Ahlul Bayt News Agency - Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani announced today 15 Dec. the parliament is reviewing issue of killing hundreds of Shiites in Nigeria. At the Majlis session today, Larijani said the parliament is trying to take due action on the issue.
The Iranian legislators, including Speaker Ali Larijani, here in Tehran on Tuesday urged rapid action and aid to the Shiite Muslims in Nigeria who have been severely suppressed and massacred by the army forces in recent days.
The Iranian parliament held an open session in Tehran on Tuesday, during which the legislators underlined the necessity for helping the Shiite population in Nigeria.
They also called for leaving no stone unturned, including trying back chennels at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to assist the Muslims in Nigeria's Zaria region.
In response to the lawmakers' demands, Larijani underscored at this morning session that "specific measures are underway".
The Nigerian army attacked two religious centers of the country's Shiite community on Saturday, killing hundreds of defenseless civilians there. A few hours later on Sunday, the military wounded and arrested Leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky after raiding his house and killing his son, assistants and hundreds of followers.
The Saturday and Sunday crackdown on the Shiite community by the Nigerian army that ended in the massacre of the Shiites in several raids has caused serious concerns in Tehran.
On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Nigeria's charge d'affaires in Tehran over the massacre of the Shiite Muslims in Zaria.
At the meeting, Head of the foreign ministry's first office for African affairs condemned the Nigerian army attack on the Shiite community as unacceptable, and reiterated the Nigerian government's responsibility for protecting the lives of the Shiites and religious centers, specially the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran seriously demands clarification of the dimensions of the incident, treatment of the wounded people and compensation of the damages incurred at the earliest," the Iranian diplomat said.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a phone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart Godffrey Onyema voiced concern about the massacre of Shiite Muslims by the army, and urged the African country's government to take immediate and serious action to protect the lives of the Muslim community.
Also yesterday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian voiced concern over the clampdown on the Shiite Muslims community, cautioning that the fate of Sheikh Zakzaky, is of crucial importance both to Iran and the Muslim world.
"Clarifying Sheikh Zakzaky's fate is very important to the Muslim world and Iran," Amir Abdollahian said.
He cautioned that the Muslim nation of Nigeria and the rest of the world Muslims want to see Sheikh Zakzaky sound and safe and in good shape.
Amir Abdollahian, meantime, pointed to the status quo of Iran-Nigeria relations, and said, "Tehran and Abuja have currently very good relations and the Nigerian president has recently visited Tehran."
"Using this positive atmosphere reigning our relations, we have repeatedly cautioned them that they are responsible for this incident."
Also on Monday, the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in a statement condemned the "barbaric" massacre of the oppressed Shiites of Nigeria in Zaria city, Kaduna State.
The Nigerian army staged several raids on three Shiite religious centers and killed close to 1,000 defenseless citizens in the city of Zaria on Saturday and Sunday, said Islamic Movement spokesman.
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