Cities More than Ever in Need of Idealism Promoted in Islam
Supreme Leader’s adviser in International affairs said contemporary cities are more than ever in need of the idealism promoted in Islam.
Dr Ali Akbar Velayati made the remark in an address to the opening ceremony of the preliminary session of the Islamic City International Conference.
He said the world is rapidly moving toward urbanization. “In the beginning of the 19th century, only 2 percent of the world population lived in cities while the number rose to 10 percent in the beginning of the next century.
He noted that rate of population growth in cities has reached 50 percent in the beginning of the 21st century, with Africa and Asia, the two continents where most Islamic countries are located, having the fastest rate of growth.
Dr Velayati said urban dwellers in big cities, especially in developing countries, are facing numerous challenges such as unemployment, insufficient urban services, weak transportation systems, and shanty towns.
He said in the Islamic civilization, cities and other places where human beings live are of paramount importance, adding that contemporary cities are more than ever in need of the idealism promoted in Islam.
The former Iranian foreign minister underlined Muslim countries should seek an approach that enables them to both deal with the challenges and maintain the values of the Islamic culture in the form of Islamic architecture.
He went on to say that there are many books and papers published in Muslim countries about the different aspects of Islamic city but there is need for a comprehensive revision of ideas and efforts to come up with practical, acceptable and comprehensive strategies for Islamization of cities or building new Islamic cities.
The opening ceremony of the preliminary session of the Islamic City International Conference was held on Tuesday, July 16, with the participation of foreign ambassadors in Tehran.
1259301
He said the world is rapidly moving toward urbanization. “In the beginning of the 19th century, only 2 percent of the world population lived in cities while the number rose to 10 percent in the beginning of the next century.
He noted that rate of population growth in cities has reached 50 percent in the beginning of the 21st century, with Africa and Asia, the two continents where most Islamic countries are located, having the fastest rate of growth.
Dr Velayati said urban dwellers in big cities, especially in developing countries, are facing numerous challenges such as unemployment, insufficient urban services, weak transportation systems, and shanty towns.
He said in the Islamic civilization, cities and other places where human beings live are of paramount importance, adding that contemporary cities are more than ever in need of the idealism promoted in Islam.
The former Iranian foreign minister underlined Muslim countries should seek an approach that enables them to both deal with the challenges and maintain the values of the Islamic culture in the form of Islamic architecture.
He went on to say that there are many books and papers published in Muslim countries about the different aspects of Islamic city but there is need for a comprehensive revision of ideas and efforts to come up with practical, acceptable and comprehensive strategies for Islamization of cities or building new Islamic cities.
The opening ceremony of the preliminary session of the Islamic City International Conference was held on Tuesday, July 16, with the participation of foreign ambassadors in Tehran.
1259301
