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Mohammad Khatami Quotes

Seyyed Mohammad Khatami is an Iranian scholar, Shia theologian, and reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. He was an outspoken critic of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.

Little known until that point, Khatami attracted global attention during his first election to the presidency when he received almost 70% of the vote. Khatami had run on a platform of liberalization and reform. During his two terms as president, Khatami advocated freedom of expression, tolerance and civil society, constructive diplomatic relations with other states including those in Asia and the European Union, and an economic policy that supported a free market and foreign investment.

Khatami is known for his proposal of Dialogue Among Civilizations. The United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the United Nations' Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, on Khatami's suggestion.

On 8 February 2009, Khatami announced that he would run in the 2009 presidential election. On 16 March, he announced he was withdrawing from the race in favor of his long-time friend and adviser, former Prime Minister of Iran, Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

In October 2009, the award committee of the Global Dialogue Prize declared Dariush Shayegan and Mohammad Khatami as joint winners of the inaugural award, "for their work in developing and promoting the concept of a 'dialogue among cultures and civilizations' as new paradigm of cultural subjectivity and as new paradigm of international relations". The Global Dialogue Prize is one of the world's most significant recognitions for research in the Humanities, honoring "excellence in research and research communication on the conditions and content of a global intercultural dialogue on values". In January 2010, Mohammad Khatami stated that "he was not in the position to accept the award", and the prize was given to Dariush Shayegan alone. Currently the Iranian media are forbidden on the orders of Tehran's prosecutor from publishing pictures of Khatami, or quoting his words, on account of his support for the defeated reformist candidates in the disputed 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

✵ 29. September 1943
Mohammad Khatami photo
Mohammad Khatami: 17   quotes 0   likes

Famous Mohammad Khatami Quotes

“Of course we may assume many general and non-historical meanings for secularism, but turning a subject that is in all its existence a historical matter into a non-historical matter is a blatant mistake.”

Mohammad Khatami

(Berlin Institute of Advanced Studies, Nov 2005).
Attributed

“In response on the motives of suicide bombers, he said that, Those who put others through hell will never go to heaven.”

Mohammad Khatami

In response on the motives of suicide bombers in a speech at Harvard University http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100315.html 11 September 2006)
Attributed

“I don't like the death penalty, although if there is one case where there should be an execution, the fairest case would be for Saddam. But I would never wish for that.”

Mohammad Khatami

press After a cabinet meeting in Tehran http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/iranian-president-mohammad-khatami-speaks-to-the-press-news-photo/2816904 (18 December 2003)
Attributed

“Terrorism, which means killing civilians in whatever name or title, lacks morality, and nobody who lacks such principle will go to heaven.”

Mohammad Khatami

During a speech at Council on American-Islamic Relations http://www.ghazali.net/archives2006/html/khatmi_blasts.html (dead link). (8 September 2006)
Attributed

“Offending and insulting, is different from expressing an opinion that can be analyzed, argued on, and can eventually be accepted or rejected [therefore offending others is not acceptable] … But in addition to the west, we ourselves also have problems in this regard. Instead of logical criticism or debate, we only keep saying offensive things about liberalism, democracy and modernism. I had told some of our elders before, that the religion of the today's world is 'liberalism' and we have no right to make insults about it. We should not keep using phrases such as "the corrupt culture of the west" etc. in our words. As it's also said in the Holy Koran, "Do not insult the gods of others, otherwise you are indirectly insulting your God."”

Mohammad Khatami

February 15th, 2006, during a press interview in Tehran's airport upon his return from a cultural conference in Malaysia.
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-667116&Lang=P; http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2006/02/060215_jb_khatami_cartoon.shtml.
Blasphemy

“A basic change in political ethics is required for the realization of the proposal [The dialog among civilizations].”

Mohammad Khatami

UNESCO 1999
Attributed

Mohammad Khatami Quotes about the world

“Pope John Paul II was a seeker of truth, justice and peace. Pope John Paul II was a disciple of religious mysticism, philosophic deliberation and thought and artistic and poetic creativity, By emphasising his experience and teachings, (he) earnestly tried to utilise them in the path of the triumph of truth, justice and peace. It is hoped that the leadership of Catholic Christianity, by following the teachings of the Prophet Jesus, may peace be upon him, by interacting with justice seeking and peace loving political-religious leaders and by also following the ethical and humanitarian thinking of John Paul II, help the world towards a better and more just life.”

Mohammad Khatami

Reported by AFP on April 3, 2005 in his condoling Message to Vatican
Attributed

“Liberalism is the world's religion. We do not have the right to insult liberalism. (after Malaysia conference on Islam and West, 2006)”

Mohammad Khatami

Attributed

“What I propose is that dialogue should take place among cultures and civilizations. And as a first step, I would suggest that cultures and civilizations should not be represented by politicians but by philosophers, scientists, artists and intellectuals. […] Dialogue will lead to a common language and a common language will culminate in a common thought, and this will turn into a common approach to the world and global events.”

Mohammad Khatami

March 24, 2009 , Lecture in The Australian National University DIALOGUE, JUSTICE AND PEACE Source http://cais.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/documents/bulletins/CAIS%20Bulletin%20Vol%2016%20No%201%20sm.pdf

Mohammad Khatami Quotes

“One cannot reach paradise by creating Hell for others”

Mohammad Khatami

Morning Edition with Jacki Northam, National Public Radio, September 8, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5786976

Hell

“Hezbollah is like a shining sun which warms up all oppressed Muslims, especially those in Palestine and Lebanon”

Mohammad Khatami

Said in a message to Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/world/middleeast/19iran.html
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=6726
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/18/news/iran.php
http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7960
Hizbullah

Sun

“Secularism is the experience of the Western culture and thought. Insisting on spreading it to places where the underlying intellectual background, and the political and social reasons for its appearance are lacking, is clearly a mistake, regardless of being desirable or not. (Berlin Institute of Advanced Studies, Nov 2005)”

Mohammad Khatami

Attributed

Study , Appearance

“In order to understand the meaning of the phrase dialogue among civilizations as defined here, one has no choice but to closely pay attention to a number of points one of which is the relationship between a politician and an artist, and the other is the relationship between ethics and politics.”

Mohammad Khatami

UNESCO 1999
Attributed

Understanding

“Faith and Religiosity is compatible with human nature, The most Wretch man is one who has no religion.»”

Mohammad Khatami

از کتابِ « احزاب و شوراها ، نشرِ طرحِ نو ، ۱۳۸۸ ، ص ۲۰.

Faith , Religion , Nature

“Without a doubt, we will succeed in moving forward, only if we have the capacity to reap the benefit of positive, scientific and social accomplishments of Western civilization.”

Mohammad Khatami

Islamic summit 1997
Attributed

“We believe that Hizbullah has an authentic Lebanese identity. We love Hizbullah. I emphasized this in talks with Mr. Chirac, who said he has never called to weaken or disarm Hizbullah, and on that matter he is in disagreement with some of his European allies. Hizbullah will remain and keep its weapons.”

Mohammad Khatami

http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/756.htm.
Hizbullah

Love

“…the policies that the United States has chosen unfortunately have brought about the wrong sentiment toward the United States and has only increased, and will only increase, extremism in our region.”

Mohammad Khatami

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/04/iran.khatami/index.html.
Terrorism

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