Shia-Sunni Unity in Iran Has Become a Global Discourse

: Secretary-General of World Forum for Proximity

According to Taghrib News Agency, Hojatoleslam Hamid Shahriari said on Thursday, August 21, at the conference in Gorgan: "Our trip to Golestan had two fundamental goals: first, to thank the faithful people and the Shia and Sunni scholars of this province who brought honor by being present and supporting the system of the Islamic Republic in the recent 12-day war, and second, to examine and strengthen the process of Islamic unity at the national and global levels."

The Four Axes of the Islamic World

Dr. Shahriari stated that the people of Golestan, through their timely presence on the scene, courageous statements, and open support for the Islamic system, showed that they have a serious sense of ownership and responsibility toward the Islamic Revolution. He noted that this solidarity is a manifestation of the discourse of Islamic unity that has now expanded across the Islamic world and even beyond.

He identified the four main axes of the Islamic world as the Axis of Resistance led by the Islamic Republic, the Egyptian Axis centered on Al-Azhar, the Saudi Axis, and the Turkish Axis. He added that the discourse of resistance, founded by Imam Khomeini and completed by the Supreme Leader, established new values in the Islamic world, such as human dignity, justice, freedom, and independence. He connected the martyrs offered in the recent 12-day war to these values and stated that the enemy was forced to accept a ceasefire after suffering a heavy blow and revealing its weaknesses.

Global Reach of Iranian Unity

The Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity emphasized that the discourse of Islamic unity has led even non-Muslims to defend the oppressed people of Gaza, as its foundational principles are based on human dignity. He added that justice, freedom, and security—as fundamental human needs—have caused the discourse of Iranian Islamic unity to be exported beyond its borders.

Hojatoleslam Dr. Shahriari pointed to a shift in the approach of some Islamic countries, noting that Egypt's Al-Azhar has increasingly emphasized Sunni-Shia dialogue in recent years, and Sunni scholars in Lebanon have recognized the Supreme Leader as the leader of the Islamic nation. He said these developments show that Islamic unity is no longer an internal issue but has become an international movement.

He also pointed to developments in Saudi Arabia, stating that the Saudi axis, which for years was engaged in promoting Wahhabism and takfir (excommunication), has now moved toward a discourse of unity and proximity. He cited the invitation of Shia scholars to an Islamic unity conference in Mecca as a major change in Saudi religious policy that shows the influence of the Islamic Revolution's discourse.

A Path Toward a Single Islamic Nation

Hojatoleslam Dr. Shahriari continued: "These achievements are the product of nearly half a century of efforts by Iranian Shia and Sunni scholars on the path of Islamic unity." He stated that the unity that was formed in Golestan and Iran has now been exported to the Islamic world and has become a sustainable culture.

The Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity concluded by stating that this path will continue until the "one Islamic nation" is achieved, and that with God's will, a day will come when a real unity of Islamic countries will be witnessed.