Khosropanah: Officials Need Self-Improvement More Than the Public

Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution said: Officials need self-improvement more than the public. Retreat (I'tikaf) is an opportunity to reflect on individual and social performance and a platform for raising the young generation.

According to Mehr reporter, Hojjatul-Islam Abdul Hossein Khosropanah, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, at the closing ceremony of the 11th National Congress of I'tikaf and the 8th International Scientific, Literary and Art Festival of I'tikaf, which was held at the Imam Ali Officer University Mosque in Tehran, considered I'tikaf as an opportunity for self-improvement, returning to oneself and reconnecting with God.

The secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution said, referring to the many responsibilities of managers, officials need self-improvement more than people, and itikaf is an opportunity to evaluate their performance and see if they have done the responsibilities they have accepted correctly or not.

Referring to the connection of self-development with socialization and civilization, he stated: Self-development is the prelude to socialization, and without socialization, civilization cannot be formed. Therefore, itikaf is an opportunity for man to return to himself and God.

Itikaf is a capacity for educating the young generation and social responsibility

Emphasizing the educational capacity of retreat, Khosrupanah stated: Increasing the participation of teenagers and young people in this spiritual ceremony is one of the valuable developments of the Islamic Revolution. The presence of teenagers who are worshipers and tahajd shows that itikaf provides an important capacity for the education of the young generation.

He considered social responsibility as one of the other capacities of retreat and said: If we are looking for responsible youth training, we must strengthen self-improvement. The mosque is also a center of education, communication with God and creating hope in the society.

Itikaf is a model of network governance with people's participation

The Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, referring to the pattern of holding retreats, described this movement as an example of network governance with the participation of people and various institutions.

Khosropanah stated that the central headquarters of the retreat should not have an exclusivist approach and stated: the goal of the headquarters is to create coordination and communication between the organizing groups, not to limit the initiatives of mosques and people's groups. Itikaf must also be followed in accordance with Sharia rules and Islamic and revolutionary frameworks.

Emphasizing the necessity of synergizing the responsible institutions, he noted: the capacity of retreat should be used to strengthen cultural governance and face social issues. Coordination, evaluation and effective cooperation of the institutions can help to strengthen this popular and spiritual movement.