In a rare occasion to reach out to the West without pure condemnation, Iran’s Supreme Leader sent an important message to the American and European youth. The aim of the letter was to stress that the Islam they know is based on a forged concept and doesn’t reflect the reality. Therefore, Ayatollah Khamenei encouraged the younger generation in the West to do research and get firsthand information on the religion.
In his letter, Mr Khamenei asks youngsters whether they “have directly read the Qur’an of the Muslims.” He goes on by questioning: “Have you ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?”
Moreover, the Iranian leader calls on the youth to ask themselves “why the old policy of spreading ‘phobia’ and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. [..] What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam?”
But the accusation from Mr Khamenei that the West, the United States in particular, tarnishes the image of Islam and creates military groups hostile to Iran is not new. The Iranian leader and the whole regime hold that the Western news media tries to make the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis even worse. Mr Khamenei demonstrated his standpoint clearly in one of his latest tweets saying “Neither an MI6 related Shia is #Shia nor a Sunni which is a CIA mercenary is #Sunni; They're both ag[ai]nst #Islam& plan for Shia-Sunni discord.”
Why he sent a letter to the young generation and not to politicians? - we might ask. He answers our question: “I am addressing you, [the youth], not because I overlook your parents, rather it is because the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands.”
What triggered this message? “The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them,” Mr Khamenei describes his motivation.
The deadly attacks by Islamic extremists on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris have sparked fear and anti-Islamic sentiment among some Westerners, which has to be addressed. As Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council said: “The message of the leader of the Islamic Revolution will be the beginning of a movement which not only defends Islam, but also provides a propitious atmosphere for humanity”.
“We are not calling on the westerners to convert to Islam. We just want them to compare Islam with their self-proclaimed secular-liberal religion regardless of propaganda,” Larijani added.
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In his letter, Mr Khamenei asks youngsters whether they “have directly read the Qur’an of the Muslims.” He goes on by questioning: “Have you ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?”
Moreover, the Iranian leader calls on the youth to ask themselves “why the old policy of spreading ‘phobia’ and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. [..] What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam?”
But the accusation from Mr Khamenei that the West, the United States in particular, tarnishes the image of Islam and creates military groups hostile to Iran is not new. The Iranian leader and the whole regime hold that the Western news media tries to make the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis even worse. Mr Khamenei demonstrated his standpoint clearly in one of his latest tweets saying “Neither an MI6 related Shia is #Shia nor a Sunni which is a CIA mercenary is #Sunni; They're both ag[ai]nst #Islam& plan for Shia-Sunni discord.”
Why he sent a letter to the young generation and not to politicians? - we might ask. He answers our question: “I am addressing you, [the youth], not because I overlook your parents, rather it is because the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands.”
What triggered this message? “The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them,” Mr Khamenei describes his motivation.
The deadly attacks by Islamic extremists on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris have sparked fear and anti-Islamic sentiment among some Westerners, which has to be addressed. As Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council said: “The message of the leader of the Islamic Revolution will be the beginning of a movement which not only defends Islam, but also provides a propitious atmosphere for humanity”.
“We are not calling on the westerners to convert to Islam. We just want them to compare Islam with their self-proclaimed secular-liberal religion regardless of propaganda,” Larijani added.