President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday unity among Muslims cannot be promoted by merely repeating the word "unity", emphasizing that achieving unity "requires tolerance and patience" among Muslims worldwide.
Addressing a conference on the Islamic Unity in Tehran, Rouhani urged Muslim nations to take "practical" measures on the path toward fostering unity and said instead of holding various gatherings and chanting slogans, "today we should join hands and all Islamic scholars should make efforts so that the Muslim world will enjoy unity," IRNA reported.
Hundreds of Sunni and Shiite scholars and intellectuals from more than 60 countries are attending the 28th International Islamic Unity Conference with the theme of "Unified Islamic Ummah: Challenges and Strategies."
The participants will discuss ways to promote unity and solidarity among Muslims and will focus on problems facing the Muslim world, such as the threat posed by takfiri militants.
A takfiri is a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of heresy.
The President went on to say that over the past year, the Muslim world has witnessed conflicts, disputes and incredible wars and atrocities.
Rouhani said a group of mercenaries is sullying the image of Islam, adding that they are committing atrocities in Iraq and other Islamic countries in the name of Islam.
He said these militant groups are defaming Islam by slitting the throats of innocent men and women.
"Today we see that houses, cities and buildings are being destroyed in the name of Jihad and (Islamic) caliphate. While certain states remain silent (on such acts), others are providing these savage murderers with weapons and money," the president lamented.
He noted, "If we are really looking for unity in the Islamic world, we should not differentiate between Sunni (Palestinians under Israeli siege) in Gaza, Alawites in Damascus, Zaydis in Yemen, Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as the entire Muslim world; we should call all of them the united Islamic Ummah (one community)."
Rouhani underlined that "The Islamic Republic of Iran as a great power in the region and the Muslim world, under the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei), will support any Muslim group that is standing against violence, extremism and terrorism; be it in Gaza, in Damascus (in Syria), or in (Iraq's) Mosul, Kurdistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan or any other parts of the world."
