Full Text Of Ahmadinejad's Remarks
At Columbia UniversityBy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
27 September, 2007
Fars News AgencyIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed students and professors at the US Columbia University during his short sojourn in New York before his address at the 62nd meeting of the UN General Assembly.
His remarks at Columbia University were almost entirely boycotted by western and specially US media; while he spoke of such crucial issues as Iran's nuclear program and the Holocaust which have always been at the center of western media's attention, almost the only point the US press mentioned about Ahmadinejad's address at Columbia university pertained to a few seconds of his answer to a question about the rights of homosexuals in Iran.
The following is the full text of President Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University.
In the Name of God,
the Compassionate, the Merciful"Oh God, hasten the arrival of Imam Al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those who attest to his right fullness"
Distinguished Chancellor and Academicians,
Dear Professors and Students,At the beginning I would like to extend my greetings to you. I thank the Almighty for providing me with the opportunity to be among you the distinguished researchers who are seeking realities for the promotion of science and wisdom.
Professors and Ulamas are shinning torch who shed light in the dark in order to remove darkness and ambiguities guiding the humanity out of ignorance and confusion.
The keys for understanding realities of the world are in the hands of researchers and those who are after knowledge and wisdom. Undiscovered areas and undisclosed and hided world and science are not limited and the windows of realties may be opened only through efforts of scholars and learned people.
By every effort one window is opened and one reality is discovered.Whenever the high status of science and wisdom is maintained and protected and dignity of scholars and researchers are respected, the humanity has been able to take long strides towards his spiritual and physical promotion and evolution. And vice-versa every time the scientific progress and scholars and researchers have been suppressed and neglected, the human being have become stranded in the darkness of ignorance and negligence.
If it was not for the sake of the human nature which tends towards continuous discovery of realties and wisdom, the human being have always been remained stranded in ignorance and no way was discovered and opened for the well being of human beings. Nature of the human being is in fact the present granted by the Almighty to all human beings. The Almighty led the human beings to the world and granted them with wisdom and knowledge as His prime gift in order for them to know Him as best as possible.
In the story of Adam a discussion was made between the Almighty and His Angels. The Angles called the human being as an ambitious and merciless creature and protested against his creation. But the Almighty responded: "I know what you are ignorant of." Then the Almighty taught the human being the realities of the world and at the order of the Almighty he revealed them to the Angles.
The Angels could not understand the realities revealed by the human being. The Almighty said" Did not I say I am aware of the hidden". In this way the Angles bent down before the Human being.
In the mission of all divine prophets firstly the signs of the realities have been revealed and the divine book and wisdom have been represented to all with piety and faithfulness:
"And he was taught wisdom, the divine book, the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is the prophet appointed for the sake of the Children of Israel. And I rightfully brought a sign from the Almighty".
'Holy Quran, Ale Omran Surah'
The first words which were revealed to the Holy Prophet of Islam were calling the prophet for reading:
"Read in the name of your God who supersedes every thing"
"The Almighty who taught the human being with pencil"
"The Almighty taught human beings what they were ignorant of"
You see in the first verses revealed to the Holy Prophet of Islam, words of reading, teaching and pencil are mentioned. These verses in fact introduce the Almighty as the Teacher of human beings. The Teacher who taught human beings what they were ignorant of.
In another part of Quran, on the mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam it is mentioned that the Almighty appointed some one from ordinary people as their prophet in order to;
"Read for them the divine verses
"And purify them from ideological, and ethical contaminations
"And teach them the divine book and wisdom.All the words of the divine prophets and their efforts were aimed to assist human beings to pass over ignorance, negligence, superstitions, unethical behavior and corrupted ways of thinking towards knowledge, light and rightful ethics.
The word of "Science" has been defined as" "the light". In fact the "Science" means lightness and the real science is the science which saves the human being from ignorance to his own benefit. In one of the widely accepted definitions of the word of "Science" it has been mentioned that "Science" is the light which is shed to hearts of those who have been selected by the Almighty. Therefore according to this definition the "Science" is a divine gift and the heart is its location.
If we accept that the science "means the light" then its scope supersedes the experimental sciences. And it includes every hidden disclosed reality.
One of the main oppressions exercised against the science is to limit it to experimental and physical sciences.This occurs while it extends far beyond this scope. Realities of the world are not limited to physical realities and material is just a shadow of supreme realities and physical creation is just one of the stories of the creation of the world.
The Human being is an example of the creation who is a combination of material and spirit. And spirit and nature of the human being supersedes his physical and materialistic aspect. Another important point is the relationship of the science with purity of spirit, life, behavior and ethics of the human being. In the teachings of the divine prophets one reality shall always be attached to the science. The reality of purity of spirit and good behavior.
Knowledge or wisdom based on the extensive meaning I have already mentioned, is a pure and clear reality. Science is light. It is discovery of reality. And only a pure scholar and researcher, free from wrong ideologies, superstitions, selfishness and material trappings can reach the reality.
Beloved Friends and Scholars,
Distinguished Participants,
Of course science and wisdom may be misused. The misuse caused by selfishness, corruption, carnal desires and material interests.
Carnal desires of the human being place him contrary to the realities of the world. Corrupted and dependent human being resists against acceptance of realities of the world. And even if he accepts, he does not obey them. There are lots of scholars who know the realities but do not accept them. Their selfishness does not allow them to accept the realities.
Whether those who, in the course of human history, imposed wars have not been able to understand the reality that lives, properties, households, territories and rights of all human being shall be respected?
Or they understood but not accepted it.As long as the human heart is not free from, hatred, envy and selfishness he does not obey and comply the reality, lightness and science. Science is the light which shall be shed by a pure subject.
If the humanity could achieve highest level of physical and spiritual knowledge but its scholars and scientists are not pure then this knowledge can not be served in the interest of the humanity and therefore some unpleasant incidents make take place.
1- The wrong doers reveal only a part of the realities which are to their own benefit and hide another part. As we have witnessed with respect to even and number of Ulamas of divine religions in the past. Unfortunately today we see that certain researchers and scientist are doing the same.
2- Science, scientists and scholars are misused for the sake of interests of some people, parties and groups.
As we can see today bullying powers are misusing many scholars and scientists of different scientific fields with the purpose to strip nations off their wealth and use all opportunities only for their own sake. Please pay attention to the following:- They deceit people by use of scientific methods and tools. They in fact wish to justify their own wrongdoings. By creating unreal enemies and insecure atmosphere, they try to control every thing in the name of combating insecurity and terrorism. They even violate individual and social freedoms of their own nations. They do not respect privacy of their own people. They wire tapping telephone calls and control people. They create insecure physiological atmosphere in order to justify their war mongering acts in different parts of the world.
- Using precise scientific methods and planning they onslaught domestic cultures of nations which are result of the thousands of years of interaction, creativity and artistic activities. They try to eliminate these cultures in order to strip the people off their identity and cut their bonds with their own history and values. They prepare the ground for looting people form their spiritual and material wealth by instilling feelings of intimidation, imitation and mere consumption, submission to oppressive powers, and disability into them.
- Making nuclear, chemical and biological bombs and weapons of mass destruction is another result of misuse of science and research by great powers.
With out cooperation of certain scientists and scholars we would not have witnessed production of different nuclear, chemical, biological weapons.Whether these weapons can be used to protect the global security? What Nuclear Umbrella can achieve for the sake of the humanity.
If nuclear war wages between nuclear powers what human catastrophe will take place?
Today we can see nuclear effects in even new generations of Nagasaki and Hiroshima residents which may be witnessed in the next generations as well. Presently effects of the weakened uranium used in weapons since the beginning of war inside Iraq can be examined and investigated accordingly.
These catastrophes take place only when scientists and scholars are misused by the oppressors.Distinguished academicians,
The Almighty appointed the pure people and prophets as those who deserve to be revealed with divine knowledge and wisdom only because He knew that science and knowledge can be served for the good of he humanity and also be used as weapon against the people of the world. Therefore the Almighty recommended that learning shall be combined with purity and sincerity. And with respect to the mission of the divine prophets He stressed purity and faithfulness as well as removal of selfishness and material seeking behavior and propagation of divine books and knowledge.
If science comes with purity, the scholars can better understand the science and knowledge and the people can use their knowledge as best as possible.
If you go through the history you can see that all the goods revealed to the humanity have come form pious and pure scholars. These scholars are considered as those who use their knowledge and wisdom for the sake of the humanity and those whose prime target is to discover realities in favor of the well being of human beings. The more knowledge these scholars get the more humble they become vis-à-vis the people.Usually, all pure and pious scholars have turned into saviors of human beings. They turned into symbol of good morality for their own people, and all saviors of the human beings firstly have been good scholars and teachers for the people. In a quotation from one of the great religious figures we read: "whenever scholars and learned people become corrupted, corruption will be extended to whole world. But pure and pious scholars can bring pious and pure world. Science is a window towards the Almighty. Crop of the science is action. All scholars and scientists shall consider themselves responsible vis-à-vis their knowledge.
Scholars and learned people without action are tantamount to plants without crop. Real scholars and scientists do not remain silent vis-à-vis injustice, sufferings and social problems and they use their knowledge for the people and inform them on various issues accordingly, They stand against oppressors and bullying powers and do not allow the ignorant to tell lies to people and deceit them and disregard their rights.
Status of science and knowledge is sacred and divine science is the gift of the Almighty to the world. Therefore misuse of science by wrongdoers is considered as oppression against the humanity.
Bullying powers of the world confiscate science in their interests and with bullying attitude and do not allow scholars and scientists enter areas in which disclosures of realities will reveal their real ill intentions. This is so shameful that we are witnessing adoption of those rules and regulations according to which making any study or investigation on historical events become prohibited and the researchers who try to enter such activities are charged, put in jail or financially punished.
The greatest and the clearest reality of the world is the Almighty. All beings in the universe are signs of His existence. But it is interesting that all people are permitted to discuss and study His existence and then become His worshippers. In the Islamic school of thought it has been mentioned that suspicion (Shak) is the preamble of faithfulness if the human being does not stop in his drive for further understanding.
Questioning is something which is inherent to human being for good. Other wise we could not image any progress and advancement in his life.
Another unfortunate incident is the monopoly of science by certain big powers and their opposition to the scientific progress of others.
This is so strange that today certain big powers do not wish to witness advancement of other nations. Under false pretexts and charges and with political and economic pressures they wish to prevent scientific advancement of other people. All these happen because of their distance from human and ethical values as well as divine schools of thought. They are not educated to serve the humanity.
Distinguished Ulamas and Scientist,
In short we shall say that knowledge or wisdom is the most precious gift of the Almighty given to the human being and justice-seeking nature of the human being has always made him to be after further knowledge and discovery of the hidden.Science and knowledge shall be accompanied by morality and piety. In this way the scholar and scientist will understand the knowledge better and the humanity can use the resulted achievements as best as possible. Pure and pious scholar and scientist not only sheds light to the way of well being of the humanity but will play role of savior of the human beings as well.
Therefore we shall not allow bullying powers to mishandle the science and knowledge. We shall not allow them to confiscate the science in their own illegitimate interests and use it against humanity or restrict research activities and create a monopoly in their own favor in this respect.
Scope of science is sacred which shall remain clean and pure.
The Almighty knows every thing and He loves scholars, researchers and teachers.We wish for the day when pious and pure scholars and scientists run the world and the pious ruler who shall be divine one rules over the world.
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