Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) – Parts of the message sent by Ayatollah Makarem to the Islamic Scholars United against Takfirism Conferencee are as follows:

The first point I would like to mention is that Islam, throughout history, has always been accompanied with difficulties, however, it can be said that this problem of takfirism that has currently engulfed the Islamic Ummah is worse than all those previous problems as it harms Islam from two angles. Firstly it has removed the sanctity of life from others. These Takfiris openly say that whoever does not adhere to their brand of Wahabism, be he Sunni or Shia, is Kafir and in this way the fate of non-Muslims becomes clear. Anyone who then is branded as a Kafir, his blood becomes permissible to shed. What is happening in Iraq and Syria in testament to this great danger that Daesh and their like pose to the Muslim World.

Another danger is that these groups are destroying and defaming the name of Islam in the World; as people generally do not know that they are separate from us and are not the whole representation of Islam. These bans that are currently taking place in America and Europe is a result of this very idea that we should scared of Muslims as they are dangerous. However, we should all unite, hand in hand, and say to the World that these groups are not from us and that Islam is a religion of love and compassion.

One of the points that is of extreme importance to all those scholars who have joined this conference from various organizations and institutes is the issue of the youth. As it is these youth who have fooled into thinking that these takfiri groups have established a rightful Islamic government; a government like the Holy Prophet (sawa). Did the Holy Prophet (sawa) slaughter people like sheep?! Did he (sawa) throw oil onto a person and then set him alight? Did he (sawa) attach bombs to little kids and send them into masjids to kill innocent Muslims?! Lest the youth get fooled! I pray that this conference is a means for you all to achieve success in cleaning your own areas from this thought and savings those who have been duped by these takfiri groups. God –Willing.