TEHRAN- On the occasion of Islamic Unity Week, Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday greeted the people on the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), noting that Shia-Sunni unity is the foundation to the Islamic Republic of Iran's success in a number of areas.

Congratulating Muslim nations worldwide, he stressed that Unity Week is a sign of Shia-Sunni cooperation and unity in support of Iranians and the Islamic Revolution.

When the nation required participation and sacrifice, the Sunnis and the Shias were present in all areas and made Iran stronger than before, he said. 

“We saw this togetherness during the Sacred Defense and other events in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the senior legislator said, referring to Saddam Hussein’s war against Iran in the 1980s.

Ghalibaf highlighted that Shia-Sunni concord is essential for Iran's success in all endeavors.

Shia tradition holds that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was born on the seventeenth day of the lunar month of Rabi' al-Awwal. On the other hand, according to Sunni tradition, he was born on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal.

Based on the decree of the late Imam Khomeini, the Muslims around the world observe Islamic Unity Week between these dates.