Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not the head of Shia Muslims: Maulana Hasan Ali Rajani

• Maulana Hasan Ali Rajani is the Vice President of All India Shia Personal Law Board

• Rajani says he doesn’t have faith in any maulavi (religious leader of Islam) in Iran

Maulana Hasan Ali Rajni and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Mumbai – ‘We express our condolences to those whose homes have been destroyed. We also share in their grief; but the disputes of each country should remain within that country. They should not be taken to other places. Iran should keep its disputes in Iran. America should keep its disputes in America. We strongly condemn the protests that are taking place all over the world today, whether in India or Pakistan, because the deceased was not our leader. The Shia community all over the world considers Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq as its leader. We have no faith in any maulavi in Iran,’ said Maulana Hasan Ali Rajani, Vice-President of the All India Shia Personal Law Board.

Protests are funded : Rajani

Maulana Rajani further made a serious allegation that some people, for their political gains, are arranging funds for the agitations happening all over the world and spoiling the atmosphere. Recently, some of our people attacked the US embassy in Pakistan and in the subsequent retaliatory action, 35 Shias were killed. There were also deaths in Bangladesh, Muslims were killed in Qatar. Muslims are being victimized all over the world. We only request them to be loyal to their own country. Keep these things limited to their own country.

2 Crore Muslims killed worldwide; No Muslim from India speaks about it

Maulana Rajani added that in 40 years, more than 2 Crore Muslims have been killed; but no Muslim in India talks about it; but if a Muslim dies in India, all the news channels of the world show that Muslims are facing atrocities in India. We cannot carry the name or photo of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to another country; but in our country, photos of foreign leaders are carried, their flags are hoisted and people protest over their deaths.

Khamenei’s photo should not be placed in the Muharram procession

Maulana Rajani clarified that there should be no protests in support of Khamenei. If Khamenei’s photo is kept in the Muharram procession, we will also keep Narendra Modi’s photo, even if we are put in jail for that. If we take the name of our Prime Minister, we are called ‘terrorists’; but if these people take the names and photos of leaders of other countries and attack embassies, don’t they become ‘terrorists’ ? We strongly oppose this. Such protests should not take place all over the world. He also clarified that not all Shias in the world are in favour of Iran; only some people are with them.