A senior Iranian Sunni leader and Zahedan Friday Imam has announced that after 12 years of waiting, a piece of land has been granted for the construction of a Sunni prayer centre.

Mowlana Abdolhamid referred to the land as “a gift from the Islamic government to the people” and expressed gratitude to provincial officials and “the administration.”

He added that the idea of a “prayer site” was first introduced 12 years ago and, according to local media, a 32-hectare parcel of land has now been allocated to the project.

Earlier, Mowlana Abdolhamid had slammed the government’s failure to offer an appropriate piece of property where Zahedan Sunnis could hold their religious ceremonies. A majority of Iranians in Sistan-Baluchistan are Sunnis and they have often challenged discriminatory government policies.

Hassan Rohani’s administration has been vocal about its objective to address minority and ethnic issues, and he received 73 percent of the votes cast in Sistan-Baluchistan in the presidential election.

Radio Zamaneh