President Hassan Rouhani, while congratulating Christians on Christmas and the advent of the year 2015, said the intellectuals in the Islamic and Christian countries are duty bound to get people acquainted with the spiritual message of religions and stand against the deviation from divine faiths.
He added: “The birth of Christ was a kind of gift for humankind and granted the world peace, friendship and humanity as divine and immortal values after a bloody history of violence and war. His message was a global one, his religion was a humanitarian religion and his tradition was kindness.”
President Rouhani, pointing to the long history of coexistence of Muslims and Christians in Iran and describing it a pleasant experience, said “we are proud of an Iran which is the home to all Iranians including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians and we know that respect for all religions is the valuable teaching of Islam.”
He continued saying that the world today needed, more than ever, the message of peace, justice and freedom from divine prophets. President Rouhani concluded by inviting all the people to peace and brotherhood, wishing a new year of happiness and welfare for all people around the world.
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