Administrative Organization of Mosque and Measurement of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Legal System of Iran: Compatibility or Contradiction?

Abstract

Properties of NGO are classified within 4 main items including: Non-profit-making, non-political, non-governmental and volunteer oriented and its mission is filling probable gaps between government, citizens and transferring goals of society to public authorities within specific framework. Although “realistically” speaking and under influence of some policies, there are some differences between “current” status of Iranian mosques with functions of NGO and in relation to the feature of being “Non-governmental”, there is no significant compatibility; from “Theoretical” point of view there is maximum compatibility and proximity between “noble” functions of mosque with that of NGO. Findings of this descriptive-analytical research showed that it can and should be considered negligent in considering the mosque as an NGO, so that by reforming the laws, regulations and macro-cultural policies in this field and accompanying the mosque with all the main components of the NGO, the strengthening and developing of the "civil society" can be achieved.

Keywords

• mosque
• ngo
• state
• civil society
• non-governmental