Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

By Mobarik A Virk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have officially decided to form a joint Shia-Sunni committee comprising Ulema and scholars from both the sects to curb extremism, which both the sides believe is being fanned by a ‘third power’.

The decision was formally announced following a meeting between the Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik and the visiting Acting Minister for Interior of Iran, Seyed Mehdi Hashemi, at the Interior Ministry on Tuesday morning.

Talking to media after the meeting, the adviser on interior said that the two sides discussed the issue of extremism in view of the Shia-Sunni clashes and agreed that there was a third power responsible for extremism.

A move in this direction was initiated in the beginning of this year when a delegation of the Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) paid a visit to Tehran when the situation in Kurram Agency got out of control and that also started reflecting in some other parts of the country. The IIC delegation held extensive talks on the issue.

The Iranian side paid a return visit to Islamabad. The delegation from Iran also included some top religious scholars and leaders, who interacted with their Pakistani counterparts in Islamabad and both the sides conveyed their findings to their respective governments.

Tuesday’s announcement by the two sides to officially form this ‘Joint Shia-Sunni Committee’ has come in the wake of those discussions. “The committee would deliberate on the issue of extremism and pave the way for bringing harmony and consensus between both the sects,” said Rehman Malik. “Both the sects follow Islam and Islam is the religion of peace and harmony.”

He said the two sides also discussed human, petrol and diesel smuggling across the border. “We have agreed to set up focal points at the border to prevent this practice, which is hurting both the countries. Similarly, we also discussed the issue of exchange of criminals,” the adviser said.

According to the Interior Ministry sources, the Iranian delegation also raised the issue of 16 Iranian nationals who were kidnapped from inside Pakistan and demanded their release. However, the Pakistani reaction to this Iranian demand was not elaborated.

Rehman Malik said that during the meeting, the two sides also took up upgrading of bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries. “It was agreed that efforts would be made to promote tourism and trade between the two countries. Iran also promised to provide electricity to Pakistan,” Rehman Malik said.

But it was not announced as to how much would be the supply of power, when it would start and to which areas it would be provided. Iranian Acting Minister for Interior Affairs Seyed Mehdi Hashemi termed the meeting very positive and said that it would bear positive results. He was accompanied by the Iranian envoy to Pakistan, Mashallah Shakeri. The Federal Interior Secretary, Syed Kamal Shah, was also present in the meeting.

Pakistan, Iran to form joint religious body

I think it’s an excellent idea. I hope it grows into the best thing for the region. It will bring the two nations closer, it will help strengthen the bond between the Sunnis and Shias. And i hope this carries across as a sentiment to change people’s attitude towards each other.

The current propaganda is focused in the direction of Pakistan and Iran, perhaps these two nations can draw closer and close any gap which otherwise would allow infiltration and cause disharmony.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

Henceforth they shall be known as 'Mollahs and Ayatollahs Incorporated! ' Good move, but whats disturbing is the name Rehman Malik in there!

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

Lets see if they can cool off the differences centuries old.

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Not possible. Too late now!

These guys can't say a prayer in the same mosque. There is no hope.

p.s. Good idea but it is rather impractical.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

I'm not sure what good this will do, but I know unless Saudi sponsored Whabi agenda is not curtailed extremism will continue.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

But it is worth a few million dollars baksheesh from D.C for 'making efforts with Teheran'

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

^ dude you realise you are misleading people grossly everytime you make a post? i am 99% sure you are lying.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

I wonder what this mysterious third power is? :hehe:

cough zionists cough

look away
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I personally would nt pray namaz behind a Shia - from what i gather their prayers differ from Sunni's and they have quite different practises BUT it does nt mean i would disrespect them or call them non-muslim.

I think people should be free to choose to pray behind who they want too. Just because they cant pray in same mosque does nt mean they should nt be unified. if they feel uncomfortable praying behind each other - just let them pray as they want END OF. Why make a song and dnace of it.

I think the MMA can be credited with one thing - they showed that Deobandis can stand with Shia's and accept each other. That was a veryimportant step they took.

Many people state that iran wont allow a sunni mosque in tehran - surely iran should make sure that it adresses the rights of sunni's?

In response to Shamraz - is there really a Wahabi presence in Pakistan? i would say its Deobandis.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

C'mon folks, please don't be negative about it. Lets all hope it actually materializes and produces rich results for both nations. Pakistan needs to be building alliances, Iran being a Muslim nation should be welcomed.

I pray and hope this marriage lasts and result is good for both Pakistan and Iran on all fronts, economical and religious.

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

may this third power quote mercenary2k "
cough zionists cough"

be revealed in some act of sabotage and be published for the world to see

and may pakistan be free from western bombs

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There are many aspects to Iran-Pakistan friendship that are listed below. But there is too much bad blood that will continue to haunt the countries for a long time to come.

  1. Average Pakistani truly dreams of good relations with "Islamic" Iran. He typically holds a revolutionary approach towards solving Pakistani problems just like Imam Khomeni cleaned up Iran. Average Pakistan believes in the conspiratorial analysis of Iran-US and Iran-Israel relationship.

But Average Pakistani is also divided along pretty much religious lines when it comes to Iran.

  1. Pakistani-Shias do want Iran their “religious homeland” to be viewed in positive light.

  2. Pakistani-Sunni majority still remembers Imam Khomeni's money and weapon supply to Shia militant organizations. And that resulted in Saudi/Wahabi money and weapons for Sunni extremists.

The reality as they say is somewhere in the middle. Yes Iran can prove a good neighbor. We always hope. But it this stage Iran has accumulated too much garbage thanks to the maniacal utterances against Israel and America.

The "marg bar Amreeka" (death to America) so popularized by Imam Khomenie is still one of the many anti-American officially approved mantras.

This will put Pakistani government in difficult position. While Pakistani government wants to move away from Talibanization and fanatical version of Islam, Iran actually embraces the extremism.

Pakistani Shias often make a mistake of becoming anti-secularists. This is in fact is like shooting in their own foot. The more religious Pakistan is, the worse it becomes for the minorities. Kurram agency massacres is a clear indication of that.

Above all, Iranians view Paksitan as a regional rival and not a friend. Historically Iran has never accepted Pakistan as a regional power.

Considering all that gloomy analysis both at local as well as international levels, Pakisatn-Iran marriage will not last if it has happened to begin with.

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burqa:

[quote]
Above all, Iranians view Paksitan as a regional rival and not a friend
[/quote]

Iran and Pakistan have had excellent relations throughout Pakistan's history, until the time Pakistani ISI inflicted Taliban over Afghanistan.

To claim of certain rivalry between Iran and Pakistan is also a malicious allegation. Border between Iran and Pakistan is the ONLY border of Pakistan which is NOT disputed.

But I understand your desire to paint Iran as Pakistan's enemy. It's not due to Iran being pre-dominantly shia or being Islamic, it is due to its overt opposition to apartheid regime of Israel and brazen/criminal designs of American Zionists to keep Middle East under its foot.

For anti-Muslim Zionists like you, what could be more rewarding than sowing lies against such a country everywhere in the world.

When talking about biggest threats, Iran is to Zionist regime what Qaeda is for the US. But Zionists in the US are willing to keep even American interests aside when it comes to the racist regime. Hence they are promotting their enemy, Qaeda, linked organizations like Jundullah to try to create trouble in Iran. And they are trying to use Pak's Balocistan as their base.

They are doing it at the expense of excellent relations between Iran and Pak. Good thing is that Pak government has refused to be used for Zionist policies of the US at the expense of its own historic relations with Iran.

burqa:

[quote]
3. Pakistani-Sunni majority still remembers Imam Khomeni's money and weapon supply to Shia militant organizations.
[/quote]

As I said above Zionisn supporters in West are willing to sow seeds of sectarianism because it helpls their cause, while ignoring Pak's interests.

So burqa, any reference of Khomeini sending weapons to shia militant organizations to kill sunnis? Why would he do that? You think shias wanted a holocaust of sunnis?

Do you know that Pak areas have enough weapons that they don't need to be supplied weapons by foreigners, if anyone wants to go on killing spree?

burqa:

[quote]
And that resulted in Saudi/Wahabi money and weapons for Sunni extremists.
[/quote]

Are you saying that shia militant organizations were the first to start killings in Pak, and that wahhabi militant organizations spawned as a result of those massacres?

Any reference of your claims?

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Imam Khomeni and his regime was all about marg bar Amreekai and anyone who associated with America.

Imam Khomeni butchered out pro-American Iranians first and then his "affection" was sent across Iranian borders. Pakistan being pro-America and unfortunately next-door neighbor of Imam Khomeni automatically became the target.

That’s why Iranians both funded and indoctrinated the members of Tehrik-e-Jafriya Pakistan (TJP) that was founded in 1979. The Sunni majority countered in 1984 by using Saudi money for creating the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) as a vehicle for the implementation of their political agenda. Their respective militant goons also established Shia dominated Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP) in 1994 and the Sunni controlled Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) in 1996.

Both SMP and LeJ both spilled so much blood in Pakistan and you continue parroting zionism zionism. Strange huh!

So PA we can spend all night talking about Zionism all night and the following day. But the Shia-Sunni problem won't be solved by ignoring important facts by burring heads in Iranian or Saudi sands.

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So is the UN.

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And your point is!

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Re: Pakistan and Iran to form joint religious body

burqaposhx:

And for good reasons. Remember Mosaddegh and Shah?
As far as the apartheid regime of Judo-fascism is concerned, remember that Khomeini’s revolution was based on religion, and the apartheid regime had Islam’s first Qiblah occupied.

By “butchering” I think you are referring to Shah’s massacre of Iranian civilians at the behest of Washington.
Or may be by “butchering” you were referring to Zionist regime’s massacre of Lebanese civilians last year.

. Please give a reference to your allegation that Iranians funded TNFJ.
. You earlier said that Khomeini provided military aid to shias in Pakistan. Please give reference.
. TNFJ was founded primarily to make sure shias do not have to live under fiqh e hanafiya. Hence the name “Tehrik e Nifaz e Fiqah e Jafariya”.
They were not against sunnis. They never threatened, nor killed sunnis.
This organization was formed after Zia started imposing Islam over Pakistan, regardless of people’s religious affiliations.

Google search a book called “The ulama in contemporary Islam: Custodians of change”, page 115:
the ulama in contemporary islam - Google Book Search

It says that the principal demand of TNFJ was that zakat be not imposed on them by the government or according to the stipulations of fiqah hanafiya.

You obviously have very limited knowledge of situation in Pakistan. Where is the reference of shias or TNFJ orchestrating violence in Pakistan in 1980’s? And if there is no reference for that then how can anyone say that ASSP was formed as a result of TNFJ?
Now listen to facts. ASSP was formed out of JUI due to SOCIAL SITUATION existing in south-central Punjab at that time.

Many landlords in that area were shias, which was unacceptable to people like you in JUI. While TNFJ’s policies were pro-shia (not anti-sunni), SSP’s policies were strictly anti-shia. Hence TNFJ was formed with a positive thinking (protection) while SSP was formed with negative thinking (opposition).

In the same above book, there is a quote from Maulana Haq Nawaz, founder of SSP, page 119. There he tells why SSP was formed. He never quoted shhia militancy as one of the reasons.
So your allegations of Khomeini providing weapons to shias in Pak, and SSP being formed as its response are VOID.

SMP was formed as a direct result of violence inflicted by SSP on innocent shia civilians. The truth is evident from its name, which is in contrast to SSP.
It was a militant shia organization. But it was created by the VICTIMS who had suffered at the hands of SSP, and could not think of anything but revenge.
Shias mostly did not support SMP, just like most sunnis did not support SSP.

Well, that is wrong. I am a full supporter of curbing ALL militancy in Pakistan, including Taliban.
But that does not mean that we give free ride to Judo-fascists of the apartheid regime to occupy Islam’s holy places.

I don’t think Pakistan has a shia-sunni problem. I see no conflict between common people of Pakistan, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
Pakistan’s problem is Talibanization. Everyone is affected by these extremists, both sunnis and shias. There would not have been this issue if there was no Afghan jihad in 1980s, because this is how these radicals got training and weaponry to create chaos in Pakistan. Their enemy is not just shia people, but everyone who disagrees with them, hence the list of their enemies includes sunnis too.
And while Pakistanis are dealing with this problem, it does not mean that we will forget about the illegal, brutal, barbaric occupation of Judo-fascists in the Racist Regime.

This thread was about a quite insignificant news about formation of certain body between Iran and Pakistan. But it was YOU, who started throwing mud at Iranian leaders only because of your dislike of them for being anti-Zionist. And it was YOU who started implicating shias of Pakistan for starting sectarian violence, even though they are the majority victims of these killings. You did it only because of your dislike of Iran, even though shias of Pakistan are in no way connected to Iranian politics.

But I am not surprised. This is what is expected of someone who dares to support barbaric fascist regime of Zion.

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All efforts made by moderates to curb extremism in any religion is always apriciated

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PA you are going to defend Shia militancy and Iranian chuvinism at all costs. So there is no point in providing you with any proof that Shias in Pakistan did get help (moral and financial and military) from resurgent Iranian regime after Ayatullah Khomeni's take over.

Militant Shias not only created mayhem in Pakistan but they did so in other places also. Case in point! Shia uprising in Makkah and Saudi police's brutal put down of the "trouble makers".

Even strictly in Pakistan's context you say and I quote:

[QUOTE]

I don't think Pakistan has a shia-sunni problem.
[/QUOTE]

Anyone with an iota of knowledge about Pakistan can tell you that Shia and Sunnis are going at each other for a while now.

May be this timeline would help to show who started first.

1979 - Formation of Tehrik-e-Jafriya Pakistan (TJP) ** A shia organization **

1984 -Foundation of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) A sunni organization

1994 - Formation of **Shia militant organization **Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP)

1996 - Sunni militant organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was formed

And guess what?

Iranian revolution came in 1979 and Shia organizations were formed after the revolution and not before.

Amen brother! Make sure that you oppose both Shia and Sunni militants and not just continue harping about Taliban (sunni militants).

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Forget about me for a while, and give references of your allegations against shias of Pakistan for the sake of reader's benefit. Let's see how you can prove that shias militancy was responsible for SSP's formation.