AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The religious affairs minister of Pakistan referred to the issue of Takfir as a major problem in the Muslims world today.
Takfiri Fatwas have created many problems for Muslims, Abdul Shakour Sardarkhan said, addressing the 36th International Conference on Islamic Unity, which kicked off here in the Iranian capital on Wednesday.
He further said Muslims worship one God, have one sacred book, pray toward one direction and have the Hajj, prayer and other rituals in common.
All of these show the necessity of unity among followers of Islam and avoiding discord and conflicts, he stated.
Sardarkhan added that all problems in the Islamic world originate in differences and discord and this is while God has ordered Muslims to unite around Hablullah (rope of God).
The differences seen in the Muslim Ummah are the result of distancing from the teachings of Islam and the Holy Quran, according to the Pakistani official.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he said the issue of Palestine is the main issue in the Islamic world, noting that Pakistan has always supported the Palestinian cause.
Muslims must unite against Zionist and rush to help the first Qibla of Islam and also strive to foil the plots hatched by Takiri elements, he stated.
Sardarkhan went on to say that the issue of Kashmir is also important for Pakistan because the Muslims of Kashmir have been facing oppression for years.
Some 200 foreign guests from 60 countries and 100 Iranian guests will address the conference in person and virtually.
The guests will visit the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini on Wednesday afternoon before attending the general assembly of the conference on Thursday.
Participants will meet with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Friday before concluding the event by issuing a statement.
The International Islamic Unity Conference is annually held in Iran by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) on the occasion of the Islamic Unity Week.
The 17th day of Rabi al-Awwal, which falls on October 13 this year, is believed by Shia Muslims to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), while Sunni Muslims regard the 12th day of the month (Sunday, October 9) as the birthday of the last prophet.
The interval between the two dates is celebrated every year as the Islamic Unity Week.
Late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini (RA) declared the occasion as the Islamic Unity Week back in the 1980s.
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