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TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An American political analyst described Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as a “man of spiritual wisdom”, noting that his letter to the youth in the West in 2015 “shows a path upon which people can walk toward the light” in a world filled with darkness.
“A man of spiritual wisdom who also understands the dynamics of world politics such as Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei clearly knows that the youth of all societies will grow to be the future leaders of a nation’s political and religious institutions, as well as in all other areas,” Adam Garrie told Tasnim on the second anniversary of a letter penned by the Leader to Western youth back in 2015.
“I believe that if more people in the west actually knew what is happening in Palestine, they would sympathize with the plight of the Palestinian people. This is why the message of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei is so important. In a world filled with much darkness, his statement shows a path upon which people can walk toward the light and such a message is universally important,” he added.
Garrie is an expert in Russia, Eurasian, Middle Eastern and US history. He is the managing editor of The Duran and a frequent Bullhorn on RT’s CrossTalk debate show.
Following is the full text of the interview:
Tasnim: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei’s second letter to the youth in the West was released on November 29, 2015, following Paris terrorist attacks claimed by the Daesh Takfiri group. How much do you think the letter has been successful to help the world distinguish between the true Islam and the Takfiri ideology? Why did the Leader choose to directly address the Western youth once again in form of a letter?
Garrie: A man of spiritual wisdom who also understands the dynamics of world politics such as Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, clearly knows that the youth of all societies will grow to be the future leaders of a nation’s political and religious institutions, as well as in all other areas. For example, imagine a young man in a Sunni Arab country. On the one hand, such a person could be bombarded by the hate-filled propaganda of Takfiri media outlets from places like Saudi Arabia. But if he heard the words of a peace-loving leader and a representative of the humane, warm, comforting and inspiring message of Islam, this could change the course of such a young person’s life. Here, I am not drawing a distinction between Sunni and Shiite—Arab or Iranian, because the message of the Prophet Muhammad is one that is universal. One could be a Christian or anything else and still find solace in such a message.
Hence, it is only natural that Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei should want to reach out to the youth in Europe as well and for the same reasons.
As to its effectiveness, I know that many people who would otherwise have gravitated to the hateful un-Islamic messages of western mainstream media, have thought twice and realized that they have comrades, friends and distant neighbors in places like Iran, Syria, Palestine and beyond who want to live in peace, prosperity and good health, just as they do.
Unfortunately, many more people in the western world remain completely unaware of this reality because of the distorted message of mainstream media and the failure to teach world history in most European schools.
In societies like those in Europe, where finding an obscene magazine is easier than finding either a Holy Quran or Holy Bible, words of wisdom often are pushed to the periphery by that which seduces people into a life of shame, which itself often leads to the path of hatred and then to violence.
However, the lesson in this is not to give up but to push forward positive messages even further so that eventually more people, especially the young, can realize that peace may one day be possible.
Tasnim: “Military campaigns targeting the Muslim world over recent years, which have taken countless lives, are another example of the West’s contradictory logic. Besides human losses, the invaded countries have lost their economic and industrial infrastructure, their drive towards growth and development has been halted or slowed down, and in some cases, turned back tens of years. Nonetheless, they are rudely asked not to consider themselves as oppressed. How can a country be reduced to ruins and its city and village be reduced to ashes and then (its people) be told not to consider themselves as oppressed! Instead of inviting (people) not to understand or forget about tragedies, isn’t honest apology better? The pain endured during these years by the Muslim world due to the hypocrisy and insincerity of the aggressors is no less than material damage.” It seems that US President Donald Trump is seeking to raise Islamophobia and provoke violence against Muslims as he recently retweeted anti-Muslim videos. What’s your take on this?
Garr
