A senior Iranian cleric has called on Arab leaders to defend the Muslims being harassed and killed in Myanmar instead of seeking intervention in Syria’s internal affairs. Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said on Wednesday in the holy city of Qom: "Instead of sending all these troops to Syria, which yields no result, defend the Muslims in Myanmar.” He said: “Muslims in Myanmar have been afflicted by an odd disaster”, referring to the extremist Buddhists’ killing and burning spree against the Muslim community in the Southeast Asian country. Ayatollah Shirazi strongly criticized Islamic organizations for their silence on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. He questioned: “Why is the Muslim world not shouting against these crimes? Why is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) not calling sessions in this regard?” The cleric denounced the Arab League (AL) member states for uselessly deploying troops to Syria and funding insurgents there, while turning a blind eye to the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar. Ayatollah Shirazi also condemned the international community’s inaction in this regard. He said if a Westerner suffers an injury, they make a fuss while so many houses of Myanmar Muslims are being torched and they are being massacred but nobody complains. The cleric blamed Saudi, Qatari and Turkish leaders for attempting to “destruct Syria hand in hand with the United States.”