TEHRAN – Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Friday that arrogant countries are deeply dissatisfied with the unity among Muslims.

“The global arrogance is deeply upset by the unity among Muslim peoples, and therefore it always seeks to sow division and create hypocrisy among Muslim peoples in order to achieve its goals and objectives,” Fars News quoted Vahidi as saying.
 
The interior minister pointed out that the families of the “defenders of the holy shrines” have a high position in society, saying “the rank of martyrdom is a sublime rank, and it was won by the dear defenders of the holy shrines, and in addition to their emigration, they also struggled for the sake of God and were consequently awarded the lofty medal of martyrdom.”

Defenders of holy Shrine refers to those who fought against terrorist groups, including Daesh, in Syria.

Vahidi emphasized that arrogant countries the “devils of the earth” resented all this jihad, pride and bonds between Muslim peoples.

“Given that the Iranian and Afghan peoples stand side by side with one slogan, unity of word and a unified demand, the global arrogance seeks to sow division among Muslims to prevent their unity and cohesion,” the minister remarked.

He pointed out that the love of Islam and Ahl al-Bayt created special bonds between the Iranian and Afghani peoples.

“Today, the terrorists are showing their malice and contempt in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and other cities of Afghanistan, and they are killing fasting people and innocent children for no reason other than believing in Islam and following the school of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.”

He said unbelievers see “purity, attendance in mosque, fasting and worshipping as unforgivable sins.” 

He considered the unity between the Iranian and Afghan peoples as stemming from the religious beliefs of the two nations.

The minister stated that the agents of arrogant countries are deeply resentful of unity among Islamic countries, and therefore they commit such crimes, adding such acts only result in an increase in Muslims’ belief and more solidity among Muslim peoples.

Afghanistan has lately become a flashpoint of repeated brutal acts perpetrated by terrorist groups. Over the last few weeks, Sunni and Shia mosques have been targeted with attacks that resulted in the injury and death of dozens of innocent civilians. 

Iran has condemned the rise in attacks in Afghanistan and warned of plots to instigate sectarian wars.  

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has expressed Iran’s concern about the recent wave of explosions in Afghanistan. 

He censured the “blind terrorist acts” that took place during the holy month of Ramadan in which more people attend mosques, describing the targeting of fasting worshipers as a “repulsive” act.

Referring to media reports that dozens of innocent people were killed and injured in one of the explosions in Mazar-i-Sharif on Thursday, Khatibzadeh wished patience for the families of the victims of the attacks and health and recovery for the injured.

He also condemned the bomb explosion at the Mawlawi Sekandar mosque in Kunduz province used by Sunni Muslims, wishing divine mercy for the martyrs and patience and divine blessings for the bereaved.

Khatibzadeh pointed to a series of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan over the past days and described the escalation of violence as a source of deep concern.

“The attack on the Sunni mosque in Kunduz Province, which followed yesterday’s attack on the Shia mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, clearly shows the evil goals of the terrorists serving as mercenaries for foreigners, who are seeking to create a civil war in Afghanistan,” he pointed out on Friday.

On Saturday, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi issued a message about the rising wave of violence in Afghanistan, warning of the rise of terrorist attacks against Afghan nation and the nations of the region. 

Ayatollah Raisi highlighted the responsibility of Afghanistan’s rulers in identifying and punishing those behind the recent attacks.