Al-Quds Day: Standing up to Global Imperialism
The holy month of Ramadhan is a time of reflection, contemplation and soul searching on personal level as well as activism on the social and global level. Ramadhan is the time to reach out to our soul and to those in need, the hungry and the oppressed. The continued attack on defenseless civilian in Gaza by the Zionist this Ramadhan and the silence of the world before these wonton disregards for all human values has attracted people’s attention to the plight of Palestinians and Palestine as the symbol of oppression and resistance. The last Friday of the month of Ramadhan offers the opportunity for the Muslim and the lovers of justice and equity worldwide to stand up to global imperialism and Zionist aggression. By commemorating this day we inform the world that so long as occupation and aggression remains; resistance must and will continue. Quds Day was introduced by the late Imam Khomeini, whose life and struggle had showed what a popular, organized mass movement under the right leadership could achieve.
Commemoration of the International Quds Day has become a well-known annual event around the world particularly in Muslim countries. Quds day is an annual event that is held on the last Friday of the month of Ramadhan and was initiated in 1979 by the late leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Imam Khomeini (may his soul be blessed) to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to oppose Zionist’s plans for the occupation of Palestinian lands. Quds Day is a day Muslims from all around the world show their support for the oppressed Muslims of Palestine. Rallies in support of Palestine are held in every capital of the world.
Inspired by a famous hadith from the holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progenies) exhorting that: “He is not a Muslim who does not take interest in the affairs of Muslims. And surely he is not a Muslim who hears a Muslim calling for help and does not respond to his call,” Imam Khomeini declared:
“I invite Muslims all over the globe to consecrate the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadhan as Al-Quds Day and to proclaim the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslim people of Palestine. For many years, I have been notifying the Muslims of the danger posed by the usurper Israel which today has intensified its savage attacks against our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the hope of crushing the Palestinian struggle. I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters. I call on all the Muslims of the world to select as Al-Quds Day the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadhan — which is itself a determining period and can also be the determiner of the Palestinian people’s fate — and through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims world-wide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. I ask God Almighty for the victory of the Muslims over the infidels. “
No one should doubt that the Palestinian cause is an indisputable aspiration shared by almost every Muslim in the world, regardless of their national, linguistic and sectarian diversities. Muslims’ wish to liberate Palestine and al-Quds from the Zionists goes beyond all their differences. The “Quds Day” observance was introduced by the late Imam Khomeini not only to raise our voices for the liberation of Al-Quds but also to express solidarity with our oppressed Palestinian brothers and sisters who have been living under brutal Zionist occupation for the past 67 years. The importance of this day rests on the fact that Al-Quds has much more fundamental meaning in the Muslim understanding of themselves:
First the occupied Palestinian land and particularly Al-Quds is not just any land; it is a Muslim holy land and as the first Qiblah holds great religious significance. In fact, the war which Israel is waging against the Palestinian people is in reality a war against Islam and in opposition to the Muslims, and the means to do so is by desecrating one of the most sacred Islamic holy lands such as Al-Quds.
Second: In the contemporary regional conflict; Zionists constitute our most lethal enemies today. They embody all evils in the global political structure that is dominated by western imperialism. It is imperative for us to bear in mind that when we raise our voices on Al-Quds Day, it is to stand up against oppression not just in Palestine but all over the world, including Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tunisia etc.. It is the day for the weak and oppressed to confront the arrogant powers of global imperialism of our time and its regional surrogate and illegitimate offspring Zionism; expressed differently, Al-Quds speaks for all cases of global oppression and injustice.
As the holy month of Ramadan revives the spirit of unity and brotherhood among Muslims, it was certainly not a coincidence that the late Imam Khomeini (may his soul be blessed) chose the last Friday of this month to dedicate for purpose of joining our hands together as a unified nation, no matter what school of thought we belong to or what nation we come from. It is the unique spiritual experience of this month that should generate the empathy for the oppressed around the world and to think of resisting injustice as the peak of spiritual enlightenment.
We all share the same concern for Al-Quds and therefore, our collective protest on this specified day, particularly as the world is well aware of the Muslims observance of the holy month of fasting, creates a greater effect and speaks a louder voice for the cause of standing up against oppression. The Quds day must be thought of as a day for the general Islamic mobilization that stands up to the global imperialism and rejects its hegemony. This year’s Zionists’ barbaric attack against our defenseless Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza with hundreds of civilian casualties makes the commemoration of this day even more significant.
