President Khatami speaking at a press conference in Delhi

By Zafarul-Islam Khan, IOL South Asia Correspondent

NEW DELHI, January 26 (IslamOnline) - Islam is the message of peace and humanity, Iranian president Seyed Mohammad Khatami on Sunday, January 26, told a gathering of about 200 Indian Muslim leaders from all walks of life.

The meeting, first of its kind convened by a visiting head of State, was held at the request of the visiting leader.

Islam treated other cultures with open heart. It did not go to other people to robe their cultures, Khatami said.

Tolerance and cultural exchange with others made Islam flourish, he added.

Islamic pluralism, tolerance

The Iranian president said the politics of Islam and the culture of Islam are two different things, adding that after a short period of four caliphs, dictatorship crept in and was sometimes justified by theology. This trend led to dictatorship which survives even today.

"The political history of Islam should be separated from the cultural history of Islam," Khatami said.

Islamic culture believes in pluralism. There are different cultures within Islam - Iranian, Egyptian and the like. Islam accepted local cultures. There is cultural unity in Islam with many manifestations, he added.

President Khatami went on to say that what Mahmood Ghaznawi, former Afghani Sutan, did in the name of Islam was not Islamic, adding that Muslims and non-Muslims alike suffered from such rulers and their expeditions.

Despite such expeditions, Islamic culture prevailed, flourished and enriched India. Many people were oppressed in India in the name of Islam while Islam was not responsible for this oppression. Islam and Muslims benefited from the Indian culture. Indian mysticism has enriched and beautified Islamic monotheism, Khatami said.

“We have lost the spirituality of Islam,” President Khatami said. “We have to learn from others but the present western culture does not enjoy any depth.”

Moving to the political scene, Khatami gave the examples of Palestine and Iran which have been subjected to aggression while Palestinians have been rendered into refugees.

“We are living under the shadows of nuclear wars. At such times we have to speak out,” he added.

‘The West wanted an enemy’

Khatami said that after the collapse of Communism, the West wanted an "enemy" and it has found this "enemy" in the shape of Islam. They defame Islam and claim that it teaches terrorism.

Moving back to the Indian scene, President Khatami said that Islam brought India and Iran together.

“We have an old relationship with India and the Indian Muslims should play a role in the enhancement of this relationship,” he said.

Indian Muslims played a role in the freedom of their country, Khatami added. “Both Hindus and Muslims spilled their blood so that a new and free India could emerge.”

Big family

Speaking about the position of the Indian Muslims, Khatami said they are part of a big family and they have to strive with their brothers for the unity of India. “There are satans everywhere who work for the disunity so that our strength is weakened and the enemy benefits,” he said.

Khatami exhorted Muslims to defend Islam and to answer the current issues raised today.

“We have to renew our thought so that we may answer many new questions,” he said.