World Qods Day assumes added importance

It was indeed a dynamic step by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul) to designate the Last Friday of the Blessed Month of Ramadhan as International Qods Day in order to mobilise the Muslim World in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and to instill hope that Bayt al-Moqaddas, the third holiest Islamic city should be liberated by ending the illegal existence of the Zionist entity.

The struggle continues. This year the World Qods Day has assumed added importance in view of some strategic developments. The first is the cowardly move by the quixotic US president Donald Trump to set up the American embassy in the occupied Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas as a desperate attempt to grant legitimacy to the tottering Zionist entity. The second is the exposure of the treason of Arab reactionary regimes, such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, in openly dallying with Israel and supporting the mischievous US move against Islam’s first qibla. Third is the intensification of the Zionist entity’s crimes against the besieged people of Gaza, whose determination is as strong as ever to return one day to their occupied homeland despite their growing death toll at the hands of the Israelis. Fourth is the defeat of Daesh and other terrorist outfits in Syria, which has taken the Syrian army and the Resistance Fighters to the edge of the Golan Heights, causing alarm in Israel on the imminent liberation of Syrian territory that it has occupied for decades. Fifth is the growing awareness among world Muslims on the need to solidify ranks in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and hence mark World Qods Day with greater fervor in order to mobilize the Ummah for the cherished goal for liberation of Bayt al-Moqaddas.

The fact is that usurped land of al-Qods is not just any ordinary land. It is a holy land that holds great religious significance. In fact, the war which Israel is fighting against the Palestinian people is really a war against Islam and in opposition to the Muslims. This means there is greater urgency to confront the racist and terrorist child-killing Zionist entity. Perhaps one of the reasons why Imam Khomeini saw it necessary to highlight this particular case is because the land of Qods and the al-Aqsa Mosque will be one of the key items on the agenda of the Prophet’s 12^th and Last Successor, Imam Mahdi (AS) when he reappears in the end times along with Prophet Jesus (peace upon him), to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice. Thus, it is clear that we cannot compare al-Qods (which means ‘holy’, derived from the word ‘Moqaddas’) with any other usurped land. The reason is because the land of al-Qods is a symbol which represents Allah, and thus constitutes Sha’aer Allah or one of the signs of Allah; hence desecrating it is a blasphemy.

As the blessed month of Ramadhan revives the spirit of unity and brotherhood among Muslims, it was certainly not a coincidence that Imam Khomeini chose a Friday during this month to dedicate for this most noble purpose of joining our hands together as a unified Ummah, no matter what school of jurisprudence we belong to or what country we come from. When the fasting Muslims have experienced what the poor and needy suffer by being deprive of food and water, we naturally become more sympathized and united for the cause of the oppressed Palestinian people.

Why should Muslim boycott companies that support the Zionist entity?

The answer is obvious. One of the important ways of raising our voice on World Qods Day is to announce our boycott of all international companies that deal with the illegal Zionist entity. Since these companies contribute to the flourishing of Israel’s economy, it is the duty of Muslims to boycott these companies. It is an ethical and moral issue that goes hand in hand with the idea of Bara’at min al-mushrikeen or disavowal of disbelievers. An example in this regard can be cited from an incident that happened in the early days of Islamic history. The young daughter of Abul-Aswad Du’ali, who was a companion of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), when she learned that the honey which she just ate was actually from the oppressive caliph of her time, she protested by vomiting everything she swallowed. It was a morally upright move through which she voiced her opposition to Mu’awiya, the usurper of the caliphate.

In view of this, it is imperative for us to bear in mind that when we raise our voices on al-Qods Day, it is to stand up against oppression not just in Palestine but all over the world, including Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, and Tunisia. It is the day for the weak and oppressed to confront the arrogant powers of Zionism and the Yazids of our time. We are in essence voicing our condemnation for all other forms of oppression. The Ummah is in quest of a united Islamic stand, and as Islamic Iran has shown the way over the past four decades, only Islamic solidarity, and not sectarianism or narrow Arab nationalism will liberate Palestine. That is the reason, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has called for a referendum involving all bona fide inhabitants of Palestine, including Muslims, Christians and the original Jews, but not the Zionist migrants, to determine one single government for one single country, stretching from the borders of Lebanon in the north to the borders of Egyptian Sinai in the south, and from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

We should never be disappointed or lose hearts. If 8 centuries ago, when Kurdish, Turkish, Arab and Iranian Muslims had closed ranks to liberate Bayt al-Moqaddas by ending the 88-year occupation of Palestine by the Crusaders, we can make history repeat by again solidifying Muslim ranks from Africa to the Philippines to end the illegal existence of Israel.

This is the message of the World Qods Day, and this is what the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes for the sake of peace, and safeguarding of humanitarian values.

This should resonate all over the world on the Last Friday of Ramadhan as millions of Iranians take to the streets to voice support for the Palestinian cause, as  culmination of the spiritual bounties of the month of fasting. Through such declarations, Imam Khomeini made it clear that the issue of Bayt al-Moqaddas is not solely the concern of the Palestinians or the Arab people, but of all Muslims and the oppressed of the world. He proved the futility of socialist, nationalist, and pan Arab tendencies, concerning Qods and Palestine by making it clear that only Islam can liberate Bayt al-Moqaddas. He made the issue of Palestine as one of the fundamental elements of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He drew distinction between the teachings of Judaism which Jews follow and the racist ideology of Zionism that is not just agnostic and secular but violates the religious beliefs of Jews. Zionism and Israel are the outcome of colonialism for dominating the West Asia-North Africa region by sowing discord in Muslim ranks. Britain and the US by their political and military support for the Zionist entity have emboldened it to brutally attack Muslims as well as Palestinian Christians.

AS/ME