Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran
urges Muslim resistance
against Israel, US
August 28, 11:39am
(PressTV)
Calls for Muslim unity and resistance to Israel and the US have
dominated an Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, with
speakers warning that failure to confront Israeli
aggression could see the threat spread from
Lebanon and Syria to other countries
across the region.
The remarks came as Muslim scholars and intellectuals gathered
at the mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam
Khomeini, for the 40th International Conference on Islamic
Unity, which opened in Tehran on Thursday.
The conference has brought together hundreds of Muslim
scholars and thinkers from around 40 countries under
the theme of Islamic unity in the thought of the
martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed
Ali Khamenei.
Speakers at the conference --- stressed the need to overcome
sectarian differences, strengthen solidarity among Muslims
and support the peoples of Palestine and Lebanon, while
stressing that unity is essential to confronting US and
Israeli efforts to dominate the region.
Lebanese scholar Sheikh Hassan Baghdadi said Imam Khomeini
elevated Islamic unity from a general principle to a strategic
project, linking it to the Palestinian cause and the
establishment of International Quds Day.
He said Palestine remains a central issue for the Muslim world
because it has been used by Western colonial powers as a
strategic foothold for intervention in the region and the
separation of Arab and Muslim countries.
“Today as well, the same expansionist plan of America and Israel
against Iran and the resistance front is being pursued, but with
patience, endurance and doing what we can, God willing,
we will prevail over this plan,” Baghdadi said.
He said Imam Khomeini also outlined a broader approach to
confronting threats, encompassing economic resistance,
work and production, military strength, domestic unity
and unity among Muslims.
Baghdadi said the need for such unity has become
more urgent amid the current regional situation.
“Today, more than ever, we need to adhere to this method
and choose Islamic unity to stand against aggression
and oppression,” he said.
‘Unity’ as a way out of sectarian division
Baghdadi also emphasized the role of rapprochement
among Islamic schools of thought in reducing
sectarian hostility and preventing Muslims
from falling into a cycle of mutual
accusations and takfir.
He said scholars who understand the jurisprudential
foundations of different Islamic schools are better
positioned to assess religious questions and
understand the points of agreement
among Muslims.
Rapprochement also allows Islamic scholars to better
understand developments across the Muslim world
and examine them through evidence accepted by
Muslims from the Quran and Sunnah, he said.
“Muslims must be made aware of what the enemies
and hypocrites want, and religious differences ---
must not be allowed to prevent Muslim unity,”
Baghdadi said.
He said even when governments prevent rapprochement
between religious schools, popular sentiment among
Muslims can continue to drive unity.
Baghdadi cited Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon
in 2000 and the 2006 Lebanon war, saying Muslims
across the Arab and Islamic worlds celebrated
victories for the resistance.
“Governments could not stop the
feelings of Muslims,” he said.
He said that Palestine could similarly serve as a unifying
issue capable of bringing Muslims together despite
sectarian differences.
“Palestine can be a comprehensive title that
brings Muslims together,” Baghdadi said.
US-Israeli hostility, wider regional threat
Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, custodian of Imam Khomeini’s
mausoleum, similarly warned that Israel’s threats
should not be viewed as confined to the
current front lines.
He said Muslim rulers should not assume that US
President Donald Trump and Israeli prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu are
acting in their interests.
“The rulers of the Islamic world, think that Trump
and Netanyahu are their well-wishers?!” he said.
“If we do not stand against the Zionists, tomorrow
Lebanon and Syria - will not be the only fields of
threat, and Saudi Arabia and Türkiye will also
be under their bayonets,” Khomeini said.
He urged Muslims to combine resistance
toward external enemies with greater
solidarity among themselves.
“Muslims ----- must stand against the enemies, but
among themselves they must act with affection
and kindness and take the initiative to resolve
each other’s problems,” he said.
Khomeini noted thatd unity is not merely a tactical slogan
associated with Imam Khomeini ---- but a lasting principle.
“Imam.... did not present unity as a tactical statement,” he
said. “Unity has been our slogan, it must be and it will be.”
He also pointed to the experience of Palestine and Lebanon,
saying those who stood with their peoples will be
vindicated, while those who failed to do so
will eventually face a moral reckoning.
Khomeini also directly appealed to Muslim scholars over
the assassination of Imam Khamenei, questioning their
response to the terrorist attack.
“Where are the scholars of the Muslim world?” he asked.
“Six months ago, one of the sons of the Messenger of God,
a pious human being, a symbol of confronting hegemony
and a voice for the freedom of Muslims in Palestine
and Lebanon and everywhere, was martyred by
the vilest of people,” Khomeini said.
He recalled Imam Khomeini’s warning - during the Iran-Iraq War
that regional rulers should not assume....... that supporting an
attack on Iran would leave them safe from its consequences.
He said that when Iraq attacked Iran, Imam Khomeini had warned
some rulers in the southern Persian Gulf that if Iraq succeeded
in overcoming Iran, it would eventually turn against them
as well.
“Less than a year after the end of the war,
it attacked Kuwait,” Khomeini said.
Khomeini praised the Iranian people for standing on their own feet
and resisting pressure, saying --- those who supported Iran have
fulfilled their duty to the Prophet, while those who did not will
eventually face him with shame.
Quranic teachings and responsibility
American Islamic thinker and Quran commentator Mohammad
al-Asi focused on the relationship between divine will and
human responsibility, stating that Quranic teachings on
struggle and defense require Muslims to understand
both their duty to act and their reliance on God
for the ultimate outcome.
Referring to the Quranic verse “Kutiba ‘alaykumu al-qital” —
“Fighting has been prescribed for you” — al-Asi highlighted
the grammatical construction of the verse - and its
implications: for understanding the relationship
between divine will and human responsibility.
He said Muslims are witnessing killings, massacres, ethnic
cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity -- and
that scholars and Islamic movements have to determine
their responsibilities in response.
“If scholars, thinkers and Islamic movements understand
this reality, they must determine their position toward
the duty they have in such circumstances,”
al-Asi said.
He also cited the Quranic verse “And victory is only from Allah,”
stating that human beings must fulfill their responsibilities
while recognizing that ultimate victory comes from God.
“We must ask ourselves whether we are performing
our duty with this spirit and this outlook,” he said.
Al-Asi also referred to verses at the beginning of the Quran’s
Surah al-Isra concerning the Al-Aqsa Mosque and urged
Muslims to reflect on their significance for the
Palestinian cause.
Unity presented as regional strategy
The conference’s discussions linked religious unity with broader
political and security questions facing Muslim countries, with
speakers stating that sectarian divisions weaken the ability
of Muslim societies to respond to external pressure.
The conference organizers have described Islamic unity as a means
of strengthening cohesion among Muslims, promoting cooperation
among religious scholars & thinkers and addressing challenges
facing Muslim countries.
The event is being held during Islamic Unity Week, the period
between the dates observed by Sunni and Shia Muslims for
the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon Him). The observance was established in Iran,
following Imam Khomeini’s call for Muslims to use
the occasion to promote unity.
Across the conference, the speakers' arguments converged on
the view that Muslim unity should go beyond ceremonial calls
for solidarity and serve as a practical response to regional
conflicts, sectarian divisions and foreign intervention.
_______________________________________________
'Ideological cover for war': Anti-imperialist
scholars condemn Guardian open letter
over Iran
August 28, 10:33am
(PressTV)
The Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective (AISC) has strongly
condemned an open letter published by The Guardian,
noting that its Western academics and signatories
have distorted history and provided “ideological
cover” for the intensification of the war
against Iran.
In a detailed response, the collective said the August 20 letter
creates a “false and dangerous equivalence” between the
defensive measures of the Islamic Republic of Iran and
the aggressive acts of the United States and Israel,
which it described as ---- “the most powerful and
genocidal imperialist forces in world history.”
It added that the letter fails to place Iran’s current circumstances
within the longer history of imperialist intervention in the region.
“The letter distorts history, obfuscates the current geopolitical
conjuncture, and provides ideological cover for the
intensification of the ongoing war against Iran,”
highlighted the collective.
The AISC said the letter refers to several historical events without
providing sufficient analysis, context or citations. It particularly
slammed the absence of Iran’s support for the Palestinian
cause and said the letter overlooked decades of
intervention involving coup attempts, wars,
mercenaries, information warfare,
sanctions, economic pressure
and sabotage by the US-
led imperialism.
Instead, the collective said, the letter offers only a “deracinated
acknowledgement” of the 1953 US-backed coup and a vague
reference to the 1988 executions in Iran.
The AISC said the historical omissions were particularly
significant given the continuing US-led pressure
campaign against Iran.
“As US imperialism accelerates and the resistance against it
strengthens, the battle of ideas continues to intensify,” the
collective said, adding that anti-imperialist intellectuals
have a responsibility to be “rigorous and vigilant.”
It said the circumstances surrounding The Guardian letter also
raised questions, noting that, at the time of its response, the
authors remained obscured and the social media page that
had originally posted the letter ....had been erased. The
collective described the document as an “alarming,
pro-imperialist document.”
AISC challenges the letter’s account of Iran’s history
A central part of the response concerns the Iran-Iraq War
and the events surrounding the 1988 executions.
The collective noted that Iran was fighting a US-backed Iraq after
the Iraqi invasion of 1980, which was carried out at the behest of
Washington. It said the war had a wider objective of "balkanizing
"Iran, toppling the Islamic Republic and regaining control over
the country’s state and resources.
The AISC also highlighted the role of the Mujahideen-e Khalq, or
MKO terrorist group, in the final stages of the war. It said the
group, funded and trained by the US and Israel, joined Iraqi
forces in an ultimately failed operation to invade Iran,
referring to the July 1988 incursion of terrorists
from Western borders, which was defeated
within days under Operation Mersad.
Against this backdrop, the collective disputed The Guardian letter’s
treatment of the 1988 executions, noting that the executions
largely targeted terrorist MKO members who had
participated in operations against Iran.
“Neither the US nor Israel have ever given up on destroying Iran, in
no small part because of the anti-zionism of the Islamic Republic
and its defense of Palestine,” it added.
The response further noted that the historical experience of the
Iran-Iraq War shaped Iran’s approach to national defense,
scientific development and economic self-reliance.
The collective rejected the letter’s call for the release of individuals
involved in the January riots, noting that the riots were an “urban
warfare campaign led by Mossad and CIA-backed mercenaries.”
It added ---- that concealing that history turns The Guardian
letter into “a form of academic counterinsurgency.”
The AISC then questioned the timing of the letter.
The collective pointed to the signing as coming after the deliberate
US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s hospitals, pharmaceutical clinics,
bridges, food and water storage facilities, and schools
during the war that the ggressors launched on
February 28.
It specifically named the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh School
in Minab, where 168 children and staff were massacred
in a double-tap strike.
It said the letter was published on the same day
the United States announced... what it called
“crushing economic warfare” against Iran.
'Treacherous statement'
The AISC also slammed the signatories themselves, saying
their actions reflected “a carelessness that is troubling.”
It said that -- many of the academics publicly support Palestine
but had nevertheless signed a letter condemning Iran, which
the collective described as the only country that “actively
and materially supports the Palestinian resistance.”
The response said some signatories subsequently claimed
they had not read the letter carefully, had been confused
by its creation or had been misled during the process
of collecting signatures.
The AISC said it was particularly concerned that the signatories
had not identified the authors of the statement, or explained
how their signatures were obtained.
“We are dismayed that the signatories still refuse to name
the authors of this treacherous statement and how their
signatures were acquired, despite claiming to have
been hoodwinked by them,” the collective said.
The collective said it expects the intellectuals who
signed the letter to approach the issue with
“clarity, urgency, and intellectual rigor,”
adding that --- if the signatories are
incapable of that... “silence, is
always an option.”