Iran, Malaysia Quranic Cooperation to Benefit Muslim Ummah (+Video)
They also stressed that such cooperation would benefit the Iranian and Malaysian nations as well as the entire Muslim Ummah.
The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is a governmental institution in Putrajaya, south of Kuala Lumpur, which manages the Islamic affairs in the Southeast Asian country.
The Iranian Quranic delegation, headed by Quran and Etrat Deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Alireza Moaf, which had traveled to Malaysia for the country’s 62nd international Quran competition, visited JAKIM after the competition. It was accompanied by Iran’s Ambassador to Malaysia Ali Asghar Mohammadi and Iranian Cultural Attaché Mohammad Oraei Karimi.
After the Iranian delegation entered JAKIM, the Iranian ambassador and the Quran and Etrat deputy of the Culture Ministry signed the visitors’ book, where they wrote words of remembrance.
Then they went to the meeting room of the organization where they held cordial talks with JAKIM officials.
Sirajuddin Suhaimee, JAKIM’s deputy, welcomed the Iranian delegation and hoped the meeting will result in the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of Quranic activities.
The Iranian ambassador, for his part, said he was happy to attend the important meeting with Dr. Suhaimee. He congratulated Malaysia for successfully holding the country’s 62nd international Quran competition like the previous editions.
He also said they will talk in the meeting about the capacities for collaborations in Quranic fields.
According to the envoy, a Malaysian delegation active in the Halal industry will soon visit Iran.
Mohammadi further described JAKIM as a major organization involved in various activities and hoped that the meeting would help to determine areas for development of cooperation.
Moaf also addressed the meeting, hailing JAKIM for its achievements and for organizing successful Quranic programs in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia based on verse 106 of Surah Al-Isra “We have divided the Quran into many segments so that you would read them to the people in gradual steps as We reveal them to you from time to time.”
He said the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance considers serving the Quran and spreading Quranic teachings as one of its main missions.
Moaf added that the Holy Quran is the pivot of unity in the Islamic world and if all Muslim governments and nations gather together around the Quranic verse “And hold fast to the Bond of Allah, together, and do not scatter” (Verse 103 of Surah Al Imran), great events will take place in the Islamic world.
He said defining joint Quranic measures between Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and Malaysia’s JAKIM could be one of the accomplishments of the meeting.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Moaf referred to Quranic activities in Iran, saying the country has organized 29 editions of the Tehran International Quran Exhibition and 43 editions of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Holy Quran Competition.
There are more than 270,000 students or graduates in different fields of Quran and Hadith sciences at the BA, MA and PhD levels in Iran he noted, adding that thousands of theses and dissertation in these fields have also been written.
According to Moaf, there are hundreds of Quranic scholars, researchers and artists as well as activists in the fields of recitation, memorization and interpretations of the Quran.
“There are many other great capacities in the field of Quranic activities in our country and today we have come to hear more about the experiences and management of Quranic activities in JAKIM and in Malaysia.”
He also invited the JAKIM officials to visit Iran and see the management and research capacities of the Islamic Republic and hold more talks in Tehran.
Next, Suhaimee called for promotion of ties between Iran and Malaysia and voiced eagerness to attend the Tehran International Holy Quran Exhibition during the holy month of Ramadan, hoping for enhancement of cooperation between the two sides to the benefit of the Islamic Ummah.
Referring to Quranic activities in Malaysia, he said a center named Dar-ol-Quran has been established in the country for teaching Quran memorization, inviting the Iranian delegation to visit it.
He added that a document had been signed earlier that day for strengthening Quranic values among Muslim families in Malaysia, stressing how important it is for Muslim families to raise their children based on Quranic values and teachings.
Moaf then took the podium again, saying in the field of Quran teaching with new methods, there have been good measures taken in Iran in recent years.
He said there have also been activities for strengthening family foundations and attractive works and different Quranic and religious programs for children and young adults, with many books in these areas having been published in recent years.
Referring to the confrontation with the Western lifestyle and promotion of a religion style of life as a major issue, he said agreements could be reached between Iranian and Malaysian academics, thinkers and scholars about formation of a religious and Quranic society based on the Quranic model.
Suhaimee said that in Malaysia, JAKIM is responsible for running Islamic affairs and it has introduced many initiatives for promotion of Islamic values.
He said there needs to be vigilance in the face of liberal values infiltrating some Muslim countries, stressing that in all programs and initiatives, the Quranic principles and values must be followed.
He added that the meeting is for discussing how to work together and learn from one another’s experiences and new ideas.
Mohammadi, the Iranian ambassador, said Iran and Malaysia can have dialogue about different issues in the Muslim world and share their experiences.
He said he is in Malaysia for the second time since his first trip to the country in the 1990s, saying it has undergone many differences since then and moved toward becoming more Islamic.
This growing influence of Islam in life style is also seen in Iran, the ambassador noted.
He also called for more talks between the two sides for sharing experiences and finding grounds for expansion of cooperation.
Suhaimee referred to a recent meeting he and his colleagues had with an Iranian delegation in Istanbul, Turkey, and their talks about cooperation in the Halal industry, saying the Halal industry is a good area for developing ties and interaction.
He also hailed Iran’s advances in implementing Quranic teachings in family and said Malaysia can benefit from Iran’s model in this area.
Moaf voiced willingness for establishment of a joint working group between the Iranian Culture Ministry and JAKIM in several areas, including research and theoretical works, arts and media activities and holding festivals and competitions.
The two sides can share experiences in these fields and plan and define joint programs as well, the Iranian official stated.
Oraei Karimi, the Iranian Cultural Attaché, said at the meeting that the Holy Quran is a book that brings together the entire Muslim Ummah, praying the God will help all Muslims to not only read the Quran but act upon its teachings in their life.
He also hoped that the meeting would be fruitful and lead to positive results in terms of enhancing cooperation between the two countries.
He further conveyed the greetings of Iranian representative in Malaysia’s 62nd international Quran competition Masoud Nouri and his guide Nosratollah Hosseini.
Suhaimee described Nouri’s performance at the competition as very good and said Iranian qaris who attended Quran recitation circles in Malaysia during the holy month of Ramadan in previous years had very good recitations.
Mohammad Mehdi Azizzadeh, another official with the Iranian Culture Ministry’s Quran and Etrart Deputy, was also present at the meeting.
He expressed the ministry’s readiness to contribute to organization of Quran recitation workshops in Malaysia.
He also called for invitation of Iranian memorizers, as well as reciters, to the international Quran competition in Malaysia, and also participation of Iranian Quran experts in the jury panel of the contest.
Suhaimee hailed the proposals, saying that Iran will be invited to attend the memorization category of the competition and also introduce Quran experts for serving at the panel of judges.
He added that the Dar-ol-Quran center plans to benefit from the expertise of foreign masters, including Iranian Quranic figures, in the field of recitation.
The Iranian ambassador concluded his remarks by saying that Iran and Malaysia are in one front in the field of Quranic and Islamic activities and have many grounds for cooperation, hoping that the meeting will be a prelude for expanding collaborations between the two sides.
At the end of the meeting, a copy of the Holy Quran was presented by the Iranian Culture Ministry official to the Malaysian side and the Malaysian officials presented gifts to the Iranian delegation.
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