KARACHI, Feb 19: Speakers at a seminar on "Iranian revolution and leadership" said that the people of Iran would not have been able to overthrow a well-entrenched monarchy if they had not been led by Imam Khomeini.
They said that the successors of Imam Khomeini were ably guiding the country and helping the nation become independent and strong. The seminar was held at the Cultural Centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the course of the seminar, religious scholars, having diametrically opposed views, argued with one another on a theocratic moot point.
They said that it was a pity that throughout the Islamic history monarchy had ruled the roost. "Imams and other reformers challenged monarchy, but because they did not have the resources which the state had at its disposal, they failed to put an end to monarchy. Besides, the government crushed national resistance and silenced the reformers," they said.
They said that by seeking martyrdom Imam Hussain (A.S) proved that the standard of leadership was so high as had been set by the Prophet (Peace be upon him). They added that by bringing about a revolution Hazrat Imam Khomeini had set off an "explosion of light" in Iran.
They recalled that Allah used to send prophets to different peoples in different ages. They quoted a Muslim philosopher as saying that Allah used to send the next prophet to a nation when the teachings of the first prophet had become irrelevant.
They said that Iqbal had argued that Allah had sent his last Prophet (Peace be upon him) only when human intelligence had matured. They observed that initiating the institution of Ijtehad Imam Khomeini had put an end to intellectual stagnation.
They recalled that at one time religious scholars were arguing whether the economy should be privatized or nationalized. They said that Imam Khomeini had patiently listened to the debates that scholars belonging to different schools of thought had held and declared in the end that the debate should go on for some more time.
The speakers said that the institution of Wilayat-i-Faqih should come out of Iran and spread to other Muslim countries. They pointed out that the institution of Wilayat-i-Faqih would give other Muslim countries the leadership they badly needed.
They observed that pliable Mullahs had interpreted some verses of the Quran which were against monarchy in such a way as to suggest that they were only about the Jews and the Christians. They said that those Mullahs did not have the courage to tell their rulers that the verses were against the institution of monarchy.
Those who spoke at the seminar included Hamza Ali Qadri, Rashid Ahud, Masood Jamal Khanzada, Prof Dr Ali Sarwar Rizvi, Haider Ali Jawadi, Allama Jeelani Chandpuri, Dr Zahid Ali Zahidi, Maulana Asad Thanvi, Prof Ghulam Mehdi, Amanullah Shadezi, Asghar Dars, Allama Razi Jafar Naqvi and Qari Roohullah Madni. Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah was the chief guest. The director of the Iranian cultural centre, Jamshed Khalqi, also spoke at the seminar.