RNA – Speaking at the closing ceremony of the eighth regional conference of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom and scholars from the northwestern region of Iran at the Imam Khomeyni Prayer Hall in Tabriz, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi said, “Today, we are seeing that the role of the clergy is changing with the equations of knowledge and civilization of humankind.”
The director of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran emphasized that the clergy of this revolutionary era must have differences with the clergy of the past and noted, “The Islamic Revolution has different layers and aspects of which the most important aspect is the change in the equations of the knowledge and civilizational power of the current era. The most important mission of the Islamic Seminary today is to recognize the true battlefield.”
He pointed out that the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran was due to the blessing of the Islamic Seminary and the clergy, stated, “The Islamic Revolution changed the military power in the region and the world but the most important change is the change in the equations of knowledge and civilization and in the revolutionary era, the Islamic Seminary can protect the people’s religion and beliefs.”
Ayatollah Arafi described the understanding of knowledge of today and the preparedness for change from other missions of the Islamic Seminary and said, “An active understanding of the West is a necessity for the Islamic Seminary and clergy so that they can confront Western civilization by recognizing the main battlefield and in order to confront this, we need to regulate the scientific and specialized disciplines in the seminaries.”
The dean of al-Mustafa International University emphasized on the definition of a genuine and contemporary social knowledge system on behalf of the Islamic Seminary and added, “If we engage in confrontations on insignificant fronts which have been defined and determined by the enemies during the present time, we will lose the main front. The Islamic Seminaries must have sufficient intuitive so that they can enter the these issues from the perspective of civilization and knowledge."
He said that the Islamic Seminary can never respond to the world through old methods and added, “Without the active application of jurisprudence in society, one cannot be answerable to the society of the day. When it comes to speaking of modernization and progress in the regulation of knowledge, those with a simplistic approach tend to become deviated. Therefore, aware and religious individuals with appropriate information must respond to the questions of the present era.”
Ayatollah Arafi emphasized that modernization based on strategic and civilizational perspectives must not be overlooked, said, “The Islamic Seminary is obliged to protect the moral system, deepen the knowledge system and create the necessary capacities in its internal system in order to recognize weaknesses and have the capability to rebuild.”
In conclusion, he argued that secularizing the Islamic Seminary is the main goal of the enemies in the present era, added, “The Islamic Seminary should pay attention to social damages and promise that the generation of ethics will respond to the needs of the world. In this regard, the High Council of the Islamic Seminary and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom will do their utmost efforts.”