On the nineteenth of Dey month of this year, Mawlana Abdulhamid, who was present to attend the International Conference of Islamic Unity in Tehran, was scheduled to lead the Friday prayer at the Sunni Central Mosque in the Punak neighborhood. Despite extensive notifications for the Friday prayer, from the early hours of that day, security forces blocked the streets leading to the mosque, preventing Mawlana Abdulhamid and other Sunni clerics and worshippers from attending. About a week later, the mosque was completely sealed off.

These actions were taken just one day before and on the sidelines of the International Conference of Islamic Unity, a photo of Mullah Abdul Hamid meeting with the leader of the Islamic Republic was released.

Taking into consideration the principle that freedom of religious rituals and ceremonies is the right of every individual in any part of the world, many believe that the holding of prayer in Tehran by Moulavi Abdulhamid Ghami was considered a practical step towards creating unity between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Any actions contrary to this, especially in light of the crises in the region, could potentially lead the country towards internal crises day by day.

In this issue of the monthly magazine “Khat-e-Solh”, there is an interview with “Molavi Mohammad Osman Qalandarzehi”, the director of the religious school Madinat Al-Ilm in Khash, the Friday prayer leader of Al-Khalil Mosque in this city, and one of the prominent Sunni scholars in Iran, about the reasons for preventing the Friday prayer of Sunnis in Tehran and how Shiites and Sunnis can achieve unity…

Mr. Ghelanderzeh, why despite the repeated talks about unity and lack of differences between the two Shia and Sunni groups by officials, in practice even the Friday prayers of the Sunni community led by Molavi Abdulhamid in the Punak area of Tehran were prevented?

We don’t know the reason and we are still unaware of the cause. We must ask the people who were involved for the reason behind this incident.

The reality is that this question is also raised for ourselves, why has a dual approach emerged in speech and action; while high-ranking officials such as the leader and the president speak of unity, the approach taken by some security and law enforcement forces is different from these words. We are waiting for clarification on this issue to know where the problem lies.

What organization prevented the holding of this Friday prayer? Was any written order presented?

It is still not clear to us whether this action was carried out by law enforcement forces or personal security forces. In addition, if either of these is the case, they should have been sent under the protection of a region or organization. We have not been presented with any written order, neither on that day nor until now. We have also heard that some mosque officials received phone calls the night before, stating that they do not have the right to hold prayers that week.

Do the Friday prayers of Sunni Muslims have political themes that officials find sensitive?

No, we do not have any political issues in Friday prayers. We have two sermons in Friday prayers, the first one is in Persian and is about current issues, and the second sermon, which is considered the main sermon, only contains verses, hadiths, and prayers and has a spiritual and religious aspect.

Dear Mr. Ghelanderzehi, in your opinion, to what extent can such issues cause internal crises in the country?

In any case, these are issues that cause suffering and heartache for people and lead to division, distance, and bitterness for all Muslims, especially Sunnis. This is while both sides have belief in each other’s sanctities. It should be remembered that Sunnis have a special belief in the companions and in fact, after the Prophet, the respected figures in the religion of Islam are the companions.

On the other hand, how effective do you think the meeting between Mawlana Abdul Hamid and the leader of the Islamic Republic was in creating unity between Shia and Sunni?

The meeting between Mawlana Abdulhamid and the inspiring leader was pleasant. In any case, anything that leads to love and friendship is pleasing to people. The nation wants differences to be resolved and unity to be established. However, this meeting was very short and on the sidelines of a conference. We wanted renowned scholars to accompany Mawlana and meet with the leader, making the meeting more detailed. Unfortunately, the prevention of Friday prayers, which as I mentioned, the cause of it remains unknown, greatly diminished the impact of this meeting.

Please briefly state what issues were emphasized at the Islamic Unity Conference held in Tehran.

See, in this conference, because most of the guests were foreigners, there was not much talk about new issues and most of the discussions were repetitive. For example, there was no discussion about the problems of Sunni mosques in Tehran. But in the resolutions, there were some things included that disrespecting each other’s sanctities is forbidden according to the leader’s fatwa. Well, this resolution was good; as long as it is put into action. As you know, in practice, we always hear other things. When the companions are insulted in various ways, it means that this problem has not been resolved and it is still strong. For example, Kayhan newspaper has compared the companions to seditionists. In any case, this issue is still ongoing and we believe that there has been no change in attitudes. This change in attitudes will only come when there is practical unity and refraining from insulting sanctities, especially in both domestic and foreign media, not just in words.

As a final question, please tell us how you assess the future of the relationship between Sunni and Shia in Iran?

In Iran, the general understanding is that if practical steps are taken, unity in action will be achieved. People are not looking for differences, they are not looking for war, insecurity and violence, like other parts of the Middle East and Islamic countries, and they always seek security. Muslims should not excommunicate each other and should return to the Quran and the morals that the Prophet taught. I also want to say that Shia and Sunni, in religious matters, each act according to their own religion and in religious and belief matters, because they are predetermined, it is not possible to make any changes and say that unity must be achieved in this area; unity must be achieved in the political and social dimensions and through effective actions by responsible officials, and understanding and closeness can be achieved in these dimensions.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us in the monthly magazine “Khat-e-Solh”.