University of Religions and Denominations

In 1995[1] a group of scholars from Hawza of Qom interested in and concerned with religious and cultural matters, decided to pioneer a movement towards the study of various religions and other Islamic sects and denominations. This resulted in the establishment of a research institute which eventually became the University of Religions and Denominations. The institute began its activities with a group of students from Qom Seminary in a small building, with meager resources and facilities. At first, there was a special four-year academic course in three fields: Abrahamic Religions, Non- Abrahamic Religions and Islamic Sects. During their studies, the students also learned English, Sanskrit and Hebrew languages. After about ten years of hard work and endeavor, training of elite students, and meeting the legal requirements governing the universities, this institute became legally a university.

This university is a private centre of learning and research. It has the following ideals and goals:

• To train students and researchers in the fields of religions, Islamic denominations and the Shiite studies
• To provide Qom Islamic Seminary (Hawza) with support and consultation regarding the above-mentioned fields
• To train scholars from the seminary for dialogue with scholars of other religions and sects
• To acquire profound and accurate knowledge of Islam and Shiism
• To answer all questions and inquiries concerning Islam and Shiism
• To strive for the spread of ethics and spirituality amongst all, taking account of what all religions have in common and share with each other
• To strengthen and increase the scientific output of home (Islamic/Iranian) scholars
• To carry out essential, applicable and comparative research in the above mentioned fields
• To print and publish magazines, periodicals and books on different religions and sects
• To establish two-way relationship with similar institutes and universities worldwide as well as other researchers and academics.

The university currently has three departments:

1. Department of Religions
2. Department of Islamic Sects
3. Department of Shiite Studies.

There are nine courses of study with about 500 male and female students currently pursuing their master’s degrees.

Each department has three courses of study. The courses available at the Department of Religions are Abrahamic Religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism); Non-Abrahamic Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism) and religions of ancient Persia. The courses available at the Department of Islamic Sects are: Sufism and Islamic spirituality, Theological Sects and Jurisprudential Sects and the courses available at the Department of The Shiite studies are: Shiite studies from a theological perspective, Shiite History and Studies of Shiite Sects.

This university has a dedicated research centre which has five research groups and corresponding work-groups. All the research undertaken by the members is carried out under the supervision of this centre. These groups are as follows:

1. Abrahamic Religions: this group carries out research on history and theories, philosophy and theology, ethics and spirituality, sacred scriptures and the laws and rituals of Christian and Jewish religions.
2. Non-Abrahamic Religions: this group is concerned with the study of Eastern, The Far East and Persian Religions.
3. Sufism and Islamic Spirituality: This group works on the history of Sufism, theoretical spirituality, Sufi sects and the comparative study of the mysticism of different religions. Islamic Sects: This group carries out research on Shia, Sunni and Jurisprudential Sects

The University’s Publishing House under the supervision of the president is responsible for printing and publishing titles containing the outputs of scholars and researchers. There are two separate entities:

1. University of Religions Publications: Publishes books written or – translated by researchers at the university and its various departments as well as works by other researchers in the field of religions and sects
2. Adyan Publications: Publishes books mainly written or translated by scholars from other universities

The Haft Aseman (Seven Heavens) Quarterly, is the publication of this scholarly/research quarterly. This magazine concerns with important and valuable results as learning about the discoveries, doctrines and experiences of the followers of other religions as well as appreciating, restudying and renewing one’s own religious beliefs. By printing and publishing the results of different research efforts, it paves the way for productive interaction and dialogue between different religions and sects. more than 60 issues of this magazine have so far been published. It is one of the essential Persian sources for research on religions and sects. Each issue contains dialogues between scholars from Iran and around the world on the subject of religions and sects. In the section on the glossary of religious terms, an explanation of entries pertaining to other religions is provided.

To meet the need to communicate with other universities and centres of learning around the world, this office is tasked with identifying individual researchers both Iranian and foreign who are engaged in religious research and studies in order to share findings and pave the way for dialogue between the adherents of different religions.

Specialized library of Religions and denominations among the specialized libraries allocated to the study of religions, Which are so few in number, the library of the University of religions and Denominations is claimed to be the outstanding one. Containing an excellent supply of books and periodical in Persian, Arabic and English, this library is considered to be one of the richest libraries nationwide. Resources are mainly on Islamic denominations, Christianity, Eastern religions and interdisciplinary studies.[2]

The library of this university houses books on Islamic sects, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, primitive religions etc. There are also Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian Encyclopaedias. This library is one of only a handful in the country specializing in the field of religions and sects and acting as a reference resource for a great number of clerics and academic researchers. The library has around 56,000 titles in Persian and Arabic languages and about 16000 Latin/English ones.[3] Moreover, there are many magazines and periodicals in the said languages which can be accessed directly by all students.

This office was established in order to deepen and broaden the fundamental and academic efforts in the field of religions and Islamic sects, to examine the meeting points of universally accepted moral values of human rights and religions, to discover the positions of different religions and to promote the religious approach to Human Rights. It began its work in May 2008. Researchers in the field of religions and human rights as well as a group of experts in similar fields hold regular seminars. This office is also responsible for translating and writing books and articles.

• Official Website of University of Religions and Denominations