A meeting was held in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom on the recent visit of the Secretary General of the Assembly and his accompanying delegation to the East African region.
ABWA Official Website – A meeting was held in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom on the recent visit of the Secretary General of the Assembly and his accompanying delegation to the East African region.
In this meeting, by presenting reports, Hojat al-Islam Dr. Farmanian, Deputy for Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Mr. Bashi, the Head of Economic Affairs, Mohammad Mahdi Shariatmadar, Director General of the Arab-African Countries Department of the Assembly, Mohammad Kazem Kazemi, Director of Al-Thaqalayb TV, and Hassan Sadraei Aref, CEO of AhlulBayt (a.s.) International News Agency - ABNA - pointed out the achievements of the trip as well as upcoming programs.
Among the topics discussed in the speeches of the managers and directors of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly were the study of the economic capacities of Shiites in East Africa, referring the needs of East African Shiites to benefactors, the magnificent reception of East African Shiites from the Secretary General, the reflection of Iranian Islamic culture among the Shiites of African countries, widespread news coverage of the trip of the Secretary General and accompanying delegation to the East African region in media outlets, and the production of television documentaries from the recent trip.
Achievements of the Secretary General’s trip to the East African region
In this meeting regarding the policies of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Mohammad Mahdi Shariatmadar, Director General of the Arab African Countries of the Assembly, stated, “The policies of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly are in line with the transformation and localization of activities. Africa is very important and has many capacities.”
“More than 120 people participated in the meeting of the youth of the East African region, and the fruit of this meeting was the establishment of the African Shiite Youth Association. Also, during the visit of the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly from Kenya, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) Assembly of the country was re-established. The meeting of missionaries of the East African region was held in Uganda with the presence of 180 missionaries, and a three-hour training workshop was held after the meeting,” he continued.
“Among the goals of the trip to East Africa were to carry out organizational work, establishing the African Shiite Youth Association, establishing the East African Shiite Women’s Association, providing a space for criticism and suggestions regarding the activities of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and holding educational workshops,” added the Director General of the Arab African Countries of the Assembly.
Referring to the visits of the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly during his trip to East African countries, Shariatmadar said, “During this trip, Ayatollah Ramazani had about 40 meetings with different people. Also, he made 27 visits to religious centers, seminaries and mosques, eight visits to charitable and public benefit centers, such as clinics and orphanages, and 31 speeches at different gatherings. During this trip, Ayatollah Ramazani met with ulama and figures of Shiite sects, such as Bohra, as well as Sunnis, and even Christian priests, all of which had positive effects.”
“On the sidelines of the Secretary General’s trip to East Africa, inter-university interaction took place, and eight joint meetings were held between representatives of AhlulBayt (a.s.) University and various universities in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. During this trip, actions such as the evaluation of missionaries and appreciation of elderly missionaries were also carried out,” he mentioned.
Further in the meeting, a documentary film about the trip of the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and his accompanying delegation to various East African countries and the programs of this trip was played.
Extensive capacities to operate in Africa
In the special part of the meeting, Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly gave a speech.
Evaluating the actions of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Africa as good and appropriate, Ayatollah Ramazani stated, “These appropriate actions must continue, and this requires jihadi management.”
“On the sidelines of the East African Shiite Youth meeting, the East African Shiite Youth Association was established, in which Shiite youth from 9 countries are members. Also, the East African Shiite Women’s Association was established, and we are looking to establish such associations in the world. Women make up half of the world’s population, and if they step in, they can do great things,” added the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
Pointing to the necessity of refining the members of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Ayatollah Ramazani stated, “So far, no refinement has been done for the members of the General Assembly. While, according to the constitution of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, this measure should be taken every five years. Over the years, some members of the General Assembly have passed away, some have migrated to other countries, and some are no longer active.”
“3,200 missionaries are covered by the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly. Refinement and training are needed for these missionaries. We are looking for the scientific promotion of these missionaries and teaching them different skills through virtual webinars, as well as face-to-face courses through sending professors to their countries,” he continued.
“We should organize different seminars for East African countries on different occasions. The readiness and acceptance of the people there for the AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings is very high. We should seek to send books to East Africa, study the situation of Shiites in this region, and cooperate with various organizations, such as Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University and the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought in Africa,” added the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
“It is necessary to train local missionaries,” Ayatollah Ramazani stated, “We need to identify new people who can lead the branches of the missionaries. In this regard, using local people as much as possible is very desirable.”
“During our trip to East Africa, we saw that Shiite children are studying with minimal facilities, but at the same time, they are very revolutionary and study seriously. We saw the export of the Islamic Revolution there. At the inauguration ceremony of a large complex owned by Shiites in Madagascar, we saw the performance of the hymn “Salam Ya Mahdi” by Shiite children,” noted the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
At the end of his speech, while emphasizing the necessity of monthly follow-up of the approvals and projects started during the trip to East Africa, as well as the need to present reports in this regard, he said, “The financing of these projects was by benefactors associated with the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and by God’s grace, we can do great things in Africa.”
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المجمع العالمي لأهل البيت عليهم السلام، منظمة غير حكومية وعالمية شيعية تعنى بنشر معارف أهل البيت عليهم السلام وترسيخ الوحدة الإسلامية والعمل على اكتشاف وتنظيم أتباع العترة الطاهرة (ع) وتعليمهم ودعمهم.
أنشئت المنظمة علي يد نخبة من الشيعة ويشرف عليها الولي الفقيه والمرجعية الشيعية العليا.
قد قامت المنظمة منذ تأسيسها بدور إيجابي في المستوي العالمي في ترسيخ أسس الوحدة بين مختلف المذاهب الإسلامية.