Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani strongly condemns massacre of Muslims in Myanmar

Tehran's provisional Friday Prayer Leader strongly condemned massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and called for Muslims' unity against the brutal killing of people in the Southeast Asian country.

According to Tasnim News Agency, addressing a large group of Iranian worshippers in Tehran, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani lashed out at the international bodies including the United Nations for their silence on ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Myanmar and described it as "surprising".

"May God bring these criminals to justice before their deaths," he added.

Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani also deplored efforts for expelling of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to the neighboring countries in particular Bangladesh.

Also in a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres published on Friday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned about the continuation of the ongoing crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, urging the international community and the United Nations in particular to take swift action to end the crisis.

“It is expected that the United Nations act swiftly and undertake all necessary measures towards addressing international concerns about the deteriorating situation in Myanmar,” Zarif said.

He added that Myanmar’s government must address the long-standing grievances and the miserable situation of its Muslim community, observe their rights in an effective manner and recognize them as equal citizens while protecting them in the face of violence and discrimination.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed Thursday that some 164,000 Rohingya Muslims had fled Myanmar’s Rakhine to seek refuge in camps in Bangladesh since the harsh crackdown against them.

SS