Iran Mission Deplores Desecration Of Revered Shiite Figure

Paris, May 8, IRNA – Iranˈs permanent mission at UNESCO in a statement condemned the desecration of a prominent Shiite figure Hojr ibn Oday in Syria by Wahhabi extremists. ˈIt goes without saying that historical place like the one which was recently destroyed are huge cultural assets of the nations that have unique value and it is necessary to safeguard them against destruction and desecration,ˈ the statement of the Iranian mission read. ˈIt is quite obvious that committing such ugly acts by terrorists in Syria is indicative of their lack of belief in Islamic and humanistic values and blatant violation of religious sanctity,ˈ it added. The statement went on to say that the extremist and radical groups by conducting such acts sow the seed of discord, animosity, hatred and division through indulging in violence, terror and massacre of innocent people as well as sacrilege of the sanctity. Armed rebels affiliated to the Wahhabi extremists attacked the mausoleum of Hojr ibn Oday in the Damascus suburb of Adra last week and exhumed his grave taking his remains to an unknown location. The Nusra Front, affiliated to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, has taken up the responsibility for the desecration of Odayˈs grave. Hojr was a staunch supporter of the first Shiite Imam Ali (PBUH) and led the army of Muslims to victory in several crucial battles. He and his sons finally fell victim to their loyalty to Imam Ali (PBUH) and were murdered at the order of the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah in the year 660 CE. Yet, the Wahhabi extremist groups continued their desecration of Shiite sanctity and damaged the mausoleum of another highly revered Shiite figure in Jordan on Saturday. The Wahhabis attacked the mausoleum of Jaˈfar al-Tayyar, a close companion of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the brother of Shiite Islamˈs first Imam, and torched his grave in Karak province in Southern Jordan today./end