TEHRAN -- President Masoud Pezeshkian says the potential of mosques can be utilized to address social and public issues.
“For instance, in the context of energy imbalance, mosques can help promote a culture of responsible consumption within the community,” he said, addressing a meeting of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council here.
He emphasized the importance of mosques in addressing people’s problems.
“When we were students, we tried to turn the university mosque into a center for pursuing and solving people’s issues. In my opinion, such a role should be considered for mosques,” he said. 
The president said there are 80,000 mosques in Iran today, meaning that there is one mosque for every thousand people in the country.
This capacity can be utilized to address the issues faced by the community, turning each neighborhood mosque into a center for solving local problems, he stressed.
The president emphasized the strategy of self-governance for mosques.
“We are currently pursuing a school-building movement without relying on government resources. Many services in mosques can also be managed with the help of the community and through charities. We must not operate in a way that makes these services dependent on government funding. When the management and services of mosques are handled by the community, it fosters a sense of ownership over the mosque and its activities,” he added.
He also stressed the importance of concentrating many cultural services within mosques, saying the separate structures currently established for cultural and religious activities consume resources but often fail to resolve any issues.