International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine - The 7th International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine

The 7th International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine

Media

The Society and Government which Prepare the Ground
for the Re-Appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.)
"Strategies and Approaches"

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution:
"In today's world, the media induce thought, culture, behavior and the cultural identity of human beings and have a determining role".

Peace be Upon You (Imam Mahdi) the Inviter of People to God

Awaiting Imam Mahdi (a.s.) means preparing and paving the ground for his Re-appearance and the duty of those who wait is to develop a real waiting Society.

Paving the ground means fulfilling all the duties that a Shiite individual and a Shiite society have towards their Imam and the realization of his goals.

A real waiting society means a society which aligns its goals, relations and programs with the wishes and aims of its Imam. In fact, the identity of a Shiite society and government and their authority and legitimacy rely on the fulfillment of the said duties and responsibilities and the attempts they make to implement them.

Thus, the main duty of a government which wishes to prepare the ground for the Re-appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) is to design strategies and adopt approaches which are conducive to the development of a waiting society. Among the strategies to be adopted, the most important one are of course the cultural ones. All scholars in the field of culture agree that the role of media in attaining cultural objectives is of paramount importance.

In response to the call of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, nayeb-e Imam Mahdi (Deputy to Imam Mahdi), and in order to illuminate and evaluate the importance of culture and the role of media in paving the ground for the Re-appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), Bright Future Institute (Mahdism Research Center), a center associated with Islamic seminaries and follower of maraj-e taghlid (sources of emulation), has chosen “ Media Strategies and Approaches Which Pave the Ground for Re-Appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.)" as the theme of its 7th international conference of Mahdism Doctrine. Scholars and researchers from Iran and abroad are invited to cooperate with us by submitting their works for presentation at this conference in the following categories.

Category I: Paving the Ground for Re-appearance:
1. The duty of those who wait for Imam Mahdi (a.s.)
2. Obstacles and vulnerabilities faced in paving the ground for re-appearance
3. The role of Velayat-e Faghih (the rule of jurisprudent)
4. The role of universities and Islamic seminaries
5. The Cultural indicators of the society and the state which prepare the ground for re-appearance

Category II: Media's Role in Paving the Ground for Re-appearance:
1. Media and culture
2. Strengths and Weaknesses
3. Obstacles and vulnerabilities
4. Media in the Western world
5. Fundamentals, goals and indicators
6. Performance of the media which prepare the ground for re-appearance

Category III: Media Strategies and Approaches which Help Prepare the Ground for Re-appearance:
1. Developing the society with the aim of preparing the ground for Re-appearance
2. Confronting and defeating the so-called "soft wars".
3. Combating the cultural onslaughts.

Explanations:
1- Those interested should forward an abstract of their article (maximum 500 words in Microsoft Word Format) written in English, Arabic, Persian, French or German to the Secretary of the Seminar for consideration by the scientific committee of the Institute preferably via E-mail by 30 March 2011.
2- Researchers whose abstracts are accepted by the BF Institute should forward their articles written in one of the above-mentioned languages (maximum 6,000 words in Microsoft Word Format) to the Secretary of the Seminar for the final review via E-mail or in a CD form by 1 May 2011.
3- Size and font of English or French abstracts and full papers must be Arial 12 and for Arabic should be Arabic transparent 14. For titles and subtitles you may use the bold or a larger size of mentioned fonts.
4- Articles with a close content to proposed titles will be accepted by the scientific committee.
5- Articles must not been published in other publications or even released in other seminars previously held in Iran. The accepted articles will be later published in a book and the rights of their authors will be acknowledged.
6- The conference will be held on 14th and 15th July 2011 in Tehran at the Auditorium of Islamic Leaders’ conference.
7- Those interested should complete the attached registration form and forward it to the Secretary of the Seminar. We are unable to issue an invitation to those who do not send the form or an uncompleted form.
8- The Institute shall undertake to pay for expenses (i.e. ticket and accommodation) relating to journey to Iran (excluding visa fee) for those whose articles are accepted. You should buy your ticket before the journey and we will refund the price paid for it in Tehran. If you cannot manage to purchase your own ticket in advance due to financial circumstances or other hardship, please inform us 60 days before the conference.
9- In the case of acceptance of an article, we will require extra information such as Iranian Visa application form, a copy of Passport and a photograph from those who are living abroad.
10- We extend our hospitality to those who would like to attend the conference without submitting a paper. Unfortunately, the conference will be unable to provide financial assistance but will be more than happy to provide support with obtaining a visa.
Please mark all correspondence to the attention of the secretary of Mahdism Doctrine seminar and do not hesitate to contact us for any inquiry regarding conference and paper submission.
Bright Future Institute,
No. 5, Allay 23, Safaeiyeh Street, Qum, Iran.
Or E-mail to: mdc@brightfuture.ir sec@brightfuture.ir
Deputy of International Affairs:
Tel-fax: +98251-7840905
Web Site: www.mahdaviat-conference.com