TEHRAN— Speaking at the gathering of the ambassadors of Islamic countries in Tehran, Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi stressed the need for unity among Islamic countries. He also criticized normalization with the Israeli regime.

At the beginning of the meeting which was attended by Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the president noted that in the current circumstances, the Islamic Ummah needs unity. 

The Takfiri movement has become the infantry of the enemies of Islamic Ummah

Raisi continued by saying that the Takfiri movement, which feeds on the blood of the Islamic world, is a clear deviation from the straight path of the unity of the Islamic Ummah. 

“This movement has now become the infantry of the enemies of the Islamic Ummah, and in line with their hegemonic interests, they are committing massacres of Muslims in various Islamic lands,” he added. 

Raisi went on to say that the oppressed nation of Afghanistan has been struggling with war, insecurity and displacement for many years. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been hosting Afghan refugees for more than forty years,” he added. 

The president continued by saying that it was expected that with the end of the war in the country, Afghan girls and boys would be provided with security, welfare and education, but now, unfortunately, there is a “dangerous and purposeful trend of promoting takfiri insecurity with foreign guidance, which seeks to ignite sectarian war, this time in another land of the Islamic Ummah.” 

According to Raisi, for this very reason, the Islamic Republic has always emphasized the real participation of all ethnic, religious and political groups in the future government of Afghanistan in order to minimize the possibility of abuse by the enemies of the Afghan people to achieve peace after years of suffering.

Referring to the brilliant and successful record of the Islamic Republic in fighting Takfiri sedition, Raisi said, “If it had not been for the struggle of the great commanders of the Islamic world such as Martyr Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes and Martyr Qassem Soleimani, today Daesh would have ruled in many countries.”

Even now, he suggested, the Islamic Republic is extending its hand of cooperation to all Islamic countries in order to act synergistically to deal with Takfiri movement when it comes to discourse and battlefield.

On the other hand, the president said, the Zionist regime is still a “serious threat” against the Islamic Ummah, and the “oppressed Palestine is the key to the unity of the Islamic Ummah.”

“If it had not been for the resistance of the faithful youth of the Islamic Ummah, the Zionists, like the Takfiris, would have swallowed the countries of the region,” Raisi added. 

The president then pointed out that Israel is a shaky regime. 

“State terrorism, systematic violations of human rights, the use of prohibited weapons against the people, increasing pressure on the people of Quds and the West Bank, and the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque have not contributed to the stability and security of the Zionist regime. Had it not been for the resistance of the youth of the Islamic Ummah, the Zionists, like the Takfiris, would have swallowed the countries of the region. The regime that has been causing insecurity, instability and displacement in the region for more than 70 years now not only cannot be a partner for peace, but also threatens stability and security wherever it goes,” he pointed out. 

Quds Day is the day of solidarity of the Islamic Ummah

In another part of his speech, Raisi referred to the role of Quds Day in keeping the issue of Palestine and resistance alive in the region, emphasizing, “Quds Day is the day of solidarity of the Islamic Ummah, and this day is the day of hope for the oppressed and the downtrodden, and the day of despair for the Zionist regime and the enemies of Islam. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven in practice that it does not abandons the hands of its brothers and friends in difficult days.”

At the same time, the president stated, Iran has offered a just, democratic solution based on international standards to resolve the grave problem of Palestine, and that is determining the fate of this land through the votes of all native Palestinians, including Muslims, Christians and Jews, and to create an inclusive state in the historical lands of Palestine, and “this initiative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution is one of the documents registered with the United Nations.”

The president added that the Islamic Ummah should not neglect the main issues of the Islamic world. 

“More than fifty years ago, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (currently known as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) was formed correctly in response to the crimes of the Zionist regime at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and today it is expected that internal divisions will not overshadow the OIC,” he added. 

He then noted that the internal disputes within the OIC should be resolved through dialogue.