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BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM Iran aims to unite Muslims in weekly event Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:5AM GMT For the past three decades Iran has invited Islamic religious leaders, Sunni and Shia from all over the globe to Tehran, to discuss unity among Muslims. The Islamic Unity conference called for greater convergence among Muslim groups. The theme of this year's event was the Quran and its role in unity. "The holy Qur'an has the biggest role in uniting the Ummah, the holy Quran is the only book that all muslims recognize, there is no book or writing that comes close to the holy Quran. If we base our research and lifestyle on the holy book we will then find unity," Molavi Abdol Hamid, a leading Iranian Sunni religious leader said. The event gathered over 300 religious leaders, clerics and researchers from over 58 countries, Muhammad al-Asi says the real effect starts to happen when these people go back to their communities. "When they go back to whichever part of the country or the world they came from, they are going to go back with a message of reconciliation, and a message of common understanding. within the population base that they live in, so this goes a long way," Imam Muhammad al-Asi from the Washington Islamic Center said. Unity week in Iran is coming to an end, this week all Muslims Sunni or Shia celebrate the birth of the prophet of Islam. Religious scholar Ali al-Hakim said change towards Islamic unity is gradual. "Any form of change or development should be in a form of a gradual process, it starts definitely with people's minds with those who are thinkers." In the final speech at the event, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, The head of Iran’s Expediency Council called on Muslims of all different sects and groups to unite in the face of attempts to drive them apart. " We are still far from the goals of this conference set years ago, I urge the leaders and clerics to double their efforts, as we really need the unity in the world of Islam at this time." In a final communiqué participants urged Muslims around the world to be wary of enemies’ plots that aim to create rifts among them. They also condemned any such attempts to wreak havoc on the Muslim world. PTC The 27th Islamic Unity Conference came to an end urging Muslims to unite on commonalities and using the holy book of Islam the Quran as a guide. Iran president urges moderation in Muslim world Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani addresses a meeting with Iranian officials and foreign participants in the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on January 19, 2014. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani addresses a meeting with Iranian officials and foreign participants in the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on January 19, 2014. Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:27PM Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called on the Muslim world to choose the path of moderation and join hands against extremism and violence. “Today, we should establish moderation, unity, brotherhood, and fight against violence and extremism in the Muslim world,” Rouhani told Iranian officials and foreign participants in the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Sunday. More than 300 prominent Muslim scholars and thinkers from 58 countries participated in the three-day conference which wrapped up in Tehran on Sunday. The Iranian president warned against enemy plots to sow discord among Muslims and halt their progress and noted that Islamic nations must promote their unity based on their religious commonalities and mutual interests. Rouhani called for the elimination of the roots of differences and noted that Muslims must join hands to revive the Islamic civilization by fighting discrimination, religious intolerance and different aspects of cultural and economic poverty. On December 18, 2013, the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to approve Rouhani’s World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE) proposal, which calls on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism. The Iranian president made the proposal in his address to the UN Disarmament Conference in New York on September 25. Under the resolution, the Assembly would urge all member states to unite against violence and extremism in all its forms and manifestations, as well as sectarian violence.