engineering unity through dignity: an evidence-based duc model for islamic governance reform inspired by prophetic teachings and religious institutions

In pluralist islamic societies, government service centres are critical sites where the theoretical ideals of islamic unity (wiḥda islāmiyya) and human dignity (karāmat) are tested against daily realities of diverse public interaction. marking the 1500th anniversary of the birth of the prophet of mercy (pbuh), this paper reflects on his teachings of inherent human dignity as the foundation for a cohesive ummah. while iran’s constitutional and islamic frameworks affirm these principles, empirical data reveals significant gaps in their application within public services, leading to client dissatisfaction and social fragmentation. this paper argues that a systematic, engineering-oriented approach to service design is essential to bridge this gap. it proposes and presents the dignity–unity communication (duc) model, a novel normative-analytical framework that adapts the shannon-weaver communication theory to public administration. by conceptualizing dignity as the core message to be transmitted with minimal noise and unity as the measurable destination effect, the model provides a structured blueprint for reform. drawing on extensive empirical evidence from iranian health, administrative, and e-government services, and leveraging the exemplary case study of the imam reza shrine’s management, this article delineates a practical pathway for transforming government service centres into reliable engines of both respectful service delivery and sustainable islamic unity.