Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Opportunities and challenges of the Quranic diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Muslim countries: A case study of Iranian international Quran reciters

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Authors
Mohammadreza Borzooei 1
Seyyed Hadi Esmaeilzadeh Shouraki 2
1 Associate Professor, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran
2 M.A. in Islamic Studies, Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran
10.22035/jicr.2027.3616.3827
Abstract
In contemporary international relations, engagement among countries has moved beyond traditional, state-centric approaches, with the public and public opinion playing an increasingly decisive role in shaping countries’ positions and trajectories on the international stage. Diplomacy, understood as the art of establishing and maintaining relations between countries, can take various forms. In this context, cultural resources have received growing attention from governments because of their greater persuasive potential and their central role in the exercise of soft power. The Holy Quran, as a shared cultural and unifying source among Muslims, can play a significant role in fostering relations between Muslim-majority countries. Accordingly, Quranic diplomacy represents a strategic instrument with considerable potential to advance the foreign policy objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study aims to identify and explain the opportunities and challenges facing Iran’s Quranic diplomacy in other Muslim-majority countries, with particular emphasis on the role of Iranian international Quran reciters. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. To achieve the research objectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 experts in the field, including officials responsible for organizing Quran reciters’ overseas visits, internationally recognized Iranian Quran reciters, and cultural counselors representing the Islamic Republic of Iran. Data collection continued until theoretical sufficiency was reached. The resulting data were then analyzed within the framework of the opportunities and challenges of Quranic diplomacy through three stages of coding: open, organizing, and overarching. The analysis identified the principal opportunities and challenges facing Iran’s Quranic diplomacy in other Muslim-majority countries. The findings indicate that the opportunities include the inherent advantages of Quranic diplomacy, the capacities available for its implementation, the strengths of the institutions and actors responsible for it, and its outcomes. The main challenges,

Keywords
science diplomacy
intercultural communication
epistemic justice
circuit of culture
critical interpretive synthesis
Subjects
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Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 December 2026

  • Receive Date 23 April 2026
  • Revise Date 15 August 2026
  • Accept Date 02 September 2026