Tehran Hosts 39th Int’l Islamic Unity Conference
Organized annually by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST), the gathering coincides this year with the 1,500th anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Online sessions began earlier this week, while in-person meetings are scheduled to start on Monday.
Addressing a press conference in Tehran on Saturday, Hojat-ol-Islam Hamid Shahriari, Secretary General of WFPIST, said the event takes place under “special circumstances for the Islamic world” and that final programming would depend on security conditions. “If the situation remains stable, we will be able to carry out many of the programs from last year and previous years,” he noted.
The conference agenda includes the unveiling of new scholarly books, messages from senior clerics, and sessions with both Iranian and international women scholars.
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Shahriari said more than 210 participants are expected, including over 80 senior international figures such as ministers, grand muftis, presidential advisers, and former prime ministers from Muslim countries.
Although the number of foreign guests has declined in recent years, Shahriari emphasized the high caliber of those attending. He said about 200 additional webinars will also feature speeches by scholars unable to travel.
In total, more than 2,800 invitations were issued, and around 1,000 participants are expected in the conference hall, he added.
He thanked Iranian state and academic institutions for their cooperation, noting the involvement of the Foreign Ministry, the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, the Supreme National Security Council, state broadcasting, and universities.
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Shahriari added that nearly 400 papers had been submitted to the conference, with 148 selected for presentation.
The central theme of the event is unity in Islam. Shahriari stressed that the conference has helped turn the idea of solidarity into practice.
“Over the past 39 years, the Islamic Unity Conference has transformed unity from a slogan into a reality. We have moved from domestic unity to regional Islamic fraternity, and now we are witnessing the emergence of global human solidarity,” he said. “This path paves the way for the fulfillment of divine promise and the appearance of the awaited savior.”
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