During the Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim Says the Real Unity between Muslims Requires Serious and Common Handling of the Pivotal Causes and the Privileging of the Higher Interest of Muslims
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, said the real unity between Muslims requires serious and common handling of the sensitive and pivotal Islamic causes and the higher Islamic interest to be privileged over any other narrow interests and the differences and marginal conflicts to be put aside, emphasizing the need for the Islamic nation to be that Muslims must give priority over geography or nationalism because the Islamic nation makes the Muslims complementary to each other based on their common doctrine and big interests, calling for taking a clear Islamic attitude regarding the extremists who intentionally misrepresent Islam by killing innocent people and acting savagely and with barbarism. Here, he made clear that the Iraqis turned the sectarianism of the ISIS into a reason for unity, cohesion and interior harmony and that the terrorism intended to detach Iraq from its regional surrounding and the international community became a reason for the world and the region to unite in support of Iraq.
This came in a speech delivered by Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, as he was attending the Islamic Unity Conference held in Tehran on Wednesday, January 7, 2015. His Eminence stated that the extremism and radicalism rocking our world today constitute a serious challenge for Muslims, that such conflict and thought target all parties and that terrorism cannot be limited to one denomination or condition. He also added that Muslims today are now regarded with suspicion and are accused of extremism, when in fact, throughout their long history, Muslims have been victims of terrorism and of extremism, stressing the need to focus on putting out this fire represented in the extremist takfiri thought. In his opinion, the institutes and curricula in Islamic countries need real reforms to stop the breeding of extremists and in order for those not to be exploited by these extremist takfiri groups. Moreover, his Eminence stressed the need to emphasize on the cultural aspects based on a cognitive and intellectual effort and to build the Muslim character in an appropriate manner. He assured that the real ways to address disputes that arise among Muslims require two parallel efforts, the first one being an intellectual and theoretical one along with consultation, dialogue and identification of common grounds to reduce the differences between Islamic sects. He clarified in this regard that the difference between the sect of Ahl al Bayt and Sunni sects is not bigger in terms of doctrinal branches than the difference between Sunni sects themselves, which underlines the possibility of reaching common grounds and solutions through the intellectual and theoretical efforts. His eminence added that the other effort is the coordinative and field effort where the projects of unity should be complementary, highlighting the importance of coordination, consultation, the identification of the enemy and dangers as well as the determination of an appropriate vision in the field confrontation.
Furthermore, Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim explained that the terrorism that was meant to cause terror and fear has incited large groups of Iraqi youth to fight ISIS, as an answer to the higher religious authority’s call, indicating that the authentic Arab tribes and Peshmerga forces are standing united against ISIS. His eminence added that the terrorism that was meant to distract the peoples from their strategic issues through the use of the tension dominating the Islamic world has turned into a reason to focus on the essential causes including the cause of Palestine and the Judaization of Jerusalem. He reiterated in this context the need to defend and support Palestinians in their journey to obtain their rights and recover their lands, underlining that the cause of Palestine is the pivotal cause for all Muslims.
Finally, his eminence praised the leading and immensurable role played by the Islamic Republic towards the Iraqi government and people in the fight against ISIS and extremist groups at the consultative and logistic levels.
