Grand Ayatollah Shirazi Meets Shia Scholar from Pakistan

On Wednesday, October 30, 2019, Sayed Mohsen Ali met with the Grand Shia Jurist Ayatollah Shirazi in holy Qom and listened to statements by his eminence. At the beginning of this meeting, this Shia scholar elaborated on the situation of Shia Muslims in Pakistan and then, the Grand Jurist stated:

“Before the death of Gandhi, India and Pakistan were one country and only during the time of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, 80 years ago, India and Pakistan separated. The two countries have so much in common, including their language, history and culture. Besides, the Wahhabis are present in both countries but anti-Shia incidents only happen in Pakistan. What happens in Pakistan is really heartbreaking.”

His eminence further said:

“King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was a ruthless dictator. When some Shia figures from Qatif visited him and asked him to stop the discriminations against the Shia community, his response was: If it wasn’t for the international pressures, I would have burned all Shias alive. How dare you come to me and speak about this?

The Grand Ayatollah Shirazi also said:

“I remember reading a magazine that indicated King Faisal had ordered a third of the country’s budget to be spent on preaching Wahhabi Islam. There is a city in Pakistan which is named after King Faisal, because it was built by this Saudi monarch. This city is home to the largest library and Islamic seminaries in the entire Pakistan. His eminence ended his remarks saying: “I have asked the Pakistani scholars to teach their youths how to handle a debate, so that they can attract other youths to Shia Islam.”