RNA – During a visit to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala and to the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Shaykh Mahdi al-Sumayda’i, the Grand Mufti of Iraq, called for unity in ideology, compromise and to make efforts toward the unity of Iraq and said, “The Iraqi people must be united until the knife which is on the necks of the Iraqi people and which wants to cut them or divide Iraq is removed.”
The Sunni scholar referred to the sedition that has overtaken Iraq and called it a “great sedition” and a project that the Western imperialists have created to control and enslave the people and to divide Iraq and added that this conspiracy was completely planned in advance.
Shaykh al-Sumayda’i said the sedition has demonstrated itself with sectarian, ethnic, tribal and historical slogans until the plans which the former Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, had emphasized were implemented.
“Biden presented a plan to divide Iraq into three regions and now most politicians toward this goal,” he said.
The Grand Mufti pointed out that the politicians who meet outside Iraq on behalf of the Sunni community are not real Sunnis and we are innocent of them and we refuse to divide Iraq.
He stressed that Iraq is not an Iraq without Sunnis, Shi’ahs and other sects and commented on the calls to end the role of the Popular Mobilization Forces as an official institution in Iraq, saying, “We will not destroy our homes with our own hands.”
The senior Sunni cleric asserted that the Iraqi government cannot make a firm decision or have the courage to stand against the projects and conspiracies of the United States to divide Iraq and added, “By applying titles such as Kurds, Arabs, Shi’ahs, Sunnis etc. the US was able to undermine the unity of the Iraqi people.”
Shaykh al-Sumayda’i said, “As the Grand Mufti and one of the congregational prayer leaders in Iraq, I have a great responsibility and have made promises to all the Iraqi people.”
In this regard, he continued, stressing, “Today, our religion, creed, morality and humanity call on all the people of Iraq, in the name of Iraq and the name of Islam, to be united so that we can put this knife, which is placed on our necks and which wants to divide us, aside.”
He added, “With society, unity of thought, agreement and effort, we can turn this knife on the enemies and those who want to divide Iraq.”
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