AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, speaking at the Student Day ceremony held on Monday at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) International University, referred to December 7, 1953, at the University of Tehran, and the martyrdom of three students, saying that studying the circumstances of that period is compelling for non-Iranian students.
He added that Iran’s student culture has consistently blocked the penetration of the hegemonic front, and the university has long been one of the principal centers of resistance in the country’s contemporary history.
Underscoring the importance of the pursuit of justice, Ayatollah Ramazani added that justice has been the aspiration of prophets, reformers, and the righteous. Waves of justice-seeking, he said, are evident even in Latin America, Europe, and universities across the world, and students must remain demanding.
Reiterating that the university is a house of knowledge, the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stressed that universities and seminaries must be culture-building, and resisting oppression is an essential characteristic of a Muslim student.
Addressing students at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) International University, Ayatollah Ramazani emphasized the Second Phase of the Revolution Statement, noting that it outlines the path toward the advancement of spirituality, justice, and a sound lifestyle.
Criticizing the situation of women in the West, the Secretary-General said that rights such as access to education and property ownership were gained only after political struggles and in reaction to past injustices, yet the instrumental use of women, trafficking of women and girls, and commercial exploitation of the female image persist in the West.
Citing statistics showing that nearly 70 percent of human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, he stated that Islam contains around 300 verses concerning women and that the divine prophets, especially the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h), were the greatest defenders of women’s rights.
Ayatollah Ramazani emphasized that had studies on Lady Faimah (a.s.) continued in Western universities, the image of women in those societies would have taken a different shape. He added that a correct understanding of this model can lead to intellectual and cultural triumph in the modern world.
**************
End/ 345
