US, Israel, real enemies of Muslim world: Professor

Press TV has conducted an interview with Foad Izadi, professor of University of Tehran from Tehran, about Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warning against enemies’ plots to use the Takfiri ideology to sow discord among Muslim nations.

What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Let’s look at what the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has said basically saying that the situation with the Takfiris is basically something created to cause atrocity against all Muslims and actually it benefits Israel. Can you expand on exactly what he meant?

Izadi: Well I think if you read or listen to his speech today you will find out that the emphasis that he made was on the issue of unity among Muslims. He has said repeatedly in the last many years that one of the aims of the United States government is to create fighting between the Shia community and the Sunni community in different parts of the Muslim world and that has caused a lot of difficulties.

He has criticized both Sunnis and Shias who help the United States government in this project that they have that he has been even-handed in terms of making sure that the real enemy of the Muslim world and the Islamic Revolution is the United States and Israel. They want to basically create difficulties within the Muslim world and he has said although Iran will defend itself against Takfiri or other terrorist organizations, Iran will not forget that the main objective of the United States is to create disunity.

If you look at the history of the Islamic Revolution going back 35 years, the issue of unity among Muslims has been one of the main themes of this revolution even before the victory of the Islamic Revolution the late Imam Khomeini was emphasizing the fact that all Muslims, both Shias and Sunnis, should help Palestine. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution today emphasized the same point saying that the main issue of the Muslim world is Palestine and by the way majority of Palestinians are Sunnis and Iran has been openly helping them both militarily and financially and this is basically an example of how Shia-Sunni cooperation against the real enemies of the Muslim Ummah, the Muslim community can actually work.

Press TV: Dr. Izadi, looking at the Takfiri situation, he expanded on how exactly how the existence of the Takfiris actually can help Israel.

Izadi: Well you saw what happened during the 51 day Gaza killing of Palestinians. At the same time that Israelis were bombing Palestinians and killing women and children, you had Takfiri groups in Iraq, in Syria killing other Muslims, prohibiting the issue of Palestine to become the first priority of Muslims, killing other Muslims to basically reduce the pressure on Israel. This was the real effect. When Muslims are fighting each other Israel will have an easier time in terms of causing difficulties for Palestinians, for other Muslim groups around.

So what we have seen basically is an unwritten alliance between the Israelis, between the Takfiri groups, between governments like the Saudi government on one side and countries like Iran and the individuals that are for Muslim unity on the other side. And these two camps are basically having a confrontation. I think the overwhelming majority of Muslims are in fact for unity. They are not Takfiris, they do not accept that ideology and they realize that the real enemy of the Muslim community is the United States and Israel.

Press TV: Do you think that the majority of Muslims are waking up to that reality looking at of course with the beginning of this game by the Takfiris ad trying to use the old method of dividing and conquering but of course we have seen not only Shia and Sunnis but Christians and people of all faiths being killed from Syria to Iraq and in other places in the world.

How important not only is it for the Muslims to be united but all freedom-loving people with this situation as we are seeing even Christian community is coming under threat, the importance of communities in general uniting against the Takfiri and many would say those who support it and trying to prop it up to cause this division among faith-loving people in general?

Izadi: Yes, I think this is a point that Ayatollah Khamenei made in previous speech, the speech before the one that you are covering now. He talked about the influence of the Islamic Republic in places like Latin America and as you know people in Latin America are generally Christians.

The fact that we have people all over the world that are oppressed by the United States, the fact that within Islam and within Christianity we have these communities of what they call liberation theology, theology that is serving the poor, theology that is serving the oppressed, the teachings of Islam and liberation theology theme within Christianity have a lot of common issues and I think if people that are oppressed by oppressors of the world unite, the result would be a victory for everyone.