خلاصة:
Abstract: From the beginning of the 16th century AD, Iran faced a new experience alongside the establishment of the Shia state and the presence of emerging European Christian powers on its southern borders. The entry of religious missionaries into Iran was facilitated with the support of their home countries; such that during the following centuries, missionaries became one of the most effective institutions in creating cultural transformations in Iran. Catholic and Protestant missionaries employed different political and religious methods in Iran, coinciding with the remarkable success of Europeans in conquering the lands of the Old and New Worlds and the expansion of Christianity. Achieving power from these new spaces encouraged Westerners to adopt aggressive missionary methods in Muslim countries, including Iran. The translation of sacred texts into Persian and the writing of numerous books against Islamic texts and beliefs to create doubt among the beliefs and teachings of Muslims began in the Safavid era, initiating such a cultural onslaught that reached its peak with the expansion of the phenomenon of Orientalism and the intensification of colonial competitions during the Qajar period. Given the importance and necessity of re-examining such an approach and historically tracing the watering holes of Western cultural influence in Iran, we attempt, by examining the texts and works of priests—especially Henry Martin—to analyze the quality of the reaction of Shia scholars and re-examine their polemical treatises and refutations.
ملخص الجهاز:
Introduction Since ancient times, alongside the holding of religious debate sessions, the writing of treatises and books for the purpose of preaching religion, especially among the scholars of divine religions, has been common, and such works (which are the results of a religious dialectical space) can be traced in any library; however, in modern centuries, the participation of the lords of the Church in colonial rivalries and their alignment with the political and economic goals of Christian states in challenging the religious beliefs and convictions of nations is considered another manifestation of the opening of a religious dialectical space, and more than anything, it demonstrates the role of religious leaders in representing the soft power influence of Christian states in Islamic societies.
In Iran, with the beginning of the Qajar rule, this creeping approach took on a special character through the influence of leaders of Catholic sects and then Protestant ones; an approach that began with the translation of sacred texts and the writing of treatises and books based on specific Western intellectual-philosophical foundations and led to creating doubt in the beliefs of Muslims regarding the Quran, prophethood, and other principles of Muslim creed.
This tradition continued until the Qajar period, until in the year 1215 AH, Agha Mohammad Ali bin Allamah Vahid Behbahani wrote Rad al-Shubuhat al-Kuffar, and in it, while explaining the proof of prophethood and refuting the doubts of the People of the Book regarding Islam, he attacked the beliefs of Jews and Christians.
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