Ayatollah Makarem backs call by Sheikh of al-Azhar to disavow terrorism

AhlulBayt News Agency - Religious leader Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi in a statement on Sunday backed a call by the Sheikh al-Azhar Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed el-Tayeb on Shia and Sunni Muslims to disavow terrorism and the crimes against humanity.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said that the decree helps prevent carnage of Muslims and Islamophobia masterminded by ignorant westerners.

In the decree, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar has invited all religious leaders whether Shia or Sunni Muslims to unanimously disavow the crimes against humanity and the atrocities being systematically perpetrated by the extremist groups, Ayatollah Makarem said.

al-Azhar has always called for proximity among Shia and Sunni Muslims and made great achievements to this end, he said.

Sheikh al-Azhar in his letter has invited all Ulema whether Shia or Sunni Muslims to attend a gathering at Al-Azhar university to mull issuance of unique religious decree to prohibit massacre of Muslims in order to put an end to the savage crimes of extremist groups against humanity, Ayatollah Makarem said.

Iran hails the move and believes that such an initiative will prevent carnage of innocent Muslims and subsequently prevent promotion of Islamophobia masterminded by the west and let the world people understand that such act of violence is prohibited by Islam, he said.

Even killing of non-Muslims by the terrorist groups at any place in the world is Haram and has nothing to do with Islam, he said.

He expressed the hope that the statement to be endorsed to help salvage the Muslims from such heinous miscreants.