Head of Jewish community in Tehran Rabbi Yunes Hamami made the remarks on Wednesday in the opening ceremony of ‘Imam Reza and the Dialogue among the Religions’, during which he added “for centuries, Iran has always been the land of peace and coexistence, and the various ethnic groups of Iran have been living together in peace and tranquility.”

Rabbi Hamami also said that after the Islamic Revolution, a new perspective was introduced by Imam Khomeini which urged for cooperation, and integration among the followers of different religions.

He went on to add that Imam Khomeini said “our religion is monotheism, Iran is our country and we are a single nation. These statements by Imam Khomeini opened a new path for interfaith dialogue based on mutual respect.”

He further added all Iranians from different religious and ethnic backgrounds were united to defend their country during eight years of the imposed Iraqi war, adding the enemies discriminately attacked Iranians regardless of their faith and ethnicities.

He added that the Islamic Revolution laid the ground for peaceful coexistence among followers of different religions in Iran and provided the chance for them to get to know each other better while preserving their identities.

The International Imam Reza and the Dialogue among the Religions kicked off today in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad with the participation of religious leaders from Abrahamic religions. The event is held in Imam Reza shrine and will continue until tomorrow.

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