TEHRAN The representative of the National Youth Organization (NYO) in Mashhad, Khorasan Province, said that according to an opinion poll conducted recently, most of the Iranian youth have strong faith in God and monotheism.

In an interview on the occasion of the Day of Youth (August 12), Mohammad-Hossein Ayati said that according to the opinion poll conducted by the NYO, which questioned youth between 15 and 24 years old, some 89.2 percent of the young Iranians have faith in monotheism.

He added that 90 percent of the youth feel guilty for not observing religious rituals.

Some 90 percent of the youth said that they believed that praying keeps people away from evil deeds and that no worship could replace prayers, he said.

Some 90 percent said that they believed that it is necessary to promote the good and discourage the evil in society.

Ayati added that according to a survey conducted in the U.S., the main reason for the weak religious faith of American youth is the inappropriate performance of the churches as well as the fact that some churches promote attitudes and issue orders which undermine religious beliefs.

The NYO representative in Khorasan said that some 60 percent of young Iranians maintain that some preachers have not shown any capability in promoting the religion and have created a gap between themselves and the people.