Date of Release :13 September 2023 - 07:09

The most important motivation for me to embrace Islam was the feeling of need for religion and spirituality…

Of course, as I mentioned, the Shia school of thought is marginalized among Muslims in Austria and their resources are very limited. Naturally, the mourning rituals there are not like Iran, and given the limited scale, they can’t have extensive mourning ceremonies.

According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Waldman, an Austrian-born cleric of the Imam Ali (AS) Islamic Center in Vienna, embraced the religion of Islam (Twelver Shia) in 1361 (1982) and came to Iran that year to pursue a deep interest in Islamic sciences and entered the seminary of Qom, where he continued his studies until 1366 (1987). In 1380 (2001), he obtained a master’s degree in theology and Islamic studies and later obtained a Ph.D. in the field of Quran and Hadith. He has authored numerous Islamic articles, mostly in German, and has also been involved in translating interpretative works of the Quran from Persian to German to meet the needs of Austrian Muslims.

See the Persian text here

Twenty years ago, in the fervor of youth, the spirit of seeking truth led him to respond to his inner call and choose Islam as the path to his happiness.

When we talk to him, his love for Islam and Imam Hussain resonates in his words.

“Mohammad Waldman” is a person who was born in the heart of the Western world, grew up there, and discovered his lost freedom in the realm of Islam and Shia.

Born in 1962 in a Christian family in Austria, after completing high school, obtaining a diploma, and fulfilling his military service, he converted to Islam in 1982. In the same year, coinciding with the year 1361 AH, he entered the seminary of Qom, where he completed seminary studies and successfully obtained a master’s degree in theology from the Imam Khomeini Institute.

How did you become a Muslim and in which year did you come to Qom for seminary studies?

In my teenage years, which were around the 1970s, I had no special knowledge about Islam. The only things we knew about Islam were that Muslims must go on pilgrimage once in their lifetime, shouldn’t drink alcohol, and shouldn’t eat pork; we didn’t have much more information, and we had heard these issues from Turks or Austrians who had connections.

Until my sister married an Iranian Muslim man and converted from Christianity to her husband’s religion. This puzzled me; why would my sister abandon the religion of our forefathers and embrace a new faith, one that our family had no familiarity with?

Sometimes when they prayed in front of us, my parents thought they were worshiping the stone they prostrated on.

We saw that the laws and principles of the Islamic faith were very similar to those of Christianity. We observed that after 1400 years, Muslims still followed their faith in a traditional manner, while Christianity had become a lifeless entity devoid of practice. All these factors increased my curiosity day by day; I delved deeper into research about Islam and Christianity. Eventually, at the age of 20, after completing my education and military service, I embraced Islam. Just one or two weeks after my conversion to Islam, I came to Iran and entered the seminary. Precisely in 1361 AH (1982).

In Iran, what influenced you?

First, I observed that Muslims practiced their faith, and the Iranian Islamic Revolution was a significant event that coincided with my conversion to Islam. Second, the absence of separation between religion and politics was evident, and the leader of this revolution and great political movement was a religious figure like Imam Khomeini (RA). He preserved his religious and spiritual position while leading a revolution and a political movement. People followed him and even sacrificed their lives for his cause, and this concept of sacrifice was something we in the Western materialistic world were unfamiliar with.

What was the most important motivation for your inclination towards Islam?

The most important motivation for me was the feeling of need for religion and spirituality. Well, at that time, we weren’t very familiar with Islam. But as I grew older, I felt an increasing need for religion and spirituality. In the materialistic world we lived in, it wasn’t clear whether there was a God or not. For me, this question always

existe

d, but I hadn’t found a satisfactory answer to it.

No matter how much I searched within Christianity, I couldn’t find satisfaction, until I became acquainted with Islam and found it deep and profound. I saw that it provided guidance for all aspects of life, truth and reality were present within it. However, I must say that the most significant and profound impact in this regard was the mourning for Imam Hussain (AS) and the realization that Imam Hussain sacrificed his life and the lives of his family members for the preservation of Islam, so that Islam could continue and reach us.

When you were living in Austria, did you witness the mourning rituals in the style of Iranians?

No, I hadn’t seen it in Austria. I had only watched a film about it when I was there, brought by my brother-in-law. It was very interesting for us to see how young people and Basijis fought with purity and devotion for their ideals and religion, holding onto their Imam and leader, defending their homeland and faith.

The first time I witnessed the mourning of the people in Iran, it was fascinating and had a deep impact on me. Because I saw that Muslims not only mourned, but in their movement and purpose, they kept the path of Hussain alive and adhered to him.

During these years in Iran, you must have traveled to many cities. In which cities did you see the mourning rituals more fervently?

Certainly, mourning rituals take place in a specific manner in every city, but nowhere is it as fervent and intense as in Qom. In every city, you have to go to a mosque or a Hussainiyah (place of mourning) and feel the mourning for Hussain. But during the mourning days, when you enter Qom, the scent of mourning and grief fills the entire city. Traffic becomes difficult on the streets, and processions of mourners move back and forth. One significant aspect in Qom is the entrance of mourning processions into the shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh (SA), which contributes to the intensity of mourning in the city.

A wave that has emerged in the Western world is the trend towards spirituality and escaping materialism. Has this wave reached Austria as well?

After the devastation caused by the violence that Western countries, including Austria and Germany, experienced after World War II, up to around 70%, a general spirit of anti-violence and love emerged. Initially, they tried to satisfy this need for love through sexual matters, and in the 1960s, Western society moved in that direction. However, by the late 1990s, people realized the destructive effects of this approach and sought another path to reclaim their lost values.

Now we see that people have embraced Buddhism and, with a strong belief in superstitious aspects of Buddhism, have turned towards it. For example, in Buddhism, there is a concept that interprets positive and negative energy waves, but they never delve into where this positive or negative energy comes from, and what connection it has to the spiritual world or the afterlife. Well, of course, the authorities of Western governments are also pleased that people haven’t inclined towards Islam yet, and they try to prevent it as much as they can. They present Buddhism as a religion of love and emotion, and promote it as a complete religion.

Unfortunately, the people in Austria, who are not exempt from this trend, have also felt this need and have gravitated towards these beliefs

. How many Shia Muslims are there in Austria, and as an educated clergyman in Islamic sciences, what impact have you had on the people of Austria?

In this regard, I must say that Shia Muslims are very marginalized. Among the population of around 8 million in Austria, there are about 400,000 Muslims, and among these 400,000 Muslims, there are only about forty Shia individuals.

So far, we haven’t been able to have a significant impact there due to very limited resources and also because of the strong and negative propaganda that Westerners have against us. They portray Iranians as terrorists! All Western media, in harmony and coordination against Islam, have negative portrayals of Musli ms,

creating a negative image of us among the people. To the extent that when I wanted to visit Iran, my parents advised me to be cautious because they thought I might get arrested for chanting anti-American slogans!

People in Austria generally avoid us Shia and try not to engage with us. Some label us as terrorists and accuse us of seeking violence. Naturally, if we want to counter this mentality, it’s very difficult and requires significant resources and efforts, which unfortunately we lack.

What do you consider the purpose of mourning?

I believe there are two main purposes of mourning: preserving the oppression of Imam Hussain and preserving the religion of Islam, both of which are very noble objectives. I think through these mourning rituals, people themselves should become “Hussaini” if they pay attention to certain aspects. They should embody the character of “Hussaini,” their thinking should become “Hussaini.” I don’t see this spiritual state among Sunni Muslims, and I believe it’s due to the absence of such an atmosphere and belief among them.

Mr. Waldman, please explain the mourning rituals in Austria for us.

However, these brothers hold sessions and engage in mourning on the day of Tasu’a and Ashura. Mostly, the mourning involves discussing the events of Ashura and the goals of Imam Hussain’s uprising. Recently, there has been a resurgence in “Marthiya” recitation, although it is relatively brief. We also have programs for children to familiarize them with the goals of Imam Hussain’s martyrdom from a young age.

The culture of mourning among Austrian brothers is not exactly in line with Iranians. Some Iranian mourning practices are not accepted there. For example, Iranians usually have a powerful sound system for mourning, increasing the volume of eulogies. But Austrian Shia Muslims fear that this might disturb their neighbors, so it’s not considered suitable.

Well, neighbors are usually non-Muslims, and this practice wouldn’t be appropriate there.

Or, Austrian brothers are more interested in the spiritual aspects of mourning. However, unfortunately, sometimes among Iranian brothers, we see that they focus on the external aspects of mourning.

They fake tears and engage in certain chest-beating or movements, and some people consider this acting, not genuine mourning. We need to blend the “Hussaini” culture with the culture of Muslims from different countries and export the true culture of mourning to those countries. I’ve heard that there are similar issues in England and Italy; I’ve seen it myself in Italy.

Do Shia Muslims in Austria have specific Hussainiyas, mosques, or centers?

No, unfortunately, Shia Muslims don’t have remarkable centers or grand mosques. But there are places where friends gather and fulfill their duties.

@rahyafte_en