Learn Farsi: گفته می‌شود که این تضاد یک معضل بزرگ به شمار می‌رود. - It is said that this conflict is considered a big dilemma.

گفته می‌شود is an impersonal passive phrase meaning "it is said." In Farsi, the passive is formed using the past participle of the main verb (here, گفته from گفتن) followed by the appropriate conjugation of شدن. Because it is a general statement ("people say"), we use the third-person singular می‌شود without a specific subject, followed by که (that) to introduce the clause.

What is the literal meaning of به شمار می‌رود, and how do I use it?

Literally, it means "goes to count," but it translates as "is considered" or "is counted as." The infinitive is به شمار رفتن. It is a formal and very common way to express that something is regarded in a certain way. You use it at the end of the sentence, pairing it with what the subject is considered to be—in this case, یک معضل بزرگ (a big dilemma).

Why doesn't به شمار می‌رود use the passive helper verb شدن if the English translation "is considered" is passive?

Even though "is considered" is passive in English, به شمار رفتن is an active compound verb in Farsi that naturally carries a passive meaning ("to count as" or "to be regarded as"). You do not need to add شدن because the concept of being considered is already built into this specific idiom. You will also frequently see به شمار آمدن used with the exact same meaning.

Could I use a simpler word like مشکل instead of معضل here?