**Title: The Intersection of Religion and Artificial Intelligence in Iran’s Holy City of Qom**
**Introduction**
The Iranian holy city of Qom has long been known as a center for Islamic learning and pilgrimage. However, in recent years, the wave of global interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has caught the attention of even its religious leaders. As Iran grapples with the clash between tradition and modernity, the country’s religious establishment sees AI as a means to embrace development while maintaining its character as an Islamic country. In this article, we explore the foray of Qom’s clerics into the world of AI, their goals, and the potential impact on Iranian society.
**Embracing Modernity: AI as a Tool for Religious Leaders**
Traditionally, the Shiite clergy in Iran has been the guardian of religious and traditional values, advocating for the preservation of Islamic customs and practices. However, with the rise of demands for modernization in the wake of mass protests in 2020, the religious establishment has started looking into ways to leverage technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as a means of both advancing their religious teachings and demonstrating their openness to development.
Mohammad Ghotbi, the head of Eshragh Creativity and Innovation House, a state-run organization promoting technology growth in Qom, emphasizes that while robots cannot replace religious elders, they can serve as trusted assistants. AI can expedite the process of issuing religious edicts (fatwas), which traditionally would take several weeks or even months, reducing it to a matter of hours. This efficiency allows for a quicker response to contemporary societal issues while upholding religious beliefs.
**The Marriage of Tradition and Technology**
The introduction of AI into religious practices faces some resistance from senior clerics, who prefer a more traditional approach to their studies. However, the younger generation of clerics is more open to technological advancements and sees AI as a means to enhance their understanding of Islamic teachings. A few dozen projects are already underway in Qom and other parts of Iran, exploring the potential uses of AI in advancing religious education and communication.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the head of the Qom seminary, the largest such institution in the Shiite world, has advocated for embracing modern technology and integrating AI into the learning process. He highlights AI’s potential to expedite the studying and deciphering of Islamic texts, allowing senior students to deepen their understanding and communicate their knowledge more effectively.
**The Role of AI Research Centers in Qom**
Qom is home to the Noor Computer Center for Islamic Sciences Research, the city’s main AI research center, affiliated with the seminary. This research center has access to centuries-old scrolls and ancient data sources, which can be utilized to develop algorithms and enrich the AI learning process. The blending of traditional Islamic heritage and modern AI technology creates a unique opportunity for the religious leaders in Qom to leverage their resources and push the boundaries of religious scholarship.
**The Supreme Leader’s Call for Technological Advancement**
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, recognizes the potential of AI and supports the clerical community’s pursuit of cutting-edge technology. He has emphasized the need to prioritize technological development, expressing his desire for Iran to be among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of AI intelligence. Although Iran currently lags behind regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in implementing AI, Khamenei’s endorsement provides a clear mandate for the religious establishment to embrace technology and bridge the gap.
**AI as a Response to Societal Pressures**
The foray into AI in Qom comes at a time when the clerical establishment is facing increasing pressure to alleviate strict social and religious restrictions, particularly on women. In response to protests related to the mandatory Islamic dress code, where a young woman named Mahsa Amini tragically lost her life, demands for a more modern and secular state have intensified. These protests have led to a broader call for change and have challenged the more conservative elements within Iranian society.
Ghotbi argues that rather than diminishing religious fervor, technological advancements and societal shifts have actually driven some individuals towards seeking solace in Islamic teachings. By utilizing AI, the clergy can address public concerns more efficiently and reconcile them with the teachings of Islam. Moreover, AI allows for a broader approach to addressing sociological, psychological, and health issues, thereby increasing the religious leaders’ social impact.
**Localizing Technology to Preserve Cultural Values**
While embracing modern technology, the clerical community in Qom aims to maintain its distinct cultural values. Ghotbi emphasizes the need to localize the use of technology to ensure it aligns with Iranian cultural norms. By integrating AI into their religious practices, the religious leaders seek to strike a balance between technological advancement and preserving the essence of Iranian traditions and beliefs.
**Conclusion**
The holy city of Qom in Iran is witnessing an intersection of tradition and technology through the adoption of artificial intelligence. Religious leaders, while recognizing the need to preserve their cultural and religious values, are embracing AI as a tool to enhance their teachings and address contemporary societal challenges. The integration of AI into religious education and communication allows for a more efficient and impactful approach, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity in Iranian society. As Qom’s clerics continue to explore the potential of AI, they acknowledge the importance of running at the same pace as technological progress.
**Summary**
The article explores the integration of artificial intelligence into the religious practices of Qom, the holy city in Iran. The religious leaders in Qom are embracing AI as a means to enhance their teachings, expedite the issuance of religious edicts, and bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. While some senior clerics prefer a more traditional approach, the younger generation of clerics sees the potential of AI in deepening their understanding of Islamic teachings. The Noor Computer Center for Islamic Sciences Research, affiliated with the Qom seminary, serves as the main AI research center in the city, utilizing centuries-old scrolls and ancient data sources to fuel its endeavors. The support and endorsement of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, provide a clear mandate for the religious establishment to pursue technological advancements. Furthermore, the introduction of AI is seen as a response to societal pressures, allowing the clergy to address public concerns while reconciling them with the teachings of Islam. Through the localization of technology, the religious leaders aim to preserve their cultural values while embracing modernity.
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The Iranian holy city of Qom is better known as a center of Islamic learning and devout pilgrimage than as a center of cutting-edge technology.
But the wave of global interest in the potential of artificial intelligence has overwhelmed even its turbaned religious leaders, eager to explore how AI can help with everything from analyzing long Islamic texts in search of a guide to issuing religious edicts.
“Robots cannot replace religious elders, but they can be trusted assistants who can help them issue a fatwa in five hours instead of 50 days,” said Mohammad Ghotbi, head of a state-run organization in Qom that encourages growth of technology companies.
Iran’s recent history has been characterized by the clash between tradition and modernity. The country’s 200,000 Shiite clergy, half of whom reside in Qom, have been the driving force in protecting traditional and religious values.
But with Iran’s leadership facing growing demands for modernization in the wake of last year’s mass protest movement, the country’s clerical establishment sees technology as a way to show it welcomes development while strengthening character Islamic country.
Ghotbi, who leads the Eshragh Creativity and Innovation House, affirmed this approach, arguing that the clergy should not oppose Iranians’ desire to share global technological advances. “Today’s society favors acceleration and progress,” she said.
The clerical AI push is still in its infancy. Ghotbi said a few dozen projects like his are underway in Qom and elsewhere.
Iran’s religious establishment has been looking for ways to exploit the technology since the first Qom artificial intelligence conference was held in 2020. The head of the Qom seminary, the largest such institution in the Shiite world, recently explained how artificial intelligence could accelerate senior students’ Islamic studies. clergy and accelerate its communication to the public.
“The seminary must commit to the use of modern and progressive technology and artificial intelligence,” Ayatollah Alireza Arafi said in July. “We must enter this field to promote Islamic civilization.”
The city’s main AI research center, the Noor Computer Center for Islamic Sciences Research, is affiliated with the seminary and has access to its centuries-old scrolls and other ancient data sources that could be fed into algorithms.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, also urged clergy to pay more attention to the possibilities of artificial intelligence, saying in June that he wanted the country to be “at least among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of intelligence artificial”. .
But he also said that while “the tools change. . . what does not change are the objectives” of the Islamic republic.
Iran lags behind regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have ambitious plans to use artificial intelligence to boost their economies. But in a show of support for him, Khamenei mandated that clerics pursue cutting-edge technology in an effort to catch up.
Most clerics still follow a more traditional approach to religious study, preferring to sweat through long documents to extract Islamic norms and adapt them to contemporary life. Iran’s dozen or so high-ranking clergy, most of whom are between 80 and 100 years old, are not expected to change course, but younger clerics are likely to be more open to technological advances.
The foray into artificial intelligence comes as Iran’s clerical establishment faces unprecedented pressure to ease strict social and religious restrictions, especially on women.
THE tensions reached boiling point last September following the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest for allegedly failing to properly observe the mandatory Islamic dress code. Mass protests erupted across the country and evolved into a broader call to replace the Islamic republic with a modern, secular state. According to human rights group Amnesty International, more than 300 people died in the riots, while several clerics were attacked and killed. torn turbans.
Ghotbi said it is incorrect to assume that Iranian society is inevitably becoming less religious. Rapid technological developments and the refusal of many women to wear headscarves after the protests have troubled many people, particularly more religious Iranians, and pushed them to seek “rescue” through Islamic teachings, she said.
The technology could also help clergy address public concerns and reconcile them more quickly with Islam, while helping clerics make decisions in an increasingly complex society, he said.
“The clergy must not simply tell followers what constitutes a good deed or how to be sincere. Even fields like sociology, psychology, health and entertainment fall under religious control,” she noted. AI would allow clergy to take a broader approach and therefore “have a greater social impact,” Ghotbi added.
Ghotbi also insisted that AI would not necessarily lead Iran to align more closely with the West’s secular views. “We are working to localize the use of technology because our cultural values differ,” she said.
In the end, however, even the turbaned priests of Qom were not immune to the dizzying speed of technological progress that was making everything move faster: “I am part of this society and I have to run at the same pace.”
“The same power that artificial intelligence gives to society, it also gives to us.”
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