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Iran's Qom: Mystery and Surprise At the Hawza

Life in the seminary at Qom, which has produced numerous prominent reformist thinkers, remains mysterious but reveals surprises, writes Ali Mamouri.
A cleric speaks on his mobile phone on the campus of the Seminary in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran February 3, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz  (IRAN) - RTXB72O
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The distinctive and diverse lifestyles and behaviors of a portion of scholars and students at the seminary (hawza) in Qom continue to be heavily shrouded and mysterious, other than what the official Iranian media broadcasts and despite the information revolution and the massive amount of media coverage of almost every event, trivial or significant. They may, however, change the face of the world's largest Shiite institution in the foreseeable future.

The prominent Shiite scholar Mohammad Hassan al-Najafi al-Qohani presented the first detailed, anthropological report on the Najaf Hawza in Tourism of the Orient some 100 years ago. The book offers readers astonishing insight into unfamiliar and extraordinary lives. Mehdi Khalaji, a former student at the Qom Hawza, and current Iranian opposition figure, also wrote reports and personal blogs about the lives of students in the QomHawza under the title "Natani," which means "a brother who is not blood-related." Still, much about the Holy City remains obscure.

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