Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Iran in 2022 (AFP)

Islamic unity is an essential means to counteract the cultural, media, and economic wars and a crucial tool to fight the plots and aggressions of the United States and the Israeli occupation, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday.

“The unity of the Islamic Ummah (World) has always been significant throughout the history of Islam,” Raisi said in an address to the 37th International Conference on Islamic Unity in Tehran.

He further emphasized that elevating importance to unity is not an individual or temporary matter, but part of an intellectual system founded upon righteousness and the religious teachings of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

“Unity does not mean the unification of the faiths or geography of the Muslim countries, rather, unity is solidarity and coherence for safeguarding the interests of the Islamic Ummah,” the president noted.

"الوحدة اليوم ليست بمعنى الوحدة في المذاهب أو الجغرافيا بل بمعنى الانسجام والتنسيق لحفظ مصالح العالم الإسلامي"
الرئيس الإيراني إبراهيم رئيسي في مؤتمر #الوحدة_الإسلامية في #طهران pic.twitter.com/Xd1P66KhEK
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) October 1, 2023

On normalization with the Israeli occupation, Raisi said that seeking to normalize relations with the Zionist regime is an indicator of a reactionary and regressive government, pointing out that Israelis are fighting against the unity of the Islamic World.

Furthermore, he stressed that the option of “surrender and compromise” to the Zionist entity is out of the question, noting that the liberation of occupied al-Quds and Palestine was the most important indicator of the unity of the Islamic world.

"The way to deal with the enemy is not compromise and surrender, but it is resilience and resistance that force the [entity] to retreat,” he said.

The Resistance has proven successful against the occupation; evidently, it has forced it to retreat and will continue to force it to do so, the president added.

"رؤيتنا المشتركة اليوم هي الصمود والمقاومة أمام الأعداء وليس التطبيع والاستسلام"
الرئيس الإيراني إبراهيم رئيسي في مؤتمر #الوحدة_الإسلامية في #طهران pic.twitter.com/zgYtCHUCo6
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) October 1, 2023

In another segment of his address, Raisi expressed concerns over Takfiri terrorist attacks targeting mosques and religious sites in neighboring countries - mainly referring to the recent terrorist bomb attacks in Pakistan.

He attributed these acts to operatives of the United States and the Israeli entity, stressing the need for unity within the Islamic Ummah to counter the Takfiri movement, which in turn will put an end to these atrocities.

Additionally, he urged the Muslim scholars and intellectuals at the conference to brace themselves for a pivotal role in the new world order.

"Muslims and the Islamic world need to position themselves within this emerging order, challenge the prevailing unjust structures, and work towards establishing a fair world system," he emphasized, highlighting the significant role the Islamic Ummah will have in this upcoming order.

Ties between Iran-Saudi Arabia beneficial for Islamic world

The restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia has helped boost hope and unity in the Islamic world, Secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) Hamid Shahriari said during the conference.

Shahriari contended that the renewed ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia marked a pivotal shift, fostering collaboration and camaraderie among Islamic nations. According to the official, this development resonated deeply with those championing a renaissance in the Islamic world, as two distinct political and ideological perspectives actively pursued heightened cooperation.

The initiative underscored the understanding that foreign powers cannot guarantee long-term development goals in the West Asia region, he continued.

The 37th International Islamic Unity Conference commenced on Sunday morning at the Iran International Conference Center in Tehran. Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei is scheduled to give a speech later today.