Hawzah News Agency- Hojatoleslam Hamid Shahriari made the remarks at a meeting of the working group on engagement with Sunni Muslims in Africa, attended by Hojatoleslam Mahdavipour, the Iranian Leader's representative in Africa, and a group of officials and experts from bodies active on the continent.
Participants reviewed the capacities for engagement with Sunni Muslims in Africa and stressed the need for coordination among active bodies, understanding of the cultural and social environment, training of local forces and networking to expand scientific, cultural and religious cooperation.
Islamic Unity, the Forum's Foremost Strategic Goal
Shahriari outlined the World Forum for Proximity's seven strategic goals, saying that achieving the unity of the Islamic Ummah and a shared civilizational identity is the forum's foremost objective.
Referring to the scope of the Islamic Ummah, he said it is a comprehensive body of Muslims, religious and scientific elites, institutions and social and cultural networks, Islamic countries and Muslim minorities in non-Islamic societies, formed on the basis of shared faith, revealed rationality, religious heritage, Islamic ethics and historical experience.
The secretary-general continued that this Ummah, relying on human rights and duties, the promotion of moral virtues and commitment to peaceful coexistence, provides the ground for constructive dialogue with societies committed to shared human values.
He stated that the forum's role in relation to the Islamic Ummah is intellectual authority, elite networking, facilitating cooperation and guiding the discourse of unity and proximity at national, regional and global levels.
Empowering Proximity Activists and Expanding Elite Networks
Shahriari described the empowerment of activists in the field of proximity as the forum's second strategic goal, saying it is pursued through targeted support for nuclei, popular networks and social groups, especially youth, women, students and schoolchildren.
He added that education, networking of activities, use of technological advances and utilization of transformative social, cultural and local capacities are among the ways to achieve this goal.
The secretary-general listed the expansion of elite networks and joint production of knowledge and culture among the forum's other goals, noting that this is pursued through the development of sustainable cooperation among scholars, thinkers, universities, seminaries and scientific and religious centers.
Referring to the importance of producing and exchanging joint scientific and cultural works, he said expanding research and educational cooperation in Islamic and human sciences — especially Quranic, jurisprudential, theological, philosophical and hadith sciences — can help deepen the discourse of proximity and strengthen the epistemological foundations of Islamic unity.
Shahriari also identified the promotion of scientific authority and the strengthening of Ummah-centered dialogue and deliberation as among the forum's other goals, stressing the holding of scientific meetings and assemblies with emphasis on rationality, moderation, the ethics of disagreement and constructive dialogue.
Reducing Differences and Confronting Takfiri Currents
Referring to the need to reduce religious and intellectual differences, he said identifying and explaining hostile, divisive and Takfiri currents and networks and offering effective solutions to counter their destructive effects is another strategic goal of the World Forum for Proximity.
The secretary-general added that promoting the ethics of disagreement, mutual respect, acceptance of independent reasoning in secondary religious matters and efforts to reduce religious and intellectual differences are among the measures that can help consolidate cultural cohesion in the Muslim world.
Expanding Use of Media, Art and New Technologies
Shahriari listed the expansion of the use of media, art and new technologies as another strategic goal of the forum, saying the production, identification, distribution and support of effective media and artistic products using new technologies and artificial intelligence is pursued to spread the discourse of proximity.
He continued that strengthening the shared identity of the Islamic Ummah, increasing cultural influence at regional and global levels and honoring and reviving religious occasions and celebrations shared by Islamic schools of thought are among the axes for realizing this goal.
Explaining the forum's final strategic goal, the secretary-general said strengthening institutional, regional and civilizational convergence is pursued through establishing, activating and supporting Ummah-oriented unions, assemblies and non-governmental organizations and developing academic, managerial and organizational cooperation.
He added that expanding scientific and technological cooperation and supporting the design and launch of comprehensive information and interactive systems and platforms are also aimed at strengthening regional convergence and paving the way for the rebirth of a modern Islamic civilization.
Africa: A Continent of Vast Capacities and Multiple Challenges
Qorbanali Pourmarjan, deputy for international communications at the World Forum for Proximity, referring to the meeting's focus and the need for engagement with Sunni Muslims in Africa, said the continent has a population of about 1.5 billion, with more than 600 million Muslims living in its 54 countries. The growth of Islam in Africa is also among the continent's notable capacities, he said.
Referring to Africa's economic, cultural and human capacities, he added that despite its abundant resources and wealth, the continent faces widespread challenges of poverty and insecurity, and working there requires careful planning and understanding of environmental conditions.
The deputy for international communications, referring to the experience of Iran's past activities in Africa, said various economic, cultural and religious plans have been presented for presence on the continent in different periods, but in many cases the necessary continuity and coherence to achieve the goals was not provided.
Pourmarjan, referring to the appointment of Hojatoleslam Mahdavipour as the Leader's representative in Africa, said that after this appointment, greater momentum formed for coordination among bodies active in Africa, and bodies including seminaries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, the Red Crescent and some universities stepped in to strengthen coordination and coherence of activities.
He added that in this regard, committees have been formed in cooperation with the Leader's representative office in Africa, one of which is the committee on engagement with Sunni Muslims at the World Forum for Proximity.
Engagement with Sunni Muslims in Africa Requires Sustained Planning
Hojatoleslam Mahdavipour, the Leader's representative in Africa, thanked the organizers for holding the first meeting of the committee on engagement with Sunni Muslims in Africa and expressed hope that the meeting would lead to the formulation of clear strategies, policies and programs in this field.
Referring to the presence of guests from African countries at the Islamic Unity Conference, he said African guests who attended the conference's programs had positive impressions of the atmosphere in Iran and expressed satisfaction with participating in these programs.
The Leader's representative in Africa, referring to recent regional developments and their reflection in African countries, said the current conditions have provided new opportunities for expanding cultural communication with the continent, and many Sunni scholars have also been influenced by recent developments.
He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran's confrontation with the Israeli regime and its defense of the Palestinian nation have affected Iran's standing and authority; therefore, the existing opportunity should be used to develop cultural communication, especially with Sunni Muslims who make up a large part of Africa's Muslim population.
Mahdavipour stressed the need for continuity in communications, saying engagement with Sunni Muslims should not be limited to occasional trips and limited meetings with scholars, but must be based on a sustainable system and continuous communication with scientific assemblies, schools, universities, elites and Sunni scholars.
Understanding the Environment, Training Forces and Networking: Three Requirements for Engagement with Sunni Muslims
The Leader's representative in Africa identified understanding the environment, training local forces and networking as the main requirements for effective engagement with Sunni Muslims on the continent, saying that for accurate planning, one must know Africa's intellectual currents and social developments well, as currents such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Sufism have changed over time.
Stressing the need to train proximity-oriented forces, he added that the goal should not merely be holding meetings and visits; rather, local forces must be trained so they can play an effective role in spreading the discourse of proximity in their own countries.
Mahdavipour, referring to the holding of the first training course for proximity forces in Qom, said 26 African seminary students at the doctoral level were trained for two months, with prominent professors, including Shahriari, participating in teaching its subjects.
He also stressed the need to create communication networks among active Sunni women, media and Islamic universities, saying there are about 70 important Islamic universities on the African continent, and the ground must be provided for continuous engagement and cooperation with them.
Holding Specialized Meetings and Establishing a Research Institute in Dar es Salaam
The Leader's representative in Africa, stressing the need to turn strategic goals into executive programs, said that after general policies are determined, specialized meetings should be held at the level of countries and different regions, including Senegal, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, focusing on proximity capacities and engagement with Sunni Muslims.
He announced the groundwork for establishing a research institute in Dar es Salaam, saying that based on a resolution by the Office of the Supreme Leader, the establishment of this institute with a focus on proximity among Islamic schools of thought is on the agenda.
Mahdavipour added that the institute can play an effective role in developing scientific and cultural cooperation by holding scientific meetings with Sunni scholars, publishing proximity-oriented books in various languages, holding annual conferences and running short-term educational courses.
Compiling an African Media Atlas and Utilizing the Capacity of the University of Islamic Denominations
Referring to the role of media in expanding cultural communication, he said the issue of media must be examined professionally in the media committee and an African media atlas must be compiled.
The Leader's representative in Africa added that the atlas should specify the media situation of pivotal countries — at least 20 countries — aligned and hostile media and ways of engaging and cooperating with them, so that media planning is based on accurate understanding of the environment.
Mahdavipour also stressed the need to use the capacity of the University of Islamic Denominations, saying the university should provide for the admission of African students and play a more active role in understanding the continent's capacities by holding specialized meetings on African studies and current affairs analysis.
Sufism and the Capacity of Sunni Sayyids: Two Important Axes in Engagement with Africa
Referring to the place of Sufism on the continent, the Leader's representative in Africa said Sufism is one of the important and central currents in Africa and must be given special attention in cultural and proximity planning.
Referring to the experience of holding Ahl al-Bayt studies courses for Sunni seminary students in India, he added that these courses met with considerable welcome, as some participants, despite their love for the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), did not have sufficient familiarity with their life and teachings.
Mahdavipour, in conclusion, also assessed the capacity of Sunni Sayyids as important and expressed hope that, given the existing opportunities and the growing attention to Iran in Africa, the ground will be provided for implementing more serious and sustained programs to expand cultural engagement and strengthen the unity of the Islamic Ummah.
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