Hawzah News Agency- Hojatoleslam Ali Abbasi made the remarks during a meeting with organizers of the international conference "Linguistic and Discourse Defense of the Persian Language in the Global Arena" at the university's headquarters. He discussed the civilizational and historical status of Persian, the need to confront Western cultural monopolism, and the strategic role of Persian as the language of the Islamic Revolution.
Western Monopolism vs. the Islamic Revolution
Analyzing the West's discursive confrontation with the Islamic Revolution, Abbasi said Western civilization, despite its superficial claims of pluralism, has imposed a completely monopolistic and absolutist view on the world. He noted that while the West treats rivals like China or Russia merely as economic, political, or military competitors within its own paradigm, it views the Islamic Revolution as a genuine discursive and civilizational rival — because the revolution has raised a banner based on spirituality, morality, justice-seeking, and defense of lofty human values.
Language as a Tool of Domination
Abbasi pointed to the tools used by colonial powers for domination, noting that Western arrogant powers — from the Spanish and Portuguese to the British and Americans — have always used language as the primary vehicle for cultural transmission and global dominance. Just as the dollar without real backing became a tool of Western economic domination, they sought to impose their language as the international language to institutionalize Western concepts, values, and lifestyles in other societies.
Persian as the Language of the Islamic Revolution
Explaining Persian's distinguished position in the contemporary world, Abbasi stated that while Arabic serves as the international language of Islam as the language of the Quran and Islamic texts — and familiarity with it is essential for understanding divine teachings — Persian has naturally become the "language of the Islamic Revolution" since the revolution's victory occurred in Iran's geography. Today, he said, the discourse of morality, spirituality, religiosity, and justice-seeking is transmitted globally through this language.
Historical Depth and Reach
Abbasi described Persian as one of the oldest and yet most living historical languages in the world. Unlike some ancient languages such as ancient Greek that have no active speakers today, Persian has preserved its authenticity after more than 1000 years, with texts and works from a thousand years ago still fully comprehensible and usable for today's Persian speakers.
He noted that throughout history, Persian served as the official, administrative, diplomatic, and literary language of civilized societies from the Indian subcontinent and parts of China to the Balkans. Even Ottoman sultans and poets from regions like the Balkans produced exquisite poetic works in Persian without ever visiting Iran.
China Visit and Colonial Policies
Recalling a trip to Muslim-populated regions of China, Abbasi said he observed elderly scholars still teaching Saadi's Golestan and ancient Persian commentaries, speaking with authentic and ancient Persian vocabulary — while some wealthy regional countries sought to sever new generations' ties to this civilizational language by establishing new institutions.
He pointed to colonial policies over the past 150 years toward Islamic countries, saying colonial currents pursued script and language change projects to create cultural disconnect and strip societies of their defensive power. In some neighboring countries, changing the script put vast written treasures and centuries of history out of public reach, causing their identity defenses against invading culture to collapse.
Linguistic Defense as a Strategic Concept
Hojatoleslam Abbasi, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, analyzed the strategic concept of "linguistic defense," stating that Persian language and script serve as the defensive shield and main guardian of Iran's national, religious, and cultural identity. He said the Leader of the Islamic Revolution's intelligent conceptualization of "linguistic defense" has opened a new strategic horizon for protecting identity borders and moving toward scientific authority on a global scale.
Al-Mustafa's Role
Emphasizing the institution's unique role in promoting Persian internationally, Abbasi noted that Al-Mustafa International University has familiarized hundreds of thousands of learners and graduates worldwide with Persian — an achievement unparalleled among all official institutions, reflecting the immense capacity of the seminary and Al-Mustafa in spreading the language of the Islamic Revolution.
Vision: Persian as a Language of Science
Abbasi outlined the vision of transforming Persian into a "language of science" globally, stating that the ultimate goal should be reaching a point where scientists and researchers worldwide need to learn Persian to access new knowledge and sciences produced in Iran. He noted that according to international statistics, Persian is already among the top five languages in the world in terms of diversity of indexed journals and scientific production.
Conference as a Scientific Movement
In conclusion, Hojatoleslam Abbasi praised the organizers' efforts in responding to the Leader's guidance, emphasizing that holding specialized pre-conferences, attracting participation from international universities and scientific centers, utilizing the capacity of women and families, and producing outstanding and impactful papers can transform the conference into a current-building and scientific movement to consolidate the Islamic Revolution's linguistic and cultural authority globally.
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