The Celebration of the Birth of Christ Was Held at Ahlul Bayt International University
According to the public affairs department of Ahlul Bayt International University, the celebration of the birth of Christ was attended by Ayatollah Reza Ramezani, Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly, H. E. Andrzje Jozwowicz, the honorable ambassador of the Vatican to Iran, Hojat-ol-Eslam Dr. Said Jazari, rector of Ahlul Bayt International University along with international students and foreign guests from more than 30 different nationalities. The ceremony was held on Tuesday, December 26th, 2023 in the conference hall of Ahlul Bayt International University.
Hojat-ol-Eslam Dr. Said Jazari, rector of Ahlul Bayt International University congratulated the blessed birthday of Christ and the New Year to Mr. Andrzje Jozwowicz, the honorable ambassador of the Vatican to Iran, who is one of the leading theologians of Christianity.
Referring to the importance of the character of Jesus and Mary in Islam, the Qur’an and especially in the Shia school of thought, he said: “Prophet Jesus is a person whom the Holy Prophet (PBUH) calls as a brother and friend, and also Mary is a significant personality who embodies Hazrat Zahra (AS) for us Muslims.”
The rector of Ahlul Bayt International University emphasized: “It is our steadfast belief that among the signs of the appearance of Hazrat Baqiyat Allah (AS) is the presence of Jesus with him in the end of time. The blessed figure of Jesus is a sensitive point in the Islamic faith and the Shiite school of thought.”
He said: “It is very important that the honorable students and researchers who are present at Ahlul Bayt International University from different countries, and many of them are religious minorities in their countries, to get to know the important culture of interaction between religions.”
Addressing the students of Ahlul Bayt International University, Dr. Jazari said: “friendship, tranquility and peace between religions is the most important mission that you should take back to your countries as a souvenir and broadcast. This is one of the main goals of this university.”
Dring ceremony, the Archbishop of the Vatican expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to attend Ahlul Bayt International University in these auspicious days and express his appreciation towards Dr. Jazari, the rector of the University, and Ayatollah Ramezani, the Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly.
Andrzje Jozwowicz said: “In fact, the main essence and basis for interfaith dialogue is the merciful and peaceful aspect of the holy existence of Jesus and the diversity between different groups and religions shows that there is a capacity for them to live peacefully, but in fact, conflicts have overcome the peaceful aspect of religions, and in different parts of the world we see a lot of conflict between the followers of religions.”
He added: “followers of different religions cannot live without knowing each other and be unaware of each other’s differences and commonalities due to the connections that have been created, and these conditions have made people aware of each other’s culture and beliefs. Humans should be able to create a basis for dialogue and common understanding in the world.”
Andrzje Jozwowicz stated: “Many of the definitions and interpretations that we see in today’s Christianity are not compatible with the original interpretation that was revealed to Jesus himself in the beginning. Unfortunately, modern man has separated his life from religion and faith, and seeks to find other alternatives and abandon traditions that have been formed over the centuries in their family life. In the Qur’an, Jesus is referred to as the Messiah.”
the ambassador of the Vatican to Iran further pointed out the commonalities of Muslims and Christians about Jesus and said: “In the Qur’an, Jesus is mentioned as the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is mentioned from Mary, and the origin of the story of the miraculous birth of Jesus is confirmed in the Quran. It is very interesting that we often see the image of the mother of Jesus in Islam, and the same words that we use about Jesus are also used by Muslims in the Islamic tradition; Jesus as the Messiah, the Spirit of God and The Prophet of God.”
He further noted the history of dialogue between Muslims and Christians and said: “In 1982, for the first time, the Council of Religions invited leaders from the Muslim community to participate in a large conference in Sri Lanka and have a joint dialogue. Three years later, Pope John Paul II took a big step and visited an Islamic country, Morocco, for the first time. Four decades later, in 2019, Pope Francis and Al-Azhar President Ahmad al-Tayeb signed a joint document and emphasized that the way to a peaceful life is through dialogue between followers of religions, including Christians and Muslims.
The way to a peaceful life is dialogue between the followers of religions
the ambassador of the Vatican to Iran emphasized that the solution to today’s problems is adherence to religions, and the extremism that we see in the world today is not the result of religions, but the result of incorrect interpretation of religions. Peace can be achieved through peaceful dialogue and understanding between religions, and dialogue between religions is considered a fundamental necessity.
There was also dialogue between religions during the time of the Holy Prophet and the Imams (AS)
Ayatollah Ramezani, Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly, also congratulated the birth of Jesus and the New Year, and pointed out the need for dialogue between religions: “these conversations were held during the time of the Holy Prophet and the imams (AS). After the Crusades, the debates became confrontational. However, we believe that the crusades were not a war between two religions, because two religions never fight each other in the real sense. These perceptions were wrong and were caused by the political and governance spheres.”
We consider faith in Jesus Christ as obligatory and necessary
The Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly added: “The topic of dialogue should have an interactive aspect. If this interaction is done correctly, it should lead to a kind of compliment and recognition towards each other, and a common understanding of the truth and the mission of religion is realized. After that, some kind of interaction will take place.”
Today, dialogue and discourse can be used as a platform for synergy
The Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly stated: “Today, dialogue and discourse can be used as a platform for synergy. We have no doubts about the objective and historical existence of Jesus Christ. Although some studies present Jesus as a myth, Muslims believe that Jesus was real, and lived for 33 years. He assumed the mission at the age of 30 and held this mission for three years, however, from the time of his birth, he had the station of prophethood and was a prophet.”
Ayatollah Ramezani added: “We consider faith in Jesus Christ to be obligatory and necessary, and in Surah Al-Baqarah, as the greatest surah of the Holy Quran, faith in Christ is considered obligatory for us. We consider Jesus as a guide and a bringer of miracles. We believe that Jesus was one of the first prophets and the owner of Sharia, and this is not said about all prophets. Among the 124,000 prophets who came to guide mankind, only five were prominent: Noah, Ibrahim, Musa, Jesus and Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). If we return to the truth and essence of religion, life between religions and the followers of religions will be much more peaceful.”
Ayatollah Ramezani continued by stating that the Prophet has a heavenly dimension and a corporeal dimension: “His corporeal dimension is that he was a human being, when he becomes a human being, he can become a role model. An angel can never be a role model because the existence of an angel is different from that of a human being. Humans have a physical and spiritual realm. We believe all prophets are role models.”
Distinctive characteristics of Jesus Christ
The Secretary General of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly emphasized: “Jesus and the Prophet of Islam are the best moral models for mankind today.”
He called “humility”, “love for believers”, “combating oppressors”, “objection to corruption” and “calling for morality and paying attention to legal systems ” to be the distinctive characteristics of Jesus Christ and said: “Today, these features are very effective in the society.”
Ayatollah Ramezani said: “Jesus was both the embodiment of beauty and the embodiment of glory. When we look at the characteristics of Jesus mentioned in the Quran and Riwayat, then this prophet can be raised as a role model in the post-modern world.”
Ayatollah Ramezani said: “Jesus can be a prophet of justice and peace for today’s world, just like the Holy Prophet (PBUH).”
We must return to the teachings of Jesus (PBUH) and the Prophet of Islam
Ayatollah Ramezani further said: “All human beings are the children of God and are under the guardianship of God Almighty. Prophets came to mediate, to connect mankind to God, to talk to God without intermediaries. We believe that it is not necessary to talk to God through a prophet, we can talk to God directly and ask for forgiveness and serve God.”
