Iran not after building an empire: Rouhani

He made the remarks on Friday at the meeting of participants of the 33rd International Islamic Unity Conference with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

 “In this blessed day, which is the birthday of the Prophet, we pray to God for unity and brotherhood in World of Islam to be able to achieve great victory against all kinds of oppression and aggression,” his office’s website quoted him as saying.

“In the era that women were considered second-class citizens and a bloody war was going on between different tribes, religions and branches, a man raised a voice that was different from all voices of the time and brought a book, wisdom and scale that was different from the previous ones,” he said.

He also went on to state, “the great Prophet of Islam brought everyone together; from black, white, Arab and non-Arab to women, men, the poor and the rich; they were all the same.”

Stating that to the Prophet, everyone is equal before the law, he continued, “except for the Quran, which was his heavenly miracle, the Prophet brought another great miracle and he showed the world the greatest social and virtuous miracle in the society with his ethics.”

“He made a covenant with the help of his political miracle and signed a peace treaty that was higher than tens and hundreds of wars, and God granted the Prophet with the medal of victory in that peace, not in war, as the verse in Quran says, ‘We have granted you a conspicuous victory’.”

The President went on to say that with his miracle of the Book, wisdom, ethics and politics, the Prophet brought a new civilization to the world, adding, “today, we, as followers of the Prophet, are looking to build a government based on his model, not looking for an empire.”

Rouhani emphasized, “our influence in the region is not due to our military strength and scientific and geographical capabilities and strategic geographical position. Our influence is due to the Islamic Revolution and its influence that has captured hearts.”

“We believe in a revolution that promotes Islam and the moralities of the Prophet; and today that people in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, and etc. feel close to Iran is because of the attraction and message of the Islamic Revolution that is on the path of the Prophet of Islam,” the president added.

“Our children went to Iraq and Syria as advisers and sacrificed their lives to fighting terrorism alongside the nations.”

Stating that being Persian or Arab is not a privilege and our privilege is following the Prophet, he continued, “Our main privilege is to follow the messenger of God. We do not want to conquer any land and to be like an empire; what we want in the region is brotherhood, unity, and obedience to the Prophet.”