The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought was established in 1990 by the order of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran and the appointment of the Secretary General and members of the Supreme Council by His Holiness.
- The mission and perspective of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
The mission of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought is to promote knowledge about and deepen understanding and strengthen mutual respect between the followers of Islamic schools and consolidate string of brotherhood among Muslims without any distinction in terms of denomination, ethnicity or nationality, to reach a unified Islamic Ummah.
The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought is an organization consisted of Islamic religious scholars in different countries of the world as one of the important centers for spreading proximity and unity in the Islamic world and sets the scene for interaction between the followers of different Islamic sects. This Forum intends to fulfill the following favorable conditions in the future:1. Approximating the situation of the contemporary Islamic community to the era of the Prophet (PBUH) as an example for religious brotherhood and removal of sectarian prejudices and hostility among the followers of Islamic schools;
2. Expanding the existing solidarity between some Islamic religions to other Islamic religions and all Muslims;
3. Public acceptance of Muslims over religious disputes arising from the jurisprudential criteria;
4. Considering the behavior of the Imams of Islamic religions to each other as an example and spreading it among their followers today.
- The official goals of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
1. Assisting in the revival and expansion of Islamic culture and knowledge and defending the sanctity of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH);
2. Effort to create more familiarity and understanding between scholars, thinkers and religious leaders of the Islamic world in the fields of belief, jurisprudence, society and politics;
3. Development of the thinking of approximation between intellectuals of the Islamic world, and transferring it to the masses of Muslim and make them aware of plots of the enemies of Islam to divide Muslims;
4. Removing pessimism and doubts among followers of Islamic schools of thought;
5. Effort to consolidate and spread the principle of ijtihad and inference in Islamic religions;
6. Trying to create coordination and form a united front against propaganda conspiracies and cultural aggression of the enemies of Islam based on doubtless Islamic principles;
- Strategies and Approaches of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought tries to realize its goals through the following strategies and approaches:
1. Identifying and communicating with people, associations and various Muslim figures of the Islamic world in order to create areas of shared activities;
2. Authorship, research, publishing and distribution of books and journals and appropriate scientific and social surveys and examinations in the fields of common issues of Islamic denominations;
3. Creating and expanding activities of religious Seminaries and Universities in the field of Islamic sciences;
4. Holding conferences and attending appropriate meetings;
5. Membership in international associations, such as the OIC and the United Nations (The Non-Governmental Organizations Section);
6. Establishment of the proximity congregations in different parts of the world;
7. Helping the communities, institutions and individuals with tendency towards approximation;
8. If necessary, establishment of centers, branches and agencies in important areas of the world;
- Pillars of The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
• General Assembly: Members of the general assembly are selected from among scholars, thinkers and leaders of Islamic schools around the world who believe in the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought by the Supreme Council for a six-year period.
• Supreme Council: Members of the Supreme Council are selected from among scholars, thinkers and important figures of Islamic Schools of Thought by the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran for 6 years.
• Secretary-General: It is the highest Executive Authority of The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought who is suggested by the Supreme Council and appointed for a four-year period by the Supreme Leader.
• According to the organizational structure, the organization has some deputies which manage the executive activities based on the subject. In addition to the deputies, The Research Institute for Proximity Studies and University of Islamic Denominations are centers affiliated to The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
1. International Deputy
2. Cultural Deputy
3. Deputy for Iran Affairs
4. Deputy for Executive Affairs and Planning
5. Deputy for Governmental, Parliamentary and Strategic Affairs
6. Deputy for Social Affairs
- About the Guests of the International Islamic Unity Conference
Conference guests are chosen from amongst the elites and educated figures, the ministers of Muslim countries, scholars and muftis, university professors and other academic and cultural communities inside and outside the country. Hundreds of thinkers, scholars and reformers from around the world and thousands of Shia and Sunni scholars from different parts of Iran have participated in the conference and presented their lectures and comments. Also Islamic thinkers from many different countries such as France, Syria, Lebanon, Australia, Egypt, Malaysia, Sudan, Pakistan, India, Azerbaijan, the UK, Jordan, Iraq, Indonesia, Gambia, Palestine, Afghanistan, Senegal, Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen, Greece, Turkey, Uganda, Kuwait, Qatar, the Netherlands, the United Arabic Emirates etc. have participated in the International Islamic Unity Conferences.
- Subjects of the Held Conferences:
The subjects include the issues of concern affecting the unity of the Islamic Ummah, which were the main subject of the 33 conference held and have been discussed in those conferences.1. Islamic Unity
2. Imam Khomeini (RA) and Islamic Unity
3. Achievements of Islamic Unity
4. Approximation between Islamic Denominations
5. Pioneers of Unity
6. The role of intellectual understanding in the approximation of Islamic Denominations
7. Fundamentals of Approximation
8. Quran and Sunnah
9. Conduct and Islamic Unity
10. Government from the Viewpoint of Islamic Schools of Thought
11. Fundamental Characteristics of Islam
12. Islam and the Islamic Ummah in the Next Century
13. Islamic Ummah, Sufferings and Aspirations
14. The status of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) in Islam and Islamic Ummah
15. Adherence to the Principles and Meeting the Needs of Time in Islamic Sects
16. The Universality of Islam and Globalization
17. Islamic Awakening, Future Perspectives and Guiding it
18. Strategy of Approximation of Islamic Schools of Thought
19. Muslims in Non-Muslim Countries
20. Properties of the Conduct of the Holy Prophet (SAW)
21. Charter of Islamic Unity, Criticism and Review
22. Islamic Ummah and the Strategic Plans to Meet the Challenges Facing Unity
23. Islamic Ummah, from Religious Diversity to Sectarianism
24. Intellectual and Practical Solutions for Realization of the Approximation of Islamic Schools of Thought
25. Evaluating 20 years of Activities of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought and Islamic Awakening Conference
26. The Holy Prophet (PBUH): The Symbol of the Identity for the Unified Islamic Ummah
27. The Holy Quran and its Role in the Unity of the Islamic Ummah
28. The Unified Islamic Ummah: Challenges and Solutions
29. Current Crises in the Islamic World
30. Unity and the Need to Confront the Takfiri Currents
31. Unity and Requirements of the New Islamic Civilization
32. Quds; The Axis of Unity of the Ummah
33. Unity of the Ummah in Defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque
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