Rafsanjani: Iran relies on nation to thwart threats

Tehran, 2008 July 1, IRNA
 
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Tuesday that the Islamic Republic has always relied on people and their presence on difficult scenes to thwart threats.

Making the remark in a meeting with a number of foreign elite and Muslim scholars, participating in educational courses of Jamiat-ol-Mostafa al-Alamiyeh (Mostafa International University), Rafsanjani underlined the need for Islamic nations to update their sciences knowledge and promote Islamic culture.

Rafsanjani, also chairman of the Assembly of Experts, added that in the Middle Ages western societies made use of Muslim nations' culture and sciences to uplift their status and leave behind the era of ignorance and darkness.

Pointing to the eye-catching growth of religious universities and scientific centers in Iran as well as attempts to attract volunteers from other countries, including the Islamic Azad University (IAU) to invest in Islamic nations, he noted that such academic efforts can deepen relations among Islamic states.

He addressed some media persons present in the meeting, saying that insufficient information dissemination is one the weak points of Islamic nations, but westerners are making efforts to increase their power in this field.

Responding to a question on how Islamic nations can make progress, he said that paying attention to knowledge and culture along with maintaining unity and empathy will guarantee development and hinder intervention of extremists who are trying to sow discord among Muslim nations.

Asked about the current threats by the West and the Zionist regime against Iran, the EC chairman said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has from the very beginning faced such threats and they are not something new.