By IRNA,
Birjand, South Khorasan prov : Secretary General of World Assembly for Proximity among the Islamic Schools of Thought said on Saturday that commonalities of the Islamic religions should be identified because they have the potential for further development.
Addressing the third gathering of Shiite and Sunni Scholars in South Khorasan province, he added that some scholars maintain that religious commonalities stand at 90 to 98 percent.
However, Muslims usually forget the commonalities and focus on few percents of differences, which is natural, he deplored.
Stating that proximity implies returning to the essence of Islam, Taskhiri further said that Islam is the religion of rationality and dialogue.
Contending that unity is one of the factors promoting proximity among the faiths, he also said that Islam pays special attention to the issue.
There are many obstacles to establishing unity among religions, he said, noting that fanaticism, ignorance and seditious behaviors are among them.
Fostering proximity among religions does not mean eliminating a faith; rather it means that they perform their rituals while remaining committed to their principles, he concluded.