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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Scholars urge Iran to prevent sectarian strife |
| 2008-10-18 |
| A body of Muslim scholars led by influential Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has urged Shiite Iran to prevent sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. The International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a statement late Thursday saying it "invites the Islamic republic of Iran to assume its responsibilities to stifle sectarian sedition and extinguish the flames of this sedition." The union issued the call following a meeting on Wednesday in the Gulf state of Qatar which was attended by the body's vice-president Iran's Ayatollah Mohamad Ali Tashkiri. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, came after controversy triggered last month by the Egyptian-born Qaradawi who described Shiites as "heretics" and accused them of "invading" Sunni societies. The dispute between Qaradawi and Shiite scholars emerged in the aftermath of statements the former made to the Egyptian independent al-Masry al-Youm in which he warned of a Shiite infiltration of Sunni nations. Qaradawi said at the time that he was responding to criticism by Tashkiri and another prominent Shiite cleric, Lebanon's Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, of earlier remarks he had made about a Shiite "invasion." In its statement the union underscored "the need for mutual respect between" Sunnis and Shiites and said there should be a stop to any attempt to "spread one faith across regions dominated by the other faith." Sunnis represent the majority of Muslims in the Middle East, but Shiites form the majority in Iran and Iraq and have a substantial presence in Lebanon. Sunni leaders in the region have voiced concern about a Shiite resurgence following sectarian strife between the two communities in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime in the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and its replacement by a Shiite-led government. |
| Posted by:Fred |