The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the need for preserving national unity in a meeting with the participants of the 26th International Quran Competitions. "The recent events must not turn into a means of fomenting discord and all people must cooperate with one another in a brotherly fashion for the progress of the country," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the efforts made by the enemies of Islam and the Quran to undermine Islamic unity and added: "The enemies of Islam deceitfully claim that they are not opposed to the Quran, but they are opposed to the core of Quranic teachings."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the unity of the Iranian nation and stated: "Unity means that we should be unanimous in our primary principles. We may differ in our secondary principles, but this is by no means an obstacle to unity."
"Regarding minor issues, it is not advisable to engage in outright rejection of opposite views, and all people must cooperate and help each other in a brotherly fashion to build the country," he noted.
Referring to the recent events, Ayatollah Khamenei said that such issues should not turn into a source of discord, further adding: "Slandering should be avoided. It is not right to question all the qualifications of a person for a single mistake."
Ayatollah Khamenei urged everyone to act and speak on the basis of justice and said that Allah (swt) has ordered everyone in the Holy Quran to act on the basis of justice even when dealing with one's enemies.
He further reiterated: "In the Islamic Republic, all people are devoted to the principles and cooperate with each other despite holding different views."
Ayatollah Khamenei said differences of opinion are natural and stated: "Mixing differences of opinion with personal bias will cause problems. Therefore, one has to take care and see whether these differences of opinion are rooted in one's personal bias or sense of duty."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that being pious and making efforts to fulfill one's duties will result in Allah's favor and blessings and said that everyone should be careful not to overstep the limits even when fulfilling their duties.