Shaikh Abdol-Hamid made the stances of the Iranian Sunnis clear in a part of his speech in the biggest gathering of Sunnis in Iran, saying ‘all Sunni intellectuals and Ulama’ unanimously agree on the following of the case through legal channels.
Talking to about 200.000 participants of the 25th graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan, Iran, on May 5, 2016, the eminent Sunni leader said, “Iranian Sunnis are on the path of temperance and sobriety. We are proud for neglecting the temptations of sectarianists going on the way of unity. There is no any discrimination of a Sunni or Shia for us.”
“There is no a second view that the only way to get rid of the crises is unity. All Muslim schools of thought and sects have to be united to overcome their problems and crises by negotiations and dialogue. Muslim states must sit together to resolve their problems,” he added more.
Alluding to the ‘real enemy of Islam and Muslims’, the rector of Darululoom Zahedan said, “Nowadays neither Sunnis should see Shias their enemies nor the Shias should consider Sunnis their rivals and enemies. All must know it well their enemy is the one who creates problems in the Muslim world. Those who strive to marginalize Muslims and remove Islam are the biggest threats for Islam.”
He further said, “Muslims need to gather in the circle of Islam avoiding sectarian views and thoughts. The viewpoint of unity is our belief not any political stance.”
The outstanding Iranian Sunni leader addressed the top Iranian authorities and said, “Iranian Sunnis have neglected all sectarians. We do not want to see our country to be like Syria, Iraq and Yemen. By the praise of Allah, we have not left any excuse for anyone to complain; we have done our best to maintain fraternity and unity.”
Pointing out to some expectations of the Iranian Sunni community, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid said, “There is no doubt, both Shias and Sunnis have problems in Iran. But the Sunnis suffer from some particular problems. In the same time, they agree to follow up this case by legal and peaceful channels. We hope the supreme leader and other officials would open more doors for us and pay more attention to our legal demands.”
He asked the Iranian president for more positive actions in all Sunni-populated regions and urged on the ‘legal freedoms’. He said, “We expect to get more liberties which are our due rights. Sunnis should have mosques and prayer-houses in metropolises, specially in Tehran to worship the Almighty. If we have lesser problems, the honor of the Islamic republic of Iran will increase and the enemies would be disappointed.”
Muslim leaders should focus on the rights of minorities
In a part of his speech before the audience of the 25th graduation ceremony of Darululoom Zahedan, the member of the MWL addressed the leaders of Muslim countries and said, “We want to give this message to the Muslim leaders and rulers to think about the interests of all Muslims. Rival groups and Muslim rulers should find solutions to the crises by negotiations and dialogue.”
“The rights of religious and ethnic communities in the Muslim countries should be recognized and respected. The rulers of the states in the central Asia, in particular, should provide their masses the legal liberties. The best way to counter terrorism and extremism is the execution of justice, listening to opponents and giving people their due rights. The US and European powers have been giving to Israel free hand in extremism, avoiding from justice for Palestine; thus we witness crises in the region.”
“Unfortunately, some states create problems for people in some countries of the central Asia. Bearded men and women with hijab suffer from problems. It is a dangerous act and can bring the anger of the Sublime, as well as such deeds boost violence and extremism,” the prominent Islamic scholar underlined.
We wish to see more guests in the ceremony
Alluding to the obstacles for some invited guests of the 25th graduation ceremony of the biggest Islamic learning center of the Iranian Sunnis, the rector of Darululoom Zahedan said, “Al-Hamdulillah! There is a good atmosphere in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Shia and Sunni Ulama have good and friendly relations. We are thankful for the support of different offices and authorities who helped us to celebrate the ceremony well.”
“But our some guests from outside of the province who are intellectual figures could not take part in the ceremony. We hope the representative of the supreme leader would notice the matter and help us to see more national and international guests in this ceremony. It would be a positive point to boost Muslims’ unity,” Shaikh Abdol-Hamid emphasized.