Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi:

Saudis ‘not ready to engage in a rational and fair debate’

Rasa – Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi has issued a reply to Saudi Arabia over its claim that it is ready to engage in a debate Shi’a religious authorities “in order to explain the truth to them.”

News ID: 422484

Date: 21 June 2016 - 19:43

RNA – The office of Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi has issued a press release wherein he reacted to the invitation issued by the senior Saudi clerics to attend a debate session with them.

The statement is as follows:

Lately, some Saudi websites have quoted Shaykh Abdullah Sulayman, a member of the Saudi board of great scholars, as saying that their board is ready to engage in a debate with “those rational of the Shi’a religious authorities” in Saudi Arabia or Iraq in order to explain the truth to them.

He has also said that the basis of their arguments will be the Quran and the Prophetic tradition and that anyone who disagrees with their views is perverse and in error!

This kind of impolite and arrogant way of invitation shows that they are not yet ready to engage in a rational and fair debate. Thus, whenever they are ready to debate in a polite and rational atmosphere in order to resolve the ideological differences between the two schools of thought, the Shi’a scholars are ready to meet them in Iraq or Lebanon to have a debate.

If such a debate is agreed upon, then we will debate with them based on the Quran, the Prophetic tradition, and definitive rational proof, because the holy Quran has referred to rational proof as acceptable evidence in 70 verses.

We hope that such a meeting, based on mutual respect, fairness, and rational discussion will be held so that it can help to reduce the ideological disagreements between Shi’a and Sunni schools and also strengthen the unity of the Muslims.

Naser Makarem-Shirazi

June 20, 2016

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