AFP ,DOHA, Oct 16, 2008 (excerpts) – A body of Muslim scholars led by influential Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi urged Shiite Iran on Thursday to prevent sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

The International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a statement saying it “invites the Islamic republic of Iran to assume its responsibilities to stifle sectarian sedition and extinguish the flames of this sedition.”

The union issued the call following a meeting on Wednesday in the Gulf state of Qatar which was attended by the body’s vice-president Iran’s Ayatollah Mohamad Ali Taskhiri.

In its statement the union underscored “the need for mutual respect between” Sunnis and Shiites and said there should be a stop to any attempt to “spread one faith across regions dominated by the other faith.”

Sunnis represent the majority of Muslims in the Middle East, but Shiites form the majority in Iran and Iraq and have a substantial presence in Lebanon.