{"id":1509,"date":"2015-01-22T17:52:21","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T14:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iransview.com\/?p=1509"},"modified":"2015-02-02T23:47:58","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T20:17:58","slug":"iran-leader-reached-western-youth-rare-open-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/iran-leader-reached-western-youth-rare-open-letter\/1509\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Leader Reached out for Western Youth Through Rare Open Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">In an unprecedented open letter, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei appealed \u201cto the Youth in Europe and North America\u201d to make an effort to understand Islam before condemning it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">In the letter, Iran&#8217;s leader asks a series of questions from its readers like if they have directly read the Qur\u2019an of the Muslims or have studied the teachings of the Prophet of Islam and his &#8220;humane and ethical doctrines&#8221;? And possibly most importantly whether they have ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Condemning terrorist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, the leader ends his message on a hopeful note on how the future generations will write history if they have accurate information about global developments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Iran denounced the shooting at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo but has also condemned as &#8220;provocative&#8221; its publication last week of a cartoon of Prophet Mohammad.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Referring to the recent events in France, the leader then asked that readers &#8220;study and research the incentives behind this widespread tarnishing of the image of Islam&#8221; and &#8220;try to gain a direct and firsthand knowledge of this religion.&#8221; He added, &#8220;I don&#8217;t insist that you accept my reading or any other reading of Islam. What I want to say is: Don&#8217;t allow this dynamic and effective reality in today&#8217;s world to be introduced to you through resentments and prejudices.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>Iran&#8217;s View has launched a campaign calling the Western\u00a0youth to post their responses to the Ayatollah Khamenei&#8217;s letter.<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"> <strong>A select number of the replies will be communicated with Leader&#8217;s office.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>Leave you comments under this article or send them to this email: letter4u@iransview.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lcCEUT_g14E?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>Read the entire letter and watch a video\u00a0of\u00a0the 10 questions asked from the Western youth by Ayatollah Khamenei:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Message of ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of The Islamic Republic of Iran<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">In the name of God, the Beneficent the Merciful<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">To the Youth in Europe and North America,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them. 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; and also I find that the sense of quest for truth is more vigorous and attentive in your hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">I don\u2019t address your politicians and statesmen either in this writing because I believe that they have consciously separated the route of politics from the path of righteousness and truth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">I would like to talk to you about Islam, particularly the image that is presented to you as Islam. Many attempts have been made over the past two decades, almost since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, to place this great religion in the seat of a horrifying enemy. The provocation of a feeling of horror and hatred and its utilization has unfortunately a long record in the political history of the West.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Here, I don\u2019t want to deal with the different phobias with which the Western nations have thus far been indoctrinated. A cursory review of recent critical studies of history would bring home to you the fact that the Western governments\u2019 insincere and hypocritical treatment of other nations and cultures has been censured in new historiographies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">The histories of the United States and Europe are ashamed of slavery, embarrassed by the colonial period and chagrined at the oppression of people of color and non-Christians. Your researchers and historians are deeply ashamed of the bloodsheds wrought in the name of religion between the Catholics and Protestants or in the name of nationality and ethnicity during the First and Second World Wars. This approach is admirable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DBjFSPy5a9c?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">By mentioning a fraction of this long list, I don\u2019t want to reproach history; rather I would like you to ask your intellectuals as to why the public conscience in the West awakens and comes to its senses after a delay of several decades or centuries. Why should the revision of collective conscience apply to the distant past and not to the current problems? Why is it that attempts are made to prevent public awareness regarding an important issue such as the treatment of Islamic culture and thought?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">You know well that humiliation and spreading hatred and illusionary fear of the \u201cother\u201d have been the common base of all those oppressive profiteers. Now, I would like you to ask yourself why the old policy of spreading \u201cphobia\u201d and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. Why does the power structure in the world want Islamic thought to be marginalized and remain latent? 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? Hence, my first request is: Study and research the incentives behind this widespread tarnishing of the image of Islam.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"> My second request is that in reaction to the flood of prejudgments and disinformation campaigns, try to gain a direct and firsthand knowledge of this religion. The right logic requires that you understand the nature and essence of what they are frightening you about and want you to keep away from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">I don\u2019t insist that you accept my reading or any other reading of Islam. What I want to say is: Don\u2019t allow this dynamic and effective reality in today\u2019s world to be introduced to you through resentments and prejudices. Don\u2019t allow them to hypocritically introduce their own recruited terrorists as representatives of Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Receive knowledge of Islam from its primary and original sources. Gain information about Islam through the Qur\u2019an and the life of its great Prophet. I would like to ask you whether you have directly read the Qur\u2019an of the Muslims. Have you studied the teachings of the Prophet of Islam and his humane, ethical doctrines? Have you ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Have you ever asked yourself how and on the basis of which values has Islam established the greatest scientific and intellectual civilization of the world and raised the most distinguished scientists and intellectuals throughout several centuries?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">I would like you not to allow the derogatory and offensive image-buildings to create an emotional gulf between you and the reality, taking away the possibility of an impartial judgment from you. Today, the communication media have removed the geographical borders. Hence, don\u2019t allow them to besiege you within fabricated and mental borders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Although no one can individually fill the created gaps, each one of you can construct a bridge of thought and fairness over the gaps to illuminate yourself and your surrounding environment. While this preplanned challenge between Islam and you, the youth, is undesirable, it can raise new questions in your curious and inquiring minds. Attempts to find answers to these questions will provide you with an appropriate opportunity to discover new truths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Therefore, don\u2019t miss the opportunity to gain proper, correct and unbiased understanding of Islam so that hopefully, due to your sense of responsibility toward the truth, future generations would write the history of this current interaction between Islam and the West with a clearer conscience and lesser resentment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Seyyed Ali Khamenei<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\"> 21st Jan. 2015<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran&#8217;s View has launched a campaign calling European and North American youth to post their responses to the Supreme Leader&#8217;s letter.<br \/>\nA select number of the replies will be communicated with Leader&#8217;s office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,40],"tags":[39,118,12,113,535,384,385,383,538],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iransview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG12545994.jpg?fit=600%2C388&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3ogT0-ol","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1509"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1519,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509\/revisions\/1519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iransview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}