Believers Deliver a Statement at the Iraqi-Saudi Borderline

On ژوئن 08, 2020

Hundreds of Iraqi protestors rallied at the Iraqi-Saudi borderlines to call for the restoration of Baqi shrines in the holy City of Medina. Each year on the 8th of Shawwal, the Public Relations Office of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi brings together large numbers of Shia believers from all across Iraq to request the reconstruction of Baqi shrines in Saudi Arabia.

On this year’s 8th of Shawwal, the Iraqi Shias made a public statement, which comes as follows:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

We, the religious scholars, intellectuals, journalists and Iraqi citizens, renew our protest here as in previous years, declaring the eighth day of the month of Shawwal as the International Day in Support of Baqi, and according to the order of His Highness the Grand Ayatollah Sayed Sadiq Hosseini Shirazi, we request the permission to rebuild the holy shrines of the Ahlul AlBayt (peace be upon them) in this historical and holy cemetery.

We make the following legal demands available to the Saudi officials, international organizations in general, and UNESCO in particular, and to all media and all those who share the same concerns:

  1. The immediate reconstruction of the holy shrines in the Baqi cemetery.

  2. The incrimination of any aggressive activity that causes harassment of Muslim individuals who visit the gravesites of the holy Imams in Baqi cemetery.

  3. The criminal cult that desecrated these holy shrines must be put on trial.

  4. The Iraqi government should start negotiations with international entities, including the Organization of Islamic. Cooperation, the UN and UNESCO to directly intervene and convince the Saudi authorities to rebuild the sacred shrines in Baqi cemetery.

  5. The human rights advocates should build cases against the criminal activities of Takfiri groups in International Criminal Court; the protection of religious sanctities is a right which is engraved in all bodies of law.

  6. We request the historical and Islamic sites in Hijaz to be listed as World Heritage Sites in UNESCO.

To meet these demands, we call on the religious authorities, prominent scholars, intellectuals, writers, journalists, tribal leaders and all Muslims to exercise their right to preserve the heritage of the Prophet and his family, with all the means at their disposal, including:

First: Adherence to the proclamation of the eighth day of the month of Shawwal as a World Day of Baqi.

Second: Creating and reinforcing a media movement to introduce the oppressions against AhlulBayt (peace be upon them).

Third: The use of state-of-the-art technology to communicate with different ethnic groups in the world and introduce the fragrant school of AhlulBayt (peace be upon them).

Fourth: Raising international awareness with respect to the destruction of shrines in Baqi cemetery and its significance;

Fifth: Encourage the masses to create and sign petitions to UN headquarters, human rights organizations, heads of state and other responsible institutions.

Sixth: Creating websites related to the 8th of Shawwal and creating new sources of content that support this humanitarian issue.

Seventh: Making an influence on international centers; if the international entities view the destruction of Baqi cemetery as a threat to their strategic interests, they will push in various ways to lift the construction ban.

Eighth: Attempting to breathe new life into the body of the Islamic Ummah, which is in deep sleep and vulnerable to various internal and external problems.

Needless to say that collaborative efforts should also be taken in order to increase Muslims awareness, regardless of their affiliations, with respect to the core canons of their faith, such as the Holy Quran, the Traditions of the God’s Messenger and his Household, as well as using the power of reason and intellect to overcome the problems of the Muslim world.