ATU President talks at Summer School for International Muslim Students

Report by the Directorate for International Academic Cooperation–

At the opening ceremony of the first Educational and Cultural Summer School for International Students, the President of Allameh Tabataba'i University said, "All the enmities with the Islamic Republic of Iran are rooted in the fact that we want to stand on our own feet and do not give in to the superpowers' demands".

At the opening ceremony of the first Educational and Cultural Summer School for International Students, Professor Abdollah Motamedi, President of Allameh Tabataba'i University, hoped the school would appeal to students and said: "Allameh Tabataba'i University is the largest humanities-oriented university in Iran and West Asia. At this university, we have 11 Faculties, about 15,000 students, 550 faculty members, more than 91,000 graduates, and several research institutes and centres".

He added: "Our professors have published 25,092 articles in reputable scholarly journals and 9,623 in national and international conferences. So far, they have also published 5,744 book titles.

Professor Motamedi continued: "Faculty members at Allameh Tabataba'i University hold 641 scientific and theorising chairs. They have also conducted 995 research projects in the university, 1,615 research projects outside the university, and supervised 28,591 theses and dissertations.

Referring to the naming of the university, Dr Motamedi said the university is named after Allameh Mohammad Hossein Tabataba'i (PBUH). He said: "The late Allameh Tabataba'i was a great commentator, philosopher, and Islamic scholar whose "Tafsir al-Mizan," published in 20 volumes for 20 years, is a world-renowned masterpiece. It is written in Arabic and translated into numerous languages."

The President of Allameh Tabataba'i University added: "One of the goals of the school is to familiarise you with the scientific capacities in Iran and Iranian universities in your fields of study. Our country has distinctive features; this difference is due to the happenings in Iran, including the Islamic Revolution. Those who have studied in Iran are certainly familiar with this historical event and its intellectual and theoretical foundations."

He then added: "We, the Islamic Nation, follow the school of the Prophet Muhammad, teaching us about how not to oppress and how not to be oppressed. All the hostilities with the Islamic Republic of Iran are rooted in the fact that we want to stand on our own feet and not give in to the superpowers' demands."

Professor Motamedi then said: "Imam Khomeini believed that sometimes governments are the primary sources of problems for nations, as some governments are against the interests of their nations. Imam Khomeini left this to enlightened people who were knowledgeable and took measures for the country's interests. Imam expected the youth to be familiar with Islamic beliefs, morals, and practices."

Dr Motamedi then concluded, "Apart from the specialised materials provided, I hope the courses held in the summer school provide the ground for dialogue and communication among International Mulsim students and familiarise them with the theoretical foundations and latest trends in the world today".

In another part of the school, Dr Hesamodin Khalatbari, the executive and scientific secretary of the first Educational and Cultural Summer School for International Students, presented a report on the process of holding the school and said: "We cooperated with the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, and the Organisation for Student Affairs at this Ministry and tried to prepare the best programmes for the 400 guests and participants at the school. Before the event, we held several meetings to reach a suitable conclusion regarding the topics and content."

Dr Khalatbari added that the event organisers have tried to provide participants with the best material, and excellent professors have been chosen to deliver the content. Moreover, various cultural, recreational, and sports events have been included in the programme to make the school more fun.