Tehran Times - TEHRAN The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei, here Wednesday said that Iran is proud of the victories of the Iranian
disabled sportsmen at international competitions. Participation in world sport events is
not useless, the Leader said, adding, sports events provide the nations with an
opportunity to display their physical strength and will. Addressing a group of Iranian
disabled athletes and members of Iran's Paralympic team which recently took part in
Atlanta Paralympic Games, the Leader said that the team's victory is the pride of the
nation. Underlining every nation's need for strong will, the Leader said that the success
of an athlete is an indication of the strong will of his nation. Ayatollah Khamenei lauded
the strong will of Iranian disabled athletes in the world Paralympic competitions and
underlined the need for providing incentives to them for future victories. The Leader
presented the Paralympic team members with gifts.
Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1,
Tehran, in
Persian 0930 gmt (Excerpts)
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamene'i, the esteemed leader of the
revolution, at a meeting today with Tehran City municipality's mayor and staff, said that
among the essential duties of city municipalities were the creation and expansion of
religious sites, assisting the poor and the deprived and observing the law and the rights
of individuals.
The esteemed leader thanked the mayor and administrators of Tehran City
for their efforts. He said: Plans should be formulated in such a way as to transform
Tehran into an Islamic city. He added that, in order to achieve this goal, experts and
scholars should be consulted and asked to explain and define the main features of an
Islamic city... He added: You should not model your buildings after famous cities in the
world in your larger plans. You should, rather, draw up a plan to create an Islamic
city.
The esteemed leader emphasized the need for the creation and expansion of religious
environments in the municipality buildings and sites. He added: In an Islamic
city, every
visible sign and symbol - in streets, parks and gardens and anywhere else in the
city,
while adding to the attraction of the city, contributes to the promotion of spirituality
and an Islamic way of life.
He continued: In the Islamic system no-one should feel insecure when
going about their daily lives. However, one main feature of an Islamic city is that the
faithful and religious should feel secure in every part of it while the corrupt should not
find any safe place to engage in their activities.
The esteemed leader added: Islamic architecture should be kept in mind
when it comes to urban buildings. Houses and buildings should reflect Islamic and Iranian
lifestyles and, while preserving the sanctity of the family, it is necessary to refrain
from building houses in certain reprehensible architectural styles... He also stressed the
need to attend, all the more, to Tehran's southern [poor]
suburbs, saying: Whatever is spent in this connection is still not enough and work should be
carried out in such a way as to eliminate the differences between the northern [more
affluent] and southern parts of the city...