Role of mosque confronting soft war phenomenon
By: Askar Islampour Karimi
Soft war is one of the most dangerous threat leaded by west using media and the other dominance means oppose to Muslims. This term was used firstly by IR and Politics Professors of US universities in 1970 and was defined as the best mean of challenge instead of classic hard war.
Joseph Nye was the first scholar who used Soft War term. He described this kind of war as changing the others tendencies. Therefore the others think as we think. Psychological war, white war, media war, soft coup, soft revolution, colorful revolution and velvety revolution are the other names of this term.
Ayatollah Khamenei says: “Enemy targets our border trenches in soft war. They try to destroy our marginal trenches. They target faiths, epistemologies, wills and fundamental principles of a regime in this war”
Enemy recognize the target nation at beginning in soft war. They study the nation’s culture, history, literature and beliefs in order to misinterpret and destroy their cultural elements. Then they export their desirable culture to that nation and enforce it to execute.
Mosque as one of the main elements cause to unity among Muslims community in order to create congeniality plays significant role in shaping thought. We have to attend this important point that roots of soft war backs to the history of Islam and is one of the most dangerous kinds of fight. But enemy uses the Islamic elements to demonstrate himself Islam friendly. For example we can point western media and cinema which seduce our youth in order to change their right Islamic path. Mosques play their important role in this field as the base for religious education.
Right recognition of any culture is necessary to defend it. If our mosques move to change to multi-functional social institutes instead of a place only defined for doing religious affairs, they will be succeed in this war. But the question is that “Are our mosques enough ready to play their social role in age of media which is fully surrounded by new kinds of medias and messaging tools?”
If we draw a tacit and lifeless from religion for our youth, they think the way of happiness and religion is separate from each other. Therefore our youth will be enforced to choose between religion and happiness only one and its normal that he or she choose happiness. That’s why, educations has to be defined such to fulfill our youth needs. This manner causes to ensure them that faith and religion will eliminate depression and sadness nor cause to create these features in them.
In this way, mosques must modify themselves with the daily needs in order to constitute the values and innate them. The other role of mosque is fostering nobleness and liberty. The holy Quran has allocated glory to God, the grand prophet and believers and have emphasized on prevention of pagans dominance over Muslims.
Mosques have served to Islam during its history in defense of religion and its high values. For example we ca refer to decedent Mirza Shirazi Against Nasir – ul- Din Qajar which caused to cancel Talbot Treaty between Iran and Britain. Also we never forget the braveness and fights of Ayatollah Khomeini against Pahlavi Regime and US rule of capitulation in Iran which caused to cancel this shaming rule. These example clearly demonstrate the prominent role of Imams and clergy caste in Muslims society.
Today, the increasing rate of political and social changes demands readiness for changes and accommodation. That’s why, our mosques have to modify themselves with these changes as the most important Islamic religious and cultural institutes. Mosques have to use the most modern technologies to attract youth beside of introducing the Islamic epistemology.