Enemies of Islam helpless against region’s Islamic faith: Leader

Tehran Times:

Tehran Times Political Desk

August 22, 2005

TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here on Sunday that mosques are places where human beings can communicate with their creator as well as centers for social and political decision-making in Islamic societies.

Addressing participants at the Third World Mosque Commemoration Week Conference, the Supreme Leader stated that efficient planning is required and cultural tools must be used to promote the spiritual development of mosques.

Mosques have great motivational and stimulating potential, which must be used to attract people from different walks of life and to disseminate Islamic concepts and wisdom, he added.

At this sensitive juncture for the Islamic world, it is essential to strengthen relations between mosques in different Islamic countries, Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

Referring to the anniversary of the day when the Al-Aqsa Mosque was set ablaze by Israelis in 1969, the Supreme Leader said the incident was a sign of the eternal stance of the global arrogance against the symbols of Islamic identity, which is the reason why Muslims should always remember the event.

He went on to say that the United States and the Zionist regime had failed in their policies and efforts to neutralize Islam’s powerful influence on nations. “The enemies of Islam have truly become helpless in the face of approaches arising from the Islamic faith of people in the Middle East. If Muslim nations continue this process with more hope, faith, and initiative, Muslims will receive God’s help more than ever before.”

Prior to the Leader’s remarks, the director of the Center for Mosque Affairs, Hojjatoleslam Ebrahimi, presented a report on the Third World Mosque Commemoration Week Conference.