Tehran, YJC. Gheravian says that Europe and the US give false representations of Islam.
Speaking with Mehr, Ayatollah Mohsen Gheravian providing comments on the Supreme Leader’s recent statements on Western Shiism and said "Through the history of colonialism as well as neocolonialism, there have always been orientalists who have bent Islamic and Shiite concepts to their intentions, introducing their faulty interpretations as Shiite concepts in order to mislead the global opinion from the Muslim and the Shiite. For example they introduce anticipation as a narcotic concept and so forth.”
Gheravian added "In his speech, the Supreme Leader warned that we must not allow Western orientalists and Islamologists to interpret the key concepts and pivotal lexicon of our culture. We have experts and researchers who have the ability to present these concepts. We must try to interpret our dynamic Islamic and Shiite concepts ourselves.”
He further said "Past experience has shown that, based on their political aims, they use Shiism as a terrorist culture or a minority culture which thinks extremely reactionary and traditionally. They introduce the Shiite culture as one which intends to take back the Islamic society to old times. Such interpretations have been presented through history by Western ill-intenders.
The Supreme Leader warned that the Shiite culture must be deeply understood, a culture which is based on moderation and logic, completely in harmony with human and Islamic values, and has nothing in common with terrorism and extremist actions; so much so that the Shiite themselves are now subject to waves of terrorist attacks in different countries.”
"So these distorted concepts, presented by some so-called Islamologists in Europe and the US, have no sound basis, but are in reality distortions made to the authentic Shiite culture,” Gheravian asserted.
He also provided comments on the negative effects of the Western Shiism as "Its harm is that by presenting such interpretations of Shiism, they represent the Shiite as a group against which the West entitles itself to attack, and that will eventually lead in the decline and annihilation of the Shiite culture. The aim of Europe and the US is to reach their old political objectives, that is ruling the world with no resistance. In other words, they want to open the way for their rule especially over countries with high Shiite population, such as Iran and Iraq. They want to introduce a neutral, ineffective Shiism in line with political colonial intentions, against which the Supreme Leader warned that we will not have such an introduction of the Shiite.”
Asked how far the Western Shiism is from the real one, he said "The distance is quite clear and so long, because through history, Shiism was accompanied with life and progress and with rationality. But the Shiism which arrogance introduces is a rough, coarse image of Shiism so that they would be able to fight it, or a Shiism which is quite passive, moving along the path that arrogance lays.”
In answer to a question regarding the parties supporting the Western representation of Shiism, he said "The global arrogance itself and freemasonic organizations into which I have studied invest in the distortion of key religious concepts, including those for Shiism. Some years ago the president of the United States appointed a group to do studies about Shiism. Even a number of years ago it was suggested that seminaries be launched to foster religious scholars and Islamic and Shiite sciences. No doubt their goal by these investments is to foster scholars who will serve the arrogance, because religion and religious thought are highly influential factors in social changes.”
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