Jul 29, 2006, 4:22 PM

Interest in Sohrevardi growing in West: UCLA professor

TEHRAN, July 29 (MNA) -- Hossein Ziaii, a professor of Islamic and Iranian studies and the director of the Iranian Studies Department at UCLA, says that studies on the Persian philosopher Sohrevardi are developing in the West.

Most Westerners are familiar with Iranian philosophers like Avicenna and Farabi, though we have had many philosophers in our country, he told the Mehr News Agency in a telephone interview.

He noted that studies on Sohrevardi are developing in the West, but more serious study is required.

Professor Ziaii added, “In order to introduce our philosophy to the West in the right way, we must make use of the technical language of philosophy.

“I believe that the principles of our philosophy are not properly understood in the West and that Westerners have become familiar with Islamic philosophy mostly through the writings of Eastern historians.”

Shahab al-Din Yahya Sohrevardi (born 1153 in northwest Iran; died 1191) was a Persian philosopher and Sufi.

RM/HG

END

MNA

News ID 18640