Manama: Dr. Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said that Iran’s Guardian Council Chairman, Ahmad Jannati is compounding Tehran’s relations with the Arab capitals.
On Friday, Jannati congratulated Muslims over the death of Saudi king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
“We should express condolences to the Israelis and Americans and congratulation to Muslims,” Jannati said on during his Friday sermon in Tehran, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.
However, Gargash blasted the rejoice over the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as fuelling sectarianism.
“The attack by the mosque imam Jannati on our departed King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and on his life has sectarian overtones,” he posted. “It targets all of us and compounds Iran’s relations with Arab countries,” the minister posted on his Twitter account.
Dr. Gargash said that mosques should not be used to target the dead.
“Mosque tribunes must not be used to spread sectarian ideologies, disrespect the dead, and interfere in the domestic affairs of others. If you cannot say a proper thing, then you should lapse into silence. King Abdullah is the pride of the Arabs,” he posted.
King Abdullah died in the first hour of January 23 and news of his death sparked huge messages of compassion and sympathy in social media and in political circles across the world.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani extended his condolences to the Saudi government and people on the monarch’s demise while Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif paid a rare visit Riyadh express his sympathies.
Reports from Iran said that Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli decried the joy expressed by some Iranian media following the death of the Saudi king.
“The rejoicing over the death of individuals is neither recommended nor obligatory in Islamic teachings,” he said. “Why should we hurt the feelings of some groups?”
