Senior Turkish Shia Imam: "We Will Say Labbaik to Zainab"

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) -  Addressing thousands of people on November 8, Selahattin Ozgunduz said these words in his sermon:Some days are left to Ashura Day. Wednesday is Ashura. This year we feel more sorrowful due to Hz. Zeynab. The children of Yazid target the tomb of Zahra’s daughter, Zeynab anytime they get an opportunity. Thank God, Zeynab’s lovers don’t let them to do anything.That’s why this year, Zeynab’s innocence and heroism will be more significant. I hope that those who have roles in the Theater can play their roles perfect in a way that it can have the effect we expect. May Allah help them. This year we will say labbaik to Zeynab. When Zeynab asks who is going to protect my tomb we will answer we will protect your shrine and we will be your Abbas.Therefore, young or old, man or woman, use your phones, webpages or whatever you have to try to gather as many people as you can so that it may make our friends happy and our enemies mad. This is your duty, you that have become known to the world by Zeynab’s name, should put your efforts on this. We have to create a crowd and shout labbaik to Zeynab in a way that even those who doesn’t like to hear will hear that we will never let them touch her tomb. We will be Abbas for Zeynab and we will never let them capture Zeynab once more.  Maybe someone doesn’t like me. Maybe, someone has misunderstood me and doesn’t like me. We may not have the same ethnics. No one is forced to love me. A Muslim should love other Muslims, if someone doesn’t like me it is ok. But this is a reality that everybody knows that Ashura ceremony being held in Zeynebiye, Halkali, Istanbul is an example to the world. There are some people that don’t like this Ashura ceremony to be known and loved by others, our nation and the world. Those who did the coup of 12 September didn’t let us to advertise this ceremony on TV though we were ready to pay 220 dollars per second. They didn’t let us to advertise on private TV channels either, but Shias and Alavis of Istanbul gathered here and shouted together and their voices were heard by all world. Their limitations weren’t effective. We have even started live programs. Some foreign Medias came and made reports out of it. Guinness came and recorded it. This happened due to our unity and efforts.Did we receive any harm from unity that now we want to get apart? The first reason for those who want to ruin our unity is jealousy. They don’t notice that their jealousy have made them blind and they don’t see that they are playing with the ceremonies of Imam Hussein. They will answer for their actions. The second reason is that their jealousy has caused other people to misuse the situation. They say “good job, you do great job” “Alternative Ashura for Ashura”… essentially, the Minister of Religious Affairs and his managers saw that this ceremony expands in this country and in the world. Now they say Alternative Ashura in order to decrease the value of our efforts. You remember that one year a Shia clergyman left here and went and worked with them. He went to the Noah’s ship.You should know that today they try to do the same in order to divide Ashura. “the voice should be lowered in a way that no one hears that” neither Damascus, nor Washington. If you are serving to this plan you should think more about your conscience and character. Why we have been hurt for 400 years. Because we want to be with truth and we don’t want to be with Wrong. If it is my father, my brother of anyone I love, I will be wherever the truth is. If you are not like that, leave Ali and go to Muaviyah’s side. Now there are some people that claim they love Hussein but they are those who tear the flag of him. I won’t say anything to him but I will tell you that if you give him a premium you need to think about conscience. May Allah save our unity. God doesn’t ruin our unity, you ruin it. God, don’t give opportunity to those who want to destroy our unity. If someone wants to do that, please help them to improve and if they are not going to be improved then damn them. May Allah keep us away from those who insult the flag of Hussein./129