# The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought

The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) as well as Tehran's Ecumenical Society (Persian: مجمع جهانی تقریب مذاهب اسلامی) is a forum that was established in October 1990 by order of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran for the reconciliation between different Islamic schools and branches.

## Background of the establishment

Islamic Scholars from different schools have tried to achieve some kind of agreement between the different branches of Islam. For instance, Iranian scholar Sheikh Mohamad Taqi Qomi emigrated to Egypt in the mid-twentieth century. There he established a forum in Cairo that was named jam'iyyat al-tagrib bayn al-madhahib al-islamiyya (Arabic: دارالتقریب بین المذاهب الاسلامیة بالقاهره)in 1948. A number of scholars of Al-Azhar and some Egyptian politicians supported this forum and its secretary general Sheikh Qomi. Another attempt to achieve proximity between different schools of Islam was the publication of Risalat al-Islam Magazine (Arabic: مجلة رسالة الاسلام) by jam'iyyat al-tagrib bayn al-madhahib al-islamiyya in Cairo. Then in 1990, Ayatollah Khamenei founded The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought in Tehran.

## Schools recognized by the Forum

This world forum recognizes these Islamic Sects: The Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali from Sunnis Sects, Twelver and Zaidiyyah from Shias Sects. Also, this forum recognizes Ibadi.

## Activities of the Forum
### Conferences

The annual international conference is held every year during the Islamic Unity Week. So far, twenty-five Islamic Unity conferences are held by forum. The last annual conference was held on January 7 to 10 2015. Sixty-nine countries attend this conference. Except annual conferences, many conferences are held by forum for specific ceremonies. For example Holding the commemoration for Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr in April 2015.

### Publications
#### Books

Many books are published by publication of forum in three subjects:
* Charters of Conferences of Islamic unity;
* Writings of the Center for Scientific Research of Forum;
* Approved books in Book Council.

#### Journals

* Risalat al-Taqrib (Arabic: رسالة التقریب): This magazine is published every two months in Arabic;
* Thought of Proximity (Persian: اندیشه تقریب): This journal is published quarterly in Persian;
* Courier of Proximity (Persian: پیک تقریب): This indoor journal is published monthly about forum's news;
* Risalat al-Islam: After stop publishing of Risalat al-Islam in Cairo, for importance of that, the forum in association with Astan Quds Razavi republished that magazine;
* Islam from the West viewpoint (Persian: اسلام در نگاه غرب): This journal is published for introduction and review and critique of latest English books by topic anti-Islam unity.

## Goals

According to its statute, the forum has the following objectives:
* Trying to reclamation and extension to Islamic culture and defending the Quran and Sunnah;
* Trying to familiarity and more understanding between scholars, elites and leaders of the Islamic societies in the beliefs and Fiqh specially in the fields of in the cultural and political;
* Extension to proximity opinions in the Islamic world to informing Muslims of efforts of Enemies of Islam for creating divisions between followers of Islamic schools;
* Solving pessimism and arguments between Muslims from the different sects;
* Trying to reinforcement and expanding of Ijtihad and inference in Islam;
* Trying to attune and establish a joint front to against the propaganda plots and cultural onslaught of enemies of Islam.

## Structure

This forum have hierarchical structure:

### General Assembly

The members of General Assembly are chosen by the Supreme Council for a period of six years. These include scholars, thinkers and Islamic religious leaders from around the world. The assembly is held every two years.

### Supreme Council

According to the statute, The members of Supreme Council are chosen by Vali-e-Faqih for six years.

### President

According to the forum's statute, its president is chosen by majority vote. The first president of forum was Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim. Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri is the forum president now.

### General Secretary

According to the forum's statute, the General Secretary has the highest executive status in the forum. Vali-e-Faqih elects General Secretary among the candidates who are nominated by Supreme Council, for a period of four years. The Secretary General is a member of the Supreme Council. The first General Secretary was Ayatollah Taskhiri. Ayatollah Mohsen Araki is currently the General Secretary of forum.