TEHRAN – President Rouhani of Iran has asked questions about the roots of violence in the contemporary world, saying the scourge of extremism ruins the future of the world. 

The president made the remarks on Saturday as he attended a ceremony held to mark the start of the new academic year in Iran. 

“We should learn how to be moderate and recognize that violence and going to extremes ruin our current and future life,” said the president. 

Moderation was President Rouhani’s presidential campaign slogan.  

Annually and prior to the opening of schools in Mehr (Sept.22-Oct.20), Iranian students will answer a question raised by the incumbent president, dubbed “The Mehr Question.”

President says, “We should learn how to be moderate and recognize that violence and going to extremes ruin our current and future life.”  This year’s prompt (17th) was on root cause of terrorism, as emphasized by President Rouhani. 

“Here is this year’s Mehr Question: Where does violence originate? How do some learn violence? How can violence be resisted? How can we have a country and society endowed with the Islamic and prophetic mercy? And how can we free the region and world of violence?” 

In his recent speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Rouhani had said to uproot violence in the region, there is no choice but to focus on promoting democracy, citizenship rights and economic development.

Sympathizing with the students in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen whose schools have been ruined to dust, the president said, “In Iran’s neighborhood and in countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, schools have been demolished and students slaughtered, and teachers have lost the chance to teach.” 

AK/PA