NEW YORK — A group of American Muslim community leaders, in addition to Congressmen Keith Ellison and André Carson, were invited by Iran’s mission at the United Nations in New York to have a dinner and hold a discussion with the president of Iran Dr. Hassan Rouhani Tuesday night, right after Rouhani’s address at the General Assembly.
At the beginning of the meeting, the president addressed the Muslim religious and political leaders on the current conditions of the Muslim umma (nation).
President Rouhani considered sectarian fighting, violence, terrorism and civil wars in parts of the Islamic World as main challenges.
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| Rouhani extends his hand to Imam Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom. |
president answered some questions and concerns of guests, regarding the situation in Syria and other Muslim countries.
Following the president’s remarks, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Congressmen and some of the imams made some comments.
Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America and Imam Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights thanked President Rouhani for meeting with religious leaders, despite his extremely busy schedule in New York.
Present were the presidents of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America, Salam Al-Marayati and Imam Mohamed Magid.
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| Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz |
Al-Marayati and Magid spoke about the growing concern about the atrocities in Syria, and raised the issue of Iran’s role in the turmoil. They delivered a joint letter to the Iranian president calling on Rouhani to work toward an end to the atrocities and conflict in Syria, and a post-Assad Syria. The letter also stresses the need for leadership to end sectarian divisions, which are on the rise in the Middle East.
Imam Elahi says President Rouhani presented a peaceful, constructive and promising approach to the world.
Elahi briefed the president on the code of honor between the Shi’a and Sunni scholars, which was signed at the Islamic House of Wisdom in 2007 and also similar declarations signed in Los Angeles, Chicago and, recently, in Washington D.C. and gave a copy of the covenants to the president.
Imam Elahi asked Rouhani to facilitate an American delegation of interfaith members to visit Iran and continue the journey of dialogue with the religious and political leaders of Islamic Republic.
At the end of the meeting Rouhani asked imams to be role models in the communities they serve and represent the true teachings of Islam.
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