Iranian Sunni scholars condemn ISIL savagery

Following the horrifying acts of savagery, in Iraq and Syria, by terrorists who belong to the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Mehr News Agency on July 7, 2014 quoted senior Sunni scholars in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan as denouncing the terrorist grouping as a creation of the West and calling on all Muslims to form a united front against it. Here is an excerpt of the report which features interviews with a number of prominent Sunni scholars:

“The barbaric acts of ISIL terrorists have drawn condemnation from a host of Sunni scholars in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province who have described the killing of a single human being as being tantamount to the murder of the entire humanity.

“A number of Sunni Friday prayer leaders and seminary scholars in Sistan and Baluchestan have denounced ISIL as a tool in the hands of major powers and said the ignorant members of ISIL are dealing a body blow to the Muslim faith.

“Mowlavi Nazir Ahmad Salami, a member of the State Assembly of Experts, said extremism which is a stumbling block to interfaith proximity is part of an anti-Islamic plot devised by an intelligent enemy. […]

“He further said ISIL apostates are bent on driving a wedge between Shiite and Sunni Muslims and thus help arrogant powers achieve their unholy objectives. The ultimate goal of Israel and arrogant powers is to pit Islamic sects against each other. They are aware of the fact that Muslims are sensitive about their beliefs and religion; that’s why they are the religious card to secure their evil goals. […]

Extremism which is a stumbling block to interfaith proximity is part of an anti-Islamic plot devised by an intelligent enemy.

“Mowlavi Abdolsamad Sadati, the Friday prayer leader of Saravan, described ISIL as a product of the West’s anti-Islamic thinking and said recent developments in the world of Islam and the brutal killings of Muslims at the hands of apostates are a direct result of plots hatched by the sworn enemies of Islam.

“No Muslim, anywhere in the world, would condone such crimes, he said, adding these violent measures come on the back of detailed planning by Western powers to undermine the Islamic community. […]

“Mowlavi Shams al-Haq Damani, who teaches at Iranshahr Seminary School, said groups that have the blood of innocent Muslims on their hands […] have no place in the ranks of Islamic denominations. […]

“He further said those who commit such heinous crimes in the name of Islam are either a bunch of ignorant individuals with no knowledge of Islamic principles and the Koran or have willingly fallen into the trap of arrogant powers. […]

Those who commit such heinous crimes in the name of Islam are either a bunch of ignorant individuals with no knowledge of Islamic principles and the Koran or have willingly fallen into the trap of arrogant powers.

“Mowlavi Abdolghani Barani, the imam of Zahedan’s Tuba Mosque, said the ignorance of a bunch of pseudo-Muslims who kill their coreligionists in the name of Jihad has given the enemy the opportunity to sit back and witness the undermining of Muslims.

“He added if you take a closer look at recent developments in some Muslim countries […] you will understand that Zionists in the West and in the US are supporting these terrorist groups who have been trained in the American and Israeli backyard.

“Mowlavi Mohammad Ali Shahnavazi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Khash, said that unfortunately the flames of violence and extremism are raging around the world of Islam and that bigotry is helping the enemies of the Muslim faith to sow the seeds of discord and fan the flames of sectarian fighting. […]

“He added the Muslim world should lead the way in the fight against extremism and be a harbinger for peace and compassion in the world.”

The Muslim world should lead the way in the fight against extremism and be a harbinger for peace and compassion in the world.

“And Mowlavi Abdolsamad Karimzai, the Sunni Friday prayer of Iranshahr, said spilling the blood of any human, even a non-Muslim, runs counter to Islamic and religious principles, adding anyone – whether Shiite or Sunni – who kills innocent people is not a Muslim. In fact, such individuals are serving the interests of the enemies of Islam through what their acts.

“If Muslims maintained their unity, their enemies won’t be able to achieve their evil goals in Islamic countries, he concluded.”