News > Statements&Communiqués > 18/1/2007 A.D, 28 Zu Elhujja 1427 H

With the beginning of the new Hejra year and Ashoura, the Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, issued a statement in which he emphasized the necessity of making the season of Ashoura and the new Hegira year, a season of Islamic unity in all its meanings and dimensions that are inspired by the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (p.). This unity is translated by thrusting the reforming path in its cultural and humanitarian aspects in the world and following the teachings of Imam Al-Hussein (a.s.) through adopting the great concepts of his movement that sought to reform the deviation and return to the right path and inspired all the revolutionaries throughout history to refuse injustice and uphold justice.

His Eminence said: “The public speakers and whoever accedes the Hussaini platform, should present Ashoura as a model of an Islamic movement that seeks to consolidate the Islamic reality in its concepts and movement, in which Ashoura will remain a symbol of the real Islamic unity. This is because Al-Hussein (a.s.) was the Imam of all Muslims and not for a specific party and he will remain the cresset of all the freemen in the world. Thus, who ever tries to present the Hussaini movement in a sectarian context or attribute it to a specific party will be wronging this movement and neglecting the Islamic and sublime missionary principles that Imam Hussein has started his movement with. Thus, we should utilize Ashoura to make it a platform for protecting the Islamic unity and not for wronging it, since, Ahlel Beit (a.s.) sought most to unify Muslims and reject all means that may divide them.”

In the end of his statement, the Religious Authority saw that the state of the sectarian tension that turns it to a political tension in the Islamic world, in addition to the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Iraq and which the American occupation has furthered and is encouraging… this sectarian tension represents one of the most serious calamities that is afflicting the entire nation and threatening its fate. Thus, the arrogant American-Zionist entity concentrates on exploiting this calamity extensively, not only for the purpose of dominating the Arab and Muslim countries, but also to attack Islam as a whole to uproot and undermine the Islamic thought.

Moreover, this blind drift, in many of our Arab and Islamic countries, towards sectarianism in its fanatic and clannish meaning that is represented by the response of the group or some of its members to the call of sowing the seeds of discord among the different parties when the sectarian drums are beaten here and there, is a result of our ignorance and is due to the fact that we are not Islamically brought up to acknowledge that there is in the Islamic environment other parties that do not think the way we do, or do not adopt the same principles that we adopt. Consequently, the conclusions of these parties might be different from ours. For that reason, we should admit and respect these differences and be tolerant towards them. We should discuss them while observing the mutual respect towards one another, since the followers of every sect see that they represent a point of view in understanding Islam just like others. Besides, we should understand that no party can claim that it is the only party that has the right to monopolize the Islamic representation and the call for Islam or even to monopolize the right of defending Islam.

Besides, the problem is that, in our narrow communities, we are brought up on sectarianism and then we try to spread this sectarianism in our broader societies, while such sectarianism is not an intellectual one that comprises the basis of dialogue and understanding. That is why every party has closed the doors on itself and claimed that it is the one that represents the truth. Thus, we entered the mazes of fanaticism of the sectarian ego that is often a fanatic ego does not have the spirit, taste or smell of Islam.

For that reason, we believe that we can not get out of the maze of sectarianism except by defending our Islamic personality. This way out will not be achieved except by interacting with the issues from a wide Islamic perspective to see what Islam gains here and loses there. We should not only seek to gain individuals here and there for the interests of this sect or that, since in this way we will not be able to change the Islamic world, and because what threatens Islam surpasses the issues of Sunnis Shiites differences to reach Islam as a whole.

We should be aware of what America wants from the region, since the Bush administration started to think that the only way to get out of its impasse is to incite the Islamic sects against one another and inflame the fire of strife in Iraq and its neighbors. This administration is very insane to the extent that, despite of all its failure in the wars that it waged in the region, it sees that the only exit from the current impasse is to stir up internal strife that may pave the way for a big war in the region.

Moreover, the madness of this administration will lead it to burn its fingers with its coming attempts. Accordingly, Muslims should know that they should seize the opportunity to unite in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq in order to make America the one who will have to pay the price, especially after Bush had announced his new plan. They also have an opportunity to establish an axis of Islamic unity in order to confront the American plans, based on the so called moderate axis, since the aims of these plans have been exposed. Therefore, those who follow America can no longer bury their heads in sand, and those who are against its policy can no longer hide behind the events. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every body to establish the Arab Islamic axis that is able to confront the American-Israeli project that must pay for all the crimes it has committed against the region and against all humanity.