Religious Hey'at Groups Can Help Solve Social Problems and Build Community Resilience

The head of the Organization for Religious Hey'ats and Associations stressed the need to expand research on religious hey'at groups, calling them a grassroots resource for solving social problems and strengthening the resilience of society.

According to Mehr reporter, the third scientific conference "Religious Boards and Rituals" was held today, Thursday, October 23, at Al-Zahra University, and in it, Hojjatul-Islam Majid Babakhani, head of the Organization of Religious Boards and Organizations, Ali Gholami, scientific secretary of the conference, and Zahra Nazim Bekaei, president of Al-Zahra University, explained the social, cultural and research capacities of religious boards.

Hojjat-ul-Islam Majid Babakhani, referring to the role played by religious delegations in recent years, especially during the holy defense era, said: The fielding of religious delegations and the flag-bearing of women in this field is a fact that cannot be ignored and this capacity of the people has been revealed to everyone more than in the past.

Referring to the holding of the third research conference of the board, he added: Usually, such programs start with enthusiasm in the first year, the second year is accompanied by difficulties, and in the third year they reach the stage of stability and continuity. The holding of the third edition of this conference, despite the problems and difficult conditions of the country, is the result of the efforts and diligence of those involved.

The head of the Organization of Religious Boards and Organizations emphasized the need to pay more serious attention to the research in the field of religious boards and stated: In the last meeting with him, the Martyr Leader of the Revolution stressed the issue of research in the field of the board more than seven times and demanded to investigate the capacities, harms and various issues of this field. This demand doubles the responsibility of activists and researchers to know this social phenomenon more precisely.

Stating that religious delegations have a wide capacity among different strata of people, Babakhani said: According to the statistics presented, more than 80% of Iranian people are familiar with delegations and attending them, and more than 50% of people have given financial and material assistance to delegations in the past year. These statistics alone show the extent of people's relationship with the boards and can be the subject of deeper research.

He continued: "If there was an institution in any part of the world that enjoyed the participation and companionship of different strata of people to this extent, more extensive research would definitely be done on its dimensions and functions." Therefore, cultural centers, universities and research groups should pay attention to the board as one of the basic issues in examining the resilience of the religious society and Iranian society.

The delegation goes beyond holding ritual ceremonies

Babakhani, distinguishing between holding the ceremony of the delegation and its social functions, stated: The delegation does not only mean the gathering of people and holding ritual ceremonies, mentioning the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and expressing their teachings and sufferings, but this ritual can be the foundation of a social movement to revive the cause of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and respond to the issues of the society.

He pointed out: social boards can provide the basis for doing great work and solving part of the society's problems by taking advantage of the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) and people's participation. Recognizing these capacities and examining ways to strengthen them are among the topics that should be considered in research in this field.

The presence of women helps the sustainability of social movements

The head of the Organization of Religious Boards and Organizations, emphasizing the position of women in religious boards, said: the presence of women in social and religious fields is a great capacity; Because when women participate in a movement, the ground for its permanence and more inclusiveness is provided.

Referring to Martyr Morteza Motahari's view on the role of women in social developments, he added: Martyr Motahari paid attention to the presence of women in examining the difference between the 15 Khordad Movement and the Islamic Revolution in 1357. This issue shows how women's participation can be effective in expanding and sustaining a social movement.

Babakhani stated that women's delegations can have wide-ranging effects even with limited costs and facilities, and stated: The presence of women in social and religious movements helps to perpetuate and strengthen these movements, and the women's section should be considered as one of the important and effective sections of the delegation.

137 articles were accepted in the third scientific conference of the Religious Rituals Board

Ali Gholami, Scientific Secretary of the 3rd Conference of the Board and Religious Rituals, referring to the stages of planning and holding this scientific event, stated: The initial plan of the conference was proposed before the 12-day war, and meetings were also held to decide on the formation of the Scientific Council and the appointment of its members, but due to the circumstances, part of the planning was postponed to another time.

He added: In the following, the scientific council of the conference was formed and by inviting the members, the scientific axes were discussed and opinions were exchanged. Finally, eight themes were determined for the conference and after that, the opening press conference was held with the presence of various media representatives and the call for papers was announced.

Gholami, referring to the response of the researchers to the call for articles, stated: despite the difficult conditions governing the research and writing of articles, including internet outages and limited access to scientific resources, a total of 225 abstracts of articles were sent to the conference secretariat.

He continued: Among the received abstracts, 200 abstracts were initially accepted and 180 articles were sent to the secretariat. Finally, 137 articles were accepted after reviewing and judging.

The scientific secretary of the conference also pointed to the contribution of women in submitting articles and added: About 30% of the submitted articles were submitted by women, which is significant considering the conditions of the conference and the difficulties in submitting works.

The delegation should not be limited to holding ceremonies; The board should be a center of enlightenment

Zahra Nazim Bekaei, president of Al-Zahra University (S), also mentioned in this conference, referring to the historical background and cultural and social capacities of religious delegations: besides their religious function, delegations also play a role in cultural, social, educational and political fields and can be effective in strengthening collective identity and managing social crises.

He stated that religious delegations are formed based on religious occasions and with the presence of people, and added: In these groups, people, clergy, and worshipers are the three main pillars that operate by relying on public participation and their independent capacities.

Pointing to the place of religious delegations in the intellectual system of the Martyr of the Revolution, Bekaei emphasized the necessity of combining passion and intelligence in delegation activities and said: the delegation should move based on emotion and logic, and in addition to rousing religious feelings, provide the context for guidance, modeling and improving the knowledge of the society.

The president of Al-Zahra University (PBUH) stated that the board can become a base for informing, raising insight, answering questions and clearing doubts, and clarified: the board's activity should not be limited to holding ceremonies and occasions, but should also move in the direction of informing and strengthening the analytical power of the audience.

The board must take a stand against oppression

Emphasizing the social responsibility of religious bodies, he stated: a religious body cannot be indifferent to social and political issues; The board should take a stand against oppression and keep its religious identity away from politics. Also, familiarity with the Qur'an and continuous attention to the Qur'anic teachings should be one of the fixed axes of the delegations' activities.

The president of Al-Zahra University (pbuh) emphasized the position of the pulpit in the delegations and added: The pulpit should be an opportunity to teach the teachings of the Quran and Islam, address social concerns and promote helping others.

He also stated that the board should be a place for raising awareness, explaining Hossein's identity against Yazidi identity and correct history narration, and emphasized the necessity of avoiding distortion of historical events.

Poetry and hymns should serve to transmit religious knowledge

Referring to the importance of poetry and eulogies in conveying religious concepts, the President of Al-Zahra University (pbuh) said: The poems used in the delegations should have strong content, appropriate content, and the power of persuasion, and eulogies, by using the art of poetry, singing and performance, guide the emotions of the audience in the path of religious education.

He considered Madahi to be an effective medium for the transmission of religious knowledge and added: Madahi should make use of noble poetry and original musical capacities in addition to preserving the correct narration.

In the end, referring to the role of religious bodies in strengthening religious identity and increasing social resilience, Bekaei emphasized the necessity of maintaining the connection between emotion, knowledge, insight and humanity with the Qur'an in the activities of these collections.

At the end of this ceremony, the efforts of Hojjatul Islam Babakhani in the organization of religious bodies and organizations were appreciated.