ABNA News Agency is on the path of growth: Ayatollah Ramazani

The commemoration ceremony of Journalist’s Day and the annual meeting of ABNA News Agency was held with the speech of the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in the conference hall of the Assembly in Qom.

ABWA Official Website – On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, the honoring ceremony for journalists, as well as the annual gathering of colleagues of AhlulBayt (a.s.) news agency - ABNA, was held in the meeting hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom.

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In this ceremony, while referring to the arrival of the month of Safar and the captivity of AhlulBayt (a.s.), Ayatollah Reza Ramazani stated, “In the Levant and the captivity of Imam Hussain’s (a.s.) family there, bitter things happened to them. But it provided a correct narrative, and the world followed this narration as an example. At the head of the narrators of the story of Levant, was Lady Zaynab (a.s.).”

We should follow non-controversial management

The professor of advanced courses at Qom Seminary stated, “Mr. Sadraei Aref, the head of ABNA News Agency, has paid attention to the principles of being scientific, jurisprudential, ethical, and Welai (following the Wilayah), as four important principles of management. We believe that management should be non-controversial. Mr. Sadraei Aref has been an example of such management in ABNA News Agency, and we have witnessed the evolution of the news agency during his management period. By using its international capacities, such as communication with 130 countries and having honorary journalists worldwide, ABNA can be a unique news agency. By launching the Korean section, ABNA will become a twenty-eight-language news agency, which is unique and unprecedented in Iran with such a multiplicity of languages.”

“News agencies are not like research institutes where it is enough to operate in a few scientific languages ​​of the world such as English, Arabic, and French. In news agencies and media outlets, multilingualism can be a privilege. About 200 domestic and international channels operating in Iran. Each province has a local network, in which the native language of that province is spoken, and this issue in turn is influential. Bearing this in mind, we should see how many languages ​​the Quran has been translated into. Multilingualism can be a privilege, but its requirements must be considered. A news agency active in 28 languages ​​is actually 28 news agencies,” added, the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

ABNA News Agency is on the path of growth and leap

Referring to the development in ABNA News Agency, Ayatollah Ramazani said, “This news agency is on the path of growth and leap, which is visible in different sectors. For example, fifteen events were organized by ABNA News Agency. The path of progress is being followed and there is a promising perspective for this news agency. In the policy council of ABNA News Agency, which is composed of media experts and figures, it should be examined that during the last 18 months in the new management period, what work has been done with what hardware and software, what work has not been done, and what work should be done; so that the current evolution continues in the future. The performance of ABNA News Agency in the media exhibition and commemoration of the Gazan martyr journalists has been good.”

“Capacities should be consolidated in the ABNA News Agency. Every user who visits any page of ABNA should see that this is a specialized news agency. If there are criticisms in ABNA News Agency, they should be identified and fixed. ABNA should become the scientific refuge and reference for the Shiites of the world. So if anyone in the world wants to receive reliable news about Shiites, he should refer to this news agency. ABNA should have the standards of international news agencies. It needs to be equipped with today’s knowledge and not neglect updating. One of the most important issues that ABNA should pay attention to is the explanation of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings,” he continued.

ABNA News Agency needs scientific support

Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly added, “There are good opportunities for ABNA News Agency. It should have news related to the AhlulBayt (a.s.) followers, institutions related to AhlulBayt (a.s.), and introduce the moderate views of AhlulBayt (a.s.) to the world. Therefore, the ABNA News Agency needs scientific support. In a meeting with the participants in the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution emphasized introducing AhlulBayt (a.s.) to the world. Therefore, by providing knowledge about the AhlulBayt (a.s.) and introducing them, the tendency towards AhlulBayt (a.s.) will be created among world people.”

Pointing to the importance of introducing the AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings to the world people, Ayatollah Ramazani said, “There is a thirst for the AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings, including justice and spirituality among the world people. The AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings will be accepted by people because they are expressed in the language of reason and Fitrah (human divine nature). Regarding the Ashura Uprising, some say that the “Ashura uprising is an exception.” This interpretation is to say that we cannot follow the example of the Ashura Uprising. While this issue is rejected, and Ashura is a great model for Islamic values. Therefore, we should present the AhlulBayt (a.s.) lifestyle in different formats. The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly looks at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) lifestyle as a super project, the outputs of which are published in WikiShia and ABNA News Agency.”

The necessity of honesty and fairness in a news agency

“Giving hope and avoiding disappointment is one of the musts in media activity. Another thing that should be considered in media activity is increasing mental peace in society and avoiding tensions. Critical interpretations should not be used in the media. Honesty and fairness in the news agency should be considered. With honesty, ABNA will be welcomed and trusted by the audience. Although this is against the Machiavellian system, ABNA News Agency must respect honesty and fairness to be a dignified media in the level of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rational justice is another essential point in media activity. There is no absolute peace, but peace must be based on justice, and resistance is defined in this regard,” he continued.

The professor of higher levels of Qom Seminary emphasized, “Improving media literacy is one of the important points for a news agency. Media literacy is one of the most important tools to deal with media distortion. Media distortion is carried out by media giants. Outside of Iran, sometimes the contents are so distorted that the truth is completely hidden.”

ABNA should be a scientific news agency and a promoter of rational religiosity

Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly added, “Identifying the enemy’s line and confronting it, is one of the essential tasks in the field of media that requires research, and aligned organizations must cooperate in this regard. ABNA News Agency must know organizations aligned with it, and a common understanding must be created for the main mission in this field. Introduction, interaction, synergy, and transformation are essential steps towards this cooperation. In this field, there is no solitary activity. Strengthening life skills in soft news format is another important point that must be considered. ABNA should be a scientific news agency and promoter of rational religiosity.”

Referring to the enemy plots, Ayatollah Ramazani said, “The enemy’s media line should be monitored, and the content should be produced based on this monitoring. Today, the enemies are inducing the existence of a dichotomy of religiosity and irreligion to spread the same dichotomy to the political arena. The dichotomy of religiosity and irreligion is very dangerous. Enemies say they are no longer looking to create street protests, but to change people’s minds. Enemies seek to promote violence, induce imprudence and ineffectiveness of the (Iran’s) Islamic government, and lack of people’s presence in the scene to make the Islamic government appear illegitimate. Of course, there are problems in the country, but on the other hand, we have a high position in some sectors, not only in the region but also in the world.”

To deal with the enemy plots, we must define precise strategies

At the end of his speech, while emphasizing the importance of readiness to confront enemy plots, the Secretary General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, “To deal with the enemy plots, we must define precise strategies. We must define detailed strategies to counter the enemy plots. The work priority of some ambassadors of Western countries in Iran is only to deal with cultural affairs. Seminaries are responsible for many tasks including the training of forces at different levels, from Friday imams to mosque imams. The seminary is responsible for training efficient missionaries in the country and the international arena. Seminaries’ other vital task is training. They must train administrators for the international arena. Today, the media must prove its role in this field. Face-to-face propagation is very valuable, but minbar (Islamic speech) should be defined based on social media to have an audience of several million people. Also, we should not see everything as perfect. Rather, we need intra-group and intra-organizational criticism meetings to fix the problems.”

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Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly

The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly  is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that was established by a group of Shiite elites under the supervision of the great Islamic authority of the Shiites in 1990 to identify, organize, educate and support the followers of Ahl al-Bayt.

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