In the Name of the God of Mercy, Compassion, Peace, Freedom and Justice
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today we have gathered here to exchange views about the world, its future and our common responsibilities towards it. It is evident that the future of the world is intertwined with its current state and the prevailing trends, which exhibit signs of hope and despair.
On the one hand certain hopes and opportunities exist, and this august
Assembly is convened on such hopes. Today human thought reflects outstanding
commonalities which provide appropriate grounds to build upon. With the passing
of the era of agnostic philosophies, today humanity is once again joined in
celebrating monotheism and belief in the Creator as the originator of existence.
This is the common thread which binds us all. Faith will prove to be the solution to many of today's problems. The Truth will shine the light of faith and ethics on the life of human beings and prevent them from aggression, coercion and injustice and will guide them towards care and compassion for fellow beings.
Another hope is the common global appreciation of the sources of
knowledge. Although reason, experience and science are among valuable sources
of knowledge, the darkness of the Middle Ages deprived major portions of the
Western world from appreciating. This reactionary tendency deprived many from access to various scientific findings and knowledge and led to the exclusion of other sources of knowledge namely God and knowledge based on revelation from the life of human beings in the West; Divine knowledge that was carried and disseminated by such prophets as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad (peace be upon them). Today, agnostic thinking is on the decline and presently humanity is equally enamored with religion, science, knowledge and spirituality.
This is an auspicious beginning.
Divine prophets teach us about proper regard for the exalted state of human
beings on earth. The human being is blessed with dignity, most importantly
manifested in being the viceroy of the Almighty on earth. The Almighty placed
humans on earth to develop it, institutionalize justice, overcome their egoistic
tendencies and praise no lord but the Almighty. Faith and good deeds can bring
deliverance and the good life even in this world. Attaining this depend on human
will, that is the will of each and every one of us. We must heed the call of our
common primordial nature and achieve the realization of this good life.
On the other hand, the prevalence of military domination, increasing
poverty, the growing gap between rich and poor countries, violence as a means to
solve crises, spread of terrorism, specially state terrorism, existence and
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the pervasive lack of honesty in
interstate relations, and disregard for the equal rights of peoples and nations in international relations, constitute some of the challenges and threats. Although these challenges are very real, we believe we are not predestined to experience them. Our common will not only can change this course but in fact can lead us to a life filled with hope and prosperity. Divine revelation teaches us that "The Almighty changes the fate of no people unless they themselves show a will for change" (Holy Qur'an, 13:11).
How can we influence the future of the world?
When and how will peace, tranquility and well-being for all come about?
These are the fundamental questions before us.
We believe that a sustainable order – nurturing and flourishing peace and
tranquility – can only be realized on the two pillars of justice and pirituality. The more human society departs from justice and spirituality, the greater insecurity it will face, so much so that a relatively small crisis – such as a natural disaster – leads to various abnormalities and inhuman behavior.
Unfortunately, the world is rife with discrimination and poverty.
Discrimination produces hatred, war and terrorism. They all share the common
root of lack of spirituality coupled with injustice.
Justice is about equal rights, the correct distribution of resources in the
territories of different states, the equality of all before the law and respect for international agreements. Justice recognizes the right of every one to tranquility, peace and a dignified life. Justice rejects intimidation and double standards. As the eminent daughter of the Prophet of Islam has said, "justice brings tranquility and harmony to our hearts."