Info:
The Ahlul Bayt World Assembly (ABWA) is an internationally active Iranian NGO which functions as the umbrella over a network of Iranian-backed religious, cultural, and educational institutions tasked with disseminating Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolutionary Islamist ideology around the world;
The ABWA was established in 1990 by Supreme Leader Khamenei as the codification of an initial summit which brought together 300 followers of Khomeinist Shi’a Islam. The organization acts as a transnational propaganda arm for the Supreme Leader, extending his soft power reach and amplifying his messaging capabilities;
The first General Secretary of this assembly was Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri, from 1990 until 1999. The second General Secretary was Ali Akbar Velayati., followed by Ayatollah Mohammad Mahdi Asefi. Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Hasan Akhtari, a former Iranian ambassador to Syria, is the current General Secretary of the assembly;
According to Tashkiri, the ABWA’s first Secretary General, the organization seeks to gain supremacy “over all Islamic groups active in the areas of culture, propaganda, economics, society, and politics via peaceful propaganda and persuasion, and to implement the Iranian claim to leadership over all Shi‘i communities in the world.” Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah sits on ABWA’s Supreme Council. ABWA’s Secretary General is the organization’s chief executive, tasked with implementing the Supreme Council’s policy objectives. The current Secretary General, Mohammad-Hasan Akhtari, was one of the founders of Hezbollah and also previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Syria on two separate occasions. A 2009 interview with Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat referred to Akhtiar as “the operational father” of Hezbollah, “engineer of the special relationship” between Syria and Iran, and “coordinator of Iran’s relations with Palestinian organizations in Damascus.”
Under Akhtari, ABWA’s network of religious organizations, cultural centers, and charities reportedly collaborates with the Quds Force, providing “an effective cover for assisting with intelligence-gathering; spotting and recruiting foreign students; and moving money and materiel destined for Qods Force (and MOIS) operations.” Akhtari allegedly leverages his extensive experience in the Levant to advance covert action with the Quds Force wherever possible, which includes propagating regime ideology to local populations in Quds Force theaters of operation in order to win over hearts and minds.
Ahlul Bayt World Assembly (ABWA) was ostensibly set up to promote Iran’s revolutionary ideology overseas and to serve as a link between the Iranian clerical establishment and foreign Shia clerics. However, ABWA has also served as an effective cover for assisting with intelligence-gathering; spotting and recruiting foreign students; and moving money and materiel destined for Qods Force (and MOIS) operations. The head of ABWA, Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, is a two-time ambassador to Syria with decades of experience in the Levant dating back to the forma-tion of Hezbollah. He understands Iran’s objectives in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well as anyone and effectively merges ABWA and the Qods Force wherever necessary to advance covert action pro-grams in the region. Qods Force commanders rely on entities such as ABWA to help with information operations designed to shape local opinion in favor of Iran; to maintain contact and supply lines with PushbackCountering the Iran Action Network Shia proxy groups; and as foreign-based units for collecting information;
Islamic Centre of Hamburg, Islamic Shia Assembly of Canada (ISAC) and World AhlulBayt Islamic Mission in Britain, operate under the aegis of the ABWA, and receive material and planning support from the parent organization. ABWA publishes Islamic books, magazines, software, and cultural products in different languages which it disseminates at its sub-organizations; helps arrange pro-Iranian seminars and conferences; sponsors religious activists and Shi’a preachers to speak; and undertakes charitable endeavors at the local branches worldwide. Many of the AhlulBayt-affiliated organizations also play leading roles in staging annual Quds Day celebrations in their respective localities;
Also Known As:
ABWA
Country:
Iran
Address:
No. 228, Keshavarz Blvd. Tehran 14176-53741 I.R.Iran
Phone:
88950827 (0098-21)
Website:
www.ahl-ul-bayt.org
E-mail:
info@ahl-ul-bayt.org
Person of interests:
Mohammad-Hasan Akhtari