Global Mosque Day should renew Muslim unity, establish unified Ummah

Hujjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari made the remarks in an interview with Shabestan on the 57th anniversary of the arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying the holy site can serve as a point of convergence for Muslims and a powerful symbol of Islamic unity.

“Today, the most important message of Global Mosque Day for the Islamic world is a return to unity and the realization of a unified Islamic Ummah,” Shahriari said.

He said Global Mosque Day should remind Muslims of the mosque’s role as the “beating heart” of Islamic society and a center of faith, identity, solidarity and resistance.

The August 21, 1969 arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, which caused extensive damage to parts of the holy site, was not merely a historical incident, Shahriari said, but a warning about the need to protect Islamic holy sites and identity.

He stressed that Al-Aqsa should serve as a point of connection for all Muslims, regardless of sect or ethnicity.
“Shia and Sunni, Arab and non-Arab, and all Islamic schools of thought are one Ummah in defending al-Quds and Islamic holy sites,” he said, adding that Islamic unity is a strategic necessity for the dignity and strength of the Muslim Ummah.

Shahriari said a mosque in Islamic civilization is not merely a building but a center for worship, education, social solidarity and the formation of communal identity. Therefore, attacks on mosques amount to assaults on part of a people’s identity and cultural memory.

He said developments in Palestine and Gaza should be viewed as more than a military or political issue, stressing that Al-Aqsa is not merely a geographical location but the first qibla of Muslims and one of the most important symbols of the Islamic world’s shared identity.

“Defending Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian mosques is not defending one particular sect; it is defending the common heritage of all Muslims,” he said.

Shahriari also highlighted the potential of mosques in Europe, Africa, North America and elsewhere to present the true face of Islam, based on mercy, justice, ethics, human dignity and coexistence.

He proposed establishing a global network linking mosques, Islamic centers, scholars and prayer leaders across different countries. Such a network, he said, could promote interfaith dialogue, counter Islamophobia and defend Muslim rights while respecting differences among Islamic schools of thought.

He said the World Forum for Proximity could play a coordinating and facilitating role in establishing such a network.

Asked about a practical joint measure Muslims could take on Global Mosque Day to support Al-Aqsa and Palestinian mosques, Shahriari said support for Al-Aqsa and Palestine should be transformed from an annual observance into a continuous and collective movement.

He suggested that mosques worldwide organize educational programs on al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, explain Palestine’s place in Islamic culture, support the Palestinian people and strengthen ties among mosques and Islamic centers.

“The most important thing is to convey a clear and unified message to the world: Al-Aqsa Mosque belongs to the entire Islamic Ummah, and defending it is the shared responsibility of all Muslims,” Shahriari said.

He added that Global Mosque Day would achieve its true meaning if it brought Muslims closer together, encouraged Shia and Sunni communities to jointly defend occupied al-Quds and turned mosques around the world into centers of solidarity and unity.