TEHRAN – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the U.S. is using “religion” and “ethnicity” to create frictions among people.

The Leader’s remarks were read out in a congress commemorating Muslim Kurdish Peshmerga martyrs in the western city of Sanandaj on Monday.

He also said the enemy failed to use religious and ethnic diversity to undermine security in the Kurdish populated regions of Iran.

The Leader went on to say that during the early years of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the anti-revolution elements made efforts to undermine security in the Kurdistan region, but the hearts and minds of the Kurdish people, including Kurdish ulema, were with the tenets of the Islamic Revolution.

The Leader also pointed to the fact that “the enemy will not sit still” and will use its abundant security, financial and propaganda tools “as long as it can” to show animosity toward Muslims.

Unfortunately, Ayatollah Khemenei said, some people fall prey to the plots of religious prejudice ignited by enemies.

Pointing to the necessity of vigilance by the loyalists of the Islamic Revolution, the Leader said those who under the cover of support for Sunnis target Shias have no loyalty to “Sunnism and Islam” and those who under the pretext of Shiism provoke prejudice against Sunnis also “have no religious motivation”.

In a reference to Britain’s considerable experience in creating conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims and taking advantage of it, the Leader raised question about the honesty a plan by the U.S. Congress to support Iraqi Sunnis against ISIL and asked: Do they really have interests in Sunnis?

He said, “They are against anything that has any sign of Islam; and for them there is no difference between Shia and Sunni and issues such as religion and ethnicity are just pretext for sowing discord.”


NA/PA