AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The academic-research session "The Doctrine of Resistance in Shia Culture with an Emphasis on Nahj al-Balaghah; An Analysis of the Resistance of the Iranian People in the Ramadan War" was hosted by the Office of Studies, Research, and Investigation of the Deputy for Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the AhlulBayt World Assembly, in cooperation with the Short-Term Education Institute of Al-Mustafa International University and ABNA News Agency.
In this session, Dr. Hafizullah Fuladi, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the Research Institute of Hawzah and University, elaborated on various dimensions of the Iranian nation's resistance from the perspective of Alawite teachings.
Also at this session, Dr. Davoud Safa, a faculty member of Al-Mustafa International University, presented a discussion on "The Reproduction of Gender Identity in the Context of Collective Action: A Sociological Explanation of Women's Agency in the Ramadan War."
Dr. Safa, referring to the hidden layers of women's agency in contemporary crises, emphasized the necessity of redefining gender identity in the context of collective actions, and described the Ramadan War as a field for the manifestation of women's social insight.
At the beginning of his remarks, posing the question of why the study of gender identity has become important today, he stated that contemporary society, in its movement towards modernity, faces serious challenges in the sphere of the family. Dr. Safa explained that identity has two layers—external (behavioral) and internal (cognitive and emotional)—and emphasized, "Sometimes there may be conflicts within that identity or between roles, or even intra-role conflicts."
The Crisis of Authority; Between Religious Models and Virtual Displays
Safa identified the root of the identity conflicts of today's women as "competition in semantic authorities" and stated that women today do not derive their identity from a single source. Citing examples of this challenge, he said, "A woman may, in one instance, take her authority from the Instagram-centric model, in another from Qur'anic verses and narrations, and in yet another from religious models." According to him, this overlapping of authorities leads to identity interference in a society whose pace of change exceeds the adaptive capacity of its actors.
The faculty member of Al-Mustafa International University described Iranian society as a society in transition—neither completely traditional nor completely modern—and this has resulted in "simultaneous stagnation and dynamism in identity." Critiquing Western views such as Habermas's, he noted that contrary to their assumption that conflict arises from a lack of freedom, women in the Islamic system have responded to their identity conflicts through genuine participation on the field.
The Ramadan War; A Civilizational Test and Perceptual Engineering
Dr. Safa, in another part of his remarks, described the "Ramadan War" as more than a military battle and called it a "war with a civilizational model." He warned that today's colonialism is a "cultural-perceptual colonialism" aimed at controlling the mind and engineering meaning. He emphasized that in such a critical atmosphere, the hidden layers of social structures, such as resilience and socialization, are put to the test.
The Legacy of the Martyred Leader and the Manifestation of the Third Model of the Muslim Woman
Praising the irreplaceable role of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and the "martyred Leader" in explaining the foundations of resistance, he stated, "The martyred Leader had laid so much groundwork... and now we are witnessing its fruits." Safa stated that women's presence on the field is influenced by three identities—fundamental, situational, and relational—and that by following the example of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) and justice-seeking Shiism, the fundamental identity has been transformed into "social insight."
Dr. Safa, explaining the "third model of the Muslim woman," defined this model as a woman who is neither the "exhausted Western woman turned into a cultural commodity" nor the "traditional Eastern woman lacking social agency."
He emphasized that this woman is an active agent and civilization-builder who stands at the intersection of religious, national, and revolutionary identity, and reproduces this identity in arenas such as Arba'een, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the jihad of clarification.
Narrative from the Heart of the Field; "We Feel Empowered"
This researcher, citing in-depth field interviews conducted during the Ramadan War, pointed to the concrete vocabulary used by the actors, saying, "In our interviews, the words they used included 'we feel empowered,' 'we were seen.'" He added that their presence was not an ordinary choice but a "religious existential call," to the extent that they said, "I had to go; I couldn't stay home. If I hadn't gone, my conscience wouldn't have been at ease."
Paradigm Confrontation; Islamic Complementarity Versus Western Conflict
Safa, explaining the three principles for managing identity challenges, emphasized the principle of "complementarity" (zawjiyyah) and contrasted it with the feminist perspective. Citing a statement by Ayatollah Abedini, he elaborated on the difference between the Western and Islamic views, saying, "The Western view in analyzing the system of existence leads to a kind of dialectic based on conflict and opposition, but in the Islamic view, the foundation of existence is based on complementarity, which means synergy and mutual complementarity."
Proposing a Global Model for the Muslim Woman
He also introduced the two principles of "prioritizing roles" and "legitimate social presence" as the pillars of the indigenous model of religious democracy.
Safa emphasized that women's social participation within this framework is neither negated nor considered unrestricted; rather, it gains legitimacy while preserving dignity and the authenticity of the family.
Dr. Safa concluded by proposing that this model be redefined as a comprehensive model for regulating the individual and social relationships of the Muslim woman at the international level.
He noted that this research is documented by Qur'anic verses and field methods and can serve as the basis for a major transformation in family and resistance studies.
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