13th Organization of Islamic Corporation Summit held in April in Istanbul was extremely important as it drew attention to the unity the Islamic world urgently needs.
Muslim leaders agreed that the biggest obstacles before an Islamic Union were the sectarian divide and terrorism. President Erdogan also emphasized the fact that it is always Muslims who suffer the most due to these conflicts and it is our own responsibility to jointly resolve this within ourselves without awaiting any support from external powers. This was a very important point.
It is clear that the Islamic world is on fire and the first thing to do is to find the root causes and focus on the solutions. Division among Islamic countries is the greatest cause of this tribulation since God warns us in the Quran that if Muslims do not unite, there will be great conflict and turmoil will ensue in the world (8:73).
This is exactly what we are experiencing today. Thus, we should put aside all the other disagreements, focus on or commonalities and form a strong unity.
How can we be divided when we believe in the same God, same Book, same Prophets and we turn to the same qibla when we pray? It is forbidden (haram) for Muslims to be fragmented and it is obligatory (fardh) for them to act in unity and be brothers.
This unity will be different than the existing ones since states will act liberally as to their own internal affairs, and there will be no interference to their borders or local affairs. Yet, when a threat occurs, they will act as one body and become a deterrent force against any imminent threats.
It is our duty as Muslims, to fulfill this obligation. If a strong union is formed, the current problems will be easily solved. Regarding the matter, President Erdogan made the following statement,
“I believe the greatest challenge we need to surmount is sectarianism. My religion is not that of Sunnis, of Shiites. My religion is Islam. We should be uniting. Out of the conflicts, the tyranny, only Muslims suffer.”
President Erdogan and President Rouhani met and agreed on important points to achieve this important goal. Rouhani made the following statement regarding the matter: “We established a series of deals and partnerships in terms of extremism and counter terrorism. We should tell the world “our identity is Islam”. Our identity is not Shia, Sunni or any other sect. Our identity is Islam, which embraces love and brotherhood. Hopefully, we will reach our goal with Turkey in this.”
Everyone is aware of the problems that stemmed from the Shia-Sunni divide in the past. Therefore, it is a promising development to hear Muslim leaders agreeing to do whatever it takes to change this situation.
Both countries are cognizant of the power they can achieve and easily end the terror and bloodshed when they unite. Knowing the destructive effect that sectarian conflicts cause in the world, Iran and Turkey are ready to work on joint projects, which put forth our real identity which is Islam.
The wisest thing to do for the sake of the Islamic world is to put aside the differences and focus on what we have in common. It is important to keep reminding that all Muslims are devout lovers of God, Prophet Mohammed (saas) and the Quran and ensure a swift union by ending divisions such as Sunni and Shia.
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