Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, counted moderation, unity and development as prerequisites to modern Islamic civilization opening the 31st Islamic Unity Conference in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

 
President Rouhani hailing the recent victories against Daesh, called the Muslim scholars and Shia and Sunni elites to maintain their unity as the ground towards modern Islamic civilization, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).
 
Sweet and Bitter
 
Iranian President said the 31^st Islamic Unity Conference is underway while world of Islam and regional nations are witness to both sweet and bitter developments calling the recent achievement of the resistance against Daesh as the glorious part of these gains.
 
He said, "Iraqi, Syrian, Lebanese armies and nations and all their supporters are jubilant over shaking the pillars of terrorism in the region and that the major part of the plots by arrogant powers and Zionism is foiled."
 
He stressed that the path to complete annihilation of terrorism in the region should be maintained.
 
"Regional nations and the whole world greatly owes to the counter-terrorism campaign" said the President and added," This terrorism was not a threat merely to the Middle East but a danger for Europe, US and the whole world; therefore, those who aspire security and global stability should feel gratified to the resistance though in reality they do not feel so."
 
President Rouhani expressed regret that some regional governments and Islamic countries have openly declared their friendship with Zionist government.
 
He said," while in the past cooperation between some Islamic countries and Zionists has been a shameful practice, at present it is openly declared that the Zionist regime is a friend and the resistance is their foe ."
 
President Rouhani added that Palestinian nation; Muslim elites and youths will not relinquish their hostility towards the Zionist regime and will maintain their struggle until liberation of al-Quds.
 
Plague of terrorists
 
Iranian President slammed the masterminds of Al Qaeda, Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region and numerated three plagues brought by the terrorists.
 
"We all know those who created terrorist groups and backed them with financial, military and intelligence assistance, but they themselves also suffered in the hands of terrorists.
 
He said," Terrorists killed the people, destroyed ancient monuments and terrified people delaying their move towards modern Islamic civilization."
 
Iranian President referred to background of hostile moves to block the development of Iran and said, "Following the victory of Islamic Revolution, enemies provoked an outside player against Iran to wage war against us and before the post-war reconstruction was impeded by a new challenge under the pretext of the  so-called "nuclear threat" to impose economic sanctions on the country."
                       
President Rouhani vowed that Syria, Iraq and other countries harassed with war will heal the war wounds saying," Sooner or later Shia and Sunni will join hands to reconstruct Iraq better than before, Yemen will also be liberated from aggressors but the lost time will not be compensated."  
 
According to President Rouhani, the second challenge against the world of Islam has been sowing division among different ethnicities and denominations.
 
He said," For centuries, Persians, Turks and Arabs coexisted, though your enemies in the 20^th and 21^st centuries sowed the seeds of division between Shia and Sunni who follow two roads towards the single destination."
 
President Rouhani referred to history of cooperation of Shia and Sunni in confronting their enemies and said," Different ethnicities did not have any problem living next to each other since they had learnt to lead Islamic fraternal ties."
 
He vowed that the enemies will be annihilated, wars will end though the hostility sparked by bloodshed will end only through our serious endeavor."
 
President Rouhani called on Muslim elites, seminary scholars and intellectuals both Shia and Sunni to shoulder the great mission of healing the wounds caused by arrogant powers.
 
Tarnishing the image of Islam
 
Iranian President in another part of his speech denounced those hostile against Islam and noted," Treachery against Iran, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine and Lebanon will be overcome but the heavy burden for all of us is to make up for the biggest treason committed against Islam, tarnishing its image in the world."
 
"Islam is the only religion with adequate capacities to attract the youths" stressed President and added," You scholars are in charge of a great mission and that is promoting the image of true Islam."
 
He said unity and development will not materialize without moderation because basically solidarity is not achieved through violence and terror.
 
What is unity?
 
President Rouhani, in another part of his speech, defined Islamic unity and said the objective realizes when followers of all denominations are respected and enjoy a life in coexistence with each other.
 
He said," We do not intend to flourish one denomination and underline the other; rather we want them grow all together."
 
"We do not intend to make one language for all Muslims since diversity of languages is a part of God's creation" said the President rejecting all types of discrimination and conflict because we are all the same in our principles and moral values.
 
President Rouhani highlighted monotheistic ideology, Qur'an and Qibla as the shared asset of all Muslims.
 
He said," We are not Jews to confine our religion only to one race, our religion belongs to different races from all nations."
 
Islam, religion of moderation
 
According to president Rouhani Islamic unity translates to standing together in a campaign against arrogant powers and colonial governments in an effort to liberate Islamic lands."
 
He hailed the Iraqi high ranking clerics for standing beside the nation and said," Had it not been for supportive role of the jurisprudence in Iraq, the country should have still been in the hands of Daesh."
 
He also hailed the solidarity of Shia with Sunni and Kurds with Arabs in Iraq and said Mosul should not have been liberated yet if it was not for their solidarity.
 
President Rouhani stressed," We are all together in morality and moderation as it starts from wisdom and rationality."
 
He noted that Islam maintains moderation even in war and punishment of perpetrators.
 
According to the Iranian president civilization is not achieved merely through power or knowledge, rather it starts with morality, solidarity and an end to war.
 
President Rouhani hailed different Islamic denominations and ethnicities for constantly maintaining their solidarity.
 
He said the security of Iran is owed to the solidarity of Iranian nation and said," This is one instance when fraternity and unity will lead to further development and prosperity.
 
Iranian president concluded that moderation, unity and development will lead to our final objective, modern Islamic civilization.
 
31^st Islamic Unity Conference opened in the Iranian capital of Tehran to discuss the theme of 'The Unity and Requirements of Modern Islamic Civilization' on December 5-7, 2017.
 
More than 200 Shia and Sunni scholars, activists and elites have convened for a three-day event held by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought."
 
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