Ghadir Event, continuation of correct perception of Islam: Ayatollah Ramazani

News News of Secretary General

Tuesday, 19 July 2022

The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, “Today there are two deviant understandings of Islam, and detailed research is needed to confront them. One of these deviant views is so-called Rahmani (compassionate) Islam, which advocates absolute peace. On the other hand, there is the deviant thought of Daesh, which is pro-violence. These two understandings are two blades of the same scissors to undermine authentic and original Islam.”

On Monday evening, July 18, 2022, Dr. Hassan Lakkis, President of the Islamic University of Lebanon and former Minister of Agriculture of the country, met with Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, in Qom.

In this meeting, while referring to the views of the late Imam Musa Sadr on the organizational activities, Ayatollah Reza Ramazani stated, “Before the Islamic revolution of Iran, in a speech about the organizational working, Imam Musa Sadr emphasized that Christians are active in the organizational framework, which enables them to cover and support their followers as much as possible. So that they even plan to send a priest to a handful of people of a village. From Imam Musa Sadr’s point of view, Christians and some Sunnis are successful in religious propagational activities and establishment of schools, but Shiites have deficiencies in the same field. Today, the situation has changed a lot, and great works have been done so far. But we must admit that there are still shortcomings in this field.”

“Today we have a theocracy in Iran, and in Lebanon Shiites have strong organization, and they have also glorious presence in the country. It should be mentioned that the founder of the Resistance in Lebanon was Imam Musa Sadr,” he continued.

Referring to the tenure of Dr. Hassan Lakkis in the Ministry of Agriculture, he added, “The ministry tenure of Dr. Al-Leqis gave encouragement and credibility to Lebanese Muslims and Shiites. It is a pleasure to meet him on the day of Ghadir Eid, as the biggest Eid of Muslims. We believe that the Ghadir Event is the continuation of the correct perception of Islam. In the individual sphere, Ghadir is a call to monotheism, and in the social sphere it is a call to justice.”

Explaining the activities of AhlulBayt (a.s.) International University, Ayatollah Ramazani said, “The university offers 15 fields of study in master’s and doctorate, as well as research opportunities. Still more work should be done in education and research for the Islamization of sciences, as well as comparative studies between humanities and Islamic sciences. Some argue that there is no Islamic economics and Islamic psychology, while in Islam, important topics in economics have been raised that can be suitable topics for further research. I believe that the center of experimental sciences, especially in medical sciences, was the Islamic world. For example, I saw that the translations of Avicenna’s books were taught in Germany. In the past, the Islamic world used to be the pioneer in various sciences, and the transfer of these sciences to the West caused its transformation. This view of Westerners, who believe that only they themselves have caused the progress of science, is not correct.”

“In Germany, I presented 33 sessions on human rights and 34 sessions on moral rights according to Imam Sajjad’s Risalat al-Huquq (Treatise of Rights). On Western system of law and Islamic system law, we need comparative studies and research, so that the superiority of Islam is revealed. Also, in law, management and politics, comparative studies with Islamic sciences are needed, and in Lebanon, as the cradle of comparative studies, such studies are essential, and should be pursued seriously,” he added.

“Imam Khomeini (r.a.) considered the Sharia rulings as legal rulings and that they are not only related to the individual and personal sphere. This perspective introduces new horizons for research. Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is responsible for various dimensions of human life and felicity, and in this case also Islamic universities need to conduct comparative research,” continued the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“Today there are two deviant understandings of Islam, and detailed research is needed to confront them. One of these deviant views is so-called Rahmani (compassionate) Islam, which advocates absolute peace. On the other hand, there is the deviant thought of Daesh, which is pro-violence. These two understandings are two blades of the same scissors to undermine authentic and original Islam. Islam is a mercy for the people of the world, however resists tyrants, and there are about 400 Quranic verses on jihad and resistance,” he added.

“I think that resistance is one of the narrative, rational and natural issues. I have been teaching the jurisprudence of resistance for about two years, and despite the many meetings that have been held on the topic, it can be said that even 10% of the topics have not been discussed yet. The new generation and the youth should be familiar with Islam comprehensively and accurately,” added Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly is ready to cooperate with the Islamic University of Lebanon, and the Department of Scientific and Cultural Affairs of the Assembly and AhlulBayt (a.s.) International University can cooperate with this university. The Assembly has affiliated organizations such as the AhlulBayt (a.s.) International University with various disciplines, Thaqalayn World TV, WikiShia in 10 languages ​​with 12 million monthly views, and ABNA News Agency in 25 languages. It worth mentioning that since its establishment, the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly has published 1,270 book titles with 2,000 volumes in 58 languages,” he mentioned.

Also, in this meeting, while referring to the position of Shiites in Lebanon, Dr. Hassan Lakkis, the president of the Islamic University of Lebanon, stated, “Now the Shiites have the superior power in Lebanon, and none of the country’s parties are like the Shiites in terms of unity and united stances. In political, social, cultural, and scientific fields, Shiites have reached a high position. Shiites are ahead of other groups in scientific fields, and they have good relations with other Lebanese groups. The situation that the Lebanese Shiites had before Imam Musa al-Sadr changed completely with their situation after he arrived in Lebanon. Also, the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Lebanese Shiites in all fields has had a significant impact on this development.”

“Now the political situation in Lebanon is stable. However, due to insisting on its positions in defense of the Resistance and also not compromising with the Zionist regime, it has been subjected to foreign sanctions. Lebanon is under pressure due to Arab-Western sanctions in electricity, fuel and basic goods, and Arab countries are the main parties that have imposed sanctions on Lebanon. They prevent their tourists from visiting Lebanon, and they also prevent aid to the country,” he continued.

“Nabih Berri, chairman of the Amal movement, works as a spokesperson for the Resistance. In various fields, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement take unified positions. All the ministers, representatives and leaders of the Amal and Hezbollah movement except Nabih Bari and one other person were present at the ceremony to honor the Iranian ambassador at the end of his mission in Lebanon,” added the former Lebanese Minister of Agriculture.

Describing the Islamic University of Lebanon, Lakkis said, “Founded 26 years ago, Islamic University of Lebanon is the first Shiite university of the country. The late Imam Musa al-Sadr intended to establish a university in the structure of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council. The Islamic University now has nine faculties, four campuses and 16,000 students, and its tuition is a modest $150 per semester. The Islamic University is our future, but unfortunately, it has deficiencies in terms of employing faculty members.”

“I was appointed as the president of the Lebanese Islamic University about seven months ago, which had problems at that time. But now we have set goals for the future of the university, such as the establishment of new faculties in accordance with the market, and development of laboratories. It should be mentioned that the children of martyrs and veterans of Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are admitted to this university for free,” he continued.

“Imam Musa al-Sadr wanted the Islamic University of Lebanon to be a university for the underprivileged. Before the establishment of this university, there was no university in Lebanon for Shiites. Noe Hezbollah also has a university of Maaref in Lebanon. The Islamic University of Lebanon has faculties of engineering, fundamental sciences, health, Islamic studies, media and tourism, and in the near future we are looking for the establishment of a faculty of medicine and pharmacy in this university, especially since Lady Zahra (a.s.) Hospital, which belongs to the Supreme Islamic Shia Council, is a university hospital. The university has bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Also, we have plan to build a dormitory for students of the university,” added the president of the Islamic University of Lebanon.

“We are looking to use Iran’s manuscripts, because the scientific centers of Lebanese Shiites do not have access to such documents, and they are kept in centers such as the American University of Beirut and Saint Joseph University. Therefore, I visited the Astan Quds Razavi library in Mashhad,” he noted, while pointing to the capabilities of Iran’s research centers.

AhlulBayt (a_s_) World Assembly Ayatollah Ramazani Ghadir Islam Lebanon