Iranian cleric: Muslims should denounce extremism
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN – The director of Iran’s seminaries, Ayatollah Moqtadae, has called on Muslims to denounce extremist groups that regard Shias as infidels and call for their murder.

“A group of extremists who regard Shias as infidels and call for their murder are in fact the enemy’s mercenaries. They neither believe in Islam nor in the Sunni manner, rather they are opposed to God’s prophet,” he said in a meeting with cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeil Zehi, the Friday prayer leader of Maki Mosque in Zahedan, southeast Iran.

He added Imam Khomeini believed that all Muslims should unite against the enemy and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is following the path of the Imam and based on this teaching the Qom Seminary ulema are seeking to boost brotherhood among Muslims.

Global arrogance views religion in direct contradiction to its interests and is therefore seeking to undermine Islam but Muslims should deprive the enemies of the opportunity to create division among them because they regard any rift among Shias and Sunnis as a progress, he noted.

Commenting on rumors about the Islamic Republic’s discrimination against Sunnis, Ayatollah Moqtadae said it is the policy of the Islamic Republic to deal with any discrimination and Sunnis are today actively involved in the Iranian society.

Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeil Zehi said there is no room for Wahhabism in the Sunni community and Sunnis have nothing to do with Wahhabists.

He also said Sunni Muslims have defended the Islamic Republic’s system since the victory of the revolution.

“The Islamic establishment has never differentiated between Sunnis and Shias and we will not allow anyone to act against Shias and the Islamic republic,” he noted.

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