Baloch Scholar Warns Against Framing Iran-Israel Conflict as a Religious War

DOZZAAP (Zahedan): A prominent Sunni scholar in Iranian-occupied Balochistan, Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Naqshbandi, has strongly criticised attempts to portray the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel as a religious war between Islam and disbelief (Kufr), calling such narratives misleading and dangerous.

In a public statement shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Maulana Naqshbandi declared that the Iran-Israel conflict has no genuine connection to Islam, and warned religious scholars and the broader Sunni community against falling for sectarian propaganda.

“Labelling this geopolitical conflict as a war between Islam and Kufr is a complete distortion of reality,” he wrote. “This narrative misguides the masses and has no basis in Islamic teachings.”

The Baloch cleric, who is known for his vocal opposition to Tehran’s sectarian policies and support for human rights in Balochistan, also urged the Ahl-e-Sunnat religious leaders and sincere scholars (Ulama-e-Rabbani) to remain vigilant in the face of growing disinformation. He cautioned the Baloch people in particular to be wary of efforts to manipulate public sentiment through religious rhetoric.

Maulana Naqshbandi went on to criticise Iran’s clerical regime, stating that it is now suffering the consequences of its own long-standing policies of fostering extremist groups. “The very forces the Iranian regime empowered for years are now contributing to regional instability and backfiring,” he said.

He condemned the regime’s use of sectarian emotions to divert attention from its failures and called instead for “wisdom, unity, and truth” in these critical times. “The Ummah does not need hollow, emotional slogans. What it truly needs is insight and solidarity,” he concluded.