Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Kashmiri religious preacher Waseem Raza Qomi was presented with an award and certificate in the holy city of Qom, Iran, as Al-Mustafa International University recognised seminarians and students from several countries for outstanding performance in academic, cultural and religious services at the start of the new academic year.
The recognition ceremony was presided over by Ayatollah Dr. Ali Abbasi, Head of Al-Mustafa International University and a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts for Leadership, and was attended by senior scholars, teachers, religious figures, officials and students from various seminaries affiliated with the institution. Students who demonstrated distinguished performance across academic, cultural and religious domains were honoured with certificates and awards as part of the gathering marking the beginning of the new academic session.
Waseem Raza Qomi, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, is currently pursuing religious studies at Al-Mustafa International University while also working as an analyst and commentator on religious, cultural and political affairs across various television channels. He is additionally the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the weekly newspaper Wilayat Times, published from Kashmir, giving him a dual profile as both a seminary student and a commentator engaged with contemporary Kashmiri media. Organisers said the honour serves as an acknowledgment and encouragement of the students’ academic and religious services, while also serving as a reminder of the responsibilities that accompany such recognition.
Addressing the gathering of teachers and students, Ayatollah Abbasi referred to the performance and achievements of Al-Mustafa International University as an international academic centre, saying that despite the concerns and difficulties experienced during the initial days of the Iran-US war, the light of knowledge and education continued to shine at the institution. He said the university continued to fulfil its role with determination and perseverance through that period, and that teachers, officials and students associated with it continued their efforts to fulfil their religious and missionary responsibilities, playing an important role in various parts of the world.
The event was also addressed by Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Mohammad Naseri Rafiei, Chancellor of the Department of Higher Education Centre for the History, Sirah and Civilisation Studies and a well-known Iranian preacher, along with Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Shaykh Hossein Abdol-Mohammadi, Head of the seminary and a professor at the Islamic seminary. The speakers emphasised the importance of promoting knowledge and research alongside active student participation in cultural and religious outreach activities, and extended their best wishes to students and teachers for the new academic year.
Among the students from India who received awards and certificates at the ceremony were Maulana Fayaz Mohsin, Maulana Waseem Raza Kashmiri and Maulana Syed Mahmood Hasan Rizvi, reflecting a notable presence of Kashmiri and other Indian seminarians among those recognised by the university this year.
