Archive for month: October, 2015

A prominent Lebanese Sunni scholar stressed the need to clarify the fate of missing Hajj pilgrims and called for the establishment of a fact-finding committee to evaluate the tragic stampede in Mina.

In statement, Shaykh Ahmad Qattan, the head of Lebanon’s Qawluna wal-Amal (“Our Sayings and Action”) Society referred to the actions of the Saudi Arabian authorities after the recent stampede in Mina on September 24 and stressed on the need to establish an impartial fact-finding committee to clarify the causes of the accident.

The Lebanese Sunni scholar said one of the issues that has concerned many Muslims is the unknown fate of the missing pilgrims. He demanded Saudi Arabia to clarify their situation with all Islamic countries and cooperate to avoid political and racial issues.

He also mentioned the critical situation in Lebanon and noted that Islamic unity must be persevered in the small, yet religiously-divided country more than ever before.

“Sunnis have announced their innocence from the actions of Takfiri terrorist and extremist groups and believe that ISIL and the al-Nusrah Front are tarnishing the image of Islam and are not representative of Islam,” he said.

His Eminence added: “Shi’ites, with their knowledge of the matter, should maintain their alliance with Sunnis.”

Shaykh Qattan announced that the Qawluna wal-Amal Society supports the Islamic Resistance Axis in Lebanon and especially in the West Bank, saying: “With Arab and Islamic countries keeping mum over the Zionist regime’s atrocities against the al-Aqsa Mosque, all hope is given to the Palestinian resistance fighters.”

In conclusion, he expressed surprise at the favouritism of some Arabic countries toward the Takfiri groups who are involved in unspeakable crimes in several Middle Eastern countries, saying some countries in the region are willing to support reactionary terrorist groups in the region, but are completely indifferent toward the Palestinian cause and does not show any reaction.

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Iranian military commander Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani has been killed in Syria, where he was giving military advice to the Syrian army in its fight against Takfiri militants in the Arab country.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by Sepah News on Friday that Brig. Gen. Hamedani, a commander with the IRGC, had been killed by Takfiri Daesh terrorists on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo the night before.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Around 250,000 people have lost their lives and millions more been displaced in the crisis. Takfiri terrorist groups, including Daesh and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda (al-Nusra Front), have been engaging in a terror campaign in Syria.

The Syrian military has been fighting the terrorist groups for over four years.

Iran has been offering Syria military advice in its fight against terrorist groups.

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Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia will be dealt a severe, historic blow in Yemen, stressing that victory was definite for the Yemeni people.

In an interview with the Iranian TV, Al-Ahvaz, on Thursday, Sayyed Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia destroyed Yemen and abolished its unity and development. “It’s depriving the Yemenis from their own natural wealth so that they’d remain poor and needy to Saudi Arabia. It has also been paying bribes and trying to impose its doctrine on the Yemenis forcefully,” his eminence said.

“I’m still confident that Saudi Arabia will be dealt a severe blow in Yemen and victory will be achieved there, but Allah will decide how and when would that happen,” the S.G. added.

Rebuffing lies about the dependency of the Yemeni revolution on Iran, Sayyed Nasrallah said: “Saudi Arabia wants others to believe that the Yemeni revolution is dependent on the Islamic Republic. This is a big and unfair lie.”

On Bahrain, he said the battle of the Bahraini people was a ‘historic’ one, “and according to the course of events, I believe it’s the battle of existence.”

Talking about Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that Syria constituted a significant key factor in the axis of resistance and was a big factor in disrupting the US projects, the reason why they wanted to hit and destroy it.

His eminence hailed the steadfastness of the Syrians, saying it formed the basis for any help and solidarity from allies and friends.

“Facts began to unfold before the Syrian people eyes that what’s needed wasn’t ‘democracy’ but rather was ISIL’s savage and defamed model” that’s committing the most horrible crimes against people in the region, Sayyed Nasrallah said.

“We’ve overcome the danger line in Syria in the light of internal, regional and international developments and the Syrian issue will take a new path. There’s a possibility that a serious political solution will be considered because the world has begun to think in a more realistic way,” his eminence pointed out.

“Billions of dollars have been spent so far for the destruction of Syria in addition to the hundreds of tons of weapons and tens of thousands of fighters who were brought from countries around the world down to the sectarian incitement. The aim was to topple Syria and control it.”

Sayyed Nasrallah was confident that tyrants would be defeated if everybody took responsibility. “If we all shoulder our responsibilities, we’ll be able to defeat hegemonies, tyrants and plunderers, restore our decision, destiny and resources, and build our region and country. We’re hopeful.”

Speaking on the Islamic Republic of Iran and its constructive role in the region, Sayyed Nasrallah said; “The Islamic Republic is a hub of security, stability, will, civilization and popular sovereignty. It’s preserving its place in the regional and international equation.”

“If the Islamic republic wasn’t there, where would have countries and peoples of the region been? We’re talking out of facts and our generation is witnessing it.” The S.G. also said the Islamic Revolution was a great blessing to the Iranian people and Muslims in general, but the problem was that there are those who are ignorant and unthankful.

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered his condolences on the martyrdom of Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani, a commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who was killed by the ISIL terrorists while in an advisory mission in Syria on Thursday.

In a message on Friday, President Rouhani described the passing away of Brigadier General Hamedani as a big loss, and applauded the senior commander for his bravery in protecting the holy Islamic sites and strengthening of the Islamic resistance front in Syria during his advisory mission.

The president also extended condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Armed Forces, particularly the IRGC forces, and to all Iranians.

In separate messages, Parliament Spaker Ali Larijani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian also expressed condolences over Brigadier General Hamedani’s death.

The general was martyred Thursday evening by the ISIL terrorists on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

A one-time commander during the 8-year Iraqi imposed war on Iran in the 1980s, Brigadier General Hamedani was a senior military advisor that played a “decisive role in the protection of the holy shrine of Sayyida Zeinab (AS)” against terrorist attacks, the IRGC said in a statement.

The shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, a sister of the third Shiite Imam (AS), is located in Damascus.

The IRGC statement also highlighted Brigadier General Hamedani’s role in strengthening the Islamic resistance front in the fight on terrorists in Syria.

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Country’s attorney-general has told reporters all government authorities should address the rights of families of Mina incident victims.

Hojjatoleslam Ebrahim Raeisi who was speaking to the press after a session specially met to examine the legal aspects of the Mina incident on Wednesday, said that several meetings had collected the expert advice and comments of judges of country’s Supreme Court and international law experts as well on the Mina incident; “today’s session brought together engaged authorities, inter alia, presidential deputy for legal affairs, foreign ministry, Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, and other responsible bodies; foreign ministry is definitely the pioneer of international addressing of the issue; however, Saudi government should know that the establishment of a truth-finding committee has our support yet, and we believe that it is a necessity,” Raeisi told reporters.

“The footages recorded from Mina incident should be given to Iran and other countries whose Hajj pilgrims have been killed to rule out the possibility that even a tinge of evidence remains outside of the investigations; the truth-finding committee would be of great help on this issue; Saudis on the other hand should understand that the passing of the time will add to our resolve to address Mina incident, and that it would not be forgotten any time soon,” he emphasized.

“During the first two or three days of the incident, I sent a letter to Saudi attorney-general demanding that they investigate all aspects of the issue, and file lawsuits against possible perpetrators, albeit with little hope that Saudi officials have the necessary will to do that,” said the attorney-general, “we would sue Saudi government in international criminal courts should Saudis failed to effectively address the issue of paying recompenses for the families of the victims and turn a blind eye to demands that the perpetrators be tried,” he added.

“The UN has a duty to bring the issue of security and safety of Hajj pilgrims to its Security Council agenda; we examined similar cases where the UN had in the past established truth-finding committee; we also examined possible roles to be played by ICC (International Criminal Court) and ICJ (International Court of Justice); the internaitola community is accountable in Mina incident,” Raeisi told reporters, highlighting the role of foreign ministry as the pioneer body in addressing the issue.

“We expect to see that Saudi Arabia seriously addresses the issue and officially communicates the results of probable trial and hearing sessions; however, with few days since the incident, no indication would signal to us that Saudi Arabian officials actually have that seriousness we expected,” he lamented.

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