The Miracle of 'Converting 50 Million to Shia' and 'Martyring' Many of Them in Syria and Iraq

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi was born in 1959 in the city of Meybod. He studied advanced jurisprudence and principles under Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Morteza Haeri, Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, Ayatollah Javad Tabrizi, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, and Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani. He learned the metaphysics of Muslim philosophers from Morteza Motahhari, Jawadi Amoli, and Mesbah Yazdi. He is one of the jurists favored by Ayatollah Khamenei and has a significant path ahead. Some of his backgrounds and responsibilities are as follows: President of the World Center for Islamic Sciences and a member of its board of trustees, membership in the Cultural-Social Council of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, membership in the Public Culture Council of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, management of the Educational Sciences group at Imam Khomeini Institute, membership in the board of trustees of the International Hoda Institute, research vice-presidency of Qom Seminary, presidency of the board of trustees of the Meybod Quranic Sciences Faculty, membership in the Congress of Religious Researchers of the country, editorial management of the journals of the seminary and university, economic essays and Islamic education, membership in the board of trustees of the Office for the Promotion of Islamic Seminary, membership in the Scientific Research Council of the country, membership in the board of trustees of the World Center and the Organization of Schools Abroad, appointment as Friday Prayer Leader of Meybod by Ayatollah Khamenei in 1992, member of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, appointment to the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council on June 6, 2011, appointment as Friday Prayer Leader of Qom, presidency of the Al-Mustafa International University, and in July 2016, the Supreme Council of Qom Seminary elected him as the new manager of seminaries across the country. He was a candidate in the 2015 Assembly of Experts elections in Tehran but did not win. The original, reformist jurist, Ayatollah Khamenei highly appreciates him and is promoting him. In 2002, Ayatollah Khamenei summoned Arafi and said to him: 'You have been offered responsibilities before, and you did not accept them due to conflicts with academic work, but the World Center for Islamic Sciences [an institution managing non-Iranian students in Iran] is a seminary institution, and it is appropriate for you to take over its management.' Arafi wrote a plan for the World Center for Islamic Sciences, and when Khamenei studied it, he said: 'This writing is from an original, reformist jurist and manager.' In 2016, Ayatollah Khamenei told Arafi: 'I am completely satisfied with your performance in Al-Mustafa over these continuous years.' In the last meeting that Arafi had with Khamenei along with graduates of Al-Mustafa, after reporting on the eleven activities of his center, Khamenei said: 'The way is what Mr. Arafi said, and all of these should be attended to and followed.' After Arafi was elected as the manager of seminaries across the country, Ayatollah Khamenei said: 'The truth has been established in its place.' Arafi wrote a program for seminaries across the country and presented it to Khamenei. After studying that program, Khamenei wrote: 'I have read your program and like it and accept it. Although it has ambitious goals, they are correct and profound ambitions. Even if 20-30 percent of that program is realized, it would be significant. The pathology you mentioned in your program is also correct and profound.' The strategic position of 'Al-Mustafa International University' was established as a center for non-Iranian students in Qom after the revolution. Initially, it was named the 'Supervisory Council of Non-Iranian Students.' After a while, it was renamed the 'World Center for Islamic Sciences.' Subsequently, this center was divided into two entities: 'World Center for Islamic Sciences' - for non-Iranian students residing in Iran - and 'Organization of Schools and Seminaries Abroad' - for managing and supervising seminaries outside Iran. In 1999, these two entities were merged into a single entity named 'Al-Mustafa International University' by the order of Ayatollah Khamenei. Fifteen names for this new entity were proposed to Ayatollah Khamenei, and he ultimately chose the name 'Al-Mustafa International University.' The institution began its work in 2009. This entity has a board of trustees that initially appointed Arafi - with the approval of Ayatollah Khamenei - as its president, and he has held this position since then. After two years of planning, the first five-year program of this center was prepared in 2011 and was implemented from 2012. The second five-year program has also been implemented since the beginning of 2017. On July 29, 2017, Saber News conducted an extensive interview with Ayatollah Arafi about 'Al-Mustafa International University,' which Rajanews also republished. Activities of Al-Mustafa International University include: A- All seminaries around the world are under the unified management of this entity. B- The number of foreign students residing in Iran increased from 60 countries to 130 countries. C- The number of seminaries in other countries increased from 30 countries to 60 countries. D- Hundreds of new centers and institutions were established in other countries. E- For students in the comprehensive educational transformation plan, 394 fields and orientations have been predicted at various levels, and more than one hundred fields and orientations have been implemented. F- It publishes 50 journals in various languages. G- Since 2015, it publishes one book daily in 30 living languages. H- For students residing in Iran, 300 cultural, artistic, and scientific student associations and centers have been established. Their productions are published as books and articles. I- 6,000 foreign students from 80 nationalities use the virtual university of the center. J- 40,000 graduates of the institution have returned to their countries, and 40,000 non-Iranian students are studying at the center. K- The total number of students with their families exceeds 300,000, and the institution has planned for all their families. L- 7,000 Sunni students are studying at the center. M- Persian language has been taught to all students and their families. The Shiite army and the Shiite-making project. This brief report shows why Ayatollah Khamenei is very pleased with the activities of this institution and its presidency. In 2010, when Ayatollah Khamenei traveled to Qom, he had a private meeting with the students of this center. According to Arafi: 'During the days leading up to the meeting with the Supreme Leader, there was an extraordinary excitement among the students of Al-Mustafa for meeting the Supreme Leader, and on the day of the meeting (October 24, 2010), when they met the Supreme Leader, most of the foreign students, whose number was several thousand at that meeting, began to cry out of the intense love and affection they had for him.' It was truly an extraordinary meeting. Just imagine, in front of the leader of a country, about 130 nationalities present, shedding tears of joy, and considering themselves devoted to that leader. Such a thing does not exist anywhere in the world. After the meeting, the officials decided to hold a press conference and broadcast it on television, which, after being publicized, created numerous positive reactions in society. After that meeting, the Supreme Leader gained much more trust in our work, and at that time he told the officials to 'go ahead with whatever Mr. Arafi says.' However, two other activities of this institution have played a strategic role for Ayatollah Khamenei. First - According to Arafi: 'Many of the fighters of the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades are our graduates who have joined these brigades spontaneously and without our intervention; many of them have been martyred and wounded, and many are currently on the battlefield. A while ago, when I went to Lebanon, I had a meeting with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah from Maghrib prayer until Fajr about the issues of Al-Mustafa.' Second - Al-Mustafa International University has converted about 50 million people to Shia Islam worldwide during this time. If we consider the entire report of the original, reformist jurist Ayatollah Khamenei to be 100 percent accurate, this last claim is absolutely unbelievable. Converting 50 million people to Shia Islam in just 8 years means 6 million and 250 thousand per year. 'Such a lion has not been created by God.' I do not think even in George Orwell's 1984 could such a thing be accomplished. The reformist jurist is not familiar with the meaning of numbers; if he were, he would not make such a claim. Which prophet has been able to perform such a miracle? Arafi claims that Al-Mustafa International University has only achieved 50 percent of its goals and programs so far. Thus, if they approach 100 percent in the next 8 years with 'resistant economy,' we should expect 100 million new Shia from non-Muslims and Muslims. Alireza Arafi - alongside Ebrahim Raisi, Sadegh Larijani, and Hashemi Shahroudi - is mentioned as one of the candidates to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei. Perhaps this grand lie is to enhance his position among conservative jurists who have a strong interest in Shiite conversion. He also seeks to gain the approval of so-called revolutionary forces by claiming to create Shia soldiers from foreign students. He speaks of the 'large number' of casualties among foreign students in Syria and Iraq. How many citizens of other countries has this institution converted to Shia Islam and martyred in Iraq and Syria? What image will this performance create of Iran in the eyes of other countries? Do these activities not confirm accusations such as creating a 'Shia crescent' and 'Neo-Safavidism'? Arafi, who speaks so extensively about organizational activities worldwide for Shiite conversion, warned the managers of seminaries on July 19, 2016, that disbelief and idolatry are the external enemies of Islam, and Christianity is also a competitor of Islam. He says: 'Christianity is our next competitor, which has more than a thousand academic centers worldwide, producing thousands of articles and publications daily, as well as hundreds of radio and satellite networks. Today, in Iran, there are also numerous house churches in Tehran and Karaj, and they are active in various countries, including Indonesia and Afghanistan.' Based on what ethical and justice principles should Shiite conversion be freely conducted worldwide, while Christians are not allowed to promote their religion in Iran, and the cost of converting to Christianity is imprisonment? Bahá'ís are deprived of all civil rights. The views of the 'court jurist' beyond Arafi's ambitious and unrealistic statements are also enlightening. Consider the following examples: Arafi said on April 16, 2016: 'Today, we need a rationality that responds to the needs of contemporary humanity and stands against Western rationality... In our rationality, negotiation, resistance, jihad, and revolution exist.' In the Friday prayer on February 4, 2017, in Qom, addressing the government, he said: 'America will bury its wish for the Islamic Republic to shorten its positions and build defense industries. The people and the Supreme Leader expect officials not to remain silent against the nonsense of the arrogant and American leaders against the system... The achievements of the revolution are global in all aspects.' On February 14, 2017, regarding population growth, he said: 'The issue of childbearing in Islam has a primary ruling that is strongly recommended, but this issue can find other rulings based on secondary rulings, including obligatory ones, and determining secondary rulings depends on the issue's understanding... We must solve the problems preventing the increase of the birth rate in the country. We should not postpone solving the problem of declining birth rates to solving other countries' problems and should not neglect cultural efforts in this regard. We can take certain actions in this regard that should not be linked to solving other problems, and we must strive in this regard to the best of our ability. We must pursue discourse-building on this issue so that we can create a wave regarding population in society.' In response to Mohammad Khatami's national reconciliation plan, in the Friday prayers on February 18, 2017, in Meybod, he said: 'Those who talk about national reconciliation should know that instead of national reconciliation, they should repent and seek forgiveness before the people and God.' In the Friday prayers on June 30, 2017, in Qom, he said: 'Today, every awake human being and every conscious conscience knows that the axis of human rights violations and encroachment on human rights in the world is the criminal America. If we were to list your crimes, it would be indescribable: First, you are the basis of global corruption, poverty, and discrimination from which terrorism arises; secondly, terrorist governments are under your banner, with Israel being the symbol of that; thirdly, you guide terrorist ideological currents. Wherever you went and danced with swords, you plundered billions of dollars, that place is the breeding ground for takfiri and terrorist ideas that are under your shadow.' In all cases, he has been a follower of the Sultan's views. He has also taken very harsh positions regarding the Green Movement and its leaders, considering the Green Movement to be an 'American sedition' aimed at overthrowing the system by American agents. Attention should be paid to this court jurist, as he is one of the likely candidates to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei. His Shiite conversion activities are acceptable to all religious authorities. Creating 'martyrs ready for sacrifice' is also acceptable to the IRGC and Basij.