Qom’s Competitive Advantage is the Book / Introducing Qom as the City of Books

According to the correspondent of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Qom, Mohammad Reza Sougandi, in a symposium among book industry activists on the occasion of the start of Book Week, said: Cities in the world are categorized based on various indicators. One city’s foundation is music, another’s is cinema. If we want to find a competitive advantage for the city of Qom, with its historical background, which would be a common ground for nations and faiths, that advantage is the book.

He continued: The book is one of those categories that is borderless, in fact, it is a wireless medium and has no opposition. What we can address as Qom’s competitive advantage, and what it currently benefits from, is the book.

The Director General of the Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Qom stated: The miracle of our Prophet is the book. If there was another category that could have a special characteristic for the generations of the End Times, He would have placed it there.

Sougandi added: The book is a sign of societal rationality. The main cause of all instabilities and imbalances in the environment, family, politics, economy, and so on, is moving away from rationality and wisdom. When choices are not based on rationality, instability is created.

He continued: In religious discussions, we have only led society towards emotions and sentiments, whereas passion and intellect should go hand in hand.

Sougandi added: The indicator of a society’s adherence to wisdom and thought is the book. When you want to measure this indicator, see how much that society reads books. Instabilities such as divorce and its various forms, and today’s politics choosing city council members…

The Director General of the Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Qom, stating that the fundamental nature of a book is cultural, said: The issue of books relates to all fields. Books have been the foundation of Islamic civilization in the past and still hold such significance today, but the question is whether we can connect these various sources and fields.

He finally emphasized: If we organize Book Week, we must move towards introducing Qom as the City of Books, and Qom has this capacity.