JNN 20 Jan 2014 Tehran : The 27th International Islamic Unity Conference kicked off Friday morning in a ceremony in Tehran.

President Hassan Rouhani officiated the opening ceremony at the International Summit Conference Hall in Tehran.

The event gathered over 380 religious leaders , researchers,thinker, clerics from both Shia & Sunni Sects  from over 58 countries, Muhammad al-Asi says the real effect starts to happen when these people go back to their communities.

“When they go back to whichever part of the country or the world they came from, they are going to go back with a message of reconciliation, and a message of common understanding. within the population base that they live in, so this goes a long way,” Imam Muhammad al-Asi from the Washington Islamic Center said.

The conference includes a general assembly as well as 6 commissions discussing different issues of the Muslim world, Islamic unity and the diplomacy of unity.

During the three-day event, a number of books featuring Muslim unity was unveiled and several influential figures in the field of Islamic unity was honored.

The participants also met with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei.

The motto of this edition of the conference is “Holy Quran and Its Role in Muslim Ummah’s Unity”.

For the past three decades Iran has invited Islamic religious leaders, Sunni and Shia from all over the globe to Tehran, to discuss unity among Muslims. The Islamic Unity conference called for greater convergence among Muslim groups. The theme of this year’s event was the Quran and its role in unity.

“The holy Qur’an has the biggest role in uniting the Ummah, the holy Quran is the only book that all muslims recognize, there is no book or writing that comes close to the holy Quran. If we base our research and lifestyle on the holy book we will then find unity,” Molavi Abdol Hamid, a leading Iranian Sunni religious leader said.

Unity week in Iran is coming to an end, this week all Muslims Sunni or Shia celebrate the birth of the prophet of Islam. Religious scholar Ali al-Hakim said change towards Islamic unity is gradual.

“Any form of change or development should be in a form of a gradual process, it starts definitely with people’s minds with those who are thinkers.”

In the final speech at the event, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, The head of Iran’s Expediency Council called on Muslims of all different sects and groups to unite in the face of attempts to drive them apart.

“We are still far from the goals of this conference set years ago, I urge the leaders and clerics to double their efforts, as we really need the unity in the world of Islam at this time.”

In a final communiqué participants urged Muslims around the world to be wary of enemies’ plots that aim to create rifts among them. They also condemned any such attempts to wreak havoc on the Muslim world.

The 27th Islamic Unity Conference came to an end urging Muslims to unite on commonalities and using the holy book of Islam the Quran as a guide.

The Lebanese lawmaker, Khalil Hamdan, has said that the unity and vigilance of Muslims is a must in fending off the enemies and threats posed against the World of Islam.

According to IRIB World Service, citing IRNA, the Lebanese MP, in an address to 27th Islamic unity confab in Tehran on Sunday night, reminded that the Islamic Iran has made utmost efforts for materialization of Islamic solidarity; and the righteous path of the Founder of Islamic Republic of Iran, late Imam Khomeini (May his soul rest in peace) continues to this day.

This Lebanese MP emphasized that the World of Islam and Arab world are in urgent need of unity to be able to counter terrorist operations and acts of sabotage.

This Lebanese legislator said that the issue of Palestine has been excluded from the top priorities of the Islamic communities, while Muslims are engaged in clashes against each other.

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