ZAHEDAN: Khateeb of Ahl-us-Sunna, Shaikh Abdul Hameed has asked the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenehi to dispel barriers from establishing Eid and Friday prayers of Sunnis in mega cities of Iran.
Talking to tens of thousand worshipers in grand Makki mosque of Zahedan at the 29th night of Ramadan, he urged that there are some reports that the Police of Tehran are taking written pledges from Sunni Imams to not offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran metropolis. However, According to the Qur’an, rather establishing prayers is duty of any Islamic regime.
Khateeb of Sunnis in Zahedan said, ‘I would like to request the Supreme Leader to stop discriminative and illegal steps of some officials, as they have been forbidding Sunni minorities in mega cities of Iran to offer prayers in congregation specially Eidain and Friday prayers. This is the demand of all Sunnis in Iran.’
Delivering sermon on the occasion of the completion of the Qur’an in Taraweeh prayers in grand Makki mosque, Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdul Hameed further said that Shiites and Sunnis are two Muslim sects, they live with fraternity and Islamic brotherhood but they have different mosques and Mosallas, because they have differences in juridical affairs. It is impossible to compel them to gather in one mosque and force a particular sect to follow the other one. It is contrary to the Iranian constitution which gives permission to the followers of all sects to worship according to their laws and jurisprudence.
The eminent Sunni leader added more, ‘Wherever Shiites are in minority and Sunnis form majority, Shias have their own different worship places and they never offer prayers behind any Sunni imam, neither Sunni scholars want them to do so. Forcing any sect to follow the other one only creates disputes and opacity. Some elements force Sunni Muslims of Tehran and other metropolises to offer Eid and Jum’ah prayers following Shiite Imams; it is really regrettable and incurs disappointment.