Iranian Deputy Ambassador to Pakistan Hussain Rawish on Thursday said Muslims needed unity and harmony to counter efforts aimed at spreading negative image of Islam.
Iqbal’s poetry is a great contribution towards reaching this goal as well as having a clear understanding of the true essence of Islam, he said, speaking as a chief guest at a Persian language speech contest held at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML).
The envoy said that anti-Islam forces were manipulating a negative image of Islam, which could only be faced by merely standing by the teachings of Islam.
Iqbal had beautifully translated this message in his poetry in Persian and Urdu languages. So anyone who has knowledge of these languages could easily understand the message, he added.
He said Iran and Pakistan were two neighbouring brother Islamic countries, sharing deep cultural, social and religious bonds. Such academic events help both to remove all barriers and materialize the dream of one Muslims, he added.
The speech contest was arranged by the Department of Persian Language at NUML on the topics “Iqbal’s philosophy of Khudi”, “Unity among Muslim Ummah” and “Iqbal, Quran and Persian Literature”.
The students of Persian and Dari departments delivered speeches, recited Iqbal’s poems and Chinese students recited verses in Persian language.
Muhammad Waseem got the first position, Ejaz Ahmed stood second and Tasawar Ahmed obtained the third position while Kashif Ali was given a consolation prize. Director General Brigadier Azam Jamal, in his welcome address, said that learning Persian language helped the future generation to acquaint with the history and culture of our region.
Persian Language Department and Iranology Centre at NUML offer a golden opportunity to students to cherish the great works of Persian literature such as the Shahnama-e-Firdousi, Rubayat-e-Omer Khayam, Masnavi-e-Ma’navi-e-Maaulavi Gulistan-e-Sa’dai and Dewan-e-Hafiz, he added.
The event was attended by Dr Sadeqi, Cultural Counsellor of Iran; Dr Solaimani, Director Iran Pakistan Institute of Persian Studies, Islamabad; Akbari, Director Iranian Culture Centre Rawalpindi; and deans, heads, directors and students.
Hussain Rawish and Azam Jamal distributed prizes and certificates among the winners and participants.
