Iran backing Houthis only against US, Israel: Shia Ulema

LAHORE: Noted Shia scholars have defended the Iranian support to Houthi rebels of Yemen, saying Iran has been pursuing the stated policy of supporting all forces opposed to the US and Israel. They were talking to the media after the election of president of Wafaqul Madaris Shia at Jamia Al-Muntazir on Tuesday. The incumbent president, Allama Riaz Hussain Najfi, was re-elected for another four-year term. Elections were participated by nearly 400 Shia seminaries and veteran leaders like Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi, former senator Jawad Hadi, Haider Moosvi, Sheikh Mohsin Najfi, Arif Wahidi and Juma Asadi.
Talking to the media, senior scholars including Niaz Naqvi, Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi, Allama Afzal Haidri and others clarified that Iran had not made any interference in the internal affairs of Yemen and confined itself to extending political and moral support to Houthi tribesmen against the puppets of the US and Israel.
They said Houthi-Hadi Mansoor conflict was an internal matter of Yemen and posed no threats to the security of Saudi Arabia or the Harmain Sharifain. Therefore, no other country should interfere in the affairs of Yemen.
They appealed to the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to send the Pakistan Army to join Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels, warning that the country was already suffering from devastation of war on terror and could not afford to invite more dangers. They demanded that Pakistan should only mediate between Saudi Arabia and Houthis to bring an end to the conflict which was now assuming dangerous proportions because of the Arab coalition forces making full fledged strikes against Yemen.
Iftikhar Naqvi stressed that Yemen clashes were not a Shia-Sunni conflict, and criticised the Arab coalition against Yemen, saying why such a force was not established to counter Israeli invasion of Lebanon and Gaza. He warned that conflict in Yemen was actually a US conspiracy against the Saudi ruling family and they must look into it. He said there was no threat to Harmain Sharifain from Houthis, which were more close to Sunnis than Asna Ashri Shias.
He said real threat to the holy places came from ISIS whose leader had warned of attacking those places and had destroyed several shrines of Sahaba (RA) and great Saints. He said as part of faith every Muslim was committed to defending Harmain Sharifain in case of any threat. He said Saudi Arabia enjoyed a position of the centre of the Muslim world.
To a query, Afzal Haidri said they had no objection to registration of seminaries but were opposed to the new registration form which was against the previous agreements with the government. He demanded that government should redesign the form in consultation with Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Deeniya (ITMD).