TEHRAN – Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO) director Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi attended a Majlis session on Sunday to elaborate on the social and cultural status of the country.

150 MPs had praised efforts made by the IIDO director in reopening the religious sites and mosques across the country.

This is the first time the IIDO director has been summoned to brief the Majlis on the activities of the organization.

The director of IIDO, a major organization that promotes Islamic culture and art, is selected by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Qomi, 40, took the helm at the organization in August 2018.

Speaking at the session, Hojjatoleslam Qomi said, “Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that culture is truly oppressed, and the MPs’ aversion to joining the Majlis cultural commission shows this oppression of culture.”

“The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has not been held for about four months, the High Council of Cyberspace is not established yet, the entire budget for the culture of the country is below one-half percent and is equal to the construction of only 300 kilometers highway,” He added. 

Pointing to Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks made in 2011 saying that the country needs 10 million Quran memorizers, Qomi said, “This is not something inaccessible; many countries have reached higher numbers than this. Several organizations including the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization and several other organizations receive budget for their Quranic activities, but how many of these 10 million memorizers have been trained?”

“The big problems in the worlds of economy and security are solved through culture; we need to pay due attention to cultural solutions,” he asserted.

He added that the problems in the daily lives of people such as housing and economic issues need to be solved through increasing cultural capacities.
 
Qomi replaced Hojatoleslam Seyyed Mehdi Khamushi who held the post for more than a decade.

In his decree, the Leader said, “It is necessary that all country’s officials and different institutes back the organization to better carry out its important responsibilities.” 

The Tehran Times, Mehr News Agency, and the Art Bureau are among the numerous cultural institutions working under the auspices of the IIDO.

Photo: Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization director Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi delivers a speech at the Majlis on June 14, 2020. (Mehr/Hamid Vakili)

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