“Sobuh Sarkissian”: We Are Pleased to Live in Peace and Tranquility in Iran
“Sobuh Sarkissian”, the Primate of the Armenian Church in Tehran, said during a meeting with Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour: We Armenians are pleased to live in peace and tranquility in Iran.
Yesterday, Monday, the 10th of Bahman, Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour, the head of the Islamic Culture and Communications Organization, visited His Eminence Sobuh Sarkissian, the Primate of the Armenian Church in Tehran. While congratulating the Primate on the New Year, he prayed for his recovery and wished a year full of kindness and friendship for all people in the world.
Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour, while referring to the existence of religious and sectarian minorities, especially Armenians in Iran, said: “Iran is one of the few countries whose minorities are from ancient and modern peoples and traditions, while many countries’ minorities are migrants. The relations between the Iranian society and Armenians are rooted in deep historical roots.”
Mohammad Mahdi Imanipour in this meeting referred to the attacks of the Zionist regime in Gaza and added from the perspective of international human rights: “A diverse set of the most important rules of international law and regulations governing these rights have been violated on a very extensive scale during the crimes of the Zionist regime against the people living in the Gaza Strip. What is more disturbing than any other issue is the ineffectiveness of international and judicial systems of the world during the brutal attacks of the Zionist regime on the people of Gaza.”
The statements of Hojjat al-Islam Imanipour regarding human rights violations by Israel in the Gaza Strip were made at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government is itself one of the violators of human rights in the country, and in the past year, UN human rights organizations have emphasized these violations by the regime against the Iranian people and called for an end to crimes and anti-human rights punishments. Human rights violations in Iran, especially for minorities, particularly Christian citizens, have existed from the past until now and have intensified in recent weeks. These pressures have reached such a level that many Christian citizens, even with acute diseases, now spend their time in prisons and are accused of “propaganda against the system”, “anti-religious teachings contrary to the sacred Islamic law” and others.
His Eminence Sobuh Sarkissian also emphasized the promotion of friendly thinking and peaceful coexistence in this meeting and said: “Given the recent unrest in the region, we Armenians are very pleased to live in peace and tranquility in Iran alongside our Muslim brothers. We consider Muslims as our brothers and it is fitting to say that Armenians from three thousand years ago until now, during the eight years of sacred defense and throughout all stages of Iran’s turbulent history, have had an active presence and have been with other Iranians.”
The Primate, while referring to the Israel-Gaza war and the crimes committed against the people of Gaza, also said: “The countries of Iran, Syria, and Yemen stand with the people of Gaza and support their positions. We too, by expressing our solidarity, declare our support for the Palestinian nation. Unfortunately, the officials of Western countries have closed their eyes, ears, and mouths to this issue; but I have a firm belief that the Palestinian people will soon achieve their rights and we pray for the achievement of this right and these rights.”
After the conclusion of this meeting, Ali Akbar Ziai, the head of the Center for Religious and Cultural Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Communications Organization, while referring to the preparation and organization of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Religions, said: “Based on the necessity of preserving and expanding collective faith and maintaining peace and friendship among nations and followers of religions, the head of the organization has proposed that joint action be pursued in international forums to draft a universal declaration on the rights of religions to prevent efforts that are made in the context of insulting sacred values. From this perspective, we hope that the Armenian Church Primacy will help us achieve this important goal.”
Given the approaching presidential elections, meetings between system officials and leaders of minorities living in Iran, especially Christian leaders, have expanded. Since the Iranian people have boycotted participation in elections, the Islamic Republic government is trying to exploit minorities for the benefit of the system and by giving them the right to vote, bring them to the ballot boxes which only have a ceremonial appearance. In previous months, the right to vote and citizenship rights were granted to Afghans, and now it is the turn of Christians and other minorities. These requests have occurred at a time when in recent months an Armenian citizen who came to Iran to travel and visit his family was detained and is spending time in prison.
