According to the University of Religion Public Relations, IKNA News Agency has conducted an interview with Hojat-ul-Islam Wal-Muslemin Sayyid Abolhassan Navab president of university about linking between university and howza ceremony of linking between university and howza week which is come’s bellow:

It is now 42 years since the idea of linking between university and howza is passed; The ideal which philosophy was the cooperation and accompanying two elite and academic groups university and hawza to serve the people in Islamic society. How successful or not, and where and where the reasons and obstacles of this realization were, and many other things that were motivated by the day of linking between university and howza, with Hojat-ul-Islam Wal-Muslemin Sayyid Abolhassan Nawab. Nawab, a professor of the howza, university, founder, and president of the International University of Islamic Religions and Denominations, has served for many years in these two human and scientific institute, the hawza and the university. In this interview, he emphasized the concept of “serving the people and Islamic society” several times and meant the ultimate goal of the howza and the university in the shadow of this service.

We read the details of this conversation:

Ikena – To start the discussion, please tell us what is the definition of linking between university and howza in your view?

In my opinion, the phrase ” linking between university and howza ” is wrong, because if we want to know the true meaning of unity, it is very difficult. If our philosophical unity is to be considered, we must also think of the concepts that can be linked to the path. Therefore, in my opinion, the use of this virtual or quasi -speech is, and linking between university and howza does not make sense. The best definition is to say; There must be “cooperation, coordination and companionship” between the two scientific and religious institute.

Much has been done to coordinate the hawza and the university, and there are many shortcomings, problems, bugs and obstacles;for example,west built the university, and it was based on “secular science”; Of course we made some efforts, but the university is based on it. On the other hand, the hawza is based on “god science” and we must know that secular sciences are never united with god sciences.

linking between university and howza can only be achieved in the shadow of “serving the people”

What does the linking between university and howza mean?

In old past time medical sciences is in the hawza; For example, this happened in the time of Bu Ali Sina and Khawaja Nasir. But now in the hawza; There are no medical, engineering and basic disciplines. So it does not make sense with that area of unity. There must be a unity between the humanities of the university and the sciences of unity. Unity is not formed, because there are two different styles of education, but their coordination and cooperation have made great progress over the past 42 years, so you can provide a model to Iraq as a country that has both a hawza and university. But the howza of “university” and the howza of “hawza” are different. The waterfront, the center and the settlement are two things. This coordination has contributed to both, and has infiltrated the university’s ethical and religious principles, as well as order, planning, accuracy and more from the university. The hawza must a little come out mental state and turn to active state that the university has helped the hawza. The form of education in advanced universities around the world is especially “professional” in graduate education.

IKNA in your opinion as a person who worked for many years in hawza and university; What is the true meaning of the linking between university and howza?

The “unity” of these two institutions does not mean and does not make sense in real meant, because the unity we say in the subject of Shia and Sunni unity means the same. Today we no use the word unity about Shia and Sunni interaction longer; Instead, we use the word “peaceful approximation and coexistence of Shia and Sunnis”. We do not want to be confused about the linking between university and howza; That is, we do not want to say that they must be the same in everything, but they must have two different functions and goals. They both work on science and are elite and provide the country’s elite staff. So the advantage of society is depend to how they and have cooperation.

Perhaps the main goal was to face them on each other, to train the two elites to stand up, but we say that these two “hawza wings and university wings” are elite and solve the problems of society and, if they want to solve the problems of the community. Should work through cooperation and coordination, and this has had good success so far and is far from the desired point.

IKNA – What is the way to collaborate?

The way is to be able to train a generation, whether in hawza or university, that has no purpose except to serve the people. Today many of the issues in the country are from these two societies, and no one considers themselves responsible. Why the coordination between these two has not been so good that we are not recognizing priorities. Ethics in these two institutions is weak in the howza of university and hawza.

So, we must say that “unity” has been achieved at some level, because now me as a person who studied in the hawza is managing the affairs of the university. The goal of clergyman and academics should be to solve society’s problems. The goal of society is to reform it, including moral, political, cultural and social reform. What has the hawza done with these 4 concepts? The howza should instill “the spirit of understanding and coexistence” in the university and the people.a veiled woman and a non-veiled woman talk to each other and communicate with each otherin another country. Are we have not non-veiled women in Islamic country? Do we not have hijab and tentless women in neighboring countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria? But a veiled person is never hostile to a person without a veil. Why do we consider these to be enemies of each other?! These are human beings and people. The howza has proven to be united with the university to influence that community.

IKNA – Why has the spirituality of the hawza not been transferred to the university?

The person in charge of our education is also from university. Don’t Doubt that all the education teachers were trained in the university. Therefore, we are not looking for unity, but we are looking for spiritual unity. But why should not the spirituality of the howza be transferred to the university? Why did our university become a moral university? Why are our graduates not moral? There has been insufficient work done on the spot and one of these two institutions has done insufficient work. There is no such unity in humanities, technical and engineering sciences. Now we Should say “morality and spirituality” which is the main of howza are not transferred to the university?

IKNA – Did you think about this unity or, in your interpretation, coordination and cooperation with international forms?

Regarding the international nature of the howza, we must say that we don’t want and we shouldn’t do it by force in other things and say that it should accept our culture, but we should beattractive enough to learn from this cooperation model instead of imposing our culture. Our programs should be so detailed and interesting that we educate a generation morally. Now the poor performance in these two institutions is crystal clear.

What’s the most important obstacle to reach on this goal?

You are your obstacle, get up of yourself. The selfishness, egos, snobbery, self-centeredness of the howza and the university made us unable to train young and dedicated human resources. People and society needed this human resource, but we were looking for self-centeredness.

The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Rum, verse 32: “Of those who separated from their religion and became Shiites. And all group are happy with what they have.” From those who divided the religion (nature) and divided it into sects, and each group is happy with what they have. Everyone said that I and my party should go ahead and that the country has nothing to do with me. Imam, leader and others have read in our ears so much that the poet said: Your ear and my moan / What does not reach anywhere is a yelling.

The link between the howza and university is realized only in the shadow of “serving the people”.

IKNA – Which organization is in charge of promoting the district and university?

We do not want a trustee at all. Special organization is not responsible for this. The research office of the hawza and university researches, but the institution is not the guardian of the unity of the hawza and university. The issue is two space of humanity and elite, whioch should use each other. Do they have multiple goals? Do they have more than one purpose? Isn’t the goal of the howza and the university to serve? Shouldn’t these be prepared for serving? Serving humans does not require organization. Let’s start from our own alley. We know a person in our street who is in a bad situation. We know an old man who needs help. A person does not need a speaker or a device to help his fellow man. Mr. so-and-so, come out of the houses and help this neighbor. Serving requires conscience. Which organization wants to coordinate me and other organization that our people need empathy and companionship. In my opinion, the needs of the people are clear and there is no need for identification, on the other hand, there is no need for an organization to serve the people. We are not looking to be satisfied with the unity of form and appearance. What is the difference between unity of form and appearance? The difference is that unity in the Islamic sense is not a show and plan once a year. It has a practical and spiritual aspect and must maintain its spirituality.

At the first of conversation, I said that many services have been done and a lot of initial work has been done in the theoretical discussion. Today, compassionate doctors are being trained in our universities who travel to deprived areas and serve the people of the country as part of a medical team, but this culture has not spread and what we expected has not been done.

IKNA – In what condition is the coordination between the howza and the university achieved?

The linking between the howza and the university is achieved when the goal is the same; It means that the aim of the howza and the university is only to serve. It is in the goal or on the way or in the doing. All three have the same purpose. We have one goal, to serve people. One way is the way to reach the goals of the people, and if these goals are achieved, unity will be achieved; otherwise, unity in form and appearance is useless.

IKNA- After the revolution, which figure or scientific community has been a successful example of the unity of the hawza and the university?

Great scholars worked hard in this howza, but if we want to name prominent people, Martyr Motahari, Martyr Muftah, Martyr Bahonar, Martyr Mousavi, one of the martyrs of the Republican Party, and other martyrs of this party, and Martyr Beheshti are clear examples of this connection. Many of the current scholars Ayatollah Arafi, the head of the hawza, who has 30 years of experience in managing the office of cooperation between the hawza and the university, is one of the successful figures in this topic. We have many symbols of unity, but these are not enough. Efforts have been made, but it is not enough. The day you come for an interview and I will say that we have reached a place today thanks to the blessing of the unity of the hawza and the university, that is, the good cooperation of hawza and academics in terms of opinion and practice, that now no one feels illiterate, homeless, and in the society there is empathy, cooperation, and companionship in a practical way. It exists, which means that these two institutions have properly implemented their work. The day when the people of the society have a sense of peaceful and respectful coexistence and constant cooperation with each other, and we in the hawza and university should move towards the education of such a person.