The martyrdom of the popular scholar and herald of unity, Molavi Yousef Gorgich, constitutes a bitter loss for the noble people of Sistan and Balouchestan and for all those committed to the security, unity, and glory of Islamic Iran, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Throughout his blessed life, that learned scholar—relying on a discourse of accord, empathy, and national cohesion, and utilizing his scholarly, jurisprudential, cultural, and social capacities—strove to strengthen Islamic brotherhood, foster the rapprochement of denominations, and safeguard the honor and dignity of Iran’s ethnic groups, the statement said, adding that he transformed the pulpit and the prayer niche into bastions of service, enlightenment, and unity.
“Undoubtedly, the assassination of such figures is not merely a crime against individuals, it is an assault on the security, unity, and social capital of society.”
The ministry strongly condemned this terrorist act, and pledged not to rest until the perpetrators, masterminds, and backers of this crime are identified and face legal action.
“Let the enemies of the security and unity of Islamic Iran know that assassination can never extinguish the ideal of unity; rather, it reinforces the Islamic approach of accord and brotherhood.”
Molavi Yousef Gorgij, a Sunni cleric from Zahedan in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Balouchestan Province, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen outside his home on Monday evening. He was the Friday prayer leader of the Mohammad Rasulullah (PBUH) Mosque in Zahedan.
Gorgij regularly participated in revolutionary ceremonies and commemorations for martyrs. During the US-Israeli-imposed war of aggression, he repeatedly addressed gatherings held in the streets.
He is the second Sunni cleric to be martyred by unidentified assailants in Sistan and Baluchestan Province this year. Earlier, Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Mirjaveh, was also martyred in an assassination attack.