Advisor of Iran's President in Ethnic Groups and Religious Minorities Affairs, delivering speech at the closing ceremony of 35th International Islamic Unity Conference, called Islamic unity a strategy and not a tactic urging for protection of solidarity between Shia and Sunni.
Mamusta Abdul Salam Karimi, expressing hope that the Islamic Unity Week would expand to more weeks and months said that Islamic unity should prevail the entire year and our lifetime, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).
"In view of Islamic Republic of Iran Islamic unity is a strategy and not a tactic" he said urging for protection of solidarity between Shia and Sunni.
He assimilated the world top five religions to fingers of the same hand among which the same blood circulates and said," The origin of all these religions is the same and the only difference remains in deductions."
Iranian Sunni cleric noted," We should firstly maintain unity because we are the same and secondly because we share the same enemies; hence, we should join in the same array against them so that no damage is inflicted upon the world of Islam."
Senior cleric enumerated a number of methods to achieve unity as:
1- Reference to holy Qur'an and Sunnah (lifestyle of Prophet Mohammad) meaning the quotes and behavior of Ahlul Bayt (AS)
2- Reference to jurisprudents: we should study the way Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS), sixth Shia Imam and the four caliphs behaved so that away from desecration and in full respect we follow their path.
3- Abort disputes rather than feeding them.
4- Highlight our commonalities: We know that the commonalities are further than what we can cover in years rather than concentrate on differences among the denominations
5- God Almighty said in verse 59 Surah Al- Nisa says: "O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you" who are those in authority? The scholars unanimously admit that the authorities are either the rulers and Muslim leaders or the religious scholars who explain the religious decrees.
Advisor of president added," The authority in Iran and among all Muslims who stand for both religious scholar and a leader is the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei whose obedience is a responsibility upon all of us.
Mamusta Abdul Salam Karimi made the speech at the closing ceremony of the 35th International Islamic Unity Conference held in Tehran on Sunday.
Led by Hujjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari, Iran's World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought has scheduled to hold the 35th Islamic Unity Conference on October 19-24, 2021 as more than 500 Muslim intellectuals, thinkers and religious experts will discuss their views on the latest issues in the world of Islam in 24 webinars.
