News > Statements&Communiqués > 12/10/2006 A.D , 19 Ramadan 1427 H

The Religious Authority, Ayatullah Al Ozma, Sayyed M. H. Fadlullah saw that the catastrophe the Muslim world lives in. with the growth of the culture of fragmentation and rigid sectarianism at the expense of the Islamic open culture, represents a great danger that threatens the future of the Muslims and their homelands.

He emphasized the need of the senior Shiite and Sunni clerics to hasten and protect Islamic unity.

His Eminence issued an appeal to the Muslims in these blessed days of fasting that says:

In these blessed days of the Month of Ramadan that Allah meant to act as a means of fortifying Islamic unity, the Muslim and Arab nations are living in the middle of two fires: The fire of occupation in some of our courtiers such as Palestine Iraq and Afghanistan, and the fire of sectarian strives that destroys everything and everybody as in the continuous spilling of blood in Iraq and the sectarian strife that moves from one place to another, as in Pakistan. The tragic thing in all these strives is that they are, especially in this blessed Month, killing more innocent people whom Allah has prohibited to kill.

It is as if the Month of Mercy is intended to change to a month of internal strife and killing, although it is known to be the month of grand victories against the infidels and those who ascribe partners to Allah, thus providing "evidence" to the escalating Western accusations that Islam encourages violence and does not accept the views of others.

This picture that portrays some Muslims as criminals who are not deterred from killing one another represents a great catastrophe. For, in addition to proving that Muslims are not committed to Islam and do not respect the human being's life that Allah has prohibited to take except for a valid reason, it also indicates a state of indifference towards the current aggressions against Islam, especially that all this is coinciding with an arrogant offensive though the media and political campaigns that aims at eradicating Islam as a religion, regardless of the Muslims' sects or races.

It is really shameful that the blood spilled daily, whether by the American and Israeli occupations or by certain groups that are not afraid of Allah and that serve occupation in one way or anther... It is pitiful that this blood does not drive the Muslim Shiite and Sunni' clerics to act quickly.

Verbal condemnations or conference communiqués are not enough. We should create a mechanism that enables us to stop the bleeding on the ground whether in Iraq or in Pakistan, and to prevent it from spreading to other places, since it is undermining our causes and our future. The Sunni and Shiites clerics should make every effort to protect the Islamic unity that represents the strength and the fortification of the nation.

If we examine the differences that have been incited between the Sunnis and the Shiites, we will find that they are of a political background whether regarding the relations with the super powers or the inter-state regional ones.

The concepts of Shiism of Sunnism are irrelevant in these differences and it is unrealistic to consider these political differences as sectarian problems.

The question of Shiism and Sunnism should be discussed by the proper clerical institutions, and it has nothing to do with the political reality.

We do not deny that there are certain negative reactions, but these should be considered as isolated popular phenomena and not political ones.

We have to work at retrieving the leading role of the Islamic world so that it will not remain an echo to what the American envoys to the region say.

Our movement, both Arabs and Muslims, should be part of a carefully studied plan to confront the continuous undermining of the Arab and Muslim worlds to oust it from decision circles. We also want the Organization of the Islamic Conference to get out of the circle of being submitted to the Americans.

There is a dire need for a rational and moderate Islamic upheaval that would contribute in saving the world, and strive to refute the accusation that certain Western and international circles who are suggesting that the Muslims constitute an imminent threat to world peace. Moreover, the Muslim world should try to solve its own problems, especially that the arrogant powers make use of these problems to create divisions and conflicts that serve their own interests and that of Israel.

We should all know that we are entering a decisive stage and that the American and Zionist arrogance that faces great difficulties in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, wants to create internal wars that move from one place to another. It might also try to conclude circumventing deals or create sectarian strives. Therefore I appeal to the Sunni and Shiite scholars of the nation as well as all faithful political leaders and all those who care for the supreme interest of Islam to hasten to confront those murderers who deem it lawful to spill the blood of Sunni or Shiite Muslims.

I appeal to our peoples especially in Iraq, Pakistan and anywhere that the sectarian strife might find an outlet, to confront any attempt to create strife and to confront those murder groups and not to support them by any means.

Dear loved ones:

The blood of the innocent Sunnis and that of the innocent Shiites is Haram (prohibited) and whoever deems it lawful to kill them deserves God's punishment.

Moreover, those who encourage killing the innocent or remain silent are partners in these crimes.

We have to confront these criminals with a unifying Islamic spirit that inspires from the Month of Ramadan the meaning of commitment and piety, before we are usurped by the nations that have already begun their campaign … “Be my witness O God, that I have conveyed".