Imam Khomeini once said in a historic address as following:
"Today, world peace is such that all countries are under the political influence of the superpowers; they observe a control everywhere and have schemes for defeating every group. The most important of these is sowing discord among brothers.”
Late Founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini declared the birth anniversary of the holy prophet of Islam occasion as the Islamic Unity Week back in the 1980s.
One major example of Imam Khomeini's initiative for Islamic Unity is the establishment of the Islamic Unity Week.
The 17th day of Rabi al-Awwal, which falls on November 15 this year, is believed by Shia Muslims to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), while Sunni Muslims regard the 12th day of the month (November 10) as the birthday of the last prophet.
The interval between the two dates is celebrated every year as the Islamic Unity Week.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be the key-note speaker at the opening ceremony in Tehran on November 14, 2019.
The Islamic Summit Conference Hall will host the event.
The motto of this year’s conference is “Ummah’s Unity in Defending Al-Aqsa Mosque”.
There will be 20 expert forums and meetings during the conference.
On the sidelines of the international event, five Muslim world personalities who have greatly contributed to the promotion of proximity among Islamic schools of thought will be honored.
More than 350 scholars, thinkers and political, religious and cultural figures from 93 countries are expected to attend the conference.
The international conference is annually held in the Islamic Unity Week.
Unity Conference proof of ineffectiveness of sanctions against Iran
The current secretary-general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, pointed to the presence of a large crowd of prominent elites in the world at the Thirty-third Islamic Unity Conference, and emphasized that this conference and this unifying presence prove that cruel sanctions against Iran are ineffective.
Ayatollah Mohsen Araki announced at a news conference on Sunday to outline the details of the thirty-third international conference on Islamic unity at the Martyrs' Museum that more than 350 figures were invited from around the world, and stated that 114 figures are the scholars, current and former presidents of some countries and former and current ministers.
The senior cleric highlighted the presence of prominent leaders and personalities of the resistance front, especially Palestine, as well as the presence of youth and women during the conference.
Ayatollah Araki also pointed to the presence of 90 Islamic and non-Islamic nations in this round of conference, along with prominent personalities, religious scholars and senior officials.
The current secretary-general of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought said that this year's unity conference will be held with plans different from previous years.
He noted that the thirty-third International Islamic Unity Conference will be held on the topic of unity of the Ummah in defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, attended by 400 scholars, thinkers from more than 90 countries, and over 180 scholars, and officials of the centers of World Forum for Proximity in the universities from eleven provinces in five days in Tehran on February 12-14.