Financial Times cites clerics in Iran: Robots can assist in issuing fatwas

The Financial Times has reported on the connection between the Qom seminary and "artificial intelligence," stating that Iran, under clerical rule, is lagging behind regional rivals like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have ambitious plans to utilize AI to advance their economies. However, according to the Financial Times report, it seems the Islamic Republic wants to use AI to assist clerics in issuing fatwas. The Islamic Republic has dealt significant blows to researchers and economic activists by blocking the internet and reducing its speed. Nevertheless, the Financial Times reporter claimed that "the global wave of interest in the potential of AI has even reached the turbaned religious leaders" of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they are eager to explore how AI can assist them in issuing fatwas. The newspaper spoke with a cleric named Mohammad Qotbi, who has been frequently featured in reports by the government news agency "Hawzah." In the British newspaper's report, Qotbi is described as the head of a government-related organization in Qom - the House of Creative and Innovative Ishraq - which, according to the newspaper, helps grow technology-oriented businesses. The report does not mention the blocking of access for Iranians to various websites or the reduction of internet speed. Qotbi stated, "Robots cannot replace senior clerics, but they can be a reliable assistant that helps them issue fatwas in five hours instead of 50 days." According to the Financial Times, there are 200,000 Shia clerics in Iran, half of whom are in Qom. The Financial Times report links the clerics' interest in using AI for issuing religious fatwas to last year's protest movement and the strong demands for modernizing the country. The newspaper states that the cleric-centered structure governing Iran sees the use of advanced technology in this area as both a response to the people's demands for modernizing Iran and a way to "strengthen the Islamic character of the country." According to the Financial Times, Qotbi believes that the clergy should not oppose Iranians' desire to participate in global technological advancements. In the Financial Times report, Qotbi is quoted as saying that the rapid advancements in technology and many women's refusal to wear mandatory hijab after the protests related to the death of Mahsa Amini in the morality police have "disturbed many, especially more religious Iranians, and compelled them to seek salvation through Islamic teachings." This cleric told the Financial Times that AI does not necessarily lead to Iran aligning with secular Western views and that "we are working on localizing the use of technology because our cultural values are different." Qotbi claimed that the misconception that Iranian society is inevitably becoming less religious is incorrect. Among the statements attributed to him on the government Hawzah website is his claim that the people of Iran have "accepted the discourse of resistance" and have "defended" the Islamic Republic "in all circumstances based on religious duty." This claim comes at a time when protesters in about 200 cities in Iran have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the Islamic Republic and its leaders, including Ali Khamenei, during last year's nationwide protests. This opposition has led to the Islamic Republic's iron fist response, including summonses, arrests, imprisonment, and the killing and injuring of thousands of protesters. Molavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, is among those who have reported on the trend of religious disaffection in Iran and stated that the leaders of the Islamic Republic must listen to the voices of the protesting people.