Iranian Shiites Visit Sunni Mosque In Baluchestan: We Were Not Forced To Wear The Hijab At The Mosque; The People Here Do Not Deserve What Is Happening To Them

On March 28, 2023, the “Muhammad Ali Naroee” YouTube channel posted a video of Iranian Shiites visiting the Sunni Makki Mosque in Zahedan, Baluchestan during the holiday of Nowruz. The Shiite visitors said that they were welcomed kindly by the local Sunnis, that the visit changed their perspective on the relations between Sunnis and Shiites in Iran, and that the Baluchi locals “do not deserve what is happening to them now.” Another visitor said that she wishes well for Baluchi children, and the visitors remarked on the freedom they had to wear whatever head covering they chose inside the mosque.

Man: "I hope that 1402 will be a very blessed year for all the people of my country – Sunnis and Shiites alike. I wish a very good year to all the people of my country. This is my first trip to the city of Zahedan. I have visited many religious sites – Karbala, Najaf, Sammara, Qom, Mashhad, pilgrimage sites – and this is the first place I cam with my family, my wife, and kids. I walked in very calmly and was welcomed in an exceptional manner.

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"There are very good and hospitable people here. I am grateful for their kindness. We always hear that people in this region deal with many difficulties. I hope the day comes when they have everything, just like in Tehran. They do not deserve what is happening to them now."

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Woman 1: "I am happy to be in Zahedan, next to my Baluch countrymen. I never thought I would be treated so kindly and lovingly, and that they would be such warm and kind hosts. Our perspective of [the relations between] Sunnis and Shiites has completely changed. We always thought that we had a real problem with the Sunnis because this is what was created in our minds. But in the many times that I have come to this region, I have encountered nothing but love and hospitality.

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This is the first place where, with our family, inside the mosque, we had complete freedom and we could be without the hijab, and with any head cover we wanted. We were welcomed very calmly and with no sign of disrespect."

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Woman 2: "I hope justice is enacted here, and that we see in Zahedan, and for the Baluch children, the same things that exist in Tehran – schools, and all the things people need."

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Woman 3: "We also managed to see Maulana [Abolhamid]. The first thing that we noticed in the mosque was the warm and hearty attitude of our dear Baluch hosts. The second thing was the freedom. There was no coercion regarding head cover."