Iranian Clerics Continue Anti-Israel Rhetoric In Friday Sermons
To defend Palestine is a Quranic command, Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, a firebrand senior cleric told worshippers on Friday, as tensions remain high in and around Gaza.
To defend Palestine is a Quranic command, Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, a firebrand senior cleric told worshippers on Friday, as tensions remain high in and around Gaza.
God commanded Muslims to defend and protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the hardliner cleric said, and that means keeping “infidels” away from Jerusalem.
Alamolhoda is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in one of the most important Shiite cities, Mashhad, where a revered imam is buried. He is also the father-in-law of Ebrahim Raisi, who was handpicked by Khamenei to become president in 2021, simply by barring all other serious candidates from running, in what turned out to be a selection rather than an election.
One of the special characteristics of Palestine, he said, is that God defeats all infidels in the blessed land. “The Holy Essence proclaims that divine signs are manifest in the land of Palestine. Any atheist movement with intentions of trespassing and committing crimes in this land shall be annihilated.”
The hardline rhetoric comes even though Islam recognizes Jews and Christians as peoples of God, and not pagans. However, as signs emerge that many in Iran do not support the government’s policy of full financial and military backing for the militant groups, state propaganda intensifies.
Alamolhoda also drew parallels between the present day and the era of Crusaders, saying that Muslims were able to take back Jerusalem after Christian invaders occupied the land. He went on to boast that Iran’s regional proxies, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite militias are engaged in the conflict, emphasizing that Hezbollah has 100,000 precision missiles.
Khamenei’s trusted cleric said that all militant groups are ready to help Hamas, fighting against Israel and “destroying that cancerous cell.” He emphasized that these groups are not afraid of the United States.
In what appeared to be coordinated remarks by Friday Imams across the country, Khamenei’s appointed Imam in Fars province stated that "Hamas's attack on Israel was a defensive move accompanied by courage and heroism." He added, "We tell Israel's accomplices that resistance will not let you rest until the end of your era."
Tehran Friday Imam, Kazem Sedighi, praised Hamas’ attack and claimed that they did not kill any civilian and all 1,500 victims were Israeli soldiers.
The Imam in Gilan Province claimed that thousands of Revolutionary Guard, naval and other military forces have announced their readiness to go to Gaza and fight.
Many Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic are mocking regime supporters, telling them to “please act according to your ideology and go to Gaza to fight.” Their message is that if regime supporters die in the war, the people of Iran will live in peace.
Hardline clerics also organized a gathering in the religious city of Qom, where it was claimed “youth from 100 countries” who were dubbed “lovers of fighting Israel” were present. Iranian media said that Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Qassem, a pro-Iran Shiite cleric also attended.
A message from Khamenei’s foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati was read during the ceremony, which praised those ready to struggle for Palestine. Representatives of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant groups also attended.
Alireza Panahian, Khamenei’s chief of staff delivered remarks, saying that Hamas was “saving its energy for heavier blows against Israel.”
The Beverly Hills mayor, Dr. Julian Gold, and city council, including an Iranian-American lawmaker, Tuesday blasted the Islamist terrorist movement Hamas and its allies—the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Qatari government— for their role in the mass murder of at least 1,400 people, including around 30 Americans, on October 7 in southern Israel.
Iran International obtained a copy of the resolution, which notes that “The City of Beverly Hills unequivocally condemns those who have supported Hamas, harbored Hamas, and who have after the fact celebrated the death of the Jews and praised the Hamas terrorism attacks in state sponsored media, including the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar.”
Iran openly takes credit for supporting Hamas, while Qatar allows the militant group to maintain an office on its soil and provides safe haven to its leaders.
John Mirisch, the former mayor of Beverly Hills and currently a city councilman, told Iran International “I repeated my call for the Qatari consulate to be expelled from Beverly Hills, along with the call for an investigation into the financial interests of state sponsors of terrorism (i.e. Qatar and Iran) in Beverly Hills.”
Mirisch has spearheaded the move to confront the role of the alleged state-sponsors of terrorism, Iran and Qatar, in the massacre.
In August, Iran International reported on Mirisch’s call for the city council to investigate the pro-Iranian regime former Qatari prime minister Hamad Bin Jassim (HBJ) for his antisemitic comment. HBJ operates the Maybourne Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The British paper Manchester Evening News reported Monday on Iran International’s report covering HBJ and the role the Iran International article ostensibly played in forcing HBJ and his son to withdraw their bid to buy the English Premier League football club Manchester United.
The Iranian-American Beverly Hills city councilwoman, Sharona R. Nazarian, told Iran International “Hamas is not only a threat to the Middle East, but a threat to Western civilization and our way of life as we know it. This conflict is not about territory. It is about terrorism. “
She added, “We are strong and stand united regardless of religion, nation of origin or political affiliation against such acts of terror and violence, sending a resounding message that these actions will not be tolerated. We are committed to justice, peace, and the undeniable right of Israel to protect itself from those who seek to destroy it. The difference between right and wrong; good and evil is now. “
The resolution stated, “These terrorists committed unimaginable acts of savagery including mass rape and the systematic massacre of whole families and the brutalization and slaughter of babies and small children; and there were joyful celebrations of the massacre of Jews in Gaza by Hamas and their supporters.”
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on Tuesday published a report titled “Presenters, Reporters From Qatar's Al-Jazeera Praise Hamas Attack, Celebrate Israel's Disaster.”
The United States has classified Iran's regime as the worst international state-sponsor of terrorism. The American government designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organization. Qatar has faced accusations from US congressional representatives and European politicians that it finances terrorism.