Islamic unity charter is a necessity: Leader

April 7, 2007 - 0:0
TEHRAN - It is essential that Muslim intellectuals and ulema draft an Islamic unity charter, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here on Friday.

An Islamic unity charter “is a historic necessity, and if it is not drafted now, future generations will criticize us,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated in a meeting with ambassadors and officials from various Islamic countries and Iranian officials.

“Today, Islamic unity is the most important need of the Islamic world and the panacea for all the problems of Muslims,” he added.

After many years of ignorance, the Islamic ummah has now adopted a new vision of the religion of Islam, he said.

The Islamic awakening and revival, the return to the Quran, and the ongoing process of uniting the ummah are the current realities of the world, he added.

At the same time, the arrogant hegemonic powers’ hostility toward Islam has become more all-encompassing because they view the general awakening of the Islamic world as a great danger, he said.

The Leader also stated that issues such as the talk of a new crusade, the insults to the Great Prophet of Islam, and the attempts to depict Muslims as cruel people are all part of a plot to undermine the identity of the Islamic front.

Sowing religious and ethnic discord among Muslims is the policy of the “hegemonic front”, he observed.

Islamic unity should be strengthened to meet this policy head-on, and thus this year has been named the Year of National Unity and Islamic Solidarity, he added.

“Misinterpretations, delusions, misunderstandings, and ignorance about one another’s beliefs” are the major obstacles to solidarity, Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

In its confrontation with Islam, the “hegemonic front” does not differentiate between Shias and Sunnis, he said.

The Leader called on the Muslims to avoid ethnic and religious conflicts and to acknowledge their common enemy.

By relying on the strength and abilities of their own citizens, Islamic governments can be much more powerful than if they rely on the United States, he pointed out.