TEHRAN President Mohammad Khatami said on Thursday that Shia Muslims have kept their identity throughout the history despite numerous pressures to which they have been exposed.

In a meeting with Secretary General of the Ahl ul Bait Assembly Ali Akbar Velayati and his deputies, the president said that Shiism is the outcome of science of logic and the Islamic culture and is indebted to the great Shia scholars.

He said that Shiism has always put emphasis on solidarity and that followers of the 12 Imams have never sought hostility and avoided being misled from the path of logic, IRNA reported.

The Shia Muslims never overlook the principles and have proved their commitment to the Islamic ummah while observing coexistence with followers of other sects of Islam, President Khatami said.

The president pointed to the identity crisis in the modern human community and said that in the modern day the human being is seeking spirituality and is fed up with the materialistic outlook to the life.

Prior to the president's remarks, Velayati presented a report on performance of the Ahl ul Bait Assembly and its contribution to avoiding the extremes in the community.