Active Mosques in Isfahan to Receive Priority Support; Localizing Circulated Programs

Isfahan – The Friday Prayer Leader of Isfahan stressed that efforts to revitalize houses of worship should begin with semi-active and receptive mosques, and said plans issued from Tehran must be localized to fit the conditions and needs of each region.

According to Mehr reporter, on Wednesday morning, a conference meeting of Isfahan province's mosque affairs was held with the aim of examining ways to boost religious centers, localize cultural patterns and synergize executive bodies with the presence of Ayatollah Seyyed Yusuf Tabatabainejad, the representative of the religious jurist in the province, Isfahan Friday imam, Isfahan governor Mehdi Jamalinejad, seminary managers and officials of cultural institutions in Isfahan.

In this meeting, Ayatollah Seyyed Youssef Tabatabainejad emphasized that the revival of the Houses of God requires a realistic view and precise prioritization in the field, and stated: In the first step, mosques that are somewhat active should be identified and prioritized for receiving services and support. Sometimes there are several mosques in the vicinity of each other in a geographical area, but some of them have practically remained stagnant and inactive; In such a situation, it is necessary to consider which place has a higher capacity and priority for the reconstruction and implementation of culturally effective programs so that the power and credits are concentrated in the same place.

He clarified that the plans and directives issued by the center should not be implemented without adapting to the region's ecosystem, adding: the models sent from the capital should be localized according to the characteristics, subcultures and needs of every part of the province; Because the practical course of religious leaders has always been based on the understanding of temporal and spatial requirements.

Imam Juma of Isfahan stated that the real development of mosques depends on the presence of the young generation and teenagers, and said: The presence of the imams in the mosques should not be limited only to offering prayers, but the cleric of the mosque should allocate a certain time for teaching the rules, face-to-face communication and answering the religious questions of the teenagers. This behavior doubles the motivation of families to entrust their children to the spiritual atmosphere of the mosque; An approach that requires coherent planning and, of course, the prediction of specific financial and budget lines from the trustees, because cultural work will not achieve the desired result without tools and practical support.

Connecting 2 thousand mosques with schools and organizing 220 neighborhoods in Isfahan

In the continuation of this meeting, the operational and statistical dimensions of the plans being implemented by the mosque affairs secretariat were explained. Hojjatul-Islam Wal-Muslimin Shahsanaei, the executive secretary of Isfahan province mosque affairs, referring to the establishment of camps in 20 urban areas of Isfahan and all the cities of the province, announced: so far, the orders of 45 city camp secretaries have been issued and brainstorming workshops have been implemented to advance this structural model.

Referring to the goal setting for utilizing the capacity of schools in mosques, he stated: based on the defined vision, if 2,000 mosques in the province are activated to attract teenagers and each base can prepare the ground for attracting 50 students, a population of over 100,000 teenagers and students will be covered by educational programs; Programs such as the "Night at the Mosque" event, which combined sports, like-minded circles, attractive cultural programs and prayers, managed to record a successful output.

Shahsenaei also announced the implementation of the neighborhood-oriented comprehensive plan and restoring prosperity to inactive places and added: 220 neighborhoods have been allocated in the city of Isfahan so that the flagship mosque of each area is the main focus of relief, social, crisis and religious events. In addition, in the form of a special plan, the operation to revive "313 silent mosques" has been started with the strong participation of jihadi groups, religious delegations and cultural centers throughout the province.

The entry of the governorate and municipality to provide cultural credits for mosques

The other part of this meeting was dedicated to the announcement of the readiness of the governing and supporting institutions of the province to support religious bases. Dr. Mehdi Jamalinejad, the governor of Isfahan, emphasized the necessity of leaving cultural activities from scattered enterprises and returning them to the courtyard of mosques, stating: the separate statistics of open and semi-closed mosques have been extracted, and the administration of the province is determined to allocate the necessary resources to the software and cultural programs of mosques, in addition to the municipal support for physical infrastructure, from the place of social responsibility of institutions and industries.

Governor of Isfahan stressed: Our view is not only limited to the improvement of the body and building of mosques, but at least one "model mosque" should be formed in every urban area, which is beyond traditional rituals, a center of dynamics, untying of people and a real point of attraction for the young generation and families.

In another part of this like-minded gathering, Mir Mohammadi, CEO of Hedayat Foundation, announced the beginning of the 9-month empowerment course for mosque activists in 60 educational topics. Also, the Director General of Islamic Propaganda of the province suggested the launch of the educational topic "Imam Jamaat and Mahaleh-Mahori" in Isfahan Seminary and the definition of entertainment packages connected to mosques.

At the end of the meeting, the officials of the relevant departments presented a report on the implementation of the "Mosque, School and Home" link project in 700 places with the presence of more than a thousand active trainers, as well as the need to renew the heating and cooling equipment of the mosques to host thousands of retreats in the coming months.