اخبار سلطنة عُمان – وطن نيوز
اخر اخبار سلطنة عُمان اليوم – اخبار سلطنة عُمان العاجلة
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-03-31 15:12:00
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs continues its tireless efforts in institutionally controlling religious discourse as a living system that combines regulation, training, awareness, and responsible media, and presents an authentic national model worthy of being emulated in the international arena. This is done through integrated practical practices that include fatwas, preaching, Friday sermons, and the continuous training of imams, in addition to national projects with a public presence, and global initiatives that have conveyed the image of Islam from the Sultanate of Oman to the world. In this regard, Dr. Sabira bint Saif Al-Harrasi, a media specialist at the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, says: Throughout the Islamic eras, religious discourse has remained the unifying reference for shaping collective awareness, the value guarantee for preserving the moral system, and the guiding and controlling reference for the path of the nation. Through it, the purposes of revelation are invoked in human reality, and the major principles of religion are embodied in the lives of individuals and societies. Religious discourse becomes a foundational tool for building identity, consolidating social cohesion, and protecting the nation from intellectual deviations and currents. Subversive, as well as its contribution to strengthening the cultural presence of Islam throughout history. She adds: Institutional control of religious discourse is not intended to restrict freedom of speech, but rather it is a rationalization of the word, the preservation of its function, and an affirmation of its role in directing the nation towards centrism and moderation. Institutional religious discourse is defined as that discourse that starts from a fixed legal reference, is based on comprehensive purposes and comprehensive moral values, and is subject in its practice to regulatory mechanisms that maintain the stability of texts and renew methods according to the changes of the era, noting that in an era in which the authority of the media is increasing and in which transformations are accelerating. In communication, religious discourse has become required to be part of the responsible media system that elevates its function from simply conveying news to creating awareness, and from merely circulating ideas to consolidating values, so that Islam in its authentic form presents a message of justice, mercy, and peace, and a moral and civilized force capable of addressing the world in an open and balanced spirit. She added, saying: Responsible media means that which adheres to professionalism and reflects moral values, thus contributing to building a conscious society. Enlightened, and takes into account the public interest through honesty, objectivity and transparency in conveying information, away from sensationalism or falsification of facts, with a commitment to neutrality, balanced presentation and respect for privacy and societal values, in a way that enhances the culture of dialogue and directs collective awareness towards construction rather than destruction, noting that the importance of this definition emerges in light of digital expansion and the rapid circulation of news and content affecting the awareness of individuals and communities, which makes the integration between institutional religious discourse and responsible media an urgent necessity to enhance confidence and maintain cognitive stability. Promoting integration. The doctor indicated. Patient with the need for a scientific approach that clarifies the role of institutional control in restoring confidence and enhancing the integration of religious discourse with responsible media to ensure facing the challenges of misinformation and cognitive disorder, she added: “With the importance of institutional framing of religious discourse, we must acknowledge that reality is witnessing renewed challenges. Religious and media institutions, despite their efforts, are still facing pressures related to the acceleration of technical transformations and the weakness of specialized media competencies at times, which limits their ability to keep pace with the modern communication scene, and the need increases in this context. To continue efforts in building capabilities, and enhancing investment in human and technical resources, to ensure that institutional control remains able to protect discourse from irrational investments, and to preserve its role in promoting intellectual and social stability. Dr. Sabira Al-Harrasi stressed that the Sultanate of Oman has continued the approach based on tolerance and moderation, consolidating the values of national unity, and presenting a balanced image that combines historical authenticity and modern institutional organization. This legacy did not remain just a historical asset, but rather transformed into policies and discourses. And state-sponsored initiatives, to prove that moderation in the Omani context is not only a moral slogan, but rather a connected institutional practice that reflects the depth of historical roots and their extension into the present. The doctor continues by saying: Talking about institutional control of religious discourse is not complete without stopping at the practical efforts made by the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, which presented a solid national model in combining the authenticity of Islamic authority and the effectiveness of institutional organization. The Ministry has made it its mission to consolidate faith. With the tolerant principles and authentic values of Islam, building a balanced Islamic personality, and introducing Islamic civilization in general, and Omani civilization in particular, in its interaction with human civilization. Cognitive communication It also paid attention to the Arabic heritage and language, preserving the Islamic and national identity, interacting with the nation’s issues and forming a sound global public opinion towards them, and building bridges of scientific and knowledge communication. From here came its many initiatives, which represent a practical embodiment of the idea of institutional control of religious discourse locally and globally, and among the most prominent These efforts are the Fatwa Office, as it is considered the supreme authority for fatwas in the Sultanate, and an active member in many official committees related to health, education, media, and legislation. The office annually provides more than 43,000 fatwas, 12,000 legal consultations, and 2,000 studies and research, in addition to participating in international conferences and addressing contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence, citizenship, the environment, and the family. The office has developed the electronic system for fatwas (iftaa.mara.gov.om), which facilitates access to a comprehensive database, with a plan to raise the efficiency of services by 5% annually, thus representing the highest institutional officer for fatwas in the Sultanate. It adds: The Ministry is also working on developing the regulatory regulations for religious activities, in addition to preparing a guide to the governance of mosques, mosques, and religious activities, to together form an integrated legal and institutional framework. This system includes organizing religious events of various kinds, and controlling the roles of Those responsible for it and the volunteers participating in it, and ensuring its consistency with the legal and national authority. It also extends to include places of worship of other religions, within a framework that preserves freedom of belief and regulates their practices within national laws, and in a way that reflects the specificity of the Omani model in managing religious diversity in the spirit of moderation and coexistence. Community Trust This development comes in response to the rapid societal transformations, and in order to ensure that regulatory tools keep pace with developments, and are able to preserve the message of religious platforms and consolidate the confidence of society and the international community in the integrity and moderation of the Omani experience. Dr. Sabira stated that it is issued The guide for religious frameworks is semi-annual, directing preachers and preachers to priority topics that reflect society’s issues and developments, to serve as a reference tool that ensures the harmony of religious discourse with the needs of reality and its coherence over time. In addition to Friday sermons, they are published weekly on the Ministry’s website, unified at the level of the Sultanate, and their topics are compatible with the latest events and contemporary issues. Compliance with them is supervised by a specialized follow-up team. Their summaries are also published through the Ministry’s accounts on social networks in five languages, including sign language, to ensure the message is delivered. Religious services to the broadest segment of society. Mosques and Holy Qur’an schools also play a pivotal role in consolidating values and enhancing community awareness. There are more than (16,000) mosques, mosques, and prayer halls in the Sultanate, in which Quranic circles, jurisprudence lessons, and cultural and social activities that contribute to building responsible value awareness are held. The number of Holy Qur’an schools has reached about (1,645) schools serving approximately (100,000) male and female students, in addition to the distance education project and specific initiatives that have won international awards. This role shows that the mosque and teaching the Qur’an are not merely religious institutions, but rather strategic tools. To control religious discourse and create responsible media that enhances society’s confidence and protects it from deviations and misinformation. Societal transformations Dr. Sabira points out that the Ministry annually carries out more than 100,000 preaching events, including public lectures and lessons, reviving religious and national events, organizing seminars and workshops, preaching convoys, and specific preaching in hospitals and correctional institutions, in addition to summer and winter youth forums. It also implements special programs for non-Arabic-speaking communities through… Qualified cadres, making religious discourse present and influential in various segments of society, in addition to implementing continuous training programs to raise the competencies of religious cadres. The most prominent of these programs is cooperation with the Royal Academy of Administration, which is being implemented in the form of successive batches, where at each stage a number of imams and preachers are qualified according to the latest training curricula in leadership, rhetoric, and management. This path aims to build a renewed religious leadership generation capable of keeping pace with societal transformations. The Urban and Bawadi project is also one of The most prominent national initiatives implemented by the Ministry under the slogan (Our Identity is Citizenship and Ethics), as it traveled to various governorates of the Sultanate, embodying the interactive dimension of religious discourse in society, noting that the project includes approximately forty diverse pillars between the religious, cultural, social, technical and artistic aspects, such as the pillars of the Qur’an, biography, the Arabic language, charitable society, Islamic arts and modern technologies, highlighting the comprehensiveness of its message and the breadth of its impact. The project has implemented more than 3,500 events and attracted more than 110. Thousands of visitors, and more than 550,000 publications and 18,000 copies of the Noble Qur’an were distributed, confirming that religious discourse in the Sultanate is present at the heart of society, and translated into practical activities that enhance national identity and Islamic values. She added: The Ministry has opened up to various audio, visual and digital media platforms, producing a wide range of programs that combine jurisprudence, thought, values and education. The most prominent of which is Questioning the People of Remembrance as a legitimate talk show, and Star. Eloquence as a linguistic competition that enhances the status of Arabic in the conscience of young people, and Our Ethics as a work directed at children to consolidate values in a modern style, in addition to specific programs that highlight the role of women in advocacy and community contribution, explaining that within the framework of integration between the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and the rest of the national institutions concerned with the media role, the Ministry contributes to strengthening the institutional control of religious discourse through a precise mechanism represented by assigning a specialized observer to the Ministry of Information, who is responsible for reviewing the religious content of the programs before they are broadcast, to ensure its safety. Legitimacy and intellectualism, its consistency with the values of centrism and moderation, and its harmony with national media policy. This measure is a model of institutional cooperation that ensures that religious discourse in the media remains responsible and rational, enhancing the confidence of society and international public opinion in the Omani experience.
