RNA – The Teachers’ Basij Organization of the Islamic Seminary of Qom have released a statement in regard to tragic massacre of hundreds of Shi’as in the northern Nigerian city of Zaria and the arrest of Shaykh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, the Shi’a spiritual leader of this West African country and the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.
The text of the statement is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Once again, Saudi Arabian-Zionist mercenaries have engaged in a massacre of the oppressed Shi’a Muslims of Nigeria and this proves the depth of their wickedness.
It is obvious that the mysterious hands of Wahhabis, who direct attacks against Shi’as all over the world and in Nigeria, are responsible for this brutal crime. They seek to spend large sums in order to disseminate the decadent culture of Wahhabism and Salafism and now with the ever-increasing spread of Shi’ism, all of their actions have been destroyed.
The rapid spread of Shi’ism in Nigeria and the formation of the largest Shi’a community in Africa has led to the frustration, desperation and helplessness of the Wahhabi clergy and media and they were compelled to engage in such a ludicrous action.
Has the Nigerian military ever denied the killing perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists who have seized several cities and engaged in the plunder, murder and deprivation of comfort to the oppressed people of Nigeria? The answer is clear because the sponsors of the evil and medieval Salafi ideology in the current era do not feel threatened from the likes of such groups but rather, they are the engineers and creators of such terrorist groups.
The Teachers’ Basij Organization of the Islamic Seminary of Qom condemn this outrageous crime and call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use its full capacities and follow up on this issue in the international community. The government of Nigeria should provide comfort and care for the victims of this tragedy, especially the wise scholar, Shaykh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, and to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime to prevent the repetition of such actions in the future.
The Teachers’ Basij Organization of the Islamic Seminary of Qom
December 16, 2015
On December 13th, Nigerian forces arrested Nigeria’s highest Shi’a cleric after carrying out a deadly raid on his private residence and the Baqiyatullah Husayniyah, killing hundreds of people who were trying to protect the cleric. Activists and local residents said that a large number of soldiers torched and destroyed several parts of Shaykh al-Zakzaky’s house before arresting the cleric.
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