Former Imam of the Islamic Centre of Hamburg:‎

German people people treat Shi’ah clerics with respect

Rasa – Hujjat al-Islam Ramazani-Gilani said, “When the people in the Western and in ‎Germany see a Shi’ah cleric, they truly respect them and I have witnessed this respect, not ‎only in Germany, but also in other countries.”‎

News ID: 440753

Date: 29 September 2018 - 21:15

RNA – In an interview with Hujjat al-Islam Dr. Reza Ramazani-Gilani, the former imam of the ‎Islamic Centre of Hamburg, Germany, said, “When the people in the West and in Germany ‎see a Shi’ah cleric, they truly respect them and I have witnessed this respect, not only in ‎Germany, but also in other countries, such as France, Italy, Belgium and elsewhere. This ‎respect for these clerical clothes and the fact that these people are the propagators of ‎religion is witnessed and exists.” ‎

The Iranian cleric said that the leaders of other religions are justified in the approximation ‎between religions and respect it and said, “Their leaders believe that interfaith dialogue is ‎essential not only for knowing each other but can also be used for discussing other topics ‎that may not be believed by others.”‎

He added, “Hamburg is a place for dialogue and approximation, and there are different views ‎and voices there. It’s important to be present as an active thinker, not passive. Therefore, ‎the presence of the various voices in this city is very important.”‎

Hujjat al-Islam Ramazani-Gilani noted that Friday prayers have been held at the Islamic ‎Centre of Hamburg for the past 58 years. Imams of the mosque have included the late ‎Hujjat al-Islam Dr. Mohaqeqqi-Lahiji and Shahid Beheshti and for this reason, this centre ‎holds the most important Friday prayers for Shi’ahs in Europe.‎

His Eminence said that because of the fact that the Islamic Centre of Hamburg was first the ‎Shi’ah mosque founded due to the demand of believers and was established on the order of ‎the main source of emulation at that time, the late Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Hoseyn ‎Boroujerdi, the Islamic Centre of Hamburg has a special position.‎

During a meeting at Hamburg’s Atlantic Hotel in 1953, a group of Iranian residents of ‎Germany discussed the need to establish their own religious centre and sent a letter to ‎Ayatollah Borujerdi asking him for help. His Eminence agreed with the plan and donated ‎‎100,000 rials to the centre. Construction began in 1960 and it was completed in 1965.‎

Hujjat al-Islam Ramazani-Gilani ‎stated the special position led the Islamic Centre of Hamburg ‎‎to be an axis in Europe, not only for Shi’ahs but for all Muslims. Therefore, in the same ‎mosque, the Sunnis and Shi’ahs pray their Friday prayers together. If you look at pictures of ‎the late Shahid Beheshti in Hamburg, you will see many Sunnis participating in the ‎ceremonies and prayers.‎

In regard to the topics discussed in Friday prayer sermons, he said, “We devote part of the ‎sermon to religious and spiritual issues and the other part to the topics related to the Islamic ‎world and the wider world. For example, in a recent sermon, we cited the causes of ‎increased warfare in the world and provided information about elections, along with other ‎issues.”‎
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