The Supreme Leader’s View of Christianity

The Supreme Leader’s View of Christianity
02/01/2010

Part one: Jesus Christ

A great prophet of God
Jesus Christ, a great prophet of God
The Virgin Mary, a model for all humans
The Virgin Mary, the manifestation of piety
Special features of the story of Jesus
The standard-bearer of guidance
Savior of humanity from oppression
Calling humans to prosperity
The birth of Jesus Christ

Part two: Islam and Christianity

Showing gratitude towards a Christian emperor
Common acts of worship in Islam and Christianity
Wise sayings of Jesus Christ
Discovering the common points between Islam and Christianity
The common viewpoint of Islam and Christianity regarding freedom
The standard-bearers of defending justice and the oppressed
Connection with God, a necessity in human life
Morality, a common point in all divine religions
Conflict between Islam and Christianity
The religion of mercy and kindness

Part three: Christianity in the modern era

Jesus Christ
Paving the way for colonialism
An end to religious knowledge and a beginning to scientific knowledge
Those who do not believe in Christianity
Opposing morality
Indifference towards injustice in the world
The result of not following the teachings of Jesus Christ
A false claim

Part four: The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Christian Minority

The influence of the Islamic Revolution on the Christian world
Peaceful coexistence of followers of different faiths in Iran
Feeling of kindness and closeness
Fellow Countrymen

Supreme Leader’s View of Christianity

Part one: Jesus Christ

A great prophet of God

Undoubtedly, Muslims’ respect for Jesus Christ is no less than that of faithful Christians for him. This great divine prophet always made efforts during his lifetime to fight oppression, transgression, corruption, and those who tried to dominate nations by relying on their wealth and power and caused them to suffer both in this world and the hereafter. The sufferings which this great prophet endured since his childhood – God appointed him to his prophetic mission during his childhood – were all aimed at achieving these goals.

Jesus Christ, a great prophet of God

Muslims, like Christians, believe in Jesus Christ as a great prophet of God. Jewish people cannot claim that Moses is only their prophet. All Christians also believe in Moses, as do all Muslims. This is the case for Jesus Christ as well. Jesus Christ is not only a prophet for Christians. Rather, he is a prophet for Muslims as well.

Iranian Muslims love that great prophet and have high regard for him. Iranian Christians – whether Assyrians or the Christian people living in northern parts of Iran and Orumieh province – believe that Christianity originated in Iran. They believe that Jesus Christ started his mission in Iran and Christianity was in fact spread from here. From a historical point of view, they may be right.

The Virgin Mary, a model for all humans

When citing examples of faithful people, the Holy Quran does not usually mention men. Rather, it cites examples from among women. Allah the Exalted mentions two women as two examples of prominent and faithful "humans", and not prominent and faithful "women".

This means that Allah the Exalted does not usually mention prophets, great men, or scientific and religious figures when He intends to cite an example of a prominent and faithful human. Rather, he mentions two women, one of whom is Pharaoh’s wife and the other is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ and daughter of Imran.

The Virgin Mary was a young woman who stood firm against the accusations and suspicions of the people of her town and region, and returned to her people holding her son in her arms.

The Virgin Mary, the manifestation of piety

There is a point in the Holy Quran about the story of the Virgin Mary which has attracted my attention to a great extent. From the viewpoint of Muslims, the Virgin Mary is the manifestation of piety and spiritual purity. “And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration.” [The Holy Quran, 66: 12]. This has been repeated several times in the Holy Quran.

The issue of guarding her chastity has been greatly stressed about the Virgin Mary. What were the circumstances like? This is, in my opinion, a very important point. A girl came to a temple and stayed there until her youth. What factors and motivations caused her to resist all those temptations with such a superhuman power? If her power was not superhuman, the issue would not be so much emphasized in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran says “guarded her chastity”, which means that she remained pure. This is a very important issue and should be a lesson for everyone.

Through guarding her chastity and remaining pure in that critical situation, the Virgin Mary could change history.

Special features of the story of Jesus

Any time I read the Sura "Maryam", I am greatly impressed. This has been the case since my youth. This is because the story of that sura is a truly wonderful story. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ – in that particular place, at that particular time, and under those special circumstances – is so great that it cannot be adequately described, unless through artistic works.

This is a very strange and rare event – the role of the Virgin Mary and Zechariah in this event, the special social conditions of the time, and the teachings of Jesus Christ which were like a shining beacon of guidance that shed light on human life and minds. It should also be noted that the teachings of Jesus were no different than those of Moses – that is, they were a complement to the teachings of Moses. Most of the teachings of Jesus Christ were a repetition of the teachings of Moses. However, when Jesus Christ passed on his teachings, the followers of Moses were so alienated from his teachings that they believed the teachings of Jesus Christ were an innovation and an instance of blasphemy. This was because the teachings of Moses had been distorted. This was while the teachings of Moses and Jesus both originated from the same source. And the teachings of Jesus were based on the same concepts as those of Moses. Both the teachings of Moses and those of Jesus were sent to them through divine revelation. In this story, the role of distortions, the role of the powers of the time, and the selfishness and misunderstandings of some people are clearly mentioned.

The standard-bearer of guidance

Jesus Christ, who is the manifestation of divine attributes, raised the flag of guiding and saving humans at a time when ignorance, injustice, and inattention to human values were prevalent. He stood up to oppressing powers – which were dependent on their wealth and power – and he promoted justice, mercy, and monotheism. Today those who believe in that great prophet – Muslims and Christians – should follow the teachings and the path of divine prophets and try to promote human virtues on the basis of the teachings of these prophets.

Savior of humanity from oppression

Jesus Christ was equipped with the power of performing miracles and carried a divine message for humanity which saved them from the darkness of polytheism, atheism, ignorance, and oppression and guided them towards justice, knowledge, and worshiping God. He never hesitated to fight evil and call people to piety throughout his life.

And this is the lesson which all Christians and Muslims who believe in the prophethood of Jesus Christ should learn. Today humanity is in need of these teachings more than ever before. And Islam which is a complement to real Christianity has put calling humanity to piety and moral perfection high on its priority list. Making use of the great powers of nature through their God-given knowledge, misguided humans tend to tread a different path, and this makes the duty of the followers of divine faiths even heavier.

The domineering powers and governments of the world have made life difficult for nations and individuals and do not refrain from inflicting any type of oppression on them. They do these things in the name of Christianity. These powers are in fact totally unaware of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Calling humans to prosperity

Jesus Christ called on people to follow the path of God which is the path of prosperity for human beings. And he warned people against pursuing carnal desires and undermining their spiritual purity through engaging in evil deeds and oppressing others.

The corrupt and bullying powers that are dependent on wealth and power persecuted that divine prophet and leveled insults against him. They even tried to take his life. And when God saved the life of Jesus Christ, these powers inflicted several years of horrible torture on the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. They were trying to put an end to the teachings of Jesus Christ which were against corruption, oppression, polytheism, causing war, deceiving people, and pursuing carnal desires.

Those corrupt and oppressive powers who pursued carnal desires, caused wars against people, and deceived them could not tolerate the existence of divine faiths and prophets and those who followed the path of God.

The birth of Jesus Christ

The birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ has been celebrated for hundreds of years. Why are these occasions so important? This is because they are a critical and determining point, and indeed a turning point, in history. This means that these events caused a sudden change in the course of history.

Every year, I congratulate our fellow Christian countrymen and other followers of Christianity throughout the world on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ. However, since many of the Christians who live in Iran believe that the birth date of Jesus Christ is not December 25, I follow what is commonly believed and do not send a congratulatory message on that date. Rather, I wait until January before I congratulate them on the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ. This is because I intend to follow what most of our fellow Christian countrymen believe about the birth date of Jesus Christ.

I congratulate all the Christians of the world as well as all Muslims on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ. This ten-day period is the period during which it is believed that Jesus Christ was born. I hope all Muslims and Christians of the world model themselves after that great prophet, try to become truly familiar with that prophet, and follow him.

Part two: Islam and Christianity

Showing gratitude towards a Christian emperor

It has been quoted in a hadith that a group of people went to meet the Holy prophet (s.w.a.) on behalf of Ashama ibn Abjar who was the emperor of Aksum at the time of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). They intended to deliver a message to the Holy Prophet as is customary today among governments.

Ashama ibn Abjar was the emperor of Aksum and was a follower of Christianity like other emperors and kings of the time. But when the delegation came to meet the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), he himself stood up and started to serve them. At that time, those who were with the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) said: “We are here. Let us serve the guests.” The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) responded: “When a group of Muslims traveled to Aksum, the emperor of Aksum respected them a lot. I intend to express gratitude for what he did.”

Common acts of worship in Islam and Christianity

We all know that praying is not limited to Muslims only. Rather, the prophets who lived before Prophet Muhammad (s.w.a) put saying prayers and giving zakat high on their priority list.

Jesus Christ has been quoted as saying: “God has advised me to promote prayers and zakat.” This has been mentioned in different parts of the Quran. Allah the Exalted says: “Like praying and giving zakat, fasting is also an obligation which is not particular to Muslims. Other nations and previous prophets were also sent on a mission to promote fasting.”

Wise sayings of Jesus Christ

Among Islamic traditions, some are related to Jesus Christ. These traditions usually appear in all Islamic books of hadith and are among the most meaningful Islamic traditions. These narrations contain very wise and meaningful concepts.

Christians do not claim that the words of Jesus Christ are only those which appear in different versions of the Gospel. Besides the current versions of the Gospel, there are other versions as well, and it is possible that the words of Jesus Christ which appear in Islamic traditions are the parts which are missing in the current versions of the Gospel. However, the followers of Christianity should regard the words of Jesus Christ which have been quoted by Muslim Imams as valid and make use of them too [besides what has been said in the Gospel].

This could act as a means to bring the followers of different faiths closer to one another. Muslims can present a part of the teachings of Jesus Christ to all humanity. The words of Jesus Christ which appear in Islamic traditions are all very wise and full of exquisite points. Of course I have read the different versions of the Gospel several times in the past. The current versions of the Gospel – the four books which are usually referred to by Christians – are full of wise sayings.

It is true that the principles held by Muslims are different from what has been said in the different versions of the Gospel. But everyone would accept wise sayings.

Discovering the common points between Islam and Christianity

It is appropriate to create a connection between youth and religion and to promote religious beliefs in society. Religion is a divine blessing and every society which can help its people benefit from this blessing will achieve a lot of positive results. Of course interacting with the youth is a delicate, yet rewarding task.

There are many common points between Islam and Christianity as well as all divine faiths. The dialogues which take place between Muslims and Christians in bilateral or multilateral conferences can help us identify these common points.

Such dialogues may not always be aimed at bringing the viewpoints of a particular religion close to those of another religion. Rather, it could be the case that the common points or similar viewpoints of two religions are identified. The purpose of such dialogues is not to prove the validity of a particular religion or to reject a particular religion. Rather, the purpose is to find the common viewpoints of religions regarding the most important matters of human life.

The common viewpoint of Islam and Christianity regarding freedom

The issue of freedom has always been a primary concern for humanity. What is meant by freedom and what are its limits? Different religions have said different things in this regard. Today the issue of freedom can be one of the issues which is discussed from the viewpoint of Islam and Christianity.

Currently, we see that some extreme measures are sometimes taken in this regard. Regarding certain aspects of people’s lives, dictatorial measures as well as covert and overt methods of interference have deprived people of their freedom. Yet in some other aspects, excessive freedom – which is indeed not freedom, but debauchery – is given to people.

From a religious perspective, both cases are regarded as a type of deviation from moral principles. Both Islam and Christianity share the same views regarding the rejection of such extreme measures which are contrary to true freedom. Today one of the most important duties of those who are concerned about the destiny of humanity and the young generation is to fight increasing corruption and immorality in the world. In particular, the Christian system – currently based in Europe – shoulders a heavy duty in this regard.

There are hands which have seriously spread corruption, and it is very much necessary that the body of churches, particularly catholic churches, oppose this phenomenon – which is not anything new – in a serious and logical manner by making use of their power and widespread influence. If the followers of Christianity in Europe fight corruption, many of the people living outside Europe will be thankful to them. This is because some types of corruption are transferred from one place to another.

The standard-bearers of defending justice and the oppressed

If religion plays a role in the arena of defending justice and the oppressed people, religion will be able to attract people to a great extent. In all parts of the world, young people are delighted by observing justice-seeking movements.

Justice is a part of all religions. The greatest heroes of humanity on the path of justice are religious heroes. Jesus Christ made efforts throughout his life to administer justice. The Prophet of Islam also made efforts to administer justice all through his life.

When Christianity was at its early stages, the great figures of Christianity made great sacrifices in order to promote justice. Religious books – the Bible, the Gospel, and the Holy Quran – are full of messages which encourage people to seek and administer justice.

If such issues become the slogans of the clergy – whether Christian or Muslim – they will certainly attract a great deal of attention. And the Jewish people who believe in the Bible are also after administration of justice – of course I do not mean the Zionists because they do not believe in anything.

Connection with God, a necessity in human life

Humanity cannot have a life in which it has no connection with God. An example of this is the world of communism. When the proponents of Marxism lost their power in the former Soviet Union, a lot of people started to go to church.

They thought that if they ease the pressure they were exerting on the people, the people themselves would no longer go to church as a result of their 70 years of anti-religious propaganda. That was the mistake they made.

After the passage of 70 years, people started going to church once again. If you take a trip to Russia or the countries of Eastern Europe, you will see that there are a lot of people who go to church. In fact, the uprising of the people of Poland against the proponents of Marxism was an uprising to support religion and Christianity.

Morality, a common point in all divine religions

Although there are differences among different divine religions, there are common points in those religions as well. The most important common point among religions is the attention they pay to the issue of morality. This was the first message which divine religions carried for humanity. Divine religions helped people understand that they should not be limited to what they can see, hear, and touch.

They made people understand that there is a reality which is much greater than all they can see and touch.

Today the existence of spirituality is a tangible reality in the world. However, the dominant movement in the world is moving in the opposite direction. If those who follow divine religions manage to reduce this unawareness even to a small extent, they have done humanity a great favor. This is the common point between Islam and Christianity. Dialogue with religious scholars of different religions is mostly focused on this point.

Divine religions did not try to stop people from making materialistic efforts. Rather, they tried to make them understand that these efforts can be steered towards achieving a moral position. Therefore, they led their hearts towards a brilliant reality.

Being unaware of the reality will be a disadvantage for humanity, and such a disadvantage is not comparable with any other loss. Today humanity is greatly suffering from such unawareness. In fact, the great development of the world of materialism has made humanity completely unaware.

Conflict between Islam and Christianity

There is no conflict between Islam and Christianity, and there will be no conflict between them in the future either. There is no Muslim-Christian conflict, and I would say that the conflicts which occur between Christian governments are more than the conflicts which occur between Muslim and Christian governments. Of course belligerent attitudes do exist in the world.

During the past 70 years, two wars have taken place in the Christian world, and these wars have had an effect on Muslims too. The Islamic Republic of Iran invites all Muslims to unity. And such unity is not against the followers of Christianity or other religions. Rather, the purpose of this unity is to oppose those who violate others' rights, occupy other countries, and cause war, to promote morality, rationality, and Islamic justice, to achieve scientific and economic progress, and to restore Islamic grandeur.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is reminding the world of the fact that when Quds was under the control of Muslims at the time of the Righteous Caliphs, Christian and Jewish people enjoyed complete peace and security. But now that Quds and other centers are under the control of the Zionists, how is it that they consider killing Muslims as mubah [permissible according to their beliefs]?

The religion of mercy and kindness

Islam does not oppose other religions. When Islam was dominant in non-Muslim regions, the followers of other religions were thankful for the mercy that Islam showed towards them. They said that Muslims were kinder towards them than their previous rulers. In the Levant region, when Muslims who had been victorious in the war entered the region, the Jewish and Christian people who lived there said that

Muslims were kind towards them. Muslims were kind towards the people. Islam is the religion of mercy and kindness. It is a blessing for all people. Islam tells the followers of Christianity: “Come to an equitable word between us and you.” [The Holy Quran, 3: 64] Islam focuses on the common points between the two religions.

Islam is not opposed to other nations and religions. It is opposed to bullying, oppression, arrogance, and domineering motives. The oppressive, domineering, and arrogant powers try to stand this reality on its head in the world. In order to achieve this goal, they make use of all their tools – from Hollywood to propaganda machines, to weapons, and to military forces.

Part three: Christianity in the modern era

Jesus Christ

If Jesus Christ was among us today, he would not miss a single moment to fight against the ringleaders of oppression and arrogance. He would not tolerate the hunger and helplessness of millions of people who are being led towards war and corruption by the superpowers of the world.

Paving the way for colonialism

One of the most fundamental policies of colonialism, the arrogant powers, and their mercenaries has been to purge people’s hearts of hope and the desire to resist. They have tried to put out this light several times, but have so far failed to achieve their goal.

Colonialism and the arrogant powers have made numerous efforts, not only in Iran, but also throughout the Muslim world, in order to achieve this goal. In an important report which was released years ago, the efforts of Christian missionaries who went from Europe to North Africa in order to prepare the way for colonialism were described.

There were some priests who stayed in some parts of Africa and in remote places for years. Why did they do that? Why were they trying to convert African tribes to Christianity? Everyone knows that they were the mercenaries of colonialism. They went there to convert those people to Christianity so that colonialism could have an influence there and achieve its goals.

And those priests knew what goal they were pursuing. It was not the case that they did not know what they were doing. Just consider the hardships which they endured in order to achieve this goal – hardships which cannot be compensated for with money. They lived for 7 years in an area that was close to where cannibals lived. These are the things which we sometimes read in books or reports.

One of the main concerns of the followers of different religions throughout the world is that the powers which are dominant in Christian countries make use of promoting Christianity in the world as a tool for advancing the goals of colonialism in the world. They are in fact paving the way for colonialism.

They sent different groups which were apparently trying to promote and clarify the principles of Christianity to different parts of the world. But their main purpose was to pave the way for the domineering powers, which were then dominant in Europe, to enter Islamic countries and gain political power in those countries. Unfortunately, they succeeded in achieving their goals in many places.

An end to religious knowledge and a beginning to scientific knowledge

In the Christian parts of Europe, the beginning of the movement to gain scientific knowledge coincided with an end to acquiring religious knowledge. In other words, the beginning of this phase meant an end to gaining religious knowledge. Maybe this was the right thing to do because religious knowledge in the Christian context was full of superstitions and bias and was totally opposed to the acquisition of scientific knowledge.

A long time ago in Europe, a scientist would be sent to prison, whipped, or burnt to death because of making a scientific discovery. For many years, they would burn scientists because they thought they were magicians. These events have been reflected in the literary works of the west as well in the history of western science. When the religious atmosphere of society and those who are in charge of society’s religious affairs have such an attitude towards knowledge, it is natural that religion and religious knowledge would be totally eradicated if knowledge could find itself a place in society. This is a very clear fact.

Of course the type of religion that the intellectuals of Europe were opposed to was not suitable for humanity. It was a type of religion that was full of superstitions – the same religion which sentenced Galileo to death and tortured other people to death because they had made a scientific discovery. That was not true Christianity. Rather, the principles had been distorted. The problem was not that those principles were put aside. Rather, the problem was that morality and ethics were separated from knowledge and politics as well as lifestyles and individual and social interactions of people.

Those who do not believe in Christianity

No one should have any doubts that religious prejudice, which has been hidden under the deceptive slogans of democracy and human rights, has assumed control over the majority of western powers.

It would be very naïve to think that the hostile motives in Bosnia [refers to the crimes committed by paramilitary forces in Bosnia against the Muslims of that country] are rooted in the principles of Christianity.

Those who are utterly opposed to all manifestations of Islam and movements of Muslims do not believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ and Christianity either. They only believe in their uncontrollable power and their interests, materialistic desires, and whatever poses a threat against their power, which is used to oppress others. But their bloody hands have nowadays pitched Christianity against Islam, and they have raised the flag of enmity towards Islam and its principles.

Opposing morality

In a world with such materialistic tendencies, the Islamic Republic of Iran was established on the basis of morality. This is the important point. Even whether such a system should be an Islamic or a Christian system is of secondary importance. The important fact is to put an end to immorality and lack of belief in religious principles which underlay all movements in the world, even the movements of the world’s religious scholars.

Even the religious scholars of the world were moving towards lack of belief in religious principles. For instance, they plan services in a way to attract young people, even if it means they have to organize dancing programs under the supervision of churches! Can a Christian ever imagine that those in charge of churches would ever do such a thing?

One of the famous authors of the Arab world wrote: “One night, I saw with my own eyes that a priest took part in a dancing ceremony which was held under the supervision of the church. Young couples were dancing there. He just took a look to see if everything was in order. Apparently, the lighting was a bit too strong. He adjusted the lighting system with his own hands so that the degree of lighting on the stage would be less strong. After everyone had left, he ordered the janitor to close all the doors. Then he went to his room to rest.”

The Arab author then continues: “It was the following day or two days after that when I went to see the priest. I said: father! Apparently things have changed. And he said “no”. We have adopted the right policy to attract young people to the church. You probably saw how many people had come to the church?!” This means a tendency towards immorality even in the world of religious figures. That priest was a Christian clergy. People like that priest can be found among Sunni or Shia clergymen too.

In such an atmosphere and at this stage of history, an event took place which helped establish a system on the basis of morality. This system has brought spirituality into the lives of people and everything including government, war, budget, and policies are rooted in morality. It is possible to say that the existence of such a system has been unprecedented in the world, except for a limited period of time. Of course religious rule in its particular sense has always existed in some parts of the world – especially in the Christian world. But the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a system which is similar to those types of rule. In fact, those rules were the rule of faithful people and clergymen over people, not the rule of religious and moral principles over them.

Indifference towards injustice in the world

Today Christian leaders are indifferent to the most important issues of humans. Today there is injustice across the world. What are the Christian leaders doing to oppose injustice? They claim to support peace. The slogan of peace is indeed a good slogan for humanity, but it is not sufficient. Besides the slogan of peace, there should be the slogan of justice too. Today humanity is suffering from lack of justice. There are great powers which are oppressing nations and the majority of people in the world.

European countries themselves started great wars and then started to shout slogans of peace. It has been many years that those wars have been finished, but they make an instrumental use of the slogan of peace while it is the slogan of justice which humanity needs. But they never speak of justice and the Christian leaders and the Pope are just watching indifferently.

The Islamic Republic of Iran does not by any means approve of the stance of the heads of churches towards the west and western arrogance. They shoulder a much heavier duty. I sent a message to the Pope and asked him to emphasize the importance of justice. Today the message of all religions is administration of justice, and the main slogan and message of Moses, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) was also administration of justice.

The result of not following the teachings of Jesus Christ

As compared to European people, Americans have got a stronger tendency towards religion, religious names, religious ceremonies, and churches. But their understanding of religion is pretty general, superficial, and one-sided.

From their perspective, there is no contradiction between believing in Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary and committing sins which they have been told not to commit in Christianity. There is no logic behind their beliefs.

Christianity – as has been said – is based on kindness and peace. But as you can see, most wars, crimes, murders, and examples of unkindness and moral impurity happen in the west. Yet, they believe in Christianity too! It is clear that what they do is based on separation from religious principles.

The fact that the age of those who are addicted is constantly becoming lower and lower – once it was 18, then 15, and now it is 13 – and that the rate of crime, immorality, and lack of attention to family, family members, and traditions is constantly increased are all the results of the gap that is being developed between the people and religious principles.

We can think of a group of humans who have access to atomic power but do not make any destructive or fatal uses of such power. If those who possess such power believed in moral and religious principles, such a state of affairs could be expected. But unfortunately, they did not believe in such principles and you can see what happened to nations as a result. It was almost 50 years ago when atomic bombs were first made. But for those who are aware, fear of atomic bombs still exists in the world and such fear will not only decrease, but increase in the future as well.

Some time ago, one of the Christian institutions released statistics about the number of Christian people who had been killed in past century. The statistics revealed that the number of Christians who had been killed in the past century was more than any other time in the history of Christianity. I was eager to ask those who had prepared the statistics who had killed those Christians? Was it Muslims who killed them?

Was it Buddhists who killed them? Or did Christians themselves kill them? Who killed European people during the first and second world wars? It was Christians themselves who killed other Christians. It was the people of Europe and the west who killed many Christian as well as non-Christian and non-European people.

Lack of morality will bring about such grave and harmful effects for humanity. The Islamic Republic of Iran intends to introduce an exemplary generation to the world – a generation that will prove to the world that it is possible to acquire knowledge and benefit from the divine blessings which exist in the world and inside humans themselves, and adhere to moral and ethical principles at the same time.

A false claim

Today many of those who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ are treading a path other than the one set by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ led humans to worshipping God and opposing pharaohs and transgression. Today there are people who claim to be the followers of that great prophet but have taken the place of the pharaohs and taghuts whom Jesus Christ used to oppose during his time.

The powers of the world speak of Christianity and claim to believe in Christianity. But there is no trace of Christianity as a divine religion in the current political system that is dominant in the world of arrogance – which is the world of oppression, arrogance in the true sense of the word, and violating people’s rights, a world in which they make use of their knowledge in order to commit crimes.

Today knowledge is in the possession of those who know nothing of humanity. Knowledge and technology are used to advance goals which are completely harmful to the human community and which are only to the benefit of capitalists and powerful people.

Part four: The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Christian Minority

The influence of the Islamic Revolution on the Christian world

Our Revolution not only made Muslims think of Islam but also had useful consequences for Christians too. Countries which had moved away from their own religion – Christianity – came back to the path of morality and religion. This was a beginning to the downfall of the Eastern emperor and the establishment of Marxism in the world. This is a strange event with many great aspects.

The exceptional position of the Islamic Republic in the world is because it has been established in a world where the power of the materialistic powers lies in the hands of those who have materialistic tendencies and do not believe in ethical, religious, and moral principles.

Peaceful coexistence of followers of different faiths in Iran

Thankfully, the followers of many different faiths live together peacefully in the Islamic Republic. Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians live alongside Muslims in the Islamic Republic. They cooperate with the Islamic Republic and play a role in the country. Of course they shoulder certain duties. The Islamic Republic also shoulders certain duties towards them as Iranian citizens which it fulfills. The Islamic Republic has no complaints against its citizens who are among the religious minorities of the country. When the enemies launch propaganda against the Islamic Republic in a sly manner, Jewish citizens publish statements. In other cases, Armenians or other religious minorities issued statements and expressed their support for the Islamic Republic. This is a source of honor for the Islamic Republic.

Feeling of kindness and closeness

I have a feeling of kindness towards the Armenian people who live in Iran and I feel very close to them. I like Christian people. Armenian people helped us a lot during the Revolution and the imposed war. Of course you may have only heard about these things, but I have seen these things myself. I saw many Armenians on battlefields who honestly and sincerely helped us under the bombardment of the enemies. Of course these Armenians were not soldiers. They had voluntarily come to the battlefields.

We treat religious minorities like our own brothers and have a friendly attitude towards them. It is not important for us that a certain person is the follower of another religion and consequently does not believe in our religion and has different thoughts. I even go to their houses. It has been many years that I have been going to the house of Christian martyrs on the occasion of the new Christian year. The person may be an Assyrian or an Armenian, but I go to their houses.

Fellow Countrymen

This is the text of the Supreme Leader’s speech in a meeting with the grand bishop of Armenians and the Armenian MPs in the Iranian Majlis

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I am happy to see that our fellow Christian countrymen feel comfortable and happy in our country. I am also happy to see that they are living and working alongside their fellow countrymen in our country. This is what we are after. We intend to create an atmosphere in which religious minorities of our country – Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians – feel secure and comfortable and enjoy all their civil rights. Thankfully, this goal has been achieved and you can see the results.

I am thankful and happy to see that you dear friends feel sad because of the earthquake which happened in Bam. This is what I naturally expected. During the 8-year imposed war, the Armenians who lived in Iran played an important role by providing technical support. Armenians who live in Tehran and other parts of the country are very skillful at doing technical work.

I was familiar with the work of Armenians prior to the Revolution and knew that they are very skillful in the field of automobile and auto parts. During the war, they came to me and said that they were ready to cooperate with us. They established a camp in Ahvaz in the year 1359 or 1360. I visited their camp. Once, I was traveling from Tehran to Ahvaz when I saw that there were some 100 Armenians who were saying that they were ready to go to the battlefields. They were asking to be sent to the battlefields.

I ordered the people in charge to send them to the battlefields by plane. Therefore, it is not surprising for me to see that you expressed your sadness over the Bam earthquake. Of course I have a close connection with some Armenian and Assyrian families in Tehran because their children were martyred during the war. I went to their houses, and I am familiar with them. I know that they have strong emotions.

I hope God will help you and I to move on the right path. I hope God will bestow His blessings, mercy, and guidance on us all. I extend my congratulations to our Armenian friends on the occasion of the new Christian year and the birthday anniversary of Jesus Christ. I hope you are all successful.

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