Analyzing the Discourse of the Shiite Clergy in the Face of the Corona Crisis

Religion has a prominent place and role in Iran. During the pandemic of Corona, the institution of religion has been considered and some issues related to the encounter of this institution and the spread of Corona disease in cyberspace, such as closing or not closing religious places and holding or not holding religious rituals, have been challenged and taken into account. Regarding the institution of religion associated with the problem of the spread of Corona disease, the discovery of the relationship between the two issues of "health and science" and "religion" from the perspective of Shiite religious scholars and authorities is important. The "interdisciplinary nature" of this article was considered based on two aspects: 1) The issue of Corona was a comprehensive issue that could be studied using an interdisciplinary approach and regarded from a communication and cultural perspective as it fell in the health category and 2) The theoretical framework of this research was based on the theory of "Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM)", which was one of the theories in the field of intercultural communication that was related to the interdisciplinary field.This article sought to discover the discourse of the religious scholars studying the Shiite world related to the Iranian society with regard to the issue of Corona. These Shiite religious scholars and authorities, who were studied in this research, were as follows: Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Sistani, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli, Ayatollah Hussein Vahid Khorasani, Ayatollah Hossein, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, Ayatollah Musa Shobiri Zanjani, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq Fayyaz. In the meantime, a comparative view of the religious scholars’ positions was pursued and it was tried to discover the significance of their positions.This research was based on a qualitative method. The data collection was based on citing the Internet sites. A Practical Discourse Analysis Method (PDAM) was utilized for analyzing the data and discovering the discourse and extra discourse signs. The analysis unit included parts of the lectures related to and writings on the subject of this research, which were based on theoretical saturation and were available on the Internet. The reviews were done for the period of 2020/02/19-2020/08/20.The discourse and meta-discourse of the Shiite religious scholars and authorities on the issue of Corona were discovered separately and in detail through PDAM. A summary of the analyzed discourses was considered in the two levels of Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) and the discourse related to it. Although all the three interpretive, critical, and applied approaches were regarded by these discourses, the interpretive and applied approaches were mostly emphasized. These were the two approaches that Shiite religious scholars and authorities had taken into account for resolving the Corona crisis. it was based on an interpretation through application of dynamic jurisprudence for interpretation of social situations and making appropriate decisions that were even contrary to the religious obligations. In this context, they interpreted and explained the relationship between prayer and healing. They did not consider health as the final solution to problems and considered prayer and recourse as complementary solutions and linked treatment and health with prayer and recourse. The following table summarizes the mentioned interpretive and applied approaches:A detailed summary of meta-discourse signs relevant to the discourses studied by Shiite scholarsMetaphorical SignsReligious scholarsApplied approachInterpretive approachFollowing health recommendationsSolving social problemsExpansion of dynamic jurisprudencePraying and appealing Obedience to officialsSocial problemsDynamic jurisprudenceSpirituality and prayerAyatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini SistaniSanitation and HealthPublic mobilization, social problems, awakening of humanityDynamic jurisprudencePrayer, spirituality, spirituality Ayatollah Nasser Makarem ShiraziHealth and safetyAttention to humanityFuturism and civilizationGod and prayerAyatollah Abdullah Javadi AmoliHealth professionalsElders of religion and attention to issues-Divine test, divine wisdom, and prayAyatollah Hussein Vahid KhorasaniExpertsPrayer, recourse, repentance--Ayatollah Hossein Nouri HamedaniHealthSocial problems and loss of lifeDynamic jurisprudence and the closure of ritualsPrayer and recourseAyatollah Musa Shabbiri ZanjaniAdherence to and coordination with domestic and global health-Dynamic jurisprudence and necessity-Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq Fayyaz After discovering the discourse of the Shiite religious scholars and authorities on the issue of Corona, which was done independently and by summarizing their meta-discourse signs that expressed the macro views of these scholars to solve the Corona crisis, 4 comprehensive discourses were discovered as follows: 1) Taking health advice; 2) Praying and appealing; 3) Expanding dynamic jurisprudence; and 4) Solving social problemsMetaphorical Signs of Discourses Studied by Scholars  The innovation of this research was paying attention to the role of religion in the issue of Corona disease and religious leaders’ views about it. By discovering the discourse and meta-discourse of Shiite religious scholars and authorities, it was possible to take a more accurate and realistic look at their positions in relation to the issue of Corona and clarify the relationship between the institution of religion and such issues as the Corona crisis.