Islamic organization appreciates Tehran for encouraging hijab and chastity

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Rasa News Agency reports – Sayyed Ahmad Zargar, the secretary-general of the Organization for the Revival of Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong, has sent a message to Dr Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, wherein he mentioned the efforts of this organization to spread a culture of chastity and hijab.

 

According to Islamic law, enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong is the duty of all Muslims, but in addition to this, organizations have special duties in the Islamic Republic of Iran to enforce it for the betterment of society. The most important organization for the accomplishment of this important work is the Organization for the Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong. This organization, which headed by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, was established in 1993. It is aimed at encouraging good and spreading Islamic culture in society, as well as to monitor the activities of all government and non-government agencies, and among the population to enforce Islamic culture and ethics.

 

The following is the statement which was released:

 

Dear Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the Honourable Mayor of Tehran,

as-Salaamun Alaykum [Peace be upon you],

 

Respectfully, the protection and promotion of Islamic values and religious teachings and Quranic sciences were manifested by the light of guidance of the Last Prophet [Muhammad] and the Infallible Imams (peace and blessings of God be upon them). They demonstrated the path of salvation for those who seek the straight path.

 

It is the solemn duty of the conscientious authorities and the supportive managers of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pay homage to the veterans and the eternal martyrs of this land and to the proud and honourable people of Islamic Iran.

 

The recent action of the municipality of Tehran to restore the chastity and preserve the integrity and dignity of women employed in the municipality is an important step in the right direction which extends Islamic and human values.

 

I know it is necessary to announce my appreciation and thankfulness in regard to this wise decision and I request your continuity and endurance on the path to seek the satisfaction of God Almighty.

 

I pray for your success on the path of service to Islam and that God Almighty enhances your success.

 

Sayyed Ahmad Zargar,
Secretary-General of the Organization for the Revival of Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong
6 August, 2014

 

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Ayatollah Tabatabaei-Nejad condemns Israeli bombardment of Gaza in Friday prayer sermon in Esfahan

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Rasa News Agency – In his Friday prayer sermon in Esfahan, Ayatollah Sayyed Yousef Tabatabaei-Nejad, the representative of the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei) in the province of Esfahan, noted that Israel is an enemy of Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and said: “We must congratulate all Muslims and freedom seekers that Israel has been defeated for the third time!”

 

He pointed out that Israel has killed almost 2,000 people in the Gaza Strip and injured almost 10,000, most of whom were children and women, saying: “The number of [Hamas] soldiers wounded or martyred by the Zionist bombardment has been very low. The Gaza Strip is very densely populated, and Israel has mostly bombed civilians.” 

 

The Friday prayer leader in Esfahan said that the illegitimate Zionist entity has been defeated in the war and that thousands of people in more than 120 countries protested against the atrocities of the Zionist regime. “Israel has lost its reputation in the world and now the name of Israel is listed as a war criminal around the world,” he said.

 

Ayatollah Tabatabaei-Nejad explained that reverse migration has occurred in Israel as Jews from around the world have immigrated to Palestine and Palestinians were evicted or forced to leave their lands. He also stated that the Zionist war criminal Benyamin Netanyahu promised to solve the “Gaza situation” with the hope of completely destroying the Gaza Strip. He started the present war with the now-proven false excuse that three Israeli youth were killed by Hamas but they did not expect the Islamic Resistance to be so strong.

 

His Eminence expressed that the only path toward victory over Israel was resistance, stating “the resistance of the people of Gaza is a consequence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and is also due to the victory of Hezbollah in the disproportionate 33-day Israeli war on Lebanon of 2006. Israel fought against a group of Hezbollah and killed them, but they still could not find a single rocket launcher used by the Resistance!”

 

In a message to the oppressed Palestinian people, he said: “Don’t be afraid of your lack of equipment and numbers! The Holy Quran says that there were many groups who were few in numbers but by the permission of God and by relying on His grace, these groups were victorious over much larger groups.”

 

Ayatollah Tabatabaei-Nejad then recited a Quranic verse from Surat al-Fussilat: “(As for) those who say: Our Lord is God, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the garden which you were promised.” [41:30]

 

“In the first ten days of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, a third of Arab countries sought peace between Israel and Gaza but did not suggest a ceasefire. Israel could not prevent the rockets launched by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. These rockets are able to reach almost every place in Israel,” the Representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the province of Esfahan said in regard to Israel’s plan for the destruction of Gaza.

 

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Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami speaks to Rasa about upcoming Assembly of Experts elections

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Rasa News Agency – In an exclusive interview with Rasa News Agency, Ayatollah Sayyed Ahmad Khatami, a senior member of the Assembly of Experts, spoke about the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections.

 

The Assembly of Experts is a deliberative body of Islamic theologians that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities. Members of the assembly are elected from lists of candidates by direct public vote for eight-year terms. The current chairman of the Assembly is Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi-Kani, who was elected in March 2011.

 

Ayatollah Khatami said that according to the medical team treating Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani, the chairman of the Assembly of Experts, is recovering well from a heart attack he suffered in June and is conscious. He discussed the controversy over the 83-year scholars’ age and health and whether his position should be replaced before the September elections.

 

The Friday prayer leader of Tehran stated that the upcoming fourth session of the Assembly of Experts will held from the second to the forth of September, and it is there where the candidacy of Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani will be decided.

 

“We pray that God Almighty gives Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani a quite recovery and we should not speak of holding an election [to replace him] as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts. Coinciding with the meeting of the Assembly of Experts, we will introduce the candidates as planned on September 2nd,” Ayatollah Khatami warned.

 

His Eminence noted that consultations in this regard do not mean an administration will be formed. “While some are trying to take their seats in the Assembly of Experts, the problem is not new and democracy and republicanism requires it. But you should know that the dignity of the Assembly of Experts is far higher than the lobby groups,” he warned.

 

In response to a question whether the age requirement for the president of the Assembly of Experts is a concern or not, Ayatollah Khatami said: “I have heard of this problem and the case has not been made by the Guardian Council, but it is only reasonable that the conditions of the elected person should based on knowledge and whether they are a worthy scholar and have reached the status of ijtihad [independent reasoning].

 

“Of course, I am not referring to my own age, but rather health is a concern. God Almighty has blessed Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani with a long life – he is currently 90 years of age, but he has the abilities of a 30-year old! Thus, I do not take age to be a requirement,” said the 54-year old Ayatollah.

 

Abol-Hasan Navvab, a member of the Combatant Clergy Association [a political party], had previously said that the efforts of some politicians to raise the age requirement for President of the Assembly of Experts is false, irrational, an incorrect. He explained that if age was a condition, than most of the current members of the Assembly of Experts would not be eligible, including Ayatollahs Jannati, Khazali, and Yazdi.

 

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Takfiris have corrupted Islamic teachings

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Rasa News Agency – Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad-Hasan Zamani, the international chairman of the Islamic Seminaries, has met with a number of Muslim women from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a lecture to these women, His Eminence explained three important points about Islam and gave his opinions on these points. 

 

Takfirism is considered a fanatic, rigid and extremist movement which has deviated from Islam. The actions of the so-called Islamic State (IS) are one of the examples of these brutal Takfiri groups who do follow true Islam. They have claimed that they have revived the medieval caliphate in Iraq and Syria, but in fact, their state is not based upon the Quran or Islamic traditions or the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, but upon their own theories.

 

He further explained that the Wahhabi sect falsely believes that the actions of the Takfiri groups are representative of true Islam. “They consider that any person who do not accept the same thoughts and beliefs that they hold as an infidel. For this reason, they have murdered not only Shi’ites, but many Sunnis as well,” he emphasized.

 

The Boko Haram group operating Nigeria is another Takfiri group which has deviated Islamic teachings in an attempt to fulfil their goals. “Unfortunately, they are spreading false Islamic teachings among the Muslim people [of Nigeria],” Hujjat al-Islam Zamani explained.

 

He also rejected Takfiri ideas regarding religious hybridity and said: “They believe that some religious precepts of the Quran regarding worship should be used, but they adhere to the forms of culture, economy and politics from the West.”

 

Hujjat al-Islam Zamani explained that Takfiris mix together different theories from Western sociology and the humanities, as well as other fields, and they think that the Quran and Islam are merely about worship and that they contain no teachings regarding how to live a proper life.

 

“We call these Muslims ‘westoxified.’ Unfortunately, these ways of thinking are present in the thoughts of many Muslim youth and those with Western educations. For example, the [secular] Turkish authorities believe they should take religious precepts from the Quran, but in the realm of economics, politics, and others they believe they should follow the West and their theories,” His Eminence added.

 

“Against these false ideas of Islam, Islam has created a noble and wonderful civilization. Imam Khomeini (RA), and Ayatollah Khamenei (HA) have declared that it is necessary to implement the teachings and traditions of Islam completely. We believe that God Almighty has revealed all of the knowledge that is necessary for humankind in the Quran and prophetic narrations,” Hujjat al-Islam Zamani explained.

 

“All the teachings described in the Western humanities are encountered in the Quran and narrations of the Prophet Muhammad (S). These are such rich sources that if we wish to create an Islamic civilization, we could create a better and richer civilization than that of the West,” he argued. 

 

“For the past thirty-five years, the Islamic seminaries, universities and institutions such as the Imam Khomeini (RA) Education and Research Institute, have derived the foundations of the humanities from Islamic religious teachings,” he said in reference to the benefits of the Islamic Revolution.

 

“We believe all the laws that are passed in the Islamic Republic of Iran are based upon the Quran,” Hujjat al-Islam Zamani concluded.

 

 

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Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli meets with managers of the Islamic Propagation Organization of Mazandaran

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli has met the managers of the Islamic Propagation Organization of Mazandaran [province] in the city of Damavand, near Tehran.

 

“The mission of the Islamic Propagation Organization is institution building and the development and revival of Islamic culture and knowledge in society,” His Eminence explained. He also emphasized that the development of a religious culture, knowing the enemy and dealing with the cultural invasion and the soft war on the Islamic Republic of Iran is a necessity in which Muslims need to be active in. “Our major responsibility is to execute the rights of Muslims and Islam,” he explained.

 

Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli advised: “When a speaker is preaching, he should not deliver such a long sermon that it has no effect on his audience. Rather, his sermon should be useful and effective the subject matter should be presented with arguments and proofs.”

 

He emphasized that clerics and preachers have great duties when delivering a sermon; the whole contents of the sermon should be reliable and based on important and credible sources. “Angels are present in academic discussions and the carpet beneath the feet of the seminarians is the wings of these angels and for this reason, humankind will learn the correct path when he commits himself to a life of studying and uses his abilities to their full potential and does not waste his time,” Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli stated.

 

Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli pointed out the importance of education in the seminaries and universities as well as the importance of teaching in Islamic societies, and advised: “If someone studies in the seminaries and universities, but his education was not applied, he will not be successful in this world or in the hereafter. If you have the right to implement education in the universities, your actions can have a great the Islamic community.”

 

Alluding to some types of sin in Islamic society, His Eminence said: “People need to understand the many types of sins and their reasons so that on the Day of Judgement, their senses will be opened. At that time, they will understand their sins. How is the person who reads verse 30 of Surat an-Nur of the Holy Quran and does not fully understand it?”

 

The verse that His Eminence referred to states: “Say to the believing men that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely God is Aware of what they do.” [24:30]

 

Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli said that man has two dimensions: perception and impulse, and explained. “If man can understand and perceive themselves correctly by these two dimensions and these two dimensions are found within him, he can use them efficiently.”

 

At the end of his sermon, Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli said that service for the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the same as that for a cultural organization or for preaching Islam in the seminaries or publishing a study on the Holy Quran and said: “This sacred system is our partner and companion and we should implement its rights with generosity and good character.”

 

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Ayatollah Ahmad Beheshti condemns Zionism and the ‘Islamic State’

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Ahmad Beheshti, the representative of Fars province in the Assembly of Experts, has spoken with Rasa News Agency. He discussed the strategy for arming the people of the West Bank in order to protect the greatness of Islam and to prevent the shaming of the Islamic community in the face of the aggressors and the oppressive Zionist regime.

 

He proposed that Islamic countries should send weapons and humanitarian aid to Palestine to aid the oppressed people there so they are able to continue their resistance against Israel. He echoed the remarks made by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and said: “There is no way except arming the Muslims in order to overcome the Zionists.”

 

In remarks during meeting university students in Tehran in July, Ayatollah Khamenei proposed sending arms to the Palestinians so that they can continue their armed resistance against the Zionist entity and expand it to the West Bank. Ayatollah Khamenei said armed resistance was “the only way” to confront the Zionist regime with the goal of annihilating it.

 

Ayatollah Beheshti continued by stating: “We cannot compromise with the enemy with resolutions, compliments and smiles, because they only want to be deceive Muslims with their promises and to scare them with their threats. In the face of their tricks, there is no other way except resistance.”

 

His Eminence explained that the Quran states that the success of Muslims causes the unbelievers to become disheartened, and he recited this following verse: “If good befalls you, it grieves them, and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it; and if you are patient and guard yourselves, their scheme will not injure you in any way; surely God comprehends what they do.” [3:120]

 

He then added: “Patience and piety are a form of resistance. Besides resistance, there has been and never will be any other way to counter the enemies.”

 

Ayatollah Beheshti explained that terrorist groups, such as the so-called Islamic State (IS), are the agents of the Zionists. The Zionists created them in order to disarm the Islamic Resistance. “The Islamic world must confront these divisive groups and unbound extremists with rationality and they must protect Muslim unity.”

 

“The Islamic world must separate itself with rationality and also protect their unity against the Islamic State terrorist group and other Takfiri groups. These people use various cunning methods and tricks to deceive and mislead the gullible youth. They have murdered young men with their deviated and unprecedented ways and capture women and young girls in a innovation that they call ‘jihad an-nikah’ or ‘sex jihad,’” His Eminence concluded.

 

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Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi speaks to Basij students in Mashhad about threats facing Muslims

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi spoke to a group of students from the Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed (Basij) who were attending a conference on Islamic thought at Ferdosi University in the holy city of Mashhad. His Eminence spoke about the various threats by the enemies against Muslims in the modern era.

 

He warned them that since the time of Prophet Adam (A), mankind has had many enemies who have sought to lead them astray. His Eminence pointed to the situation in the Gaza Strip, where the atrocities committed against mankind have continued today: “Everywhere that there is talk of Islam, rights, justice and liberty, we encounter the enemy. We see an example of this [hypocrisy] in Gaza. It is natural that we must prepare ourselves to fight against these enemies so that we can protect our rights. The greatest attacks are those against the people of the Gaza Strip, who are being attacked without mercy. Innocent children, women and civilians are being killed. This is the greatest evil.”

 

His Eminence explained that the enemies are attempting to destroy Muslim societies by various means. Some of the means the enemies attempt to destroy Muslim societies is by colonialism, weakening their economic systems and weakening their power. Their economic blows cause inflation and increase hardships among Muslims. However, these problems can be overcome but their attempts to damage the relationship between Muslims and their religious faith is a greater danger. They areactively fighting our religious beliefs and our cultural by various means in order to marginalize society from its religious identity.

 

Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi recalled that the Holy Quran says: “…and they will not cease fighting with you until they turn you back from your religion, if they can…” [2:217] and explained that contrary to what materialists believe, the greatest loss for mankind is to lose his faith. The devil and his companions seek to fight against mankind until they lose their faith. This is very evident today.

 

“In the current era, mankind is facing its greatest dangers since the time of Prophet Adam (A). Previously, when people wanted to lead someone astray, they would talk to them face to face, but now mankind faces the threats of deviant forms of film, art and books [that did not exist before]. These affect millions of people,” His Eminence explained.

 

Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi told the students that in addition to their non-religious studies, they can take a few seminary courses so that they do not forget their religious values, waste their precious time, do not become prisoners of Satan, and make an effort to accomplish their religious duties so they do not go astray. He also encouraged the students to engage in activities which have a positive effect on their faith. An educated population has an effect of rescuing people from the abyss of ignorance and an education can help people resolve their religious doubts.

 

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Ayatollah Alamolhoda warns about the dangers facing the Islamic Seminary

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Sayyed Ahmad Alamolhoda has presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Centre for the Mobilization of Professors and Elite of the Islamic Seminary. He gave a lecture to the people gathered about the attempts by the enemies to destroy the Islamic Seminary and its power in Iranian and Islamic societies.

 

“In the narrations from Imam Ali (A) strategic points have been shown from the characteristics of revelation. Imam Ali (A) has explained that three factors are necessary that man should understand. Man needs to understand their origin, their destination and their current situation. Emphasis is placed on understanding their current situation,” he explained.

 

The representative for Mashhad in the Assembly of Experts has said that in the past the religion of Islam was confined to the four walls of mosques and husayniyahs but since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Islam has been brought out of these confines and has entered the international arenas and has disrupted all the enemies conspiracies.

 

The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad said that in the present era, the Islamic seminaries and the clergy are regarded as the sources of the Islamic Revolution by all scholars. The enemies have been frustrated in their attempts to subvert the Islamic Revolution by force. It has been 35 years since the Islamic Revolution occurred and they have not had any success despite their numerous attempts and attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran. They have not been able to stop the course of the revolution. These attempts at subterfuge have made the Islamic Revolution stronger than ever.

 

Ayatollah Alamolhoda stated that the countries of “international arrogance” are seeking to undermine the Islamic system through the Islamic seminaries, stating: “Today, the grandeur of the seminary and the clergy are the focus of their attempts to spread deception of various dimensions throughout the every corner of the world.”

 

His Eminence warned that the streams of intellectualism and fanaticism are both present in the seminaries. “The enemies want to control both of these streams. They want to target the origins of the Islamic Revolution. They want the youth to follow the path of fanaticism rather than the traditional path of intellectualism. However, their plans have failed to bear fruit because the power of the youth in the seminaries has been a ‘spiritual epic’ wherein anti-religious influences have no effect,” he explained.

 

He stated that in the traditional areas of the seminary, there are also elements that underpin the Islamic Revolution and the foundations of this movement. With the guidance of the late Imam Khomeini (RA), the seminary prospered and sought to maintain the revolution in Shi’ite society. At the same time, the enemies have found this to be a double-edged sword which requires the seminaries to prepare the seminarians to be able to defend themselves against the enemies. Ayatollah Alamolhoda explained that we are witnessing the beginning of a new era in the seminaries as the seminarians are awakening to the dangers facing them and are clearing the seminaries of all deviations that have entered it in recent times.

 

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Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi explains the dangers facing Islamic society

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Rasa News Agency reports – Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi has spoken to a gathering of Basiji professors and elites of the Islamic Seminary in the Holy City of Mashhad about the dangers facing Islamic society.

 

His Eminence explained that the clergy must be visibly present in society and said: “To stand up against the slogans of the ‘Westoxified,’ we must protect our strongholds [the clergy].”

 

He referred to plans to build a healthy work environment in some offices in Tehran and to integrate genders and stated: “Some workplaces in Tehran are preparing to remove [gender] separation in their offices. In order to create a commotion, some of them have said: ‘there should not be gender separation!’ We ask these people ‘what sin is the separation of the genders?’”

 

The renowned source of emulation explained that in Iranian society and in religious gatherings, men and women are separated from each other and if they were separated in the workplace than there should be no problems. “Those who are against separation say: ‘This is an offence.’ We say: ‘What is an offence? It is an offence to the Westoxified,” His Eminence stated.

 

Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi said that some people have been against Islamic cultural programs, and stated: “The first group to stand against the Islamic cultural programs were those who despite having accepted Islam, were negligent people, and disregarded [Islamic rules on] issues such as banking and separation of the genders. The second group of people were those who acted indifferently toward their religious duties and believed only that they should advance their political goals. The third group are those who fulfill their religious duties, but were against the Islamic system of government.”

 

“As Islamic culture strengthens, these types of people become more disheartened and wish to stop the progress of the Islamic system. It is the duty of the Basij members to oppose these three groups because if they are successful, they will be able to challenge the Islamic system,” he added.

 

On another note, he encouraged the building of a new seminary in Mashhad in order to teach Islamic sciences to strengthen the ethical foundations of society so that the people can stand against those who want to weaken the Islamic system.

 

He also warned the youth against being indifferent toward religion, stating it is the religious youth and the Basij who will defend the Islamic Republic of Iran if it is attacked by the enemies, not those indifferent toward religion. Thus, we need to protect the Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed (Basij) as it is they who will protect Islamic Iran.

 

“The enemies are afraid of our religious beliefs. Islam is our weapon. In order to protect the Quran, Islam, the Islamic system and our country, the people must strive for unity and consistent and organized programs to counter the enemies with strength and power,” Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi explained.

 

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Ayatollah Bushehri leads Friday prayers in Qom

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Sayyed Hashem Hoseyni-Bushehri, the director of the Islamic Seminaries throughout Iran, led Friday prayers at the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’soumah in Qom this week. In his sermon, His Eminence touched upon many national and international issues of concern, including the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Takfiri terrorism in Iraq, the Iranian economy, Iranian nuclear negotiations and the Iran Air plane crash in Tehran.

 

He referred to a meeting between Iranian ambassadors and diplomatic officials with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and said that Iran’s leadership has shown that it views the Islamic Republic of Iran through the goals of diplomacy.

 

Ayatollah Bushehri warned the ambassadors to not be afraid of the might of the great powers in relation to Iran. Iran is divinely blessed because it follows the great slogan of Imam Khomeyni (RA) wherein he expressed: “America can’t do a damn thing.”

 

The Qom Friday prayer leader referred to Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks in regard to the lack of a relationship with the Zionist regime and the United States. He expressed that Iran does not legitimize the usurper Israel and the United States due to their hostility and threats toward the Iranian nation. He stated that Ayatollah Khamenei said that the United States is becoming bolder and has imposed gradually harsher sanctions.

 

His Eminence pointed out two examples of the false assumptions regarding the negotiations with the P5+1 group of countries. The first false assumption brought forward is that some of the countries and groups thought that Iran had been destabilized by the United States and that the absolute position of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution had been weakened due to the discussions. The second assumption is that the United States had placed further demands on the table.

 

In another part of his sermon, Ayatollah Bushehri expressed satisfaction that the political process in Iraq is forward and said: “We hope that the political situation in Iraq will stabilize, because the root of all the security and military problems there are due to political issues. Political issues will remain unresolved until the military and security issues are resolved.”

 

Ayatollah Bushehri explained that hypocritical behaviour of the Americans in regard to fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and stated: “The Americans say they wanted to target the Islamic State [militarily] but they could not hide their hypocrisy. Why didn’t the Americans deal with these terrorists when they entered Mosul?! America and the West’s interests are in creating division and vulnerability among Muslims.”

 

He stated said that the Zionist regime has been defeated in the Gaza Strip: “From a moral perspective, they have been definitely defeated because all the people of the world have been disgusted by this usurper regime. The Zionist regime was also defeated militarily because they could not destroy all of the tunnels that they wanted to. Even within Israel there have been murmurings that [Benyamin] Netanyahu should be dismissed. We are hopeful that they will also be defeated by political negotiations.”

 

In another part of his sermon, Ayatollah Bushehri expressed his condolences with the survivors of the Iran Air plane crash victims and demanded that the authorities seriously investigate the cause of the crash. Some officials took a long time to announce the reasons for the plane crash. Officials need to take extra care because life is important and valuable.

 

In reference to the government’s package of proposals to get out of recession, Ayatollah Bushehri said: “Their moves are a good step but the government and parliament need to plan carefully so that inflation does not continue to rise. Information of concern has reached us shows that manufacturing jobs have been seriously stagnated.”

 

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