Tehran, Iran, Oct. 13
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
The Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that al-Qaeda and the IS have actually been created to confront Iran and Islamic Awakening in the Middle East and North Africa.
"But the groups have now turned against their creators," he said, Iran's Fars News Agency reported on October 13.
Although the recent revolutions in Arab states are often called "Arab Spring", Iranian authorities named it "Islamic Awakening" and a continuation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. This term was originally used by Khamenei himself.
Khamenei went on to add that "the Takfiri militants" are ignorant and fanatic. Iranian officials generally refer the Takfir to extremist Sunni groups such as the IS (Islamic State group, ISIL or ISIS).
Ayatollah Khamenei made remarks at a speech on the occasion of Eid al-Ghadeer (Shia Muslim holiday).
"The US-led coalition is not seeking to destroy the ISIL," he said, adding that the coalition is using the militant group as a tool to incite conflicts among the Muslims," Khamenei added.
He said in particular that Great Britain is an expert in inciting conflicts among the Muslims. Khamenei further urged Shias and Sunnis not to help Islam's enemies by insulting each other.