Saturday, September 29, 2007

Iranian President claiming there are 4 Divine Religions not 3 as claimed by Egypt


On Monday, September 24, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appeared as a speaker on University of Columbia campus.

Columbia University President stated " I would also like to invoke a major theme in the development of freedom of speech as a central value in our society. .....To commit oneself to a life—and a civil society—prepared to examine critically all ideas arises from a deep faith in the myriad benefits of a long-term process of meeting bad beliefs with better beliefs and hateful words with wiser words. That faith in freedom has always been and remains today our nation’s most potent weapon against repressive regimes everywhere in the world.."

Below are some of the questions that answered by President Ahmadinejad:

We have many, many questions, starting with this, which directly relates to your speech: How important do you think that the worldwide spread of Islam is to creating the sublime and beautiful world that you envision? And is there room for other religions?

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We think that all religions and all divine religions have the same message. They all come from the same place. They have several clear messages: to invite man to worship God, which is the root of all goodness; to invite man to justice, which guarantees love, friendship and viable security; to invite man to dignity and to respect of mankind; These messages are bedded in the religion of Christ -- of Moses and Christ, as well as the holy prophet of Islam. These prophets have all given the same messages. They never had differences in that respect. There was never a conflict there. Because their root goes back to the same reality and their message was the same as well.

MODERATOR: Does that mean that there is room for Christianity in...

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): They all believe in beauty and goodness.
They are all brothers. They all want the same thing: justice and friendship. And this is the common ground for all religions.

MODERATOR: Yes, but do those religions have a place in the world you describe?

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): True pious people have no difference with other -- they are all human beings and followers of different religions, and all of their views should be respected. We should all build a prosperous community together. And we must all move hand in hand. This is a responsibility for all.

MODERATOR: We have many questions regarding the Baha'i religious minority in Iran. Many of our questioners say that the Baha'i minority has been deprived of their human rights. What would your response be to that?

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In our constitution, Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Zoroastrianism are recognized as the official religions.

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): When we speak of religion, we refer to divine religions. In our country, we follow that law; a law that is based on the majority vote of the people.

Reference http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/09/on-controvery-at-columbia-putting-name.html

Our unanswered questions are:
1- Where is "Justice" in treating Iranian Baha'is and hold their Human Rights?
2- If according to Islam "Justice and Friendship are common ground for all religion", Why Baha'is having hardships in Iran and Egypt?
3- Does Justice apply only to Muslims and followers of the other three "divine religions"? Where is "to invite man to dignity and to respect of mankind" when persecuting Baha’is?

Baha'is belive that there is only one God, the Creator of the universe. Throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, each of Whom has founded a great religion. The Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. This succession of divine Teachers reflects a single historic "plan of God" for educating humanity about the Creator and for cultivating the spiritual, intellectual, and moral capacities of the race. The goal has been to develop the innate noble characteristics of every human being, and to prepare the way for an advancing global civilization. Knowledge of God's will for humanity in the modern age, Bahá'ís believe, was revealed just over one hundred years ago by Bahá'u'lláh, Who is the latest of these divine Messengers.

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