Grand Shia scholar urges Muslims to avoid silence in face of oppression

SHAFAQNA - Meeting with Ayatollah Sayyed Ahmad Alamolhoda, Mashhad Friday prayers’ leader, Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani emphasizied the importance of preserving Islamic and revolutionary values, saying: “Today, one of our duties is to introduce the true face of Islam and in order to accomplish this, we must use all of our capacities and abilities.”

Explaining these Islamic and revolutionary values, the renowned source of emulation explained that we cannot remain silent and indifferent toward the issues we are facing today.

“We must be vigilant and aware of the [activities of the] enemies of Islam because they are working hard to distort the pure face of Islam by creating Takfiri and Salafi groups, such as ISIL,” he said.

His Eminence criticized those who introduce a version of Islam that is different from true Islam, and said that Islam fights against those who are violent and arrogant, wherever they are and supports the oppressed against the superpowers.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stated that giving importance to culture is considered one of the principles of the Islamic Revolution and thus, important and practical advice must be given to the authorities and practitioners in thus field.

“We must give specific and comprehensive consideration to cultural issues,” he said.

He pointed to the large amount of Iranian and foreign pilgrims visiting this holy city of Mash’had and stressed that Mashhad should represent Islamic and revolutionary culture.

At the beginning of the meeting, Hujjat al-Islam Akbar-Farjam, the executive director of the Islamic Seminary of Khorasan, Hujjat al-Islam Gonbadinejad, the director of Religious Affairs and Charity Affairs in Khorasan-e Razavi province, and Sayyed Solat-Mortazavi, the mayor of Mashhad presented a comprehensive report on the cultural situation of Khorasan-e Razavi province and the holy city of Mashhad.