Ayatollah Ramezani: True Islam Advocates Justice and Responsibility

The secretary general of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly: “among the duties of this university is to expound and introduce true Islam. Many Western authors were looking to restrict and eliminate religion, both of which are distorted. Specifically, they try to portray Islam as violent, however, the society has realized that true Islam advocates justice and responsibility.

According to the public affairs department of Ahlul Bayt International University, the inauguration ceremony of the new complex of Ahlul Bayt International University was held on Sunday June 18^th, 2023.

Ayatollah Ramezani, the secretary general of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly, gave a speech in the ceremony: “given that we are in that time of the year when Haj pilgrimage takes place, I have to say that religion pays special attention to international interactions and Haj is a symbol of cultural interaction among Muslims. Human beings have a relationship with self, others, God, the environment and international interactions. These interactions are not confined to Muslims, yet the Fiqh of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) emphasizes the importance of these interactions. The Islamic Republic is at the forefront of this relationship now. This university is gaining recognition within Iran and abroad and God willing, its achievements will manifest themselves in the society.”

He added: “I believe systems of education and systems of learning are different and, given that this is an international university, its systems of education must be designed according to international needs. Systems of research can also ensue education. This university has an organizational duty as well. We have tasked the university with the responsibility to teach the students cultural activism. We need a specific sort of engineering in this regard.”

The Importance of Steadfast (Jihadi) Management at the University

The secretary general of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly continued: “the inauguration of this complex is a step towards the elevation of the hardware of the university. Expanding the existing courses is another improvement at the university where now 20 courses are taught. There are almost 25 nationalities at the university now which is an improvement, yet we must also pay attention to the quality of education. We must have science and research journals that are of the standards of the university. Our professors must be among the top professors worldwide.

If Ahlul Bayt International University is to be known as a role model, it must apply steadfast (Jihadi) and dedicated management in order to be known as an exemplary university around the world where students wait in line to gain entry. Of course, the management must pay attention to material as well as the spiritual well being of the students. This issue has also been raised in the statement of the second step of the revolution. The university must also pay attention to ethical issues as it was pointed out in the statement of the second step of the revolution for universities. We cannot achieve our goals without undertaking these issues. Achieving these goals require the cooperation of all of the university management.

Expounding and introducing true Islam is the other duty of the university. Many Western authors were looking to restrict and eliminate religion, both of which are distorted. Specifically, they try to portray Islam as violent, however, the society has realized that true Islam advocates justice and responsibility. Humanity will have a better future if we merge true Islam with the humanities as it relates to human behavior and apply ourselves towards achieving its guidelines.”

Requirements of Improving Ahlul Bayt International University

Abdolhosein Kalantari, the social and cultural deputy of the ministry of science, gave a speech at the ceremony: “I thank Ayatollah Ramezani for engendering these changes at Ahlul Bayt International University and Inshallah these expanding changes can become part of the movement for interpretation as issued by the Supreme Leader. As a person who is in the board of trustees, I know this university well. There have been improvements, but there is still a distance to our desired goals. Being named after the Ahlul Bayt (AS) makes these duties even more significant.

I believe we must pay attention to a number of issues so that we can correctly follow our responsibilities. The first issue is the elevation of the university. This requires paying attention to the requirements and applying them to the university. The second issue is to improve cooperation with international institutions and drawing from their capabilities. Another issue is to extend the reach and influence of the university. Fortunately, this area has seen moderate improvements, still, it must improve further.”

It is important to improve the internal mechanisms of the university. This university exists under Ahlul Bayt World Assembly therefore, it must initiate mutual cooperation with other peer establishments. Such actions will improve the influence of the university as well as drawing from their capabilities. Improving national cooperation is definitely a goal for the university but still it is in need of more development. To that end, suitable research and academic programs, providing joint certificates, and drawing from the lab and human resources of either sides must be followed.

Designing and holding short-term courses focused on skill learning must be a priority. This issue is also very important to the ministry of science. A number of course subjects are being reviewed now and a number of courses are being removed. Skill learning courses are being held. Renowned universities around the world also do this. Another issue is employing the potential of cyber space. The new generation of universities use this potential well. Especially in international collaborations this potential could be used to follow the academic and cultural goals of the university. A frugal way to use the potential of the cyber space is collaboration with international professors. Inshallah, the young and agile team at this university can make long strides to serve the country and the Ahlul Bayt (AS).”

The Goals of the University on the International Stage

Hojat-ol-Eslam Saeed Jazari, the president of Ahlul Bayt International University mentioned: “Ahlul Bayt International University has three important words and all my efforts as the president goes towards manifesting them. These words carry a conceptual connotation as well as a legal one. We have five systems at this university and presenting and achieving them will be a difficult task. One of them is the system of learning which we must investigate what our audience needs and present the courses according to those needs and revise them if need be. The other system is the system of student affairs which entails the dormitory and the alumni affairs and everything in-between. Hours of work has been directed at this system.

We’re only in the beginning on the system of faculty members. We need to do more with regards to quality. On the system of physical and structural space, I must say that it has increased to 74 thousand square meters. With regard to the administrative system, we have done many things in order to arrive at the concept of a university, such as catering to different tastes, languages, and cultural projects.

On the word ‘international’ I must say that we have endured many hardships on that path. Our problems weren’t merely of a financial or physical nature, yet, the most difficult issue was turning this into an international university. We have a number of goalposts in the international arena, one of which is mutual cooperation with the universities of other countries. The ministries of many counties validate our degree now. Increasing the nationalities of this university was another goal. Now students from 30 nationalities study at this university. The third goal is to start cooperation with international professors this year. The last word is ‘the Ahlul Bayt (AS)’. When speaking of the followers of the Ahlul Bayt (AS), it means there are no restrictions on the expanse of our activities as we accept a wide variety of beliefs.”