The Office of the Supreme Leader

The Leader, in a meeting with members of the Committee Commemorating Muslim Kurd Peshmerga Martyrs:

Enemy Sowing Discord Under Cover of Religion, Ethnicity

The remarks made by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on May 4, 2015 in a meeting with members of the Committee Commemorating Muslim Kurd Peshmerga Martyrs, were published on May 16.
Ayatollah Khamenei honored the Muslim Kurd Peshmerga martyrs and referring to the sacrifices made by these pious and faithful youths, said: “By venturing out in the battlefield, the Muslim Kurd Peshmerga put their lives on the line [to counter] counterrevolutionary groups that threatened their families’ serenity, but fairly speaking, these courageous youths passed their test.”   
The Supreme Leader highlighted the failure of the enemy’s policy of using “ethnicity” and “religion” to make Kurdistan insecure and turn that region into a spot harmful to the Islamic Revolution. He said: “In the early years of the [Islamic] Revolution, counterrevolutionaries did their utmost to make this region insecure, but Kurdish people and scholars were in solidarity with the Revolution. They (counterrevolutionaries) even martyred some of Kurdish scholars, the latest case of which was several years ago when they martyred a pious figure like late Sheikholeslam.”
Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the point that “the enemy would not sit idle and would, as much as it can, bear animosity by resorting to the many security, propaganda and financial tools at its disposal”, saying: “Of course, in Iran, the enemy cannot take advantage of ethnic provocations against the Kurds, but some are seeking to fan the flames of religious prejudices and pit Shias against Sunnis, and some fall for these plots out of negligence.” 
The Supreme Leader underscored the need for the vigilance of sympathetic and faithful elements against these plots, saying: “He who assails Shiism under the guise of supporting Sunnism has no interest in Sunnism and Islam. Nor does he who fans the flames of prejudice against Sunnism under the cover of supporting Shiism have any religious devotion.”  
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to Britain’s record of triggering religious discord between Shias and Sunnis and London’s cashing in on that, and touched on an ongoing development, namely the US Congress’s alleged support for Iraqi Sunnis. “Are they really interested in Sunnis?” asked the Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Khamenei said: “They are against everything which bears a sign of Islam and there is no difference for them between Shias and Sunnis, and such issues as religion and ethnicity are pretexts for sowing discord.”
Noting that the enemy should be stripped of these pretexts, the Supreme Leader said: “It is necessary to hold cultural events like this very commemoration of Muslim Kurd Peshmerga martyrs and also to pay attention to the issues facing the youth.”
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