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In Support of Palestinian Brother and Sisters: Iranians Rally on al-Quds Day

In Support of Palestinian Brother and Sisters: Iranians Rally on al-Quds Day
folder_openAl-Quds Day - 2016 access_time7 years ago
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By: Nour Rida

The temperature is 41 degrees Celsius, people are fasting as al-Quds International Day coincides with the last Day of the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan every year, the hot weather and the abstaining from drinking water or eating until the time of the fast-breaking did not prevent the hundreds of thousands from hitting the streets of Tehran and the other 800 cities across the country to take part in a day dedicated to the central cause of Muslims; Palestine.

In Support of Palestinian Brother and Sisters: Iranians Rally on al-Quds Day

Iran has always expressed its belief that it is the duty of every Muslim to support the oppressed across the world, because if they are not brothers in religion they are brothers in humanity.

As soon as I arrived to Enghelab square, a woman in her 50s was standing, smiling and holding a placard that said "Israel will come to an end".

Khanom Eftekhari arrived this morning from the east of Tehran to take part in the rallies. "It is really hot, but that does not matter. We will come whether it's a scorching hot sun or a winter blizzard, it does not make a difference at all," she said.

Asked on whether she participates every year in the demonstrations, Eftekhari said that she dedicates the last Friday of Ramadan every year for the rallies, whether she is in Tehran or in Mashhad where she sometimes spends the holy month with her family.

"I believe it is the duty of every human being on this planet to support the Palestinians against an occupation that was created after killing and displacing the people of Palestine, and claiming that it is their promised land," the school teacher said, adding "I can understand it if these were regular people despite their religious beliefs who had migrated to live along brothers and sisters in Palestine, but this is not the case. The Zionist regime usurped the lands and homes of the Palestinians, established an illegitimate state...the Palestinians have the right to return and declare their independence and it is our duty to support them."

The Enghelab square, literally the Revolution square like many other squares in Tehran had activity zones, where one can take a memorial picture with al-Aqsa mosque behind him/her, or see the art works or listen to the music and the bands chanting. Azadi square, literally the Freedom or Liberty Square, is a central city square in Tehran. It is the point of culmination of the event before people leave to their noon prayers. The rallies in Iran, organized by the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council (IPCC), started at 10:30 local time (06:00 GMT).

Sara was along with her friends at the rallies. The 20-year old lady, a student of medicine and I had a long discussion as we walked among the chanting crowds.
The crowds were chanting different slogans, all focused on the end of the Zionist regime, the end of its atrocities, also slogans on the support of all the oppressed across the world and to voice support for the voiceless nation of Palestine.

Sara said she always asks her friends "What if the case was the other way round? What if it was tens of thousands of people from the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere migrating to Europe and establish an alien regime there, kill the people, occupy the lands, usurp the riches and natural resources, steal the oil and gas, displace tens of thousands and force them to exile where they have to live in refugee camps? Would Europe accept and acknowledge the establishment of such a state? Would it surrender and rather not resist and fight for its rights?"

Sara's friend, Zehra-Sadat, an American citizen of Iranian descent said that people in the US and some Western countries barely know the truth about Palestine and the "Israeli" atrocities perpetrated against the people of the region, particularly the Palestinians. In her opinion, "the al-Quds International day can raise more awareness every year, so that people would better understand the nature of the cause and acknowledge that the ‘Israeli' regime should be dissolved."

"Al-Quds, which my friends back in the US know as Jerusalem, is the capital of Palestine, it is the home of my Palestinian friends who still have the keys to their homes that they never got to see...the homes from which their grandparents were kicked out and sent to exile."

On August 7, 1979, the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Ayatollah Imam Ruhollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan as International al-Quds day.

Source: al-Ahed News

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