AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The second pre-session of the Imam Khomeini (r.a.) International Prize, titled “Unity from Imam Khomeini’s Perspective: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Experiences,” was held with a keynote speech by Hojat al-Islam Navab, member of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and founder of the University of Religions and Islamic Denominations.
In his address, Hojat al-Islam Navab stressed the importance of unity in the Islamic world, stating, “We are affiliated with the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h), and every step taken toward unity will please him. The Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h) introduced a religion meant to be universal, and one of the ways to achieve this universality is through efforts for rapprochement among Islamic schools of thought.”
Highlighting the necessity of safeguarding unity, he added, “We must be vigilant never to utter words that would cause division among Islamic countries.”
Pointing to Imam Khomeini’s (r.a.) unifying approach, the founder of the University of Religions and Islamic Denominations noted, “At the beginning of the Islamic movement, Imam Khomeini (r.a.) never emphasized Shiite culture. Instead, he placed the issue of Palestine and the struggle against the Zionist regime at the core. In one speech, he repeatedly mentioned Palestine and several times referred to the Zionist regime and its hostility toward the Islamic Ummah.”
Navab compared the Islamic world’s response to the crises in Bosnia and Gaza, stating that in the former case, Muslim countries acted in unity and achieved positive results, while in the latter, appropriate measures were not taken.
He also underlined the growing status of the Islamic world, saying, “Islam will soon become the world’s largest religion in terms of population, and this grandeur will bear its influence. We must engage in dialogue with all Islamic countries, including neighboring nations, and confine enmity to the West.”
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