The World Congress on Extremist and Takfiri Movements in the Islamic Scholars’ View, which has been scheduled for November 23-24, started its work on Sunday, according to Press TV.
More than 600 Muslim scholars from over 80 countries are attending the two-day event and, according to reports, 40 percent of the participants are Shia and 60 percent of them are Sunni.
Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi is the chairman of the congress, and Grand Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani is the gathering’s scientific secretary.
Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi said during the opening ceremony that the gathering is aimed at finding ways to counter the threat of Takfiri ideology and extremism.
He said Takfiris harm both Islam and the human society, adding that work must be done in order to root out the extremist ideology of the Takfiris.
The Iranian cleric also stated that Takfiri militants are damaging the image of Islam by committing crimes in the name of Islam. He condemned the atrocities of Takfiri groups and said such heinous crimes have nothing to do with Islam.
Takfiris have sought to introduce Islam as the “religion of violence,” he said, adding that the true nature of Takfiris should be introduced to the world by Islamic scholars.
Meanwhile, the secretary of Iran’s Guardian Council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who was also present at the conference, said that the issue of Takfiris is among the major issues of the Islamic world.
He said Takfiris threaten the basis of Islam.
The ISIL terrorists control large areas of Syria and Iraq. They are engaged in savage crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.
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