The terrorist attack which destroyed the holy Shi’ite Al-‘Askariyya Shrine in Samara on Wednesday, was followed by denunciations from all over the Muslim world. The shrine, famous for its golden dome, was visited by Shi’ite pilgrims from around the world. Two leaders of the Shi’ites from the 11th century, Imam Hadi and Imam Al-‘Askari, are buried there.
“The terrorist bombing of the holy shrine of Imam Hadi and Imam Hasan Al-‘Askari in Iraq is indicative of the abject failure of the enemies of Islam,” said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad. The president strongly condemned the “shameless and heinous terrorist act,” adding that “those who have seen defeat from the wisdom of Islam express their anger through savage acts such as by insulting Muslim sanctities.”
On his part, Syrian Prime Minister Naji Al-‘Utri was quick to blame foreign forces for the act. “Zionist hands and the occupiers’ conspiracy are visible in this crime,” he said. Al-‘Utri asked the Iraqi nation to maintain their “national unity and vigilance in order to neutralize the conspiracies.”
“These terrorist attacks against holy places, and the killing and terrorizing of innocent believing people, are far from or the values of our Islamic religion and are contradicting all human values,” said Emir of Kuwait ‘Sabbah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir.
Similar condemnations also came from other leaders such as Jordanian King ‘Abdallah, and the Emirati FM ‘Abdallah Bin Zayyid.
Western countries, including the United States, Britain, and France, also added to the list of condemnations.