AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hojat al-Islam Dr. Mohsen Elviri, associate professor and head of the Department of History at Baqir al-Olum University (a.s.), delivered a speech at the unveiling ceremony of the Encyclopedia of Shiite Teachings, held on Thursday morning, December 18, 2025, at the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
Dr. Elviri said his remarks focused on “Encyclopedia Writing as a Strategy for Introducing Shiism to the World.”
He explained that encyclopedia writing in the eighteenth century emerged as a tool for consolidating fragmented bodies of knowledge within a given field and transforming them from personal or group-based endeavors into a form of public intellectual capital. Beyond democratizing access to knowledge and making scholarly findings widely available, he said, encyclopedias also shaped modes of thinking and, for that reason, became instruments of intellectual and political contestation.
Referring to the experience of encyclopedic scholarship in Islamic civilization, Dr. Elviri stressed the necessity of compiling Shiite encyclopedias. He said that under current conditions, encyclopedia writing, alongside other scholarly and cultural approaches to introducing and promoting the school of the AhlulBayt (a.s.), constitutes a fundamental and indispensable initiative, with wide-ranging impact, broad audiences, and high effectiveness
The head of the history department further noted that the author of The Shia Revival argues that Shiites gained significant regional power following the Islamic Revolution, particularly after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Drawing, he said, on perspectives associated with Samuel Huntington, the author frames the ongoing conflict in what is commonly called the Middle East as a struggle of religious identities, with Shiites positioned on one side, and maintains that the expansion of democracy in the region would naturally translate into greater political influence for Shiite communities.
Dr. Elviri concluded by saying that the Encyclopedia of Shiite Teachings represents an important and effective step in this direction. He also pointed to the online encyclopedia WikiShia, currently available in 16 languages and expected, according to reports, to reach 30 languages by the end of the year, as another significant platform for advancing this effort.
**************
End/ 345
