9-20-16: Meeting with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani in New York City!
Meeting with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani in New York City!
9-20-16
"It was a great pleasure to meet with President Rouhani, his foreign minister Dr. Zarif and their accompanying delegation including Dr. Nahavandian and Mr. Feraidoun in New York. " - More from Imam Elahi, Continued below!
It's interesting that out of hundreds of Presidents, Prime Ministers and diplomatic delegations attending the UN General Assembly, only President Rouhani spent some time out of his extremely busy schedule speaking and listening to some Muslim American leaders in NYC!
The President inspired us with his wise words on unity, standing against extremism and saving the Islamic civilization from the danger of those who are hijacking the faith!
He made a moving and meaningful statement about Shia-Sunni relationship and emphasized on so many common points among all Islamic schools of thoughts.
Br. Nehad Awad of CAIR asked the president about Iran's Syrian policy and President Bashar Al-Assad!
The President gave a detailed answer to this comment saying that Iranian approach to Syria is not about Bashar Asad but about helping a suffering nation whose land is under Isis occupation and its children are beheaded by those criminal cults.
Let's be practical the President said, if you are not working with the government and army of Syria who are fighting the terrorists then who else? Let's help save Syria first and then let the people vote and choose their government. If Iran and other parties didn't fight terrorism in Syria much more Syrian people would have been slaughtered by now!
The President concluded by saying that now even Europeans and Americans who were insisting on the departure of Bashar Assad are saying that time being he needed to stay in power till terrorism is over in Syria!
After the meeting Imam Elahi had a conversation with both brother Nehad and Dr. Basha and I noticed their agreement with what president Rouhani said about Syria!
During the meeting with President Rouhani, Imam Elahi admired him for his wisdom, courage, hard work and patience and spoke about two tsunamis that American Muslims are facing, one is the culture of extremist secularity which threats our children, youth and the foundations of our family values and another one is Islamophobia which threats our identity and security!
Imam Elahi mentioned how we have been trying to save our Muslim community from the sickness of sectarianism but unfortunately sometimes some parties' conversation is influenced with the Takfiri training!
Imam Elahi admired foreign minister Dr. Zarif for his article in New York Times about the fact that Wahhabi ideology is totally against both Shia and Sunni traditions in the world and we all need to be united against Takfirism!
Imam Elahi asked the government of Iran to let better relationship between Iran and America in both academia and the media! Thank you Iranian mission at the UN and Daftar of D.C. for coordinating this historic meeting!