In the concluding part of her address, citing the words of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (PBUH), she noted that at the height of his power, he administered justice so fearlessly that he declared: "By God, if I find anything from the public treasury in someone's possession, I shall return it to its rightful owner, even if it had been set aside as a dowry for women or as the price of slave girls. For in justice there is relief, and he who is wearied by justice will find oppression even more wearisome."
Dr. Esmaili stressed, "This statement demonstrates that justice in religion is not a political slogan, but a divine and personal commitment that encompasses everything, from the highest religious stations to the simplest financial rights."
She asserted, "So long as religious leaders and thinkers do not consider themselves bound to the precise implementation of justice in the smallest personal and social matters, they cannot hope for global justice to materialize through the channels of international dialogue. Rather, the first step is the just self-development of religious leaders themselves."
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