The head of the institute says that, under the current circumstances, the main question is how to promote Imam Khomeini’s thought more effectively. He raises two questions: Should the Imam be presented abroad as a political figure or as an intellectual and scholarly figure? And should engagement take place through diplomatic channels or through academic means, in cooperation with scientific institutions and universities?
According to him, one view holds that academic research could involve comparative studies between the Imam’s ideas and those of thinkers such as Hassan al-Banna and Abul A'la Maududi, or between the Imam and figures such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. The speaker does not offer a definitive judgment between these two approaches, leaving the question open.What is certain to him is that the restrictions are real. If such initiatives have become difficult to pursue within the country, the same situation prevails abroad as well.
“What is certain is that the restrictions are real.”Excerpted from Promoting Imam Khomeini’s Thought Abroad: Experiences and Questions by Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Ali Komsari.