Khamenei Accuses America of Fomenting Division Among Muslims

The leader of the Islamic Republic accused U.S. officials of attempting to 'create discord among Muslims' and stated that 'the English have a history of creating division and war between Shia and Sunni, but the current American plan is more dangerous.' According to the official website of the Islamic Republic's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday, December 29, that 'since the issue of Shia and Sunni has been raised in the rhetoric of American officials and politicians, those who understand and are insightful have become concerned because it was clear they were pursuing a new and more dangerous conspiracy than before.' He also stated, 'They lie if they say we oppose Shia and support Sunni; Americans are against Islam itself, and we should not be deceived by their statements in support of certain sects.' Khamenei further accused American officials of seeking to 'create discord' among Muslims, asserting that 'terrorist sects like ISIS' have been created with 'money and political support from American affiliates.' These remarks come despite no previous statements from American officials indicating opposition to Shia Muslims. Khamenei did not provide further details regarding what he termed 'the statements of American officials regarding support for Sunni and opposition to Shia,' nor did he specify which American officials or politicians had spoken on this matter. Iran has long been engaged in intense competition with Arab and Sunni countries over the civil wars in Syria and Yemen, which some media and analysts refer to as a 'proxy war.' In this context, Khamenei had previously warned on Wednesday, May 19, that if 'enemies' bring the proxy war 'to Iran's borders,' Tehran's response would be 'very severe.' On the other hand, former President Barack Obama stated on Thursday, February 19, 2015, that 'the Shia-Sunni war will end when governments resolve their differences through dialogue, not through proxy wars.' Obama did not name these countries, but at that time, AFP reported that Saudi Arabia and Iran were accused of trying to increase their influence in the region by supporting rival groups in Middle Eastern countries. In his annual speech at the UN General Assembly, the American president also mentioned that 'the Shia and Sunni violence has fragmented the Middle East' and stated that 'it is better for young Muslims to pursue constructive paths rather than join extremist groups.' In another part of his speech, Khamenei claimed that Western civilization has become 'morally corrupt and spiritually hollow' and stated that it is now 'the turn of the Islamic world to take steps towards establishing the foundation of a new Islamic civilization.' He emphasized that to achieve this goal, 'there is no hope in the politicians of the Islamic world, and religious scholars must... enlighten the Islamic community.' Khamenei considered the establishment of an 'Islamic civilization' to be 'possible' and described the Islamic Republic of Iran as an example of 'the possibility of achieving these great goals' that 'can be generalized' to 'all of the Islamic world.' Previously, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, had stated on Monday, April 26, that the 'ideal of the Islamic Revolution' is 'movement towards a great civilization.' He also noted that the status of exporting the Islamic Revolution outside Iran was 'very favorable' and said that the revolution 'needs to progress faster' within Iran. These statements from Iranian officials come at a time when several regional countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have expressed concern over Iran's growing influence in the region. In contrast, President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly referred to the idea of a 'Shia Crescent' as a factor of 'division' in the region, emphasizing that 'the Shia Crescent' does not exist. The term 'Shia Crescent' was first used by King Abdullah of Jordan to express concern over Iran's efforts to expand Shia influence across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Bahrain.