نشریه مطالعات روابط فرهنگی بین المللی
پیاپی 2 (زمستان 1394)

In Ferdowsi’s Shahnama narratives, in stylistic, literary illustration and imagination, the description of battle scenes are predominant, but in terms of theme, the main and prevalent message is avoiding violence and warning against extremism and massacre.Based on profound intuitive, mythical and Islamic philosophy, Ferdowsi in the narrative of Iraj prefers sustainable dialogue, understanding, peace, and non-violence and in continuation with that he highlights the need for justice and avoiding extremism in the reign of Jamshid, while citing the damages that may ensue as a result of ignoring moderation and humbleness in the second part of his life. As in the story of Fereidun, when the foundations for nationwide government of the great land of Iran is laid, he explains non-violence and avoidance of extremism both through Faranak, Fereidun’s mother, as well as in the course of the charter of governance of Fereidun. Still in a more concerted effort, non-violence and extremism are expressed by Sindokht in the story of the marriage of Zaal and Rudabeh. Finally Rostam, the symbol of Iranian heroism, is the result of non-violence and avoiding war between Iran and Kabul and the fruit of marriage of Zaal, reared by Simorgh legendary bird, with Rudabeh survivor of Zahhak generation. Ferdowsi displays this approach magnificently in the warp and woof of the story of Siavash and Kaykhosrow. Such an approach is even observable in the dialogue between Rostam and Esfandiar to highlight the need for non-violence and war. Finally, it can be said that Ferdowsi’s Shahnama is based on fundamental anthropological pillars due to its Iranian mystical foundations and hence the main themes of this magnum opus are man and his anxieties and concerns. These themes are not only observable throughout the mystical section, but also in the major epic sections.

Some critics of religion argue that religion is a key factor in creating violence in communities due to its sanctification, dogmatism and irrationalism. This paper intends to review the status of rationalism in Islam and its impact on the behavior of the believers. In this connection, the finding of this paper show that Islam’s straightforward emphasis on rationality in understanding the religious beliefs and codes of conduct wipes away the ignorance and misunderstandings and retards any extremism resulting from misunderstandings in religious life. Moreover, the emphasis on rationality does not attribute to upholding wisdom only, rather, it is expected to remove obstacles to the rule of wisdom on human heart and mind – i.e. removing vices. The cause root of violence and enmity in many cases must be sought in whimsical tendencies of man and therefore, Islam’s double emphasis on removing obstacles to the rule of rationality practically guides human beings towards moderation, tolerance and mutual respect in everyday contacts with one another.

As a fundamental element in different schools of thought, Non-Violence has deep roots in Chinese culture. However, among others, Daoism in its unique interpretation of “Dao” (The Way), considers the knowledge of “one-ness” and the nature-based “non-action” the proper approach to a society in which non-violence and sympathy are the pillars of the good communication. Exploring the social and intellectual context of the Daoist flourishing in China, the present study attempts to explain different aspects of “non-violence” in Dao-de-Jing. In order to do so, the alternative schools of thought in china, namely the Confucianism and Buddhism, are studied and then VIA exploring the history of the “Dao” in Chinese culture, Non-violence in different sutras of Dao-De-Jing is explained.

It is for years that the Middle East is suffering from domestic and foreign-induced conflicts because the region is very prone to violence, uprising and war. The ill-fated situation is chiefly due to weak ruling systems and dictatorships, border disputes among the states, tribal, ethnic and traditional fabric of communities in this region, … These have brought about wars and violence in the Middle East. Under the circumstances, the players are involved in such a way to take violence as a means of survival and for pursuing their interests. In addition to the above, the presence of Zionist regime’s expansionism have resulted in escalation of violence in the region more than ever. This paper intends to study the role of the Zionist regime in escalation of violence in the Middle East, discussed according to Galtung''''s Theory of Structural Violence. Therefore, the hypothesis suggests that the oppressor regime of Israel has misused the critical condition in the Middle East – that is prone to types of clashes and violence – to escalate violence in the region by resorting to the religious instructions and geographical conditions as well as applying direct and indirect means of violence

World cultural and historical monuments, due to their meta-historical, meta-geographical and multinational nature, oblige and encourage international organizations to protect these cultural and historical heritages legally and against any criminal act. The ISIS demolition of historical and cultural monuments of Middle Eastern nations with are based on millennia-old culture and civilization and the sale of some of the artefacts to meet their costs and increase the revenues of the terrorist group have outraged organizations, institutions and sponsors of ancient human heritages. By examining the actions committed by these groups, we come across cases the principle of prohibition of aggression and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the world based on the mandatory rules and inviolable international law. Also international statute of the International Criminal Court clearly refer to the occupation of swathes of land by the ISIS as commitment of international crime which is a solid basis for summoning and trying these groups on international level. Their atrocities reach their peak when of sensitivity in the Middle East by considering the fact that sacred places and hole shrines of the Muslims, particulalry those of the Shias, are located in the Middle East and any invasion or aggression of these sites would lead to instability and more tension. Attaining sustainable peace and security in international community to protect and preserve cultural and historical heritages is achievable only in the light of international unity to protect ad preserve global heritages.

The dynamic jurisprudence of Islam based on religious epistemological system is capable of providing man with rational rules to reconcile “authenticity” or “originality” with “contemporariness”. On this basis, jurisprudents can first interpret and analyze social issues, and, then, find appropriate responses using jurisprudential sources. To that end, they use rational and traditional (narrations) sources moderately but not radically because a petrified interpretation of religion is a bitter result of extremist attitude toward wisdom. From among the newly emerged phenomena, the modern-day man is facing the challenge of the concept and subject of “weapons of mass destruction”. In this paper attempts have made to review the whyness and whatness of the jurisprudential-legal theory of the Leader in prohibiting “production, proliferation, accumulation and use” of the weapons of mass destruction in line with supporting immunity of mankind against this dreadful phenomenon. Upon Barack Obama’s reference to this Fatwa and approval of President Hassan Rouhani’s idea of “world against violence and extremism” at the United Nations General Assembly, the subject has become very important. This study is an effort for conceptualization of Islamic cosmology and anthropology that provides answers to four essential questions: objective necessities for presenting such a theory; important legal international issues; national, regional and international commitments to this Fatwa; and the opportunities this theory provides for non-violence activists and those opposing weapons of mass destruction across the world

The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) was established in 1995 for centralization and coordination of cultural missions overseas. The organization is to realize such goals as publicizing Iranian-Islamic culture across the globe and boosting Iran’s cultural relations with other countries. On the other hand, the world is today the scene of much violence, conflicts and wars, particularly sectarian-religious clashes in the international system. Some experts and scholars are of the opinion that infusion of culture in the international relations and development of cultural communications on international level can be influential in de-escalation of violence and in controlling the conflicts. On this basis, the role of such organizations as ICRO with cultural activities as pillars of its goals and responsibilities can be outstanding in removing grounds for violence and conflicts, in particular, the sectarian-religious conflicts in the Middle East. The main question of this paper is: What is the role of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization in the establishment of peace and security? Studies show that the organization can carry out such functions as interreligious dialogues, dialogue among civilizations, and meetings for proximity among Islamic faiths. The theoretical basis for this study is founded on the viewpoints of G. M. Michael and the The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies (1982). The research method applied in this study is descriptive-analytical and the data collection is based on library method.