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IR Sunnis Demand Only their Legal Rights

The most influential Iranian Sunni leader, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, has urged on ‘equality’ and ‘meritocracy’ in Iran calling the demands of the Sunni community ‘legal and due’.
According to the report of the office of Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, he said in his Friday sermon of 11th August, 2017 among the people of Zahedan: “Religious, sectarian and ethnic disputes among the Muslims are very painful. Meanwhile the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia had an embrace and meeting last week; this meeting was encouraging.”
The famous Iranian Sunni leader expressed his hope that the Iranian and Saudi authorities should sit together and gather other Muslim states in order to find working solutions for the crises of the Muslim world.
Alluding to the main reasons of instability in some Muslim states, he said: “We think the best solution for the ongoing crises in the Muslim world is fraternity and acknowledging the rights of all ethnic and religious communities. Pathology and studies on the ongoing problems show that the root of those problems is in short-sightedness and monopolism.”
“By focusing on the rights of minorities in the Middle East, resolving the crises would be easy. The Houthis were deprived some of their rights in the previous government, thus they took guns and now the world powers have gotten opportunities to misuse the disputes. The previous dictator of Iraq also made the same mistake with the ethnic and sectarian minorities of Iraq including Shia community. Unfortunately the regime emerged after 2003 deprived and marginalized Sunnis. Now the extremists and Takfiri elements have spread and got roots in Iraq,” the rector and principal of Darululoom Zahedan further said.
He added more: “If strategists and decision makers conduct a survey and study the problems of Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya, they will reach to this point that the root of all crises is in ignoring the rights of people and minorities.”

Appoint Sunnis as vice-minister and governor
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid alluded to the 12th government and said: “It was expected to see Iranian Sunnis on the top posts and in the cabinet of the current government after 38 years. But the government could not engage Sunnis or women in the cabinet.”
“When the Constitution clarifies president should be from the majority Shia community, justice demands that some Sunnis should be appointed as ministers who are the second majority; there is no legal ban on Sunnis to be engaged as ministers in Iran. When there is no legal ban, why the authorities deprive Sunnis from serving their country?” the Friday imam of Sunnis questioned.

Sunnis should be employed in armed forces & judiciary
He criticized the absence of the Sunni community from the armed forces and judiciary saying: “It is regrettable that Sunnis are being recruited only as mere recruits but they are not employed officially as cadre.”
“People have been tired of hearing the slogans of ‘unity’; they say do not chant slogans but do something. It astonishing why the authorities do not want Sunnis to defend their country’s peace and maintain its security along with other Iranians?” the most influential Iranian Sunni leader said.
He urged on employment of capable Sunnis in the judiciary and said: “We always pray for the just judges, but the presence of the Sunni community in the judiciary which is an important department is very petty.”
“We have proved our brotherhood and resisted the radicals as the extremists many times threatened me and called me an obstacle on their way. We accept these threats, but we do not allow anyone to destabilize our national security. We want the respect of Iran and it depends on practical unity,” Mawlana Abdol-Hamid said.

Sunnis carried out their duty; it is the time of the Gov.
Shaikh Abdol-Hamid pointed out to the anxieties on the absence of representatives from the Sunni community in the swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Rouhani and said: “The absence of some individuals from the Sunni community as the second majority in Iran in the swearing-in ceremony made the people worried. It is hard for me to talk about it, but it is not my word; many of Shia and Sunni countrymen have complained and showed their regret.”
The social and religious leader of the Iranian Sunni community thanked the public figures and common citizens from the Shia community on their sympathy with the Sunni community in the case of the second inauguration ceremony of the president Rouhani.
He shed light on the loyalty of the Sunni community of Iran to their country and said: “We have done our duty and still we support the government, but we expect the government of ‘discretion and hope’ also should carry out its duty and fulfil the promises.”
“There was a unique unity in the early years of Islam among Muslims because the prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, had an equal view on all ethnics and tendencies. He distributed posts among the Ansar and Mohajireen. He respected Salman al-Farsi, the only Iranian Persian in Madinah and called him a member of his household,” Shaikh Isma’eelzahi further said.
He underlined: “Our demands are logic and in accordance with the interests of Iran and the regime. If anyone can convince us that our demands are illogic and excessive, we will kiss his hand and will leave our demands.”
The member of the MWL asked the Supreme Leader and statesmen to not allow radical elements to interfere in the national affairs and put pressure against the well of the nation.
He concluded his points by saying: “We should prefer the interests of Islam and Iran and even think of the all human beings. When Islam is protected, all sects are protected. But without Islam both Shia and Sunni communities will lose ground. Our views should be national not sectarian.”