Archive for category: News

Rasa News Agency reports – A meeting of the Public Culture Council of East Azerbaijan [province] has been held in Tabriz in the presence of the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in East Azerbaijan (Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed-Shabestari), the director of the Policy Council for Friday prayer leaders (Hujjat al-Islam Seyyed Reza Taghavi), the secretary-general of the Public Culture Council (Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Hoseyn Shahmoradi), the provincial governor (Esma’il Jabbarzadeh), and Friday prayer leaders of the province of East Azerbaijan at the home of the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz (Ayatollah Shabestari).

 

The Public Culture Council of Iran is a sub-division of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. The chairman of the Public Culture Council is also the minister of the Culture and Islamic Guidance department. The declared goal of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is to ensure that the education and culture of Iran remains “100% Islamic” as per Imam Khomeyni directed. This includes working against outside “cultural influences” and ideologies.

 

At the meeting, Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed-Shabestari, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei) in the province of East Azerbaijan, stressed that culture is a set of beliefs, morals, customs and traditions that prevail in a society which originated from human nature, and stated: “A general culture which emanates from religious doctrines and teachings remains far from fanaticism and extremism.”

 

His Eminence stated that investment in culture is effective and important, particularly in reducing costs at a time when the state is facing a budget problem, and noted: “A proper investment in culture does not require such huge budgets for prisons, judiciary, court and for the security forces.”

 

In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Shabestari said that addiction, divorce, improper hijab (veiling) and poor morals are a few of the important cultural dilemmas facing the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said: “Unfortunately, statistics on the high rate of divorce suggest that within our society we are suffering some cultural problems.”

 

He criticized the poor state of hijab in Iranian society, but he welcomed and appreciated the efforts of the Iranian capital city of Tehran’s municipal government for its efforts to segregate the genders. These actions are considered as a positive step for protecting morality in Iranian society, which is an Islamic society. “Gender segregation in universities should be implemented because it will result in the growth of knowledge in the country. Those who are critical of it, should know that the municipal government of Tehran has shown that gender segregation is achievable,” His Eminence stated.

 

Ayatollah Shabestari also called for a serious fight against drugs, and said: “Addiction is one of the most important social disorders as it does not just affect the individual, but society as well. Drug addiction is a significant source of divorce among its users.”

 

At the end of his speech to those participating in the Public Culture Council, Ayatollah Shabestari stressed upon the importance of supporting and accelerating the approval of decisions of the Public Culture Council in the provinces in accordance to the reports of the meetings and decisions of the General Council of East Azerbaijan during the last several years.

 

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Rasa News Agency reports – Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Ebrahim Raeisi, the first deputy of the judiciary, spoke at a celebration in honour of Imam Khomeini in the holy city of Qom. In his speech, he explained the meanings of words freedom and liberty, saying that these words have an appealing meaning for humankind as all human beings seeks freedom.

 

The representative for the people of South Khorasan province explained that many of the more than seven billion people on Earth have never experienced freedom. The countries who claim to the harbingers of freedom have committed great oppression and horrible crimes. He gave the example of Iraq, saying that the United States invaded Iraq claiming they are bringing freedom and liberty. However, since 2003 they have committed some of the worst atrocities against the people of that country known in human history. “The ignorant Americans have committed some of the worst crimes upon humanity in the name of freedom,” he stated.

 

His Eminence also said that in some countries that homosexuality is seen as a sign of freedom and a characteristic of a civilized, liberal and modern society. The West likes to promote the acceptance of homosexuality around the world, claiming it is a key component of human rights, but they continue to commit the most gruesome violations of human rights in the name of freedom elsewhere. 

 

He stated that currently lust, occupation and selfish desires are the greatest enemies of mankind. When man controls these, he can become free. Hujjat al-Islam explained that the martyr and scholar Ayatollah Mortaza Motahhari, wrote that the man who is free from the shackles of lust and selfish desire is truly free as he has not taken on satanic attributes.

 

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Rasa News Agency – Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, the secretary-general of the “The World Forum of Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought,” has held a meeting with several ambassadors of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He emphasized the recommendation of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei) for stronger diplomacy and cooperation between Islamic schools of thought in order to promote Islamic unity.

 

The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought was established in 1989 following a recommendation by Ayatollah Khamenei. It was commissioned to promote unity among the followers of all the Islamic schools of thought. It has been holding International Islamic Unity Conferences every year ever since then, during the Muslim Unity Week which marks the auspicious birth anniversary of the Prophet of Islam (S), based on the Shi’ite and the Sunni schools of thought.

 

Ayatollah Araki stated that achieving unity in the Muslim world is an important mission and if Iran succeeds in its efforts to unite the Muslim community, it will have accomplished a great duty which will bring the world into a new era. Only Muslim unity can bring the Muslim world away from the divisiveness which is currently enveloping it. He said this in reference to the Takfiri terrorism destroying many Islamic countries. His Eminence stated that even Saudi Arabia, which is the centre for the promotion of Takfirism in the Islamic world, has opened an office to strengthen communication between the Islamic schools of thought and sects.

 

His Eminence explained that one of the ongoing projects aimed at increasing Islamic unity is the establishment of an organization of both Sunni and Shi’ite scholars who support the Islamic resistance in occupied Palestine. Next month 125 delegates have been invited to meet and discuss how they can cooperate to support the resistance. This meeting is an important sign and a step toward increasing Islamic cooperation and unity.

 

His organization has also formed a committee to plan a meeting to facilitate a discussion between the supporters and opponents of Syrian president, Bashar al-Asad. He hoped dialogue, although dangerous, could help solve the deep-rooted enmity and conflict among the Arab nation’s people.

 

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Rasa News Agency reports – There have been calls for the release of Saudi Arabian Shi’ah scholar, Ayatollah Shaykh Nimr Baqir an-Nimr, from around world. Both Muslims and non-Muslims have issued statements in support of the oppressed scholar.

 

On June 18th, a Saudi court sentenced the Friday prayer leader of al-Awamiyah village to death and accused him of giving speeches against the monarchy. He has been arrested several times since 2012 over his calls on the Saudi government to give the Shi’ah further freedom to exercise their religious rights, criticizing the country’s ruling system and calling for political reform. Ayatollah an-Nimr has “dared to peacefully criticize Saudi Arabia’s rulers [and thus] has paid a very high price for refusing to be silenced,” Sa’id Boumedouhah, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, explained.

 

There is popular sympathy with Ayatollah an-Nimr both inside and outside the Wahhabi kingdom, which has been made evident by statements of solidarity made in support of his cause at the level of the clergy. For example, Ayatollahs Ja’far Sobhani and Naser Makarem-Shirazi are among the sources of emulation have spoken up against the trial and execution of Ayatollah an-Nimr.

 

Amnesty International (AI) has criticized Saudi Arabia and called the Wahhabi monarchy to stop its unjust prosecution against the prominent Shi’ah cleric, saying its harsh sentence against Ayatollah an-Nimr shows the disturbing pattern of harassment of the Saudi regime against its Shi’ah population.

 

“The detention of Ayatollah al-Nimr for exercising his normal rights which are stipulated by all the international laws and the heavenly religions will harm our [Islamic] nation which badly needs cooperation and encounters serious threats,” a statement from the Lebanese Shi’ite resistance group, Hezbollah reads in response to the fabricated legal case against Ayatollah an-Nimr.

 

There have been numerous demonstrations in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province since 2011, with the protesters calling for political reform and an end to widespread discrimination. Activists say there are over 30,000 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

 

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Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, head of the Imam Khomeini (RA) Educational and Research Institute, told a gathering of advanced clerics and seminarians in Qom that they should study and understand two books which are great treasures of Islam – Nahj al-Balaghah and Sahifah as-Sajjadiyah.

 

His Eminence explained that the blessings of the Islamic Revolution and the uprising led by Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and the efforts of his successor (Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei) has opened the doors for society to become aware of the concept of “wilayah,” in Islam – the divine guardianship of the Ahlul-Bayt (A). He added that the special characteristics of the life and struggles of Imam Ali (A) have many important and practical lessons which we can use and implement in the modern era. Even during the many battles in which the Imam (A) was forced into, he never neglected the importance of teaching Islam and the economic and cultural needs of his people.

 

In a part of his sermon, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi described Nahj al-Balaghah and Sahifah as-Sajjadiyah as two of the most valuable, yet largely unknown treasures of Islam. These two books refer the social, cultural, political situations facing the Muslim community. He everyone to use and take advantage of these treasures and stated that these great sources of wisdom should not be studied by seminarians alone. He also warned that the behaviour of Shi’ah must be as Imam Ali (A) acted as the Imam (A) himself said that “you cannot be like me unless you are similar to me in your actions.”

 

Nahj al-Balaghah (The Peak of Eloquence) is the most famous collection of sermons, letters, exegesis and narrations attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (A). It is known for its eloquent content and is considered a masterpiece of literature in Shi’ah Islam, third only to the Quran and prophetic narrations.

 

Sahifah as-Sajjadiyah (The Psalms of Islam) is said to be the oldest prayer manual in Islamic sources and one of the most seminal works of Islamic spirituality of the early period of Islam. It was composed by the fourth Imam, Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad (A).

 

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