Head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran:

Corona not related to Chinese seminarians in Qom

Ayatollah Arafi said, “In the past two months, two people from China have been accepted to al-Mustafa International University and were placed in quarantine and certainly the entry of the Coronavirus has nothing to do with the Chinese seminarians of al-Mustafa International University.”

News ID: 449286

Date: 26 February 2020 - 08:36

RNA – In a meeting at the office of the Management of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi told Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Hafiz Riyaz Naqvi, the head of Jami’at al-Muntadhar Seminary in Lahore, Pakistan and the head of the Shi’ah Wifaq al-Madaris Organization in Pakistan, referred to his recent trip to India, said, “As I entered the gate of the city of Alipur, I saw that all the streets were crowded with people. The welcoming was such that we were forced to move quickly.”

The head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran referred to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Qom, said, “In the past two months, two people from China have been accepted to al-Mustafa International University and were placed in quarantine and certainly the entry of the Coronavirus has nothing to do with the Chinese seminarians of al-Mustafa International University.”

During the meeting, Hujjat al-Islam Naqvi pointed out the need to maintain relationships with Sunnis and added, “Our efforts are not to have differences with Sunni scholars.”

The Pakistani cleric added, “There are about 2.3 million Sunni seminarians in Pakistan and there also 18,000 Shi’ah scholars and we need to be thoughtful about using them. These scholars must be of a source of good in different arenas.”

He said, “In the past, we had discussions with Sunnis in 55 sessions that this level of education isn’t right for a mere degree. Some have said that if there is autonomy in schools, we will accept it.”

Hujjat al-Islam Naqvi said, “Today, we also say that if there is freedom and autonomy, we will accept them. Some Pakistani seminarians and university students have advanced and are teaching at the best universities in the world.”

His Eminence continued, “It’s important that our alumni progress in different fields – it’s not necessary that all become prayer leaders.”

He emphasized, “The Sunnis are afraid of the Pakistani government but we have no fear of the government and are pursuing our principles.”

Hujjat al-Islam Naqvi continued, “In the year 1939, the first seminary was established in Pakistan and the seminarians who entered into the seminary in the country initially had different forms of education.”

He stated, “At the beginning, the idea was that it was sufficient for the seminarians to know the rules of prayer and fasting to explain them to the community.”

Rasa News Agency

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