Rafsanjani, who is chairman of Iran's Expediency Council, on Wednesday denounced the recent raid on the house of the revered Nigerian Shia cleric, Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, and the killing of a large number of Shias in the country.
The Iranian official said around 10 million Shias livein Nigeria without causing any trouble, but they have recently been subjected to acts of aggression under false pretexts.
Local media said on December 12 that more than a dozen people were killed afterclashes erupted between the Nigerian army and Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria in Kaduna State.The military accused the Shias of attempting to assassinateLieutenant General Tukur Buratai, the chief of the Nigerian army staff.
The clashes broke out when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on the people attending a religious ceremony at Hussainiyyah Baqeeyatullah, a religious center belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).
One day later, Sheikh al-Zakzakyand his wife were arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and thebuildings connected to the Shia community in Zaria.Local sources say hundreds of people trying to protect the cleric were killed.
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Senior Nigerian Shia cleric Ibrahim al-Zakzaky (Photo by Mehr News Agency)[/caption]The Nigerian army and Zakzaky's daughter have confirmed the arrest of the top cleric.
OIC must address Nigeria attacks
Meanwhile, senior Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, called on the Muslim world on Wednesday to take action regardingthe recent bloody crackdown onShia Muslims in Nigeria.
Ayatollah MakaremShirazi called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to convene a meeting to press the Nigerian government to secure the immediaterelease of Sheikh Zakzaky.
He also called on the international community to break itssilence on the severe clampdown on Nigerian ShiaMuslimand said those behind the recent brutal assault must be identified and brought to justice.
By Press TV
