Nasrallah: Muslims ‘fully’ ready to act responsibly to defend Islam, Holy Qur’an

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks during a televised speech on Saturday in a ceremony held in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh to commemorate Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS) — the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Nasrallah praised the participation of mourners in Ashura ceremonies as a “clear message of allegiance” to the path of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his infallible household.

“We pledge that we will remain on the path of Imam Hussein (AS) and that we will carry his objectives and confront all the tyrants across the world,” the Hezbollah chief said.

Pointing to the recurring acts of desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Europe over the past month, Nasrallah said, “Sweden and Denmark have to know that our nation doesn’t tolerate desecration of our Holy Qur’an and sanctities.”

Underlining that insistence on the desecration of the holy Muslim book in Denmark is an aggression on Islam, the Hezbollah leader said, “We are waiting for a firm stance by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) over desecration of Qur’an, or else, this body will be unqualified to defend our religion.”

The secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement said the Islamic countries and their foreign ministers must take measures on the recurring aggression on Islam in Sweden and Denmark, and send a “decisive and categorical” message that another aggression will be met with a diplomatic and economic boycott.

“If countries do not do so, then the brave Muslims and Muslim youth in the world are prepared to act responsibly and punish those who desecrate and burn the Qur’an in defense of their religion,” Nasrallah said.

“All Muslim youths in the world will be in a state of disgrace if governments do not stop this aggression, and the world will see the zeal of these youths who are present for redemption in defense of the Qur’an,” he added.

Israel ‘a cancerous gland’ that must be uprooted

Elsewhere in his address, the Hezbollah leader said the OIC must take a firm position on the repeated Israeli incursions on the al-Aqsa Mosque, underlining that, “The Zionist entity is a falsehood, a source of corruption in the region, a cancerous gland and that the region will not rest until this cancerous gland is uprooted.”

Reiterating Hezbollah’s unwavering support to Palestine and Palestinian people, Nasrallah warned, “Israeli enemy must know that desecration of al-Aqsa has repercussions.”

Nasrallah said the Palestinians, nowadays, believe more than ever in the resistance and on the axis of resistance in the region, adding, “It is the right of this resisting people to be supported by all the free people in the world.”

He emphasized that, “Hezbollah and the resistance stand by the Palestinian people with everything they possess.”

Beware of any foolishness against Lebanon

The Hezbollah chief expressed the resistance movement’s strong support for the Lebanese territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying, “We reject humiliation, and we do not accept submission, humiliation, or surrender…they knew us through time that we are the children of Hussein (PBUH).”

“Israel still occupies part of our land and is brazenly talking about provocations.” Nasrallah said, warning, “Beware of any foolishness or any choices, and the resistance will not neglect any of its responsibilities, neither in deterrence nor in liberation.”

The secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement added, “The resistance will be ready for any option and will not remain silent about any foolishness. Israel is the one that penetrates the airspace and continues to occupy the land.”

Nasrallah’s remarks came on Ashura, which is the culmination of a 10-day annual mourning period in the lunar calendar month of Muharram for Imam Hussein (AS), who was martyred along with his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I.

The photo by Iraq’s al-Forat news agency shows Iraqi people in the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the Muharram for Imam Hussein (AS) on July 29, 2023.

The Muharram ceremonies symbolize the eternal and unwavering stance of truth against falsehood and humanity’s struggle against injustice, tyranny and oppression.

On Saturday, millions of Iraqis descended on the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the Muharram for Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year on Ashura, the mourners, dressed in black, march in mass processions, listen to elegies and hold noon prayers, with benefactors distributing votive foods.