Martyred Leader’s vision of Islamic unity aimed to build a united Muslim Ummah

: Hujjat-ul-Islam Shahriari

The Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought said the vision of Islamic unity promoted by the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, was a strategic and civilizational project aimed at building a united Muslim Ummah.  

Speaking at the first webinar of the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference, Hujjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari said Ayatollah Khamenei’s emphasis on Muslim unity over nearly four decades had contributed to the development of a discourse, institutions and a model of peaceful coexistence among different ethnic and religious communities, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

He said the 40th conference was being held under the theme “Islamic Unity in the Thought of the Martyred Leader, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei,” against the backdrop of his death, which he described as a historic turning point.

Hujjat-ul-Islam Shahriari highlighted the establishment and activities of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought as one of the major institutional initiatives associated with the vision of Islamic unity. He said the forum had worked for nearly four decades to promote rapprochement among Islamic schools of thought and advance the idea of Muslim solidarity.

He said Ayatollah Khamenei’s approach went beyond theoretical discussions, arguing that it had produced a practical model of coexistence in Iran, where different ethnic and religious communities live alongside one another.

According to the senior cleric, Muslims with different religious backgrounds have learned to cooperate and strengthen one another while maintaining their distinct identities, describing this experience as a model that could be presented to the wider Muslim world.

He also pointed to Ayatollah Khamenei’s religious rulings as part of his approach to strengthening Islamic unity, including permitting Sunni Muslims to use their own form of the call to prayer and prohibiting insults against the sanctities of Sunni Muslims and other Islamic schools.

“These were not ordinary religious rulings,” Hujjat-ul-Islam Shahriari said, arguing that they were issued from the position of leadership of the Muslim Ummah with the aim of shaping a future based on greater unity.

The cleric described Islamic unity as an inclusive approach capable of bringing together different peoples, traditions and schools of thought and fostering tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

He further argued that the concept of a united Muslim Ummah is viewed as a threat by global powers opposed to Islamic solidarity, saying efforts to bring Muslim countries closer together could strengthen their ability to resist external domination.

Hujjat-ul-Islam Shahriari stressed that Ayatollah Khamenei’s ideas would continue after his death, saying the institutions, concepts and initiatives developed during his leadership remain active.

He called on Muslims to continue what he described as the martyred Leader’s path toward the “awakening of the Islamic Ummah,” presenting unity as a means of strengthening Muslims’ ability to confront what he called global arrogance and defend their interests.

The 40th International Islamic Unity Conference has brought together more than 100 scholars and intellectuals to examine Ayatollah Khamenei’s views on Muslim unity and their implications for the future of the Islamic world.