A report on Commission for Communications and Networking of the Europe-Americas region in the 7th General Assembly of AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly

News News of the Seventh Summit of the General Assembly Europe and America

Friday, 02 September 2022

On Friday, the session of the Commission for Communications and Networking of the Europe-Americas region in the 7^th General Assembly of AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly was held in Iran International Conference Center in Tehran with the presence of Shiite thinkers and ulama.

On Friday, September 2, 2022, on the second day of the 7^th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, the session of the Commission for Communications and Networking of the Europe-Americas region was held in hall number four of Iran International Conference Center in Tehran with the presence of Shiite thinkers and ulama.

At the beginning of the session, Dr. Mahdi Mostafavi, the Chairman of this commission and a member of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, stated, “The Supreme Leader of the Revolution, in his advice to the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, called for change in the Assembly. Among the issues that were approved by the Assembly was the title of this commission.”

“According to Quranic teachings, collective movement is preferable to individual movement,” he continued.

“We must plan what kind of organization is suitable in a certain country according to the conditions of that country. Today, some Shiite organizations are active in different countries. They must be identified and communicated with. Also, one of the important points is the diversity of organizations and this diversity should be taken advantage of,” he stated.

“One of our goals is to defend the rights of Shiites. Supporting Shia rights is to create synergy and fill the gaps,” he added.

Further in the session, Mr. Alemi stated, “One of the important issues in the life of AhlulBayt (a.s.) is paying attention to the lives of Shiites and defending their rights. This issue has existed in all ages and during the time of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) it was taken into consideration in the form of networking and protecting the rights of Shiites. Today, due to the availability of communication, this issue has become easier.”

“It is necessary that the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly set the conditions for the realization of the ultimate goal of the Quran and AhlulBayt (a.s.),” he added.

Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Waldman from Austria said, “We need a secure network that cannot be hacked. The Assembly should prepare and present a plan in this regard. The assembly can play its role well in regional communication.”

Sayed Ehsan stated, “The task of the Assembly is not to create organizations, but its task is to establish communication.”

Then, Sayed Marcos from Brazil shared a personal experience from the Islamic Center of Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic, and said, “During that time, according to the programs of the center, we interviewed various personalities on political, historical, Palestine, Iran, terrorism and many other issues. It was a successful experience that doubled our followers in social media. We spread the message of AhlulBayt (a.s.) and this made a non-Shia organization join us. We even got viewers from Latin countries. The name of this program is “Shiite and Shiism”, which is available on our YouTube channel. In this program, we interviewed a Brazilian athlete who was in Iran, as well as a former Brazilian minister and other figures. It was a useful experience that we were able to produce content for free through virtual networks.”

Sheikh Isa Gotsch from Germany said, “The Assembly should introduce the associated centers in Europe and tell us about how to communicate with them and their activities.”

Hamid Ebrahim from Sweden stated, “There are about 57 Shiite unions in Sweden. We should work like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has a union in some countries and has entered into various issues. They introduce themselves as representatives of Muslims! We need a European union for Shiite that acts like the Muslim Brotherhood. In Sweden, there is an advisory council that covers 21 religions and we have recently become a member. Without compromising our principles, we received aid from the Swedish government and provided it to Shia centers.”

Sabune Haider from Ukraine said. “We have been at war for 6 months, and in this period, not a single person from Europe contacted us. I suggest that an observer on behalf of the Assembly be present in different parts of the world and report the situation to the Assembly.”

Mr. Rubiyeh from Germany stated, “We are in the phase of strengthening Shia in Europe and we have a good position in there.”

“Creating organizations in the world is a good idea. We have a good experience in Germany under the management of Ayatollah Ramazani. With his help, we tried to create a union that would include all organizations and divided the organizations according to their nationalities. We must create harmony between these societies because we have a united line,” he added.

Dr. Masoud Shajareh, head of the Islamic Human Rights Organization in London, said, “A department should be formed in the assembly to communicate with the members.”

Tn this meeting, the activist, Ms. Umm Farveh, as a representative of the Islamic Center of England, said, “The followers of AhlulBayt (a.s.) in England expect more communication with the Assembly and sources of emulation. Ashura is very important issue, and those who preach in English should talk about Ashura and Imam Hussain (a.s.) and love for him.”

Mr. Beheshti from Netherland also said, “We live in non-Islamic countries. But we must not forget that we are part of the body of the Islamic world.”

Ms. Iqbal Hudud from Kosovo stated, “Life in Albania region is very difficult for Shiites and Muslims. We are not accepted there as Muslims and Shiites. The doors of our mosques have been closed for 7 years. Unfortunately, 400 Albanian joined ISIS during the Syrian civil war.

At the end of the session, the Chairman offered a summary of the discussions.

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