Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) - In a meeting with Tohraj Hemmati, director general of environmental protection organization of Qom province, that was held at the head of Seminary's office, Ayatollah Arafi referred to the special position of the holy city of Qom and said, "Qom has a fundamental difference with the rest of the country, as every department in Qom must feel a national and even transnational responsibility in addition to its provincial role."

Head of Islamic seminaries noted, "Today, environment is one of the most important and fundamental issues in the whole world." He added, "It is a field that requires a lot of scientific works in which our universities must be more active, because unfortunately we have weakness in this area. Of course in the religious and cultural areas of the environment issue, the Islamic seminary should get seriously involved."

Qom's Friday prayer Imam concluded, "All the people have a religious, national, and revolutionary duty to protect the environment." He asserted, "Protecting the environment and preserving water resources is an important priority, because if these important issues are not properly addressed, the country and the Islamic revolution will be harmed."