The Scientific and Cultural Organization of Imam Reza holy shrine has held the closing ceremony of the first preliminary meeting of Imam Reza International Gathering and Interfaith Dialogue in the holy shrine on the verge of Imam Reza\u2019s birth anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cGatherings like this demonstrate the unity among different faiths in Iran\u201d, said Eddie Daniel, representative of the Assyrian Church of the East.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the start of a ceremony in Quds Hall on June 9 with representatives of other faiths in attendance, Daniel noted: \u201cThis gathering is in line with the series of dialogues conducted during the holy Prophet (pbuh) and Imam Ali\u2019s era at the dawn of Islam, which had been aimed at ironing out differences and interacting with other faiths\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Church of the East representative stressed that devils, not humans, had been the subject of war and conflict, saying: \u201cThe Almighty God has opened doors of dialogue for us to sit and talk\u201d.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, the secretary of Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, Hoj. Seyyed Saeedreza Ameli asserted: \u201cImam Reza would always investigate scientific matters via dialogue and clarify them to people. He would resort to reason and dialogue to resolve many issues with other faiths during his lifetime\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hoj. Ameli also referred to Imam Reza\u2019s global mindset, maintaining: \u201cHe had a profound understanding of the holy Prophet\u2019s teachings and a perfect grasp of all preceding religions. Therefore, we need to adopt such a global outlook to deal with pressing world issues\u201d.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the meeting, Dr Ahad Faramarz Gharamaleki, head of Islamic Research Foundation, called interfaith dialogue as one of the blessings of 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Iran as the center of interfaith activities in the past 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cImam Reza is the paragon of methodical dialogue with different faiths; therefore, the holy shrine took the initiative to hold the first International Conference for Interfaith Dialogue in 2018\u201d, said Gharamaleki.<\/p>\n
He also talked about four scientific sessions underway about interfaith dialogue as far as Islamic Republic\u2019s 40-year experience and Imam Reza\u2019s life and conduct were concerned.<\/p>\n
Head of Islamic Research Foundation concluded that the organization would hold 30 preliminary meetings in Iran and other countries before the main gathering in 2023.<\/p>\n