Sunnis not our brethren, but our souls.

Ayatollah Sistani

“There is no real difference between Shiite and Sunni beliefs, and I am the servant of all Iraqis [either Sunni or Shiite],” he emphasizes. “I love everyone, and this religion [Islam] is the religion of love,” he adds. He expresses his surprise that how the enemy could have succeeded to divide Islamic sects.

Sistani’s message, also sent to first Conference of Sunni and Shiite Scholars, asserts that “ this kind of conferences are highly important, since they help Shiites and Sunnis find out that there is no real difference between their beliefs, and the difference simply is on legal (Fiqh) issues.”

“Shiites should defend Sunnis’ social and political rights before defending their own rights, and we call [everyone] for unity,” Ayatollah Sinstani adds. “As I have said before, Shiites should not call Sunnis their brethren, but their ‘souls.’

“We should attend Sunnis’ Friday prayers more than Shiite’s. We do not discriminate between Arabs and Kurds, and Islam has collected all of us [under common umbrella],” he asserts.

Read Arabic Statement on Shia Sunni Unity