Head of Payam-e-Noor University research department: “Progress in Society achieved only through unity and cooperation”?

TEHRAN, (SCIB) - Dr. Ramin, head of the research departments of Payam-e-Noor University tells Shahed Cultural Information Base that progress in the society is only achieved through unity and cooperation of the individuals.

News ID: 48831

Date: 25 June 2007 - 00:00

Dr. Ramin stressed the importance of unity, while examining the concept from three viewpoints. “The first aspect of the necessity of unity is its mental aspect. Human (Arabic Insan) comes from the root Ons, which means Sociability, suggesting that human beings need each other. Every single moment of our lives is an evidence of this fact. It is always in interaction with others that we feel secure. Just like clashes between people cause insecurity, the mental need of human beings to each other is a proven fact.”? A second aspect of the necessity of unity among a nation, according to Dr. Ramin, is of a social nature. “History proves to us that none of man’s needs would have been met without cooperation and coordination between people. The progress of a Society is therefore not achieved without the people’s unity and cooperation.”? the university profession added. A third way of looking at the necessity of the concept of unity is from an ideological, religious and Quranic viewpoint. “Studying Quran, we realize that Allah has not invited us to unity as much as he has warned us against disunion. It is as if the creation of human beings essentializes unity and human beings get into internal conflicts if the element of unity with others is not present. God almighty seems to have based the nature of human beings on unity. “ Dr. Ramin went on to illustrate the social problems that we are confronting. “We seem to be on the verge of assuming a new identity as we are confronted with ideas that are not congruous with our religion and culture. These cultural challenges may have unsettled some of our historical ties.”? “Imagine a family in which cultural habits, customs and mentalities have always been passed down through generations. All of these are suddenly becoming unsettled. Generations who have so far been settled are suddenly faced with a new challenge. This causes serious reaction in the family, and may make family relations very vulnerable.”? In the Pahlavi period, the media tried its best to promote westernization, Dr.Ramin stated. “They tried to train Iranians that met western standards, not our society’s national and religious standards. Fortunately, after the Islamic Revolution, not only the public media, but also governmental and non-governmental organizations put all their effort into bringing unity back into the society and training the society’s youth to conform to Iranian and Islamic values.”? he went on to say. “Iran has valuable capital that others are in profound need of. But we do not believe in ourselves. We consume other nation’s goods, because they believe in themselves; this is how they impose their culture on us as well. Even our scholars and thinkers sometimes don’t believe in us as a nation. We find western products much more agreeable”? “This is why we have to recognize our national unity and retrieve our ties with it; ties that UK and US have taken away from us over years.”? Dr. Ramin pointed to the naming of this year as “ year of national unity and Islamic integrity”? and concluded: “It only through faith, reason, believes in Imams and our rich Islamic and Iranian culture as well as loyalty to the principles and ideals of the Islamic revolution that we can guarantee our national unity. This importance of national unity is not just limited to this year. We should safeguard our national unity all the time.”?