We should create Islamic civilization, originating from intellectual foundations of AhlulBayt (a.s.): Ayatollah Modarresi

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In a meeting with the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, the Iraqi Shiite Source of Emulation said, “We must try to change the situation and create an Islamic civilization, originating from the intellectual foundations of the AhlulBayt (a.s.), and plan for it.”

During his visit to Iraq, Ayatollah Reza Ramezani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, met Grand Ayatollah Sayed Mohammad Taqi Modarressi, one of the Iraqi Shiite Sources of Emulation.

In the meeting, referring to the necessity of considering the Islamic principles, Grand Ayatollah Modarresi said, “There are fixed principles that we should not forget. One of the basic principles is that we are Muslims and have values, and we must not forget our roots. Political debates are now taking place in Iran, and candidates are engaging in economic debates. While there is another issue called “religion”. The question is who should address this issue? Our expectation from the Iranian government, which is based on religion, is to improve the situation of religion in Iran day by day, and to discuss the place of religion in the current situation in the election debates.”

“Europeans say that wearing a burqa by Muslim women is contrary to the values of their civilization. On the other hand, the non-observance of hijab by women is against our values. Why should Europeans adhere to their values, but we do not adhere to ours? Westerners, on the other hand, have to apologize for committing crimes in different parts of the world,” he continued.

“We need to pay attention to the fact that in addition to the issues of the day, there is a deeper debate about where we stand. In the election debates, no one has ever said what a chaotic world situation we live in, Iran is under siege and is under cultural and soft aggression. Westerners, especially American Democrats, who specialize in soft affairs, are trying to bring together opponents of the Islamic Republic (of Iran). They are trying to hit Iran from three borders: Kurdistan, Baluchistan, and Azerbaijan. We must be careful of the conspiracies of the enemies in this regard,” added the Iraqi Shiite Source of Emulation.

“It was religion (Islam) that protect Iran from dangers. Religion is mourning (for the infallible Imams) and seminaries. It was the seminaries that maintained the unity of Iran, but unfortunately, their role has diminished. It must be raised in Iran what our situation is and we are under attack from all over the world. We must say that we have been oppressed. This was also done by the infallible Imams (a.s.). We do not deserve the place we stand now, and it should be improved. People also should not ignore the conspiracies of the enemies and they should know that the enemies are serious in their enmity against us,” said Grand Ayatollah Modarresi, referring to the role of seminaries in maintaining the sovereignty of Iran.

“We seek to establish a new civilization in the world, based on Islam. We must look for the tools of this civilization and pursue the issue of Islamic unity and unity among the Shiites. But unfortunately, these issues have diminished. Imam Khomeini wrote in his will that we will export our revolution and the Westerners are still counting on this phrase,” he continued.

“There are sects in the world that are considered Shiites, and if we add them to the Shiite world, we will become a great power. For example, 14 million Alawites live in Turkey, and 3 million Alawites live in Syria. Ismailis are also scattered around the world. Zaidi and Druze sects are also considered as these sects,” stated the Iraqi Shiite Source of Emulation, considering it necessary to communicate with various Shiite sects.

“We must unite the Shiites of the world, and the unity of the Shiites is through bringing them together. I proposed the “World Shiite Council”, according to which some Shiite leaders from different countries meet every few months. After presenting this plan, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly was formed. The objectives of establishing this Assembly are not like Al-Mustafa International University, but the purpose of establishing it is to create a connection between the leaders of the Shiite communities in the world and to bring them closer to each other. In addition, the relations between the Shiite seminaries in different countries should be strengthened. We have to start the change from here,” he continued.

“If we are looking for relations with other countries, the world has no problem with Iran. But if we want to establish an Islamic civilization, we must also provide the tools for it. Now is the best time for us, the world civilization is collapsing and America and Israel will not exist for decades to come, but what alternative do we have for them?” added the Iraqi Shiite Source of Emulation.

“I wrote a book about Imamzadeh Yahya, one of the Imamzadehs of Tehran. He is one of the martyrs and was martyred in the Khwarezmshahi dynasty. The Khwarezmshahs handed over Iran to the Mongols (led by Genghis Khan). We must read history and take advice from it to avoid repeating it. Disagreements, forgetfulness of goals, and disregard for the fundamental issues of society enabled the Mongols to occupy Iran and reach Baghdad, destroying Islamic civilization. We (Muslims) could not do anything after the Mongols and these scenes may be repeated,” stated Grand Ayatollah Modarressi, considering it necessary to learn from history.

“It is possible to bring Shiites closer together, and Shiites understand the conditions of the day, and it would be a great achievement to bring the Shiites together. Since 2015, Iraqi society has changed a lot and the enemies in Iraq are working against this country. They want Iraq to return to the conditions of Saddam’s regime and stand against Iran. On the other hand, some in Iran say that they have nothing to do with Iraq. These approaches and the efforts of the enemies caused some, even in the city of Karbala, to chant slogans against Iran. This should not happen, and we should try to resolve it,” he continued.

“The activities of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly are international and the activities of no other institution are like the activities of this Assembly. We should know that the total number of Shiites in India and Pakistan is equal to the population of the rest of the Shiites in the world. Shiites are scattered all over the world, even in places we are unaware of. For example, it is interesting to know that Shiites have been present in South Korea for 6 centuries,” added the Iraqi Shiite Source of Emulation.

“Imam Khomeini entered the Shiite world into a new phase. In the city of Najaf, where no one was thinking of forming a government, he spoke of an Islamic government. We should follow his example and try to change the situation and create an Islamic civilization based on the intellectual foundations of the AhlulBayt (a.s.), and plan to achieve this goal. We need to write documents with practical strategies. We must train manpower for this purpose. The world is changing, and we will regret it if we neglect our goals. For example, we have to look at China where it was 60 years ago, and where it stands now in the world. We can define a new Islamic world in a few decades,” stated Ayatollah Modarressi, referring to the influence of Imam Khomeini on the Shiites.

Expressing satisfaction with the meeting with Grand Ayatollah Modarressi, Ayatollah Ramazani stated, “This meeting was valuable for me, and what you said shows your awareness, especially about the Islamic world and various currents, and this is an example of awareness of the conditions of the time. This is a promise for religious movements in the Islamic world.”

“Unquestionably, there is a will that the realization of Islamic civilization should be taken seriously, and strategic documents inside the country (Iran) indicate the importance of what cultural work should be done in the Islamic world, and even in non-Islamic countries. Culturalization must be pursued to achieve these goals. Islamic civilization is based on Islamic thought and the teachings of the AhlulBayt (a.s.),” he continued.

“If we want to conquer the world in the future, in addition to hardware, we need software. This software is international thinking. The Soviet Union joined the dustbin of history, and the United States could not meet the intellectual-legal and intellectual-ideological needs of the world,” added the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“The issue of lack of identity is discussed under liberalism and is a consequence of Western culture. The destruction of the traditions and values of society causes people, especially young people, to suffer from a lack of identity. In order to promote the religious attitude and train committed and specialized human resources, we have seriously pursued the issue of the International University of AhlulBayt (a.s.), which is under the auspices of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly. The Assembly has an Arabic-language satellite TV with 18 million viewers around the world, and in order to expand its activities, we are looking to establish Russian and other popular languages on this TV. We have 4,000 preachers in the world who are connected with the Assembly, and we have educational plans for them,” stated Ayatollah Ramazani, referring to the lack of identity as one of the big problems today.

“The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly has created a virtual Shiite encyclopedia called “Wiki Shiite”, which now has 25,000 articles in 12 languages, which is used by Muslim and non-Muslim users. In addition, the Assembly has published a collection of authored and translated books during its activities,” he continued.

“In its new approach, this forum pursues the strategies of rationality, spirituality, justice, and resistance, and under each of these strategies, there are many discussions. In the West, the issue of rationality is at stake. But Western rationality itself comes under the question of “Subsistence”. That is, it is based on Instrumental Intellect and Subsistence Intellect. On the subject of spirituality, there are 4,000 flows of false spiritualities in America and Europe. While the basis and axis of an original spirituality is religion, and God is at the top of it. Today, those types of spirituality are being promoted in the West that is far removed from religion and God. Even in the subject of mysticism, we see the emergence of new mysticisms, such as Osho and Castaneda. This suggests that spirituality is a serious issue for human beings,” added the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“In the West, the issue of justice is raised differently from what in Islamic thought is. That is why the examples of what we understand from justice are different from what they understand from justice. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a great event happened that was a miracle. In ancient times, there was a need for a staff to prove that Moses was a divine prophet. But with the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a global event took place that disrupted international views and equations. Before the Islamic revolution of Iran, it was believed that a religious revolution would not take place and that revolutions are defined under Liberalism and would be secular. At that time, religion was considered effective only in the individual sphere and no one considered religion important in the social sphere. But with the victory of the Islamic Revolution, today religion has entered the social and governmental sphere,” said Ayatollah Ramazani, referring to the issue of justice in the West.

“With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a great event took place that broke all equations in Western politics and thought, so that Western thinkers were forced to reconsider Islam and take this divine religion seriously. Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran was on the margins of the world. But now it has important influences in the international context and regional and international equations. When it comes to countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Iran has always been a benevolent neighbor in resolving crises in these countries. Iran’s military and scientific power have developed to such an extent that the P5 + 1 countries have been forced to negotiate with Iran, and this shows the power of Iran,” he continued.

“Today, everything has changed, both in soft warfare and on the battlefield. We see that the enemies can use cyberspace, and without moving the aircraft, can inflict heavy blows in various areas. The enemy pays a lot of attention to cyber warfare and this war has defeat and victory,” added the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“In the presidential election, we must pay attention to the fact that in addition to the responsibility of economic affairs, the president is responsible for preserving the religion of the society and he must lay the groundwork for the development of religion in the society. It is populist and demagogic to say that we are not responsible for taking people to heaven,” said the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, referring to the necessity of creating a platform for religiosity in society.

“We have written comprehensive documents for the Alawites, Mostabserin (those who have recently converted to Islam or Shia), and the missionaries in the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly. Non-Iranian scholars who are members of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly are influential in the Shiite world. Previously, prominent figures such as Allameh Fazlullah, and Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky were present in this council, and now figures such as Allameh Naqavi are members of the council. I would like to remind you that recently we have written a new plan for the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and there is a lot of work to be done,” he said in the end.

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