RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon to a large and fervent crowd of believers in Qom, Ayatollah Ali-Reza Arafi warned about the impact of the Western system of personal counselling on Iranian Islamic society, saying although Iranians can make use of Western scholarship in this regard, they must be very vigilant over its impact on their society.
His Eminence said the task of the seminaries and universities is to measure and refine the modern sciences against the principles of Islam and added that valuable work has been done in this regard, but it is not enough. “One of the main duties of the seminaries and universities is to establish the humanities on basis of Islamic teachings,” he said.
In regard to economic issues, Ayatollah Arafi praised the government’s efforts at the national and provincial levels to serve the people and said the government’s efforts to reduce inflation and open the economy are admirable.
His Eminence pointed out that an important part of the ‘resistance economy’ is cooperation and emphasized that the resistance economy gives importance to strategic assets so that political turmoil in the international arena does not harm our economy. He added that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, stressed that this issue is very important.
In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Arafi emphasized that foreign policy must be based on both wisdom and strength and added that the Islamic system of government must display rationality in international affairs but should not forget courage and resistance.
In regard to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and other government interests, he explained that Iran’s dialogue and negotiations with the superpowers must be based on logic, resistance and steadfastness in the cause of God. “By the grace of God and by following our Leader, this country will remain steadfast on the line of resistance and the struggle against tyranny throughout the world,” he said.
“We hope that our Parliament will comply with all aspects of the JCPOA with all necessary precision and identify any points that can damage our country so that the West cannot assume that they can force Iran to surrender to their will by unilateral action,” the renowned scholar explained.
Ayatollah Arafi stated that the sources of emulation based in Qom have called for unity among Muslim scholars – both Sunni and Shi’a scholars, adding that the Islamic ummah is in need of cooperation and unity. “We hope that the leaders of the Muslim world take heed of this issue and realize that the enemies of Islam seek to spread divisiveness and conflict throughout the ummah,” he said.
111/112