Speaking to ISCO reporter about 'giant project', Ahmad Muballeghi defined 'giant project' as a project which is huge and immense. "A giant project does not mean that we should consider a vast topic for the project and deal with its most extensive aspects; rather it means that a project whose subject is extensive and every aspect of which is pursuable should be studied and dealt with.

Referring to the definition of 'giant project', he said, "Whenever a project is extensive, having different and multiple aspects and angles in such a way that every angle of it can be independently followed up in terms of research, it is a 'giant project'. A 'giant project' sometimes means that a vast subject is included as a part of projects that have the 'vast topic' as the common point between them. Therefore, a giant project is a vast or giant topic which has different angles and aspects each of which deserves to be studied and researched independently.

A giant project is a coherent line that runs through several aspects of a single project. And if a line does not run intellectually and in terms of research, we will face a problem.

Muballeghi reiterated, "If a giant project is activated in this (foregoing) meaning, it will yield magnificent results for Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy as well as for the addressees. Firstly, a giant project creates and pursues a coherent line between several aspects of a project and if this line is not followed in a coherent way intellectually and research-wise, we will face problems. In this case, we will either study a giant project from a single dimension, or we will witness a kind of disagreement between the various aspects of the giant project. Since these disagreements do not joint each in one of these aspects, in fact we will not attain a precise and scholarly conclusion. Hence, the line and conjunction between these aspects will remain unidentified and the research in this case will be blind, aimless and ineffective," he said.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi reiterated, "If an aspect is studied independently of other aspects, sometimes the capacities existing in the very aspect will remain unknown. Therefore, we are taking forward these aspects in a coherent and related atmosphere with a related scientific management that creates a link between the aspects. The benefits of this task are bringing up an inter-dimensional atmosphere and creating a follow-up line and a connection between the aspects of the project."

He said, "One other aspect of a giant project is that it prevents a researcher from remissness, relaxation, aimlessness and from being a jack of all trades."

"If a researcher does not engage in a giant project, he will have to take a certain project every moment and in this case, if a researcher has a 20 or 30 years study products, his product is diffused, and as a consequence of that, it will be less productive and will lack specialization whereas a giant project puts every researcher in a special atmosphere and makes him engage for years following up a direct and coherent line," he added.

Head of Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy further said, "A researcher who works with a giant project will end up being an expert in that field. Since such a person is a specialist, his researches develop further and finally we will find, after a few years, a thinker with a new scientific language for that domain which the giant project had defined. In a giant a project, every individual does not allow himself to speak about a topic, rather he seeks to find the specialists in that field, and the specialist's view and opinion is the last and the best of them."

"If we want to create an inter-disciplinary study, the only way to do so is to take action through a giant project; that is, inter-disciplinary studies are made possible through giant projects," he explained.

Speaking about the major benefits of a giant project, he said, "A giant project arranges the studies on the basis of the dimensions of a project and it defines their correlations.

He said, "If the study sectors are put along side other domains with precise research results and transparent views, we can take better actions for inter-disciplinary studies i.e. studies between various fields."

"If a study domain is not recognized with its domains clearly enough, how can we put it along side other domains with different aspects and how would be it possible to present clear and pursuable studies?" Muballeghi enquired.

One of the most difficult tasks encountered by the seminary concerns the inter-disciplinary studies. Despite the interdisciplinary studies being easy, entering such studies is very difficult. The real difficulties are more than they have been known.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi said, "One of the most difficult tasks encountered by the seminary concerns the inter-disciplinary studies. Despite the interdisciplinary studies being easy, entering such studies is very difficult. The real difficulties are more than they have been known. "

"In fact, the giant projects facilitate inter-disciplinary studies and bring about a situation in which such studies are made possible in the sense that in the inter-disciplinary studies, you should put different scientific fields together so as to reach a single field," he said.

Muballeghi added, "A giant project is the pre-requisite for entering inter-disciplinary studies; a giant project puts different study domains on a single research pivot and yields different research results in this process."

"A giant project prevents the occurrence of interferences in the study and research area because every giant project has a specific boundary, and insofar as this boundary stretches, this domain of study will not be relegated to anyone else," he continued.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi said, "By introducing giant projects, we can prevent the research endeavors and research activities from overlapping each other in places like the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy where such difficulties used to exist in the past due to the fact that the boundaries were not properly defined. If we want to have a strong and formidable presence in the international arena, we will not be able to achieve any success through small and single projects because such projects can be described as dangling projects. Hence, therefore, I stress that we should follow a continuous research line. "

He further said, "A giant project creates two kinds of specializations: One is a giant specialization which this giant project defines. In other words, it is a specialization which links the various aspects of a project in the form of a single project which is the giant project. Thus, consciousness, cleverness and broadmindedness and a close link between the dimensions of a giant project which lead to specialization are sought."

"The second specialization is that if a project is separated from a giant project, the project is not left in a dangling way; rather a specialization with a broad look at the giant project and another specialization with respect to a more special domain is created. And in order for us to have something to say in the international atmosphere, we need such a specialization," he added.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi continued, "Only in this case, we can tell the world that we followed a certain thought for ten years and this is the outcome and the result. Indeed, such thoughts exist within a giant project. And it is only through a giant project that the dimensions are made known and results are obtained."

"Giant project is a new project which has been started. However, since we believe making haste will be harmful, we shall carry on this project steadily and consistently," he added.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi said that giant projects are not exclusively for the Islamic seminaries and that it has the capacity to be present in universities also. "In our studies, we never consider seminary studies to be needless of university studies; in fact, the literature that we produce originate and stem from university studies," he said.

"If we do not observe certain things in regards to giant projects, they will turn out to be harmful. Hence, we must use the best methods for conducting the 'giant project'. Similarly, if we do not understand 'giant project' properly, it is very much likely that we might automatically adopt a substitute which brings up a situation worse than that which existed before it," he added.

He said, "A giant project should involve a giant subject whose relation with other subjects and projects should be scientific. This relation can be defined as such that uni-projects are the aspects and branches of the subject."

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi reiterated, "If we suffice to comprehensiveness and extensiveness in regards to the subject of the giant projects and thereupon we introduce projects of which some may be giant projects by themselves, or there might be an imposed relationship between the projects and the subject of the giant projects, this will complicate the task."

He said, "We must not be deceived by the extensiveness of the titles. The thing that might cause us to commit mistakes is to be deceived by such titles which may lead us towards the extensiveness of the themes. If it is so, it will ruin the specialization. If we take a big topic whose segments have only a name in common while they have no specific boundaries, such a situation may lead the manager of the giant project to interfere in the task of the uni-projects which have no technical relationship with each other. This is a threat."

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi reiterated, "If we do not define the giant projects properly and do not exercise precaution in this regard, then we will fall into alternative subjects that are only extensive but do not have the scientific features and connection with the sub-projects. Hence, we will suffer drawbacks."

"If in the time of action all the efforts are not put into the giant project or if the giant project is executed partially in the sense that every individual shifts from one giant project to another giant project, in this case also, it will entail negative consequences," he said.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi noted, "In a giant project, the researcher at the outset of his entering the project should take all the advice, and counseling, perspectives and experiences into consideration and then he should choose. After he has chosen it, he should stay with it till the end and we should not allow a researcher to shift from one giant project to another one and we must look at it as an unblessed phenomenon."

"The basic elements or those who undertake the implementation of the giant project must be properly defined. Suppose, if we choose a manager for a giant project, a manager who is capable of only executing the project and paving grounds, it is not sufficient because a manager has been defined as someone who has a clear understanding of 'giant project' and who studies all these dimensions from such a position and also links one dimension with another and the outcome of the researchers' studies with every aspect of the project and guides them towards a proper direction," Muballeghi said.

If the manager of a giant project changes into an executive manager only, the project will fail because such a manager will not actualize the existential philosophy of the giant project. In this case, the researchers come and live together only physically in a giant-project atmosphere.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi said, "If the manager of a giant project changes into an executive manager only, the project will fail because such a manager will not actualize the existential philosophy of the giant project. In this case, the researchers come and live together only physically in a giant project atmosphere but there will be no complimentary, interactive or supplementary relation between them and this is a problem that arises from the management of the giant project."

"Every individual working within a giant project should take notice of two things: One, he should take notice of the project which is underway and another, the sub-projects existing within the giant project," he added.

"If in a giant project, we engage only in one project and that every researcher is only cohabiting physically with another researcher, there would be no use in it. Cohabiting should be scientific and purposeful and joint cooperation should take place in a broad atmosphere so that it may lead to a result," he further said.

Hujjatul-Islam Muballeghi reiterated, "Since knowledge or science is the main concern of a giant project, it should not entertain members of the giant project doing other tasks or engaging in executive affairs. Rather we must make use of all means and make every effort to address the researchers' concerns so that they may do their scientific work and accomplish their tasks with peace of mind."

"If we are to surrender a giant project to people who engage in executive or evaluative tasks, the giant project will not get accomplished," he added.

"One of the conditions guaranteeing success of a giant project is to conduct an evaluation of the project every once in while so that it may become clear as to how the project started, where it reached and how it is getting accomplished," he stressed.

"We believe a giant project has a giant capacity but a giant project is an operation which has been brought about following a definition and a special perspective. If it is correctly conducted and carried out, the seminary does not lack capacity for such endeavors," he concluded.