“Independence and Empathy of Ulama” is a Source of Honor in the Eyes of People

Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol Hamid, on Thursday (July 25, 2024), during a speech at the meeting of the presidents and rectors of Sunni religious schools in Sistan and Balochistan in Zahedan, expressed his satisfaction with the “unity and harmony among Ulama of the province”, and said: “The empathy, harmony and unity that exist among the scholars of the province please the Almighty and it is a source of honor and pride in the eyes of people.”
He emphasized the necessity of “maintaining the independence of the scholars and Ulama”, and noted: “We believe in interaction, tolerance and unity and we are against schism, but maintaining the independence of the scholars along with interaction and tolerance is also very vital and important. We must move on the right path. This has been the method of the righteous scholars throughout history, who remained adamant on the way of the truth.”
The chairman of the Coordination Council of Sunni Seminaries of Sistan and Baluchistan further added: “Alhamdulillah, our scholars and people have been patient in the recent circumstances and events, and passed their test; there was a lot of good in this patience. The Qur’anic verses show that there is nothing higher than “patience” that Allah Almighty has advised the prophets to do. Allah Almighty is with the patient and endows the best to them.”

We have always Emphasized on “Eliminating Discrimination” and “Implementing Justice”
Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol Hamid considered the incidents of the bloody Fridays of Zahedan and Khash in 2022 as “obvious oppression” and “a result of discrimination”, and said: “The incidents which took place in Zahedan and Khash had no justification and were a clear suppression. These events were the effects of discrimination, and we have always emphasized on elimination of discriminations, and respecting citizenship rights; because we believe that if discriminations are removed, other issues and problems will be solved.”
He further noted: “We have said repeatedly that national issues that belong to the entire Iranian nation are our priority, while the ethnic and religious issues are our second priority. The problems of the Iranian nation can be solved by implementing justice and securing freedoms.”
“Our wish was and is that the rightful wishes of the entire Iranian nation, including the wishes of the ethnic and religious communities that should be taken into account and the freedoms of sects should be recognized. Our demands were reasonable and within the framework of Islam, the country’s constitution and international laws,” the prominent Iranian Sunni scholar underlined.

Sunni Community should have an Independent “Sunni Endowment”
The Friday imam of Zahedan called for the “independence of Sunni endowments”, and said: “In Iraq, the UAE and many other countries, the endowment of each sect is independent and there is no interfere in the religious affairs of others.”
“One of the wishes of the Sunni community [of Iran] is that they should enjoy an independent Sunni endowment; the government should monitor, but not interfere in the religious affairs of Sunnis and other sects.”
At the end of his speech, the head of the Coordination Council of Sunni Seminaries of Sistan and Balochistan said: “The best dress for scholars is the clothes of piety. All the words and actions of Ulama should be for the pleasure of Allah. They should have a relationship with the society and closely observe the people’s situation and be sympathetic to the people’s faith and world.”

It is notable that the first meeting of the principals of the Sunni religious schools affiliated to the Coordination Council of Sunni Seminaries of Sistan-Balochistan in the current academic year was held on Thursday (25 July 2024/Moharram 19, 1446) in Makki Mosque, Zahedan.
In this meeting, which was held with the presence of prominent Sunni scholars of Sistan and Balochistan and a group of religious school presidents and teachers, and hosted by Darululoom Zahedan, after presenting the report of the inspectors of the Coordination Council office, Sunni Ulama discussed the educational issues of students and how to improve seminaries in these two fields.
In this meeting, which was chaired by Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdol Hameed, the social issues of the society as well as the cases related to the Sunni religious schools of Sistan and Baluchistan were discussed.