Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) - Hujjat al-Islam Najaf Lakzayi addressed the participants in the international conference for Iran-Arab cultural talks which was held in the Iranian city of Qom on Saturday, January 21, saying, “Today, Islam is being presented as the only religion in the world whose followers engage in killing one another.”

He added, “The radical behaviors and extremism currently being carried out in the name of Islam are caused by both internal and external factors; it is the duty of Muslim scholars and intellectuals to find a solution to this crisis.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hujjat al-Islam Lakzayi asserted, “The scientific and practical ignorance which exists within the Islamic world needs to be resolved in order to put an end to these radical thoughts and insecurities prevalent in the Islamic community. It’s only rational thinking that could replace ignorance, if we act according to wisdom and ration, we will be able to stand up for the oppressed and fight injustice.”

“I hope this conference paves the way for a series of dialogues between Iran and the Arab world in the future; this new movement is likely to provide a chance for the scholars and academics in Iran as well as Arab countries to engage in joint efforts aiming to improve the quality of Muslims’ lives, raise their religious awareness and awaken their rational thinking in a bid to develop the Islamic world.”

“The existing problems and challenges in the Islamic world led this conference to be held; today, people in some regions of the Islamic world are dealing with insecurity and instability,” Lakzayi concluded.

End.