We support Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s call for an Islamic dialogue: Sheikh Ali Khatib
“We support Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s call for an Islamic dialogue,” The Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Lebanon said.
In an exclusive conversation with Shafaqna Lebanon, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib stated: “In our opinion, the issue of Islamic unity is a fundamental issue, and some of our scholars have considered it as one of the principles of religion.”
He added: “We have a history that calls for preserving the unity of Islam. We are part of this great and blessed nation. Therefore, any position and speech that harms this unity is suspicious and misleading and is in the interest of non-Muslims and leads to sedition between them and is not in the interest of Sunnis and Shias.”
Sheikh Al-Khatib stated: “Whoever said the words “la ilaha illa Allah Muhammadun Rasul Allah”, is a Muslim, and his property, blood, and honor are respected. In this way, we support the invitation of Sheikh of Al-Azhar. In a statement after meeting with him, we emphasized that there should always be convergence between Muslims.”
The Vice-President of Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Lebanon noted: “There is a continuous dialogue between the scholars of Najaf and Al-Azhar and the scholars of Lebanon and outside Lebanon. This is a fundamental issue. We are with Islamic unity and we support Sheikh of Al-Azhar. This is a fundamental and good issue and we are ready to make any effort in this regard.”
Sheikh Al-Khatib added: “Al-Azhar is a respected Islamic authority that has always been a herald of moderation. Al-Azhar’s recognition of the Jafari religion and its teaching is one of these efforts. Unity efforts among Muslims. Unity among Muslims is a religious unity, not a political one, so political differences between regimes should not take on a religious color.”
The Vice-President of Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Lebanon continued this conversation about the relationship with the authority of Najaf Ashraf and said: “The authority of Najaf is our authority and now we have a close relationship with the Grand Ayatollah Sistani, which is a natural relationship. This is a religious authority and does not deal with political affairs in any country. In terms of politics, we work within the framework of the general rules of authority, such as the unity of Muslims, and we are against sedition.”
He clarified: “The issue of Palestine is the issue of the entire Islamic world and is not limited to Palestinians and Arabs. The issue of Palestine is an issue of faith, and an attack on Palestine is actually an attack on religious and Islamic values.”
Sheikh Khatib added: “If all regimes recognize the Israeli regime, this regime will remain a usurper, but Islamic nations will never recognize it. What we saw in the Qatar World Cup is the best proof of this. Islamic nations have not normalized their relations with the Israeli enemy.”
