• Source: University of Religions and Denominations

The University of Religions and Denominations (Persian: دانشگاه اديان و مذاهب) is a teaching and research center in Qom, Iran. It focuses on the study of religions and Islamic sects.
The president of the university is Seyyed Abolhasan Navvab, who was also one of its founding members. The university has four vice presidents: VP for Academic Affairs, VP for Research, VP for Cultural & Student Affairs and VP for Administrative & Financial Affairs. The university is also a member of the Islamic Seminary.




History


In 1995 a group of scholars from Hawza of Qom interested in and concerned with religious and cultural matters decided to pioneer a movement towards the study of various religions and other Islamic sects and denominations. This resulted in the establishment of a research institute that became the University of Religions and Denominations.
The institute began its activities with a group of students from Qom Seminary in a small building with minimal resources and facilities. At first, there was a special four-year academic course in three fields: Abrahamic Religions, Non-Abrahamic Religions, and Islamic Sects. During their studies, the students also learned English, Sanskrit, and Hebrew languages. After about ten years the institute met the legal requirements governing the universities in Iran and legally became a university.




Faculties



The university currently has twelve faculties with various departments under them:

Faculty of History
Department of History of Iran
Faculty of Islamic Denominations
Department of Comparative Jurisprudention and Law
Department of Islamic Denominations
Faculty of Law
Department of Law
Faculty of Media and Communications
Department of Media Management
Faculty of Mysticism
Department of Religions and Mysticism
Department of Islamic Mysticism
Faculty of Nations, Cultures, and Languages
Department of Arabic Language
Faculty of Philosophy
Department of Contemporary Philosophy
Department of Islamic Philosophy and Kalām
Faculty of Quranic Studies
Department of Quranic Studies
Faculty of Religion and Art
Department of Art
Faculty of Religions
Department of Abrahamic Religions
Department of Non-Abrahamic Religions
Department of Iranian Religions
Department of the Study of Religion
Faculty of Shi'i Studies
Department of Shi'i kalam
Department of Shi'i Denominations
Faculty of Woman and Family
Department of Studies of Women




Ranking



According to the 2023 rankings of the best universities given by the Round University Ranking (RUR), University of Religions and Denominations has gained a country rank of 14 among 24 universities in Iran and a world rank of 705 among 1217 universities from a wide range of geographical locations, representing more than 80 nations




Religious Studies Work-group


The group is engaged in researching the Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology of Religion.




The Centre for Religious Studies


The university has a dedicated research centre which has five research groups and corresponding work-groups. All research undertaken by the members is carried out under the supervision of this centre. These groups include:

Abrahamic Religions: this group carries out research on history and theories, philosophy and theology, ethics and spirituality, sacred scriptures and the laws and rituals of Christian and Jewish religions.
Non-Abrahamic Religions: this group is concerned with the study of Eastern, The Far East and Persian Religions.
Sufism and Islamic Spirituality: This group works on the history of Sufism, theoretical spirituality, Sufi sects and the comparative study of the mysticism of different religions. Islamic Sects: This group carries out research on Shia, Sunni and Jurisprudential Sects




Publications


The University’s Publishing House is under the supervision of the president. It is responsible for printing and publishing titles containing the outputs of scholars and researchers. There are two separate entities:

University of Religions Publications: Publishes books written or translated by researchers at the university and its various departments as well as works by other researchers in the field of religions and sects
Adyan Publications: Publishes books mainly written or translated by scholars from other universities
The Haft Aseman (Seven Heavens) Quarterly, is the quarterly publication of scholarly research. More than 60 issues have been published. The magazine concerns itself with results, learning about the discoveries, doctrines and experiences of the followers of other religions and appreciating, restudying, and renewing one’s own religious beliefs. Its purpose is to lead to productive interaction and dialogue between different religions and sects.




The Office of International Relations and Cooperation


The Office of International Relations and Co-operation of the university is active in establishing dialogues between followers of various religions and denominations as well as development of relations with universities abroad.
The Office does this by hosting short-term language courses taught by native speakers from outside Iran, inviting ambassadors and embassy officials to visit the university, organizing academic-cultural tours of other countries, sending professors to teach in Europe and America, and signing more than 150 memoranda of understanding with academic institutes and universities in Iran and abroad.
The Office has arranged collaborative academic projects with more than fifty international universities, including the University of Paderborn, Goethe University Frankfurt, University of Potsdam, the Free University of Berlin, the University of West Bohemia in Czech Republic, the University of Vienna and the University of Graz in Austria, Wasit University, the University of Kufa, and University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa in Iraq, Luke 10 Institute in the US, the University of the Punjab and Aligarh Muslim University in India.




Library



The university contains a specialized library of religions and denominations. The library contains a large supply of books and periodicals in Persian, Arabic and English. Resources are mainly on Islamic denominations, Christianity, eastern religions and interdisciplinary studies.
The library has around 56,000 titles in Persian and Arabic languages and about 16,000 in Latin and English.




The Office of Religions and Human Rights Studies


The office was established in order to examine the meeting points of universally accepted moral values of human rights and religions, to discover the positions of different religions, and to promote the religious approach to Human Rights.




The Women and Family Research Institute


This Institute was created as a response to Iranian society's need for scientific knowledge of women and families and the need to make families efficient in Islamic society.




The Open Education Center


The Open Education Center was established in 2016 with the aim of short-term education through workshops, skills, lectures, and scientific travel. This center organizes educational courses and scientific trips around the world within the framework of memorandums of understanding.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Agama Hindu
• Kekristenan
• Denominasi
• Yazdânism
• Sihir
• Nontrinitarianisme
• Yudaisme
• Arus utama
• Protestanisme
• Gereja nasional
• University of Religions and Denominations
• Religious denomination
• List of Christian denominations
• List of religions and spiritual traditions
• Major religious groups
• Pardisan City
• Seyyed Abolhasan Navvab
• Islamic schools and branches
• Abrahamic religions
• Urd