To commemorate the beginning of Unity Week and the anniversary of the blessed birth of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning (16/September/2024) with a group of scholars, Friday prayer leaders, and heads of Sunni seminaries from across the country. He emphasised that it was essential to safeguard the precious identity of the Islamic Ummah, pointing out the importance of Islamic unity in this regard and the efforts of those who wish it evil to undermine it. He said, "One should never forget the issue of the Muslim Ummah".

Ayatollah Imam Khamenei said, "The issue of the identity of the Islamic Ummah is fundamental and transcends nationality, so geographical boundaries do not alter the truth and identity of the Islamic Ummah."

Pointing out the hostile efforts made to make Muslims indifferent to their Islamic identity, he added, “It is against Islamic teachings for a Muslim to be indifferent to the suffering of another Muslim in Gaza or elsewhere in the world."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution called on Sunni scholars to be firm supporters of Islamic identity and the Islamic Ummah and pointed to the ever-continuous schemes and actions by enemies to sow religious discord in the Islamic world, especially in Iran. He said, "They use intellectual means, media, and economic tools to cause division between Shias and Sunnis in our country and wherever else in the Islamic world and to incite individuals from both sides to speak ill of each other."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution expressed regret over deliberate or inadvertent actions that had undermined the unity between Shia and Sunni. He said, "Despite these numerous conspiracies, our Sunni community has steadfastly  withstood these hostile motives, as evidenced by the 15,000 Sunni martyrs in the defence of the country and at other periods, as well as the martyrdom of many Sunni scholars in the cause of justice and the Revolution."

Ayatollah Khamenei did not believe that the important goal of maintaining the dignity of the Islamic Ummah could be achieved without unity. He said, "Today, supporting the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine is an absolute duty, and God will certainly question anyone who shirks this obligation."

Among the attendees at the meeting were Mawlavi Abdulrahman Chabahari, a Sunni scholar from Sistan and Baluchestan province and Friday prayer leader of Chabahar, Mawlavi Abdulrahim Khatibi, a Sunni scholar from Hormozgan province and Friday prayer leader of Qeshm, and Mamosta Abdulsalam Emami, a Sunni scholar from West Azerbaijan province and Friday prayer leader of Mahabad. They all praised the unity-promoting approaches of the Islamic Republic and the Leader of the Revolution and their support for the Sunni community. They emphasised the need to strengthen unity-promoting efforts and utilise local capacities, especially in Sunni-majority areas, for the country's advancement and saw it as imperative that Takfiri and extremist movements be resisted.