Rafsanjani referred to a verse from to the holy Quran which calls on the Muslims to refrain from division warning that useless quarrels would only weaken the Muslims themselves.
He urged both Shiites and Sunnis to boost their unity instead of focusing on the divisive issues.
The veteran politician went on to say that the Islamic Ummah, with a population of 1.7 billion in 60 countries, would play the most important role in the international community.
Late in October, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei stressed that strengthening unity among the Muslim states is the prioritized policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"Islamic unity which is the basic slogan of the Islamic Republic means that the Islamic Ummah shouldn’t practice hostility towards each other, but should support each other in (dealing with) important global issues," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian Hajj officials in Tehran.
He described unity and brotherhood among Muslims as one of the pillars of Islam, and emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran would never compromise this issue.
