Grand Ayatollah Shirazi Meets with Writer and Member of the World Human Rights Organization

On Wednesday, December 04, 2019, Dr. Sahib Al-Hakim, a prominent Iraqi figure in human rights activities in the UK, met with the Supreme Authority Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq Husseini Shirazi, may God prolong his life, in the holy city of Qom.

In this meeting, he gave a report on his activities and what he has done in the field of human rights, especially in Iraq, and said: I am a graduate of the Geneva School of Human Rights in Switzerland and was introduced by the United Nations as an Ambassador for Global Peace. Of course, I am not an employee of this organization, but I have volunteered to defend human rights in Iraq. In this way, I became a member of the International Human Rights Defenders organization, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

He continued his speech by saying: I also have writing activities, including writing and publishing an encyclopedia in which I have described the killing of religious authorities and students of Shia seminaries in the land of mass killings in Iraq. In this encyclopedia, I have named one by one all the scholars and students who have been arrested in this country, as well as those who were executed and martyred under Saddam's regime, and those whose arrest and execution orders were issued by the former regime.

Another topic that is included in this encyclopedia is the description of your late brother (the Supreme Authority, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husseini Shirazi, may God bless his soul). I have also included in this work a document and a decree issued by the Iraqi Security Organization regarding the execution of the late authority.

Another issue that I consider necessary to mention is the United Nations report on the Commander of Believers, Imam Ali, peace be upon him. This report is actually from the United Nations Development Program and is not a political program and does not have any political orientation or direction, but rather pursues development and human rights and has included in its work program how to build cities and roads and create a strong economy and provide a basis for progress in third world countries such as Iraq and Iran, etc. It is worth mentioning that this organization has 177 member countries.

The aforementioned report is 167 pages long and written in English, from which I have selected important recommendations, including: O people of the world, there is a personality named Ali ibn Abi Talib. If you want to witness the progress of your country, transform it, and serve the people, make Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) your role model and learn from him the methods of management and statecraft.

Dr. Saheb Hakim added: I have published a copy of this report, along with photographs of some of the Shia scholars and authorities whom the Saddam regime has executed or imprisoned, or has sentenced to execution and imprisonment, in my encyclopedia. I present it to Your Excellency.

Then, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, may God lengthen his life, made some statements and said:

In this context and subject, I will briefly add to your words something that I have said in meetings with Westerners who have come here from different countries, and that is: A figure named Ali son of Abo Talib, peace be upon him, ruled over a large area of ​​this planet from his center of government in Kufa, Iraq, during his time and during the five years of his rule, and except for Syria - which was under the rule and sovereignty of Muawiyah - the entire Middle East from the heart of Europe to the heart of Africa was under his rule. In the previous 1400 years, during his rule, there was not a single political execution or political prisoner, and nothing like this has been recorded.

Moreover, history does not record or remember that during his rule, a poor person lived in poverty and misery until the end of his life, or that anyone died of hunger.

Grand Ayatollah added:

I have also reminded that during his reign, the Prince of Believers, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, allowed protesters to protest and demonstrate without any legal obstacles or restrictions, and he accepted the demands of the demonstrators and responded positively, in a way that is not seen even in countries claiming to be free. Today, in free countries, protesters are allowed to gather after receiving permission from the Ministry of Interior and making commitments, including specifying the slogans, the place and time of the gathering and demonstration, and so on. Despite all these conditions, the governments say that they are not obligated or committed to meeting the demands of the demonstrators in any way.

Another thing I told them: Imam Ali, peace be upon him, forbade his governors and agents from buying and selling and interfering in trade, and he had obliged them to ensure that trade, commerce, and buying and selling were free, and he only ordered them to supervise so that no one would oppress or wrong anyone. During his entire five-year reign, Imam Ali did not sell even a single inch of land, and he used to say that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, said: “The earth belongs to God and to him who revives it.”

In this way, people were allowed to develop and use the land. It is clear that governments do not own the land, they merely supervise and manage it.

Grand Ayatollah continued: At the beginning of the activities of the first Iraqi government after 2003, I told some Iraqi officials who had come here: Today, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, is not physically present among us, but his manner, character, and biography is among us, so it is good and necessary for you to learn it and make it the basis of your governmental work.

I have also called on non-Islamic governments to adopt the practices, governance, and behavior of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, as their guidelines.

He emphasized:

We have many words for the world in this sense, context and subject, but conveying them to the world and the worlds who are unaware of it requires firm determination and all-round effort. I appreciate your work and efforts and I am grateful to you. Follow your path and by nurturing a group of young people, appoint them to continue your path after you, for "the due of knowledge is sharing it." Note that the Prince of Believers, Ali son of Abo Talib, peace be upon him, has been and remains unknown throughout history, even to his own children.

May God bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad.