Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has urged Muslims to confront any factor undermining their unity, calling this a big responsibility for Muslims.
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"Muslims must confront any anti-unity factor. This is a big obligation for us. Both Shia and Sunnis must accept this. Unity means relying on commonalties,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian officials and foreign participants in the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Sunday.
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei also called on the whole Iranian students in local or foreign universities to put effort into improving their knowledge and throw their weight behind the country’s progress and the Iranian nation’s prosperity.
In a Saturday message to the 48th annual meeting of the union of the Islamic associations of Iranian students in Europe, Ayatollah Khamenei described the Iranian young students all over the world as "valuable plants” that have their roots in Iran.
The Leader also asserted that those Iranians studying abroad, like their peers in the country’s "lively and dynamic” universities, would "make valuable contributions” to the prosperity of their homeland and welfare of the Iranian nation.
Ayatollah Khamenei further called on the young Iranian students to have insatiable thirst for high quality knowledge and pay complete attention to the scientific fields they select.
The Leader also affirmed that full trust in God will guarantee the process of young students becoming successful managers and prominent individuals in the future.
In relevant remarks in August 2013, the Supreme Leader had praised Iran's eye-catching progress in scientific fields, saying that the growth was much greater than the world's average.
Addressing a group of academic figures here in Tehran at the time, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the reliable international scientific studies, and stated that "Iran’s scientific growth during the past 12 years grew 16 times more than before and Iran’s scientific growth is 13 times greater than the world's average rate.”
The Leader had also denounced some western states for their attempts to hinder Iran’s scientific progress by imposing illegal sanctions against the country.
"Contrary to its claims, the hostile and obstinate front formed against the Islamic establishment and the Iranian nation, is made up of only a few western domineering countries, and spares no efforts to impede Iran’s scientific progress,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined.