TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday underlined the importance of Muslim unity, describing it as a “Qur’anic principle” and a key to counter ill-wishers’ conspiracies against Muslims.
“The issue of the Islamic Ummah’s identity is a fundamental one that transcends nationality, and geographical borders cannot alter the reality and identity of the Islamic Ummah,” he said in a meeting with Iranian Sunni scholars here. 
The Leader said malicious efforts to make Muslims indifferent to their Islamic identity are “contrary to Islamic teachings, which hold that a Muslim should not be oblivious to the suffering of another Muslim in Gaza or other parts of the world.”
Ayatollah Khamenei’s meeting with Sunni scholars came at the beginning of the Islamic Unity Week which coincides with the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).
The Leader urged Sunni scholars to rely on Islamic identity and the Islamic Ummah as he reminded of longstanding plans and activities of ill-wishers to fuel religious differences in the Islamic world, especially in Iran. 
“They seek to separate Shias and Sunnis in our country and in others Islamic regions using intellectual, propagational, and economic tools. They incite anger and discord through measures such as pressuring individuals from both sides to speak ill of each other.” 
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that relying on unity is the solution to counter these conspiracies. “The issue of unity is not a tactic but rather a Qur’anic principle.”
The Leader expressed regret over certain intentional or unintentional actions which undermine the unity between Shia and Sunni communities. 
“Of course, despite the multitude of conspiracies, our Sunni community has diligently countered these hostile motives, as evidenced by the 15,000 Sunni martyrs during the Sacred Defense and other 

periods, as well as the martyrdom of a significant number of Sunni scholars in the path of the truth and the Revolution,” the Leader said, referring to the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s war of the 1980s on Iran.   
Ayatollah Khamenei said achieving the important goal of upholding the Islamic Ummah’s honor can only be realized through unity. 
“Today, it is definitely our duty to support the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. Anyone who neglects this duty will surely be questioned by God.”