Leader: Britain constant source of threat and misery for West Asia

Last Saturday, Rabi al-Awwal 17, on the occasion of the auspicious birthday of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hosted a gathering of senior Iranian officials, representatives of Muslim countries in Tehran, and ulema and scholars from around the world who participated in the 30th International Islamic Unity conference in Tehran.

He told the audience that as per the wording of the holy Qur’an, God sent the Prophet of Islam, not for any particular people, geographical area, or a period of history, but as “mercy for all creation”. In view of this factor, he said, universal brotherhood, especially Islamic solidarity is the need of the hour, since they are two kinds of currents in conflict with each other in the region – the current for Muslim unity and the current for division and discord, espoused by Global Arrogance through its backing of Godless terrorists masquerading as Muslims, in order facilitate the meddling of foreign powers in the region. Under such sensitive conditions, he added: “reliance on the holy Quran and the teachings of the Grand Prophet” is the best way to forge unity among Muslims, so as to end the suffering of the Ummah.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution elucidating the dynamic role of the Prophet of Islam in opening the way for the salvation of the entire humanity, said: “The enemies of humanity and those with money and power are opposed to these blissful teachings and for this reason, God had ordered the Prophet to avoid any compromise with infidels and hypocrites, and to deal seriously with firmly striving in the way of God, that is, Jiahd.”

He clarified the meaning of Jihad, saying: “Of course, depending on different conditions, the Jihad against the enemies of Islam and humanity is sometimes military, sometimes political and at other times [it may be] cultural or even scientific and Muslim peoples, especially religious preachers and youths, must study and know the ethereal teachings of the Last Prophet in order to be able to take advantage of this vital legacy.”

Ayatollah Khamenei then pointed to increasing efforts by Global Arrogance and neo-colonialist powers to sow division and weaken the power of Muslims, saying, “Today, the Islamic world is afflicted with numerous tribulations and pains, the solution for which is unity, synergism, cooperation and overcoming religious and intellectual differences under the aegis of many Islamic commonalities.”

He went on to note that if Islamic peoples and governments were united, the US and the Zionists would not be able to impose their demands on Muslims and the conspiracy to push the issue of Palestine into oblivion, would fail.

The Leader said assaults on and massacre of Muslims from Myanmar in East Asia to Nigeria in West Africa as well as confrontations among Muslims in the very important West Asia region were results of divisive conspiracies of the arrogant powers. They are being murdered everywhere. In some places, they are killed by Buddhists, and in some places they are killed by Boko Haram, DAESH and the like. And some people fuel the fire of such discord. English Shia and American Sunni are the same. All of them are the same. They are the two edges of one pair of scissors. They are trying to pit Muslims against one another. This is the message that the willpower of discord – which is a satanic willpower – is conveying, but the message of unity is that Muslims should pass through such discord, that they should stand by one another’s side and that they should work together.

The Leader said: Today, if you look at the statements that arrogant powers and occupiers of nations’ vital spaces make, you see that they invite to discord. Since long ago, the British policy has been described like this: “divide and rule.” During the time when Britain had some power, this was its policy. Today too, this policy is being adopted by material powers in the world – whether the US or lately again, Britain. The British have always been a source of malevolence in our region. They have always been a source of misery for nations. Perhaps, the blows that they have delivered to the life of nations in this region have few peers in other parts of the world.  In the Indian Subcontinent – which is comprised mainly of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in the present time – they delivered severe blows and they pressured the people in a very harsh manner. They did so in Afghanistan, in Iran and in Iraq in different ways. And the last example is Palestine which is the place where they made that disgusting and malevolent move. They rendered Muslims and – in fact – a nation homeless and they made them drift away from their own homes.

Ayatollah Khamenei further said on the conspiracies and plots of the British against Muslims: A historic land, namely Palestine – whose history has been recorded since millennia – was destroyed by this British policy. For the past two centuries, that is, from 1800 onwards – the British have done nothing but behaving in an evil and corrupt manner and issuing threats. This is while that British official [Prime Minister Theresa May] comes here and says that Iran is a threat to the region.

The Leader posed the question: Is Iran really a threat to the region? Then he said: It requires a great deal of shamelessness for those who have been a source of threat, danger and misery in the region to accuse our oppressed and dear country. They are like this. He added: “Under these conditions and circumstances, the British-version of Shi’a Islam and the American-version of Sunni Islam are busy stoking unrest and creating discord like two blades of a pair of scissors.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further noted that since the signs of Islamic awakening emerged in the region, the activities leading to the creation of discord have increased in number. They considered discord as a tool for dominating nations. Since the time when they felt that new ideas, new Islamic thoughts, the resistance of nations, and the revival and liveliness of peoples are coming into being, the seditious movement of the enemies has intensified. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic – which raised the flag of Islam, which held up the Holy Qur’an, which said proudly that it would implement Islam, which enjoyed power, politics, resources, armed forces and everything else at its disposal and which benefitted from these things and strengthened them on a daily basis – in Iran, this seditious movement has intensified

To vociferous cries of “Allahu Akbar” from the gathering, the Leader said: The enemies of Islam strengthened the seditious Takfiri outfits in order to confront Islamic uprising and this Islamic dignity. As long as Islam offered awakening to nations, it was a source of danger for them, but the kind of Islam that does not have any government, army, political system, money and a great and God-oriented nation is different from the kind of Islam that has all these things. He mentioned the rise in anti-Islam activities of arrogant powers following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran as a sign of their fear of the establishment and continuation of a powerful Islamic establishment, which can be a pioneer and role model. He pointed out: “The enemies, even when they claim to be soft-mannered and have a desirable countenance, are in the depth of their nature wild and violent and nations must be ready for the encounter with these vile, irreligious, and unjust enemies.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described “unity” as the most important field of readiness needed by the Islamic world and added, “All Islamic schools of jurisprudence, both Shi’as and Sunnis, must avoid sowing discord and take the valuable being of the Prophet, the Holy Quran and the Noble Ka’ba as the axis of unity and solidarity.” The Leader of the Islamic Revolution then called for more vigilance of nations and governments in the face of mischiefs by hegemonic powers and added, “Why some countries, which are apparently Islamic, accept what the enemies say about internal threats and hostilities in the Islamic world and clearly follow their policies?” Concluding his remarks, the Leader addressed the “dear and tested nation of Iran” and noted that “the continuation of the proud path of the [late] Imam [Khomeini] and the revolution,” “steadfastness in the face of the enemies,” and “unrelenting defense of the right and truth,” would undoubtedly bring dignity and bliss to Muslims both in this world and the afterworld.

Before the speech of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, President Hassan Rouhani described the blessed birth anniversary of the Prophet of Islam as the day for inviting people to what is right and all moral virtues and added, “The way of the Venerable Prophet, was not to choose the middle way between the right and wrong, but when it came to choosing the right, he chose the best path and this is the real meaning of moderation.”

Emphasizing the need to achieve material and spiritual progress in parallel, the Iranian president said, “Today, enthusiasm of the country’s youths for spirituality and their vivid presence in spiritual arenas is more than the past and with regard to material advances, as reported by the Central Bank, the country’s economic growth has reached 7.4 percent during the first six months of the current [Iranian calendar] year.”

Rouhani also touched upon the situation in the region and while noting that some groups and currents have tarnished the image of religion with terrorism and violence in the name of the Prophet of Mercy, added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the oppressed nations of the region against terrorism and will continue to do so.”

He then took to task some Islamic governments that are worried and upset about the achievements of the people and armed forces in Iraq and Syria in their fight against terrorism, adding, “Unfortunately, instead of being concerned about the oppressed people of Syria as well as women and children and the injured and homeless people in [the Syrian city of] Aleppo, some Islamic governments are concerned about the fate of terrorists and are seeking their safe exit from Aleppo.”

AS/SS