Spektrum Iran

Abstract In the following, the meaning of the terms „hero” and „heroism” in a modern Islamic society will be made clear. Today, Iran is also a media society, as are virtually all countries around the world. Social media, Telegram (the equivalent of WhatsApp), online videos, etc. are highly popular, especially among young people. However, the emphasis on the „Islamic society of Iran” already makes it clear that „Islamic society” can be very different depending on national or cultural characteristics. In Iran, the Shiite character of Islam dominates, while in Turkey, for example, Sunni Islam plays a stronger role. This also affects the definition and reception of the "heroic image. So, what is meant by an Islamic hero that would be referred to as such in Iran?

Abstract A critical view of the classification of languages according to linguistic universals is necessary because when analyzing languages one is repeatedly confronted with the assumption that, for example, languages with the SOV word order have postpositions or that they only allow the formation of prenominal relative clauses. In this article, we suggest that Persian provides a counterexample for such generalizations. Using Persian as an example, we also investigate whether the classification of languages by this method can be confirmed by means of a historical overview. Furthermore, it is examined whether the sentence structures of Old and Middle Persian reveal any obvious differences to the contemporary Persian. In the course of this article, several cases that contradict the assumptions of linguistic universals are introduced, and some of these contradicting findings can be explained by diachronic analysis.

Abstract Khuzestan with its capital Ahwaz and Iran‘s largest and only navigable waterway, the Karun that discharges into the Persian Gulf, features a tremendous historic and cultural heritage, and is noted for its ethnic diversity. This applies not least to the monotheistic gnostic Mandaeans (mandāyi – also called Ṣābeʾin, sobbī or Nasoreans) who most likely immigrated from Palestine during the first centuries A.D. and whose traditional settlements are located on both sides of the Iraqi-Iranian border strip in the river systems of the Euphrates, the Tigris and Karun. Scientific research contributed a good deal to examine Mandaean script and language with strong Parthian influence and a multitude of Iranian loanwords. Regarding the religious and profane literature special attention had been drawn to Iranian shares in the numerous Mandaean orally handed down legends – among them a Mandaean version of the tragedy of „Rustam and his son Sohrab“ which is incorporated in the Shāhnāme, the „Book of Kings“ – the national epic of Greater Iran. This legend is supposedly based on a Parthian tradition and had not only been adopted but rather adapted by the Mandaens who gave the storyline a different shape and a happy end. This brings into focus the age-old religious beliefs and practices of the last Gnostics of ancient Mesopotamia.

Abstract The first part of this article had already been published. It proposed a specific method for translating words and a general approach to translating text. This part of the article is based on six new translations of the Qur'an into German and examines the translations of the verses of Surah Hamad and the first 45 verses of Surah Al-Baqarah based on his proposed method. In total, 37 examples show that with the proposed basis, a translation closer to the text with more accurate equivalents can really be provided.

Abstract In the Second Phase of the Revolution statement, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution set out wise guidelines on how to improve our status and change into what we should be. Having stated the reasons of the Islamic Revolution, he referred to the Revolution’s values such as freedom, ethics, justice, independence, dignity, rationality, and spirituality, which have been and will be sought by human beings throughout the history. Using inspirational sentences full of hope, the Supreme Leader addressed the committed and diligent youth, as the Revolution’s engine, and accentuated their significant role in ensuring the Revolution’s continuation and exaltation. This paper first provides a brief account of the Second Phase of the Revolution statement. Then it puts forward some suggestions on how to achieve the objectives formulated in the statement with an eye to its public and private pillars.

Abstract This essay examines the reception of Persian poetry by the German philosopher and poet Friedrich Georg Jünger (1898-1977). This reception is relevant for a work-immanent interpretation of Jünger’s thoughts on poetry as well as in the sense of a (so far neglected) chapter in the history of the reception of Persian poetry in the German-speaking world. Jünger’s preoccupation with Persian poetry is focused on three main poets, namely Omar Khayyam, Saadi, and Hafiz, for whom Jünger showed the greatest admiration. After a historical-biographical localization of the topic, Jünger’s reception of these poets will be outlined in terms of content; not least, their influence on Jünger’s own poetical work will be examined. It will be shown how Jünger was particularly inspired by Hafiz, both in his theoretical reflections on the essence of poetry and in the composition of some of his own cycles of poems.

Abstract The meaning of place in architectural contexts makes it possible to reflect on about a suitable and deserving life for human beings, based on Heidegger's fourfold, and formed by harmony and balance between the components of the universe. This article intends to reveal Heidegger's stabilizing fourfold (Earth, Heaven, Mortals, and Gods) as connecting and compromising elements of the universe, based on theoretical enlightenment; while reflecting on the compendium elucidation of Iranian architectural places (House, Garden, Bazaar, and Mosque); and to distinguish the path that thoughts travel through in such places to find the opportunity to stand up for the duty of thinking, and to do it. This belief has the ability to make a path toward the spiritual domain in a time of hardship, originated from the originality of technical thought; a route that maturates on a sort of effective living which is the result of interaction and the companionship of thinking and being

Abstract The topic of this text is collective identity formation using Iran as an example. The text deals with Iranian self-perception as a precondition for any long-term cultural dialogue between Iran and Germany or any other cultural dialogue partner. The idea behind this is that dialogue partners should first of all ask themselves questions about their own collective identity and thus draw an overall picture of themselves that is as realistic as possible and not idealized, before they are confronted with and possibly overwhelmed by their own image drawn by the other and from a foreign perspective. The text is based on the concept of culture in the main source on which this study is based, namely an Iranian textbook for the upper secondary school with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. It is the textbook "Cultural Analysis - Textbook for Cultural Studies", which was first published in the year 2017. From its perspective, four Iranian self-images are presented and analysed in more detail here. The main questions of the text are: how has the collective identity of Iranians been formed in the course of history? And how do the Iranian self-images relate to each other as components of an overall image?

Abstract In this memo, Peter Schütt discusses the characteristics of Imam Khomeini’s love poems and believes that the content of his poems on this subject is of exceptional depth and, in some cases, quite progressive and unconventional. He believes that themes such as the relationship between men and women in the lyric poems are expressions of God’s love for man. According to Peter Schütt, the passion of lovers for one another focuses on connectedness and unity, and that is the moment when they are placed in the arms of God. Peter Schütt cites Imam Khomeini’s poem, “Day of Connection”, as evidence for his statement.
Peter Schütt places Imam Khomeini in the tradition of composing love poems that are thousands of years old, which is why a collection of old symbols of Persian poetry is present in his poems: nightingale, peacock, Homa, candle and butterfly.
At the end of his memoir, Schütt quotes a poem he composed on February 1st, 1976, when Imam Khomeini returned to Tehran after being in exile in France. The title of this poem was “The New Kind of Revolutionary”, describing Imam Khomeini with unconventional characteristics, i.e., different characteristics of revolutionaries.

Abstract It is well known that astrology and astrologers play an important role in Firdawsī’s Shāhnāma. Even if some Western technical elements, such as astrolabes are mentioned, the social context in which astrologers appear differs from Western models. While in Western narrative contexts astrologers generally appear as individuals, in the Shāhnāma astrologers enter the stage almost always in groups. In the groups of experts, called by the king for making predictions, they are often differentiated. The astronomers/astrologers (akhtar-shināsān) appear together with the priests (mūbadān) and the the wise men (bikhardān). Their predictions concern mostly the fate of the reign and the king. These characteristics are shared by role of astronomers and astrologers at the Chinese court. The Zhou Li (周礼), written between 200 BCE and 200 CE, became one of the Confucian classics, and describes in detail the post in so-called “astronomical bureau” one institution at the imperial court, in which several groups with specialized tasks provided predictions for the emperor. It is very likely that this system was formed after a Western model, eventually from Ancient Iran. It might have had its roots in the Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian kingdoms. There, numerous astronomers/astrologers in different towns sent their reports to the king in the capital of the empire. Such a system of cooperation was unparalleled in the Greco-Roman world.

Abstract The present article is in line with the articles entitled “Understand and be understood”, published in the 3rd and 4th issue of Spectrum Iran in 2020. Those articles elaborated on Iranian writers in Germany. However, the current article is a response to the request and interest of those who would like to know about the details of issues concerned by Iranian writers in Germany as well as the themes leading to their literary activities.

Abstract Arbaeen,as the great religious movement is a super media, a transnational phenomenon, and a unique communication model. As a result, media coverage must be highly principled, correct, and purposeful.
In this article, titled Determining Arbaeen Media Coverage Strategies, qualitative research using grounded theory has been applied to a statistical community of media experts and specialists.
A total of 15 interviews were conducted by snowball method with saturation theory. After categorizing the propositions and coding them openly and centrally, the results reveal that the media coverage strategy can be divided into four categories: Targeting, message selection, media, and determining target audiences.
Among the key goals of the objective section are Arbaeen realism, avoidance of magnification, inclusion of political interests, pursuit of social and economic interests, awareness strategy, and persuasion strategy. In the content of the message, the attractiveness of the message, creativity, innovation, special effects, avoidance of repetition and duplicate content, and the use of attractions (logical and moral) are the main content components. The target audiences are Shiites and Muslims around the world, all religions and users, and the most important media are environmental media, domestic radio and television, social networks, and foreign media.
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