TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei here on Sunday warned against plots hatched by the enemies to create rifts among different Muslim sects.
"The goal of the enemy is to bring Islam to its knees and prevent the Shia community from becoming a role model," Ayatollah Khamenei told a group of eulogists.
The Leader said Shiism has access to unique possibilities and devices to confront the enemy's plots.
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on attempts by the enemies to harm Muslim unity and sow discord between Shia and Sunni Muslims. "Creating rifts among Muslims is like a sword in the hands of the enemies of Islam," the Leader said.
“I have said many times that religious hostilities should not be provoked because it is clear that creating divisions among Muslims will play into the hands of the enemies of Islam.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Any statement or action that ignites the fire of strife among Muslims and insults the sanctities of any Muslim group … (which) only serves the camp of blasphemy and polytheism, is disloyalty to Islam and is haram (forbidden)."
The Leader said the Islamic Ummah should reinvigorate its intrinsic ability and power, adding one of the most important factors in this regard is unity, convergence and focus on commonalities.
Separately, President Hassan Rouhani said women are not treated as second-class citizens in Islam.
In a speech marking Women's Day in Iran, Rouhani indicated more had to be done but he said the West did not offer a model that had to be followed.
"I, as the head of the government, confess there are still so many deficiencies with regards to the vindication of women's rights," Rouhani told a conference attended by members of Iran's female elite, in remarks that were warmly applauded.
"Based on the Islamic criteria, we neither consider men as the first sex nor the women as the second sex ... they both have the same human dignity and none is superior," he added.
Arguing that it was misguided to think a woman's place should be limited to the home, he questioned why "some people think the presence of women is a threat?", noting that women are the guardians of their own moral standards, not men.
"Is that possible to corner and marginalize the role of half of the society? Women should enjoy equal opportunities, security and social rights," he said.
"We will not accept the culture of sexual discrimination especially for women."
Ayatollah Khamenei meanwhile agreed to pardon or reduce prison terms of a group of female prisoners on the occasion of the Women's Day.
The pardon was granted following a request by Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani.
