SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Director of Ahlulbayt Centre in Turkey Rahmi Onurşan Rahmani, in a dialogue with SHAFAQNA, talked about the Shia grow in the world, he said:
After September 11, Al-Qaeda and Taliban caused expansion of extremism. It was a chance for the world, especially the western, to distinguish between the extremists’ beliefs and those of Shia. Westerners understood that the Shia school of thought is based on ethics and these ethics do not permit contractions with the human values.
He also added that Shia Scholars (Maraje’) do not allow their followers to take bad advantage of the western governments and countries, such as abusing usage of their facilities (electricity, water, etc.). Therefore, when Shia followers are restricted to the direction of their Scholars, they will surely not disobey the tiniest of things, and they will not agree with the extremists’ ideology.
Shia has a new vision that is close to the humanitarian vision and the protection of human rights. It is also important to mention that there are 15 to 20 million Alawi Shia in Turkey. These people believe in God (Allah), his messenger (Mohammed) and the Imams (A.S.).
It is also important to mention that Shia scholars in Turkey have gathered and founded “The Union of Shia Scholars in Turkey” during an event in which government’s and Maraje’s representatives were present.
This was an important step towards building a relationship with the government to respond to the needs of the Shia in Turkey.
