The term "resistance" and the literature derived from it is a familiar concept for the region of West Asia, a region that has experienced military, political, and cultural invasions by colonial and imperial powers more than any other place in the world over the past century.

Common social, religious, and cultural values and norms are some of the factors that have led to the formation of a shared identity among the members of the Resistance Axis. Despite geographic distance and the lack of common borders, these factors have united them around a cohesive regional identity.

The formation of this regional identity is influenced by Islamic teachings, especially components such as the culture of martyrdom, support for the oppressed, resistance to injustice, anti-imperialism, justice-seeking, aspiration for independence, support for liberation movements, rejection of the domination of infidels, Mahdism, the concept of Awaiting the Savior, and religious democracy, all of which were shaped during the Islamic Revolution of Iran. These are among the key elements of the resistance discourse.

While resistance today has predominantly manifested with an Islamic-Shiite approach, the horrific atrocities committed by the Zionist regime in the genocide of the oppressed people of Gaza, on one hand, and their remarkable and faithful resistance against all these injustices and crimes, on the other hand, have transformed this discourse into a trans-denominational, trans-religious, and even trans-regional discourse. The divine and faithful dimensions of this heroic and astonishing resistance are so profound and evident that they open the way for contemporary humanity, trapped in the claws of imperialistic and imperial systems, to reflect and engage in a scientific study of this movement and revolution. Therefore, defining the theological identity of resistance, whether from an Islamic-Shiite perspective or an interfaith approach, is crucial. This interpretation must be addressed in various dimensions of resistance, including military, economic, social, and cultural resistance, as well as media resistance.

The theological dimensions of resistance not only help explain moral and religious principles, but also contribute to the creation of a collective identity for Muslim nations and even for believers in divine religions.

The ontological foundations of resistance are shaped around the belief in monotheism, and the anthropological foundations of the theology of resistance emphasize human dignity. Its sociological foundations are based on justice and the establishment of fairness, which are high objectives of the divine missions of prophets. Rationality, justice, and spirituality form the three essential pillars of the Resistance School, which has emerged from the Islamic identity of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The integration of rationality with spirituality and the ideal of justice in the theology of resistance provides the necessary foundations for a dynamic and flourishing movement towards the new Islamic civilization in the world of today's imperial powers.

Among the various trends and branches of modern theology, it can rightly be claimed that over the past four decades, with the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the theology of resistance has become one of the most vibrant forms of social, practical theology, and one of the richest in terms of intellectual backing and theoretical foundations. This theology, rooted in monotheistic teachings, possesses vast interfaith Islamic and interreligious capabilities, and even global human potential, because it is based on fundamental religious beliefs that align perfectly with human nature, the desire for freedom, independence, justice, moral conscience, and sound reason.

Theology of resistance as a branch of modern theology* seeks to explain the doctrinal and theoretical foundations of the continuous struggle of Muslim nations in the West Asian region against global imperialism and illegitimate regional governments. Supported by the scientific and theoretical underpinnings of this liberation and enduring movement against the demonic assaults of superpowers, the theology of resistance advocates for the logic of standing against imperialism and rationality in the fight against oppression and tyranny, and seeks to offer a meaningful, reasonable, and faithful explanation of resistance in all its forms—military, cultural, economic, and ideological.

Theology of resistance is identity-creating. It analyzes and defends the intellectual, doctrinal, spiritual, and scientific identity of the resistance movement and its fighters and pioneers. The theology of resistance is responsible for promoting and disseminating the discourse of justice-centered freedom-seeking, aspirations for independence, resistance to occupation, colonialism, despotism, and imperialism, based on divine and monotheistic views and religious knowledge.

* One of the great wonders of the contemporary world is that at the height of materialistic, secular, and physicalistic worldviews regarding humanity and the world, which have deeply rooted themselves in all aspects of human scientific and civilizational life, we now face, since the late 20th century, two powerful and expansive movements: spirituality and social theology. These must certainly be seen as responses to the theoretical and practical dead-ends of modernity, science, and new civilization, as well as the crises that have arisen from them. These two movements are increasingly entering all spheres of life and overshadowing all of the challenges facing contemporary humanity.

In nearly every social issue, we are now confronted with various theological studies and approaches under the umbrella of modern theology: theology of war, theology of peace, theology of evil, theology of suffering, theology of the environment, theology of the city, theology of cyberspace, theology of artificial intelligence, theology of curriculum, and so on. There are also significant theological movements, such as existentialist theology, process theology, open theology, liberation theology, feminist theology, and more.

In all these branches and approaches of theology, the effort is to solve real, tangible, and socially problematic issues using divine beliefs, views, and methods. This includes addressing contemporary human needs from the perspective of divine faith and explaining the relationship between God, humanity, nature, and the world, as well as the religious and monotheistic ways of life.