| Fadlullah received a delegation of the Muslim Scholars Gathering |
What saddens me is that the unionists do not think of mechanisms to implement that unity.
The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, received a delegation of the board of directors and trustees from the Muslim Scholars Gathering to discuss a number of Islamic issues, namely obstacles to Islamic unity and the religious scholars' responsibility in overcoming these obstacles through a unifying, scientific, and impartial discourse, in addition to the mechanisms necessary to protect the nation's unifying trend.
Sheikh Abed al-Nasser al-Jabri spoke for the delegation saying: "We in the Muslim Scholars Gathering are always keen to communicate with Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlullah and visit him regularly, not only to enjoy his blessing, but also to benefit from his tolerant Islamic ideology and his unifying positions, great experience and luminous mind.
We intend to espouse his wise directions at a time when honest guides and wise people have become scarce. We highly appreciate and respect this religious reference who has transcended the narrow sectarian barriers to a broader Islamic perspective. Ever since we have embarked on efforts to achieve Islamic unity, we have regarded Sayyed Fadlallah as being a great model, a guide and an advisor. We ask God to safeguard and give him health and prosperity so he carries on his efforts to enrich the human Islamic experience.
His Eminence Sayyed Fadlullah addressed the problems impeding the march of Islamic unity, "the most dangerous of which is when the Shiites and the Sunnis live in closed communities. Therefore, we have started to feel estranged whenever one of us tries to open a window through which to view different opinions from those ideological and political ones exchanged within our own sphere.
"He added: The continuous disagreements here and there are a sign of repeating the same mistakes, notwithstanding the increasing Zionist arrogant endeavor to provoke a sectarian conflict in the Muslim world. We have also noticed short-sightedness in citing this looming threat and we saw how fanaticism was provoked in more than one place, in addition to the attempt to restrain Islamic jurisprudent circles.
"He continued: As I follow up on the Islamic reality, it is very disappointing to see that the unifiers are not actually thinking of mechanisms to implement this unity, and that unity has become an illusion that we only use to imply that the Islamic world is united, and that sects are a source of diversity within the broad Islamic circle. But we have been plagued by an incurable disease: the subordination of these Islamic clerics to a certain political side or a particular regional country. The discourse of this side or that country is received like a revelation by these clerics, scholars and Islamic committees.
"The Sayyed also added: We as Muslims follow the pattern of the Prophet who worked for the benefit of all people without exception, abandoning narrow affiliations and appealing to a broader notion of human values. If we seek to reveal a truth, we must address it in an impartial manner; however, if we present this truth from a narrow fanatic perspective, it will inevitably collapse. Therefore, through the Muslim Scholars Gathering and all bodies working to achieve Islamic unity, we must open the narrow and closed circles for the sake of the causes of the nation and Islam. Let us have our own thoughts and stances without being subordinates to anyone, for subordination makes us succumb to fanatic titles, in what freezes the movement of Islam and restrains the Islamic unity at its outset.
"We ought to be loyal to Islam, both in terms of innovating new action methods and in terms of our mentality, because originality differs from subordination. We want the Muslim Scholars Gathering to study this reality carefully for the complications are many and the challenges engulfing our regions are immense, which we as preachers need to face and continue our political and jihadist action. Let us not be preoccupied by political titles at the expense of others, and work instead to promote intellectual, cultural, and scientific issues among others so as to create enough inner strength to face all challenges."