At the invitation of Dr Helmi, the Cultural councillor of the Iranian embassy in London, a group of eight from the UK assembled at Heathrow airport to catch an Iran air flight on 31 may 2009 to take part in Imam Khomeini’s 20th anniversary commemoration in Iran.

The group included Dr.Razahusein Naqvi from Birmingham,Br. Gulamshabbir Awan, Chairman of the Pakistani community in Peterborough & Br. Razahusein Rahim, Chairman of Islamic Cultural Affairs, COEJ as well as 5 non Muslim Scholars including professors, PhD students & a Christian priest.

The majority of invitees from UK  had previously presented a paper at the Iranian Cultural Section of the Iranian embassy in London on various aspects of Imam Khomeini's life & contribution to humanity. Guests were received in the most cordial manner and the Iranian hospitality for the  week that followed was second to none.

The conference was attended by 600 delegates/dignitaries from 60 Nations and as those present would agree the programme set out was to be one that would be most memorable. 

It was very beneficial to meet and network with other delegates from the far corners of the globe including Ecuador, Romania, Nigeria, Germany and China. Two other members from the Khoja community; Shaikh Muslim Bhanji ( Dodoma) & Br. Mohammed Peera from Sweden were also part of the delegation present.

Br Razahusein Rahim was requested to join a panel of four at the conference titled The Message Of Imam Khomeini On The Unity of Muslims. The panel also included the Head of the Imam Khomaini Foundation.  Through this request, The Council of European Jamaats and World Federation were officially recognised and mentioned.

The week under the care of the Iranian hosts went exceptionally well.

• On the first day the group visited the shrine of Imam Khomeini to lay the wreath followed by a visit to Shah Abdul Adheem’s shrine. In the afternoon the delegates were taken to the IRIB & Press TV complex to view the workings of these channels.
• The second day started with a conference hosted at the foreign ministry titled Imam Khomeini & Foreign Policy "Ethics in International Relations". The Keynote address was by Dr Manouchehr Mottaki the Foreign Minister and the panel chair was Dr Ali Ahani the deputy Foreign Minister. Both these dignitaries met many delegates over the tea break in between the sessions. The afternoon session was an international congress on Unity according to Imam Khomeini in which participants from all over the world contributed their own views and experiences.
• The third day was a visit to the old parliament where a meeting was arranged with The President of The Islamic Republic Ahmadinejad. He met all the delegates and gave a keynote speech to all delegates explaining the principal policies of the Islamic republic of Iran. In the evening a special concert 'Faryad' was arranged for all the guest.
• The fourth day- Thursday was the actual 20th anniversary of the departure from this world of Imam Khomeini and all the delegates attended the memorial ceremony at the shrine of Imam Khomeini. Millions of citizens attended this ceremony which was addressed by Hassan Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenai, the spiritual leader of Iran. There was great fever and emotion displayed by the great number of participants present at the ceremony. In the evening we were taken on a tour of Imams residence in Jamaran.
• On Friday a special private jet was chartered by the Government and all guests were taken to visit the Holly shrine of Imam Redha (S.A).It was a great experience and an amazing one for many non Muslim and non shia visitors to witness the atmosphere and veneration at the shrine of our beloved Imam.
• Saturday was a free day for delegates but most ended up in the Holy City of Qum to visit the shrine of Bibi Masuma Qumi.
  All in all this was a once in lifetime experience that we will all remember and cherish for a long time to come.