Karbala Friday Prayers Leader:

Sectarianism only serves terrorists' interest

Rasa – The representative of Ayatollah al-Sistani said the entire Middle East, including Iraq, is currently facing very difficult circumstances and more than ever, everyone must stand united against ISIL because dissension and sectarianism only serves the interest of these terrorists.

News ID: 3620

Date: 27 November 2015 - 20:31

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large crowd of believers in Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi stressed on the need for public cooperation to fight the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, explaining that the entire Middle East, including Iraq, is currently facing very difficult circumstances and more than ever, everyone must stand united against ISIL because dissension and sectarianism only serves the interest of these terrorists.

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani called for Iraqi political parties to abandon their differences and devote their efforts to countering terrorism. He also called for a united political discourse and said that the Iraqi people must pursue all means to rid their country of ISIL terrorists. This necessitates the increased support and collaboration of all regional countries to counter ISIL.

He stressed that in order to defeat ISIL, the Iraqi government must to provide more support to those forces fighting the terrorists and develop plans with the support of the people in areas still occupied by ISIL to liberate these areas, engage in reconstruction and for all Iraqis to live in tranquility, dignity and equality with each other.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Safi pointed to the upcoming commemoration of Arbaeen, which marks the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, his family and companions, saying that millions of lovers of the ‘Master of the Martyrs’ will be pouring into his heavenly court in Karbala from around the world over the next few days.

He also called on the security forces charged with protecting the pilgrims to do their utmost to protect them and provide a safe atmosphere for them to perform their religious rituals and return to their homes.

The Iraqi scholar also called on the warriors “who are at the forefront of the war against the terrorists” not to leave their areas under any circumstances, saying they can recite Ziyarat Arba’in from their trenches.

His Eminence urged the pilgrims to take advantage of the virtues of their pilgrimage and stressed that those who walk for Imam Husayn must walk for the sake of increasing their religious knowledge and strengthening their moral virtues and added that they should take advantage of the presence of scholars and missionaries from the Islamic Seminaries who are also walking to Karbala.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Safi said pilgrims must strictly avoid causing sedition and division among the believers and not use these tragic days for the political or religious advantage of specific interest groups. “Mourners must strongly reject any new phenomena which are not appropriate with the practices and rituals of Arba’in and adhere to the traditional slogans and rituals,” he said.

Karbala’s Friday prayer leader also called on the country’s security forces to do everything in their power to protect the pilgrims and uphold the glory of the Arba’in commemorations.

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