With the presence of the officials of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, a meeting was held to honor international cultural institutions participating in the Lights of Guidance exhibition.
ABWA Official Website – On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, a meeting was held in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly to honor international cultural institutions participating in the Lights of Guidance exhibition, with the presence of the officials of the Assembly.
AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly supports non-governmental cultural institutions: Farmanian
At the beginning of this meeting, while offering his congratulations on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Imam Javad (a.s.), Dr. Farmanian, Deputy for Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, “I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to international cultural institutions for their presence in this exhibition, who accompanied us with their patience in holding this exhibition. This event was the first exhibition in this regard, and it naturally had weaknesses such as being concurrent with exams of the seminaries and universities, lack of space, or insufficient publicity due to time constraints. Nevertheless, it had a good reflection in domestic and foreign media outlets. Also, the presence of all of you encouraged us.”
“According to the decision of the Council of Deputies of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, it was decided that next year the Lights of Guidance exhibition will be held in a wider, more specialized manner and with a dedicated budget. Therefore, we invite active international institutions to participate in next year’s exhibition,” he said.
Regarding the approaches of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Dr. Farmanian expressed, “We welcome all criticisms and suggestions of your organizations, and we are also ready to cooperate in the fields of education and research. In line with its missions, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly intends to support international non-governmental institutions. The Assembly will also expand its relationship with governmental institutions.”
Next year’s “Lights of Guidance” exhibition will be held on a wider scale, quantitatively and qualitatively: Ayatollah Ramazani
Further in this meeting, while congratulating on the occasion of the Ten Days of Fajr, the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, “All criticisms and suggestions of organizations participating in the Lights of Guidance exhibition should be collected in writing so that we can use it in holding the exhibition next year.”
“The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly has no intention to interfere in the detailed work of cultural institutions. Rather, the Assembly is an organizer and has a supporting role,” Ayatollah Ramazani added, “We play the role of organizers, not administrators. In this regard, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution beautifully stated, “The intervention of some institutions has caused disruption in the functioning of small institutions.” In the cultural field, doing repetitive tasks in parallel should be avoided, and this will be achieved by forming a working group or secretariat to coordinate the institutions. The result of this unity is to see the fruits of cultural activities as much as possible.”
“This secretariat will be formed with the participation of the representatives of the institutions, and it will lead to the recognition, consolidation, and development of capacities. The Lights of Guidance exhibition paves the way for introduction, development, and synergy. The Lights of Guidance exhibition paves the way for introduction, development, and synergy. According to the order of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, there should be a change in international activities, and holding such exhibitions is in line with his orders,” he added.
“Holding the Lights of Guidance exhibition this year was a good and useful start. But Next year’s exhibition will be held on a wider scale, quantitatively and qualitatively, and God willing, we will witness its many blessings. The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly also has an active approach in virtual space. Among these activities, we can mention WikiShia website, Naba application, and Thaqalayn satellite TV. We want need held in this regard. Because the work belongs to everyone and therefore everyone should cooperate in it,” Ayatollah Ramazani continued.
“Managers of cultural activities should be patient in the face of criticism. They should act according to verses 25 to 28 of Surah Taha, which reminds the principles of international management,” said the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in the end.
At the end of the meeting, the representatives of the booths and the organizers of the Lights of Guidance exhibition were praised.
It should be mentioned that on the establishment anniversary of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, the exhibition of the achievements of institutions and organizations active in the international propagation of Islam, entitled “Lights of Guidance” was held from Saturday, December 31, 2022, until January Thursday 5, 2023, in the conference hall of the Islamic Propagation Office of the Seminary.
It is also worth noting that the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly was established on December 31, 1990, with the aim of gathering Shiites, establishing relationships within the Shiite world, promoting Shiite seminaries, solving the problems of Shiites with other Islamic Denominations, and benefiting from the real and legal capabilities of Shiites.
The Assembly was established by the order of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, on December 25, 1990, with the aim of introducing the revolutionary foundations, and thought of the Islamic system of Iran to Shiites all over the world. /345/
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that was established by a group of Shiite elites under the supervision of the great Islamic authority of the Shiites in 1990 to identify, organize, educate and support the followers of Ahl al-Bayt.