There are different levels for unity. There are different levels for the unity of the world of Islam. The lowest level is that Islamic societies, Islamic countries, Islamic governments, Islamic ethnicities and Islamic denominations avoid transgressing against, confronting and harming one another. This is the first step. A higher level is that as well as refusing to harm one another, the world of Islam should join hands against a common enemy and that they should defend one another with true and sufficient unity. This is a higher step.
Yet, a higher level is that Islamic countries and nations should add to one another. Islamic countries are not the same in terms of science, wealth, security and political power and they can help and add to one another. Those who are on a higher level in every area should take the hands of those who are lower. This is another level of unity.
A higher level is that the entire world of Islam becomes united in order to achieve the new Islamic civilization. This is something that the Islamic Republic has chosen as its ultimate goal: achieving an Islamic civilization, one that is compatible with the requirements of the present era: a new Islamic civilization. These are different levels of unity.
What was the lowest level? The lowest level was that Islamic countries should avoid confronting each other and stand together in the face of a common enemy. If we had just observed this point, we would not have faced so many calamities in the world of Islam today. The issue of Palestine is the gravest disaster for the world of Islam. This is because they threw a people out of their home and their country, replacing them with others who in turn dominated that land and pressured the owners. This is the condition of Gaza and such is the crimes that the Zionists commit there, as you can see. And the other side of Palestine – the West Bank – is in no better condition either.
If the world of Islam had committed itself to this lowest level of unity, these things would not have happened and the enemy would not have dared do such things. Notice what incidents and what bloody wars have been waged in the world of Islam. We are faced with the issue of Yemen, of the western part of the region and of North Africa. All these have taken place because we have not paid attention to the lowest level of unity which Islam has required. This is a very heavy responsibility.
We are addressing these statements to broad-minded and outstanding personalities. Thankfully, the world of Islam benefits from outstanding individuals and from intellectuals. They should seriously follow these issues. Youth and Muslim peoples are interested in it, but there are seditious hands anyway which should be confronted. In the world of Islam, Muslims ranging from North Africa to East Asia and Myanmar are under pressure. Muslims in eastern and western parts of the world of Islam are under pressure.
As for the issue of Palestine, I wish to raise certain points. Our position on the issue of Palestine is a logical position. It is a definite and logical position. Since before the victory of the Revolution – since the beginning of the revolutionary movement – our magnanimous Imam stressed the danger of Zionist influence, intervention and oppression. And we adopted this position since the beginning of the Revolution. The first thing that the Islamic Republic did was to capture the Zionist center in Tehran, which was in control of the previous regime, and to expel them from the country and then it gave the center to Palestinians. That was a true and symbolic course of action and we have been continuing this position until today. We supported Palestine, we helped the Palestinians and we will continue to do so. We have no considerations on this matter. The entire world of Islam should help Palestine. Nov 15, 2019