BEIRUT: Shiite scholar Sayyed Ali Fadlallah warned of the political dangers that threaten the unity of Muslims in the region.

“Muslims are facing grave challenges across the region because certain international alliances are seeking to spread chaos and fragment their societies in order to pit believers against each other [according to their sect],” Fadlallah said while receiving a delegation from Iran, which included Sheikh Mohsen Araki, secretary-general of the World Forum for Reconciliation between Islamic Doctrines, and Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi.

During the meeting, the scholar and members of the delegations deliberated about the dilemmas facing Muslims in light of current political developments, a statement from Fadlallah’s office said.

“Maintaining Islamic unity means sacrifices have to be made by all influential parties,” Fadlallah said in the statement. He called for “Sunnis and Shiites to work together to consolidate Islamic unity and make it a priority in all political and cultural sectors.”

He denounced the attacks targeting Shiites in several countries, most recently in Iraq and Pakistan, adding that these acts aim at “widening gaps between Muslims.”