Members from University of Pretoria visit TIS Faculty

Report by the Directorate for International Academic Cooperation–

In their second visit to Iran to participate in Religious Dialogue event, Professor RS Letšosa, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religions, the University of Pretoria, together with three other officials from the Faculty, had a visit to ATU's TIS Faculty, met Dr Hesam al-Din Khalatbari, Faculty Dean, and talked about the common grounds for cooperation between the two institutes in the areas of theology and religious studies.

Dr Khalatbari pointed to the Faculty's activities in the area of Developing the Humanities and emphasized that they have focused on theological aspects to attain this goal. He maintained that divine religions are founded on ethics, and justice is a major pillar of ethics.

Dr Khalatbari then continued, "Divine religions came to keep people away from wrongdoing, and all acknowledged the two-dimensionality of human beings. Therefore, followers of all religions, especially religious scholars and thinkers, must move in this divine path; that is, they should both purify themselves and the world. The Islamic Revolution in Iran was also established on the basis of religious truth to put the sublime goals of divine prophets, from Moses to Christ and Mohammad (PBUH), high on their agenda."

Dr Khalatbari then referred to a quote from Imam Ali, saying that human beings are either religious brothers or creatures with similar dignities and said, "followers of all religions are our religious brothers." He then proposed that the TIS Faculty at ATU and the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria sign an MoU on Academic Cooperation, and the African parties welcomed the proposal.

In the next part of the session, Dr Ehsan Ekradi, Head of the Office for Developing International Academic Collaborations, introduced the capacities and potentials of ATU, its Faculties, Research Institutes and Centres, Journals, international students, and the major international activities of the university, including the MoUs and agreements signed with the universities abroad to conduct academic partnerships and joint research projects.

Professor RS Letšosa, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religions of the University of Pretoria, also introduced his university and delivered an introduction to the Faculty of Theology and Religions, its academic and research activities, and quarterly journals. Dr Letšosa emphasised the need to develop international academic ties between the two universities.

At the end of their visit, the African delegation had a visit to ATU's Museum.