Shia Rights Watch Publishes Statement on International Day of Nonviolence

Shia Rights Watch, dependent to Imam Shirazi World Foundation published a statement, calling for practical actions to stop conflicts and violence, coinciding with the International Day of Nonviolence on October 2, 2019. Parts of the statement reads as follows:

“The International Day of Non-Violence is marked each year on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement. The occasion emphasizes on disseminating the message of non-violence, through education and public awareness. It also reaffirms the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence and the desire to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.

In his famous saying, the holy Prophet of Islam highlighted that a true Muslim is a person who doesn’t hurt anyone either by their words or actions. Despite such great emphasis on tolerance and nonviolence in Islam, Shia Muslims have been the targets of persecution for 1400 years.

On the other hand, the holy AhlulBayt (peace be upon them) as the divinely appointed successors of the God’s holy messenger, have introduced nonviolence and tolerance as the core of their missionary programs in their entire lives. In other words, Shia Islam condemns all acts of extremism, bigotry, and inflexibility to truth and thus, we can see that no Shia individual has ever carried out suicide bombings or suchlike attacks against innocent civilians.

On this note, Shia Rights Watch calls on the international community to put forth practical strategies and agendas to combat violence against all minorities around the globe. The poor conditions of the Shia Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Asia countries need special attention and immediate actions of the international community.