International Shia News Agency

Sunni and Shia work together to mend the divide

SHAFAQNA – Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the Sheikh of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic Center said he is ready to go to Iraq and meet with Iraqi Shia sources of emulation.

He said he will go to Iraq and hold talks with the country’s senior clerics with the aim of enhancing proximity between Shias and Sunnis and discussing fight against terrorist groups like ISIL.

Sheikh Ahmed Karima, an Al-Azhar scholar who had earlier made a trip to Iran and met with Iranian clerics in the holy city of Qom, hailed al-Tayyeb’s decision.

Al-Tayyeb’s remarks come a few days after Al-Azhar’s allegations against Shia volunteer forces fighting ISIL terrorist along Iraqi army drew widespread criticism.

In a statement on Wednesday, Al-Azhar voiced concerns over what it called “crimes” committed by Shia forces supporting the Iraqi army in its current operations against ISIL.

Al-Azhar condemned as “barbaric” what it called the “crimes” in Sunni-majority towns and cities liberated from ISIL.

Senior Iraqi figures rejected the allegations and urged the Egyptian center not to rely on baseless information.

They called on Al-Azhar leaders to come to Iraq and see the reality for themselves.

In their offensive against the terrorist group ISIL, Iraqi army troops backed by volunteer forces have retaken several cities and areas from the Takfiri militants.

The ISIL terrorists now control parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria. They have been engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.

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