Who is Sheikh Zakzaky, Nigeria’s Most Powerful Shiite Muslim?

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Nigeria’s foremost Shiite Muslim cleric is currently being held in custody after violence broke out between his followers and the Nigerian military.

Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), was detained after deadly clashes between Nigerian soldiers and his followers in the city of Zaria, Kaduna state, in northern Nigeria. At least 60 people reportedly died in the violence, which the Nigerian Army claimed was a response to an assassination attempt by the sect’s members on the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

The clashes and al-Zakzaky’s arrest have sparked protests across Nigeria by Shiite Muslims, a significant minority in the Sunni-majority country. They also appear to have stoked tensions between the Nigerian state and a movement (IMN) which claims to have been targeted before and has the backing of a powerful Shiite ally.

Who is Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky?

Hailing from the Nigerian Shiite holy town of Zaria, Zakzaky began propagating Shiite Islam around 1979, at the time of the Iranian revolution—which saw Iran’s monarchy overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini. Zakzaky believed that the establishment of a republic along similar religious lines in Nigeria would be feasible. He has been detained several times due to accusations of civil disobedience under military regimes in Nigeria during the 1980s and 1990s and is still viewed with suspicion by Nigerian authorities.

A woman walks past a painting of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran December 11. Sheikh Zakzaky drew inspiration from the late Iranian spiritual leader when he began preaching Shiite Islam in Nigeria.Raheb Homavandi/TIMA/Reuters

Zakzaky is the spiritual leader of the IMN, Nigeria’s most prominent Shiite Muslim movement. Of Nigeria’s 180 million population, 50 percent is Muslim, a small minority of which belong to Shiite Islam. According to Nnamdi Obasi, Senior Analyst on Nigeria at the International Crisis Group (ICG), the IMN’s goals are twofold: “to ensure more stringent application of Islamic legal and administrative systems…then ultimately to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.”

What is the status of Shiite Muslims in Nigeria?

Shiite Muslims are generally well-integrated in Nigeria and do not suffer direct discrimination or persecution, according to Bat-el Ohayon, founder of sub-Sahara African consultancy Afrique Consulting Group. Zakzaky’s followers, however, have a strained relationship with the Nigerian security apparatus, says Ohayon. “It appears that there is specific and isolated conflict with the community in Zaria, particularly with Zakzaky,” says Ohayon.

The clashes at a July 2014 Shiite religious procession in Zaria are evidence of this conflict. At the pro-Palestinian rally, known as a Quds Day procession, 34 protesters were reportedly killed by Nigerian soldiers, including three of Zakzaky’s sons. At the time, the Nigerian Army claimed that it was acting in self-defence. More recently, Shiite followers of Zakzaky were targeted in a suicide bombing that killed at least 21 people during a procession from Kano to Zaria. Despite reports that the militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack, Zakzaky claimed the attack was not the work of Boko Haram and suggested that the bombing was orchestrated by the army. The Shiite cleric has no reason to defend Boko Haram, which espouses a fundamentalist interpretation of Sunni Islam and views Shiite Muslims as infidels worthy of death.

Why has Sheikh Zakzaky been arrested?

Zakzaky’s arrest followed a series of events which differ according to the teller. According to the Nigerian military, a motorcade transporting the Army Chief of Staff was blocked by followers of Zakzaky, who began to attack the convoy before troops responded with force. According to the IMN, unarmed worshippers were attacked by the army while conducting a peaceful procession. Clashes took place at three different locations across Zaria, including Zakzaky’s house and the group’s main mosque, according to the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which also reported that Zakzaky’s wife was in hospital after earlier reports stated that she had been killed. Unconfirmed pictures of a bloody Zakzaky have circulated on social media.

What are the movement’s ties to Iran?

Iran, which is known for defending Shiite causes worldwide, has responded firmly to the conflict between the Shiite group and Nigerian soldiers. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani reportedly called his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari to urge that a fact-finding mission be set up to investigate the recent violence. Iran also reportedly summoned the head of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Tehran to protest against the clashes and ask that Shiite Muslims be protected. Zakzaky has previously denied that the IMN receives funding from Iran, but it appears that the movement has a powerful ally in any future disputes.

Islam religion of mercy not terrorism: British scholar

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Speaking to IRNA, Whitehead said that religion play a key role to resolve challenges of today’s society.

‘I think faith is an incredibly important way to bring a better understanding between different communities and different people’s and in particular a very important way to try and improve the friendly knowledge of understanding between the UK and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Faith plays and incredibly important part in the lives of millions of people in both countries.’

Commenting on Tehran-London relations, the scholar regretted that mutual ties between the two capitals were ‘very much based mistrust.’

‘Unfortunately our countries for the last 150 years have had a relationship that has been based very much on mistrust; If we want to improve that, if we want to improve the understanding between the UK and Islamic Republic of Iran we need to bring together people who communicate with large communities and large societies in each country so that by building those bridges between faith leaders, between communities we can bring about a better understanding.’

Whitehead stressed that many of the problems between Iran and Britain ‘are based on a lack of understanding or misunderstanding and I genuinely believe that faith is a very powerful way for us to share the things that we have in common; to share the challenges that we have in common, ad through that to build a better understanding and through that understanding build more trust.’

Commenting on the alleged relation between Islam and extremism, he said, ‘I think the problem again comes back to understanding and I think that if people think that way, then they do not understand Islam. Islam is a religion of Love, togetherness, mercy; it is not a religion of terrorism.
If we want people to really understand the beauty of Islam and what Islam really stands for we need to build a better understanding between the people of the UK and the people of Islamic Republic of Iran; the faith communities in the UK and the faith communities in the Islamic republic of Iran.

‘If we can build that understanding I think we will be able to come across the true message of what Islam is and we would be able to break down this completely false misconception of Islam being associated with terrorism.’

US mosques step up security amid growing safety concerns

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f62cb0ca0cccb549786ba4b98fd91e59From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the outskirts of Washington D.C., Mosques around the United States are warily stepping up security in the face of growing fears about reprisals on American Muslims.

The increasing safety concerns described by American Islamic leaders and the steps they are taking in response, including hiring armed guards represent the flip side of the rising public anxiety about ISIS terror after attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

The call by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States only amplified concerns about an anti-Islamic backlash at Mosques and community centers, religious leaders and organizers say.

At least two mosques – one in Phoenix and the other in suburban Virginia are working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to check up on the security their facilities provide for worshippers in recent weeks. Others report taking a range of steps, including hiring armed guards, because of fears that an American mosque could be a target for an attack.

“We are always concerned about lone wolf attacks,” said Usama Shami, president of a Phoenix mosque that has been working with the DHS to review its security measures since the Paris attack last month.

Given the rising tensions, some Mosques say they have struggled to hire and keep security guards. In Dulles, Virginia, a suburb of Washington with a large Muslim community center, security guards abruptly quit after the San Bernardino attacks, said Rizwan Jaka, chairman of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.

“Security guards resigned because they were fearful of getting hurt in the backlash,” Jaka said. “People were concerned.”

The mosque has now hired armed guards and the imam of the Mosque, Mohammed Magid, said security had been increased for programs in which children take part. “We are concerned about the feeling in the larger community about Muslims,” he said.

Jaka said that after the San Bernardino shooting federal law enforcement officials had also completed a security assessment for the Mosque.

At the East Plano Islamic Center near Dallas, Texas, Nadim Bashir, the imam, said the mosque had hired an armed security guard ever since the Paris attacks. “We’re just trying to ramp up our efforts in the community and get a better name,” said Bashir.

A mosque in Corona, California, which, like San Bernardino, is a working-class suburb on the dusty eastern edge of Los Angeles, has spent $10,000 over the past two weeks to increase security. It is now asking for donations from the congregation to defer that expense, Imam Obair Katchi said.

The Islamic Society of Corona-Norco has also put up a banner on its website denouncing the San Bernardino attack. The mosque has faced extra scrutiny after it emerged that Enrique Marquez, who supplied guns used in the San Bernardino massacre, had once attended.

“The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence. We encourage everyone to be extra vigilant,” the mosque’s website says.

Not all mosques see the need for new security. Mufti Ikram Ul Haq at the Rhode Island Masjid Al-Islam said the mosque there is relying on a police presence during prayer times. “We have surveillance. We lock our doors and we have an alarm system,” he said. Local police, Haq said, “have been increasing patrols around our places of worship, and that gives us enough sense of security.”

The FBI will not release data on hate crimes for 2015 until next year. Some critics, including CAIR, say the official statistics undercount reported incidents targeting Muslims. For 2014, FBI data showed that out of 1,140 victims of anti-religious hate crimes, approximately 16 percent were victims of an anti-Islamic bias.

U.S. calls for investigation into Shia massacre carried out by Nigerian troops

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The U.S. on Wednesday joined urgent calls for an investigation into massacre carried out by Nigerian troops against Shiite Muslims in the country’s north.

The bloodshed began over the weekend when Nigeria’s military claimed Shiites attacked the Chief of Army staff’s convoy in Zaria in an apparent assassination attempt.

“The sect numbering hundreds carrying dangerous weapons, barricaded the roads with bonfires, heavy stones and tires,” the Army said in a statement. “They refused all entreaties to disperse and then started firing and pelting the convoy with dangerous objects.”

It claimed soldiers had “no choice” but to defend the convoy “at all cost,” adding in a statement two days later that the “loss of lives” was “most unfortunate.”

The Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, or IMN, strongly rejected that account. It said scores of its members were killed, “centers destroyed and burnt to ashes”

There were conflicting reports of how many were killed in the initial incident — or in the subsequent raids in Zaria near the home of the Shiite’s founder, Ibraheem Zakzaky.

A statement attributed to IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa said “about a thousand” members of the sect had been massacred. Musa was later quoted by the Associated Press as saying that about 200 bodies were taken away from the area about Zakzaky’s home in Zaria on Monday.

The IMN — along with human-rights organizations — said Zakzaky’s relatives were among the dead and that the leader himself had been injured and arrested.

The U.S. said it was “deeply concerned” over the clashes and called on Nigeria’s government to “quickly, credibly and transparently investigate” the events in Zaria.

“While many details of the incidents…remain unclear, we are dismayed to learn of multiple civilian deaths,” the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement. “It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilize the situation.”

The statement echoed a similar call from Amnesty International which said anyone found responsible for the “unlawful killings must be brought to justice.”

“An impartial investigation is urgently needed into these killings,” Amnesty’s Nigeria Director M.K. Ibrahim said in a statement. “Whilst the final death toll is unclear, there is no doubt that there has been a substantial loss of life at the hands of the military.

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) is based in Kaduna state and was founded by Zakzaky.

“News of the killings and arrests have sparked protests in several other northern cities,” Crisis Group said in a blog post. “These protests, if not managed carefully, could further exacerbate the situation.” Nigeria’s military — which has long been accused of massive human rights violations — is already locked in a battle with the Boko Haram terror group.

IMN are strongly agianst Boko Haram insurgent.

American Hijab-Wearing Professor Suspended from Work after Citing Similarities between Christians, Muslims

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Larycia Hawkins, an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, posted a photo of herself in the Muslim head cover last week, stating that she stands in “human solidarity” with Muslims “because we are formed of the same primordial clay”.

She added that Muslims, like Christians, are “people of the book…and as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”

It didn’t take long for Wheaton College to respond, issuing a statement later that day which said it had received inquiries about remarks on social media by “some faculty members” who had spoken about the relationship between Christianity and Islam.

The private Evangelical college noted that such statements had “generated confusion about complex theological matters.”

“While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths,” the college wrote.

Four days after that statement, the college announced that Hawkins had been suspended, adding that she will be subject to a “full review to which she is entitled as a tenured faculty member.”

In the same Facebook post, Hawkins encouraged women to wear a hijab in support of Muslims, and vowed to do so at work, throughout town, at social events, in airports, and on airplanes in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

“I invite all women into the narrative that is embodied, hijab-wearing solidarity with our Muslim sisters–for whatever reason. A large scale movement of Women in Solidarity with Hijabs is my Christmas #wish this year,” she wrote.

However, Wheaton College stated that Hawkins’ decision to wear a headscarf had nothing to do with her suspension.

“Dr. Hawkins’ administrative leave resulted from theological statements that seemed inconsistent with Wheaton College’s doctrinal convictions, and is in no way related to her race, gender or commitment to wear a hijab during Advent,” the university said in a statement.

The Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for Hawkins’ reinstatement, describing the college’s move as “unfathomable.”

“This was a genuine act of human solidarity, rooted in her sense of theological compassion, with those who are subjected to an onslaught of bigoted expression,” CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said in a

The professor has also been supported by current and former students who are calling on the college both to reinstate her and offer a public apology.

“When Dr. Hawkins chose to show her support of our Muslim neighbors by wearing a hijab, she saw this as another instance of how she follows Jesus’ call to love everyone, especially those who are treated as undesirable or insignificant,” former student Clara Kent said, as quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Meanwhile, Hawkins has called talks with the college “amicable,” and says she’ll continue her movement of solidarity until Christmas.

Located in the Chicago suburbs, Wheaton College is a private four-year Evangelical Protestant Christian liberal arts college comprising of around 3,000 students. Hawkins was the first African-American woman to become tenured at the college and has been a political science professor there since 2007.

Huge Rally at Fagge, Kano after Friday Prayers in Support of Sheikh Zakzaky

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Sympathizers in thousands came out and attended a protest rally after Friday prayers organized by members of the Shia Islamic movement in Fagge Friday mosque (18.12.2015) calling for the release of Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) and a stop to the mass genocide and atrocities of the Nigerian Army on his followers in Nigeria.

This similar rallies and protest march were held in many Nigerian cities like Bauchi, Katsin, Yola, Minna, Gombe, Jalingo etc and world wide In attendances were children, young and old expressing their dismay on the atrocities of the Nigerian army with the President Commander in Chief staying mute up till this moment. They were surprise despite this carnage that all humanitarian have denounce comments mention the populace were told President Muhammadu Buhari is unaware of and attending a jamboree organized by film makers in Kaduna.

A press release signed by Mal Abdul Hamid Bello on behalf of the Islamic movement and Mal Sunusi Abdulkadir made a speech on the prevailing condition that touched the heart of those that attended the
rally.

In his speech Mal Sunusi denounce all atrocities calling for:

1) Members of the movement should be allowed access to Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) as a means to taming the situation from further escalation.

2) Sheikh Zakzaky (H) must be allowed a doctor of his choice for medical treatment.

3) All detainees must be released together with the injured for medical attention.

4) All corpses of Brothers and Sisters must be handed over to us for proper Islamic burial.

5) A strong and inclusive committee must be constituted to include local and international representations to investigate and make public findings for the world to know the truth.

6) Compensation must be paid and those who committed the genocide must face the law.

Mal Sunusi called on members to continue exercising patience despite the difficult situation, continue praying, remain resolute on this noble path of Allah and restrain themselves from any effort of those
that want to create confusion amongst Muslim and the community to warrant detractors to continue with the evil plans of Zionist.

Mal Sunusi made an interview with member of the press and a closing dua was made with members leaving for their homes without any incidence of violence because they were not attacked by security
operatives or thugs, with all business activities and traffic flow taking place unhindered.

Muhammad Isa Ahmad

Photos: ‘Free Sheikh Zakzaky’ Protest in Manhattan, NYC (USA)

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A large number of Muslim Americans have held a demonstration in New York to condemn the Nigerian military’s massacre of Shia Muslims.

The demonstrators on Friday gathered in Midtown Manhattan near the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations and called for the release of senior Nigerian cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, P. TV correspondent Caleb Maupin reported.

The protesters chanted slogans and carried placards condemning the Nigerian military’s oppression against Muslims.

Hundreds of Shia Muslims have been killed during the weekend after clashes erupted between the Nigerian army and Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria in Kaduna State.

The clashes broke out when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on unarmed people attending a religious ceremony at Hussainiyah Baqiyatullah, a religious center belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

The Nigerian military accused the Shias of trying to stop a convoy of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai. The military also claimed the Shias of attempting to assassinate Buratai – a charge Zakzaky, the IMN leader, denied.

Sheikh Zakzaky was arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shia community in Zaria.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Zakzaky, and all of the other detainees that have been illegally detained by the Nigerian military and the government,” said activist Ali Naqvi.

Seyed Ayleya of the Muslim Congress of America said that the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is vitally important for the entire African continent.

“Sheikh al-Zakzaky is one of the greatest leaders in Africa, and in the contemporary times we don’t find anyone similar to him in the entire continent,” he added.

“And the work he has done is just beyond the Shia community. He is a source for inspiration for the Sunni brothers there, and even [for] the Christian community.”

Activists said Zakzaky was targeted because he has bravely exposed links between the Takfiri group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.

Boko Haram — whose name means “Western education is forbidden” — says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

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Family of Sheikh Zakzaky: Unclear If He is Dead or Unwell

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In a recent phone conversation with the son of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, we learned that Mr. Zakzaky’s family has not spoken directly to him since his arrest on Sunday.

Ibrahim al-Zakzaky’s son says his family has not been able to contact the Nigerian Shia leader since his arrest by the country’s forces earlier in the week.

According to the son, Mr. Zakzaky’s family does not know about his current medical condition and want him to see a doctor immediately.  The family has not even been able to speak to any officials who have had direct contact with Mr. Zakzaky.  Instead, the son informed that a military official assured the family that their patriarch is “safe and well”.

“We are concerned [Mr. Zakzaky may not be alive]. We want a doctor to speak to him who we can trust,” New York-based news agency Sahara Reporters, which tracks developments in Nigeria, cited the son as saying in a Thursday report.

The news agency also said that Zakzaky’s family has not been able to speak to any officials who have had contact with the Shia cleric.

Nigerian forces raided the house of the head of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in the country’s northern city of Zaria, in Kaduna state, on Sunday and arrested him after reportedly killing individuals attempting to protect him, including one of the movement’s senior leaders and its spokesman. According to media reports, dozens of people are believed to have been killed in the raid.

Britain-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said on Wednesday that there was credible evidence of mass graves in Nigeria following the Sunday massacre. The body, which put the toll at over 1,000, said that the Nigerian military had secretly buried hundreds of bodies in the graves after storming the house of the Shia leader.

Nigerian soldiers had opened fire on Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in the city on Saturday. The Shias had reportedly stopped the convoy of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai as Zakzaky was planning a speech in the religious center.

The son is the only one of Mr. Zakzaky’s children not currently jailed or dead.  The son told that 3 of his brothers were reportedly killed and, therefore, he is Mr. Zakaky’s last remaining son.

He also expressed concern about reports of mass graves, which were being kept hidden by the Nigerian army.

Meanwhile, a photo circulating on social media appears to show Zakzaky having been seriously wounded.
Source : Sahara

The Philosophy of Mourning and Lamentation

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Know that the entire instructions of the Infallible Imams (a.s.) for observance of this historic epic of Islam and the curses levied on the oppressors of the Ahl-e-Bayt (the Prophet’s progeny) are all the epic cries of valiant nations in condemnation of the perpetrators of cruelty and oppression at all times in man’s history. You must also know that cursing the Bani Omayyad, although they were overthrown and are in the Hell, is the cry of condemnation of all oppressors and is meant to maintain this cruelty – smashing outcry.

Lamentation of the martyrs, means preservation and perpetuation of the Movement. It is narrated that he who cries (at, Imam Hosein’s martyrdom) or make others cry or even he who p@ on a weeping appearance, will be admitted to the Heaven. [42] Such a person who appears sad, whose face shows his affectation by tears, is actually helping to preserve the uprising and movement of Imam Hosein (a.s.)

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If we weep until Doomsday for Imam Hosein (a.s.) we ourselves will profit by it not Imam Hosein (a.s.). Consider its benefits in this world, let alone its rewards in the next world, consider the spiritual aspect, how it rings the hearts together!

Don’t think that we weep and arrange these mouming meetings to please the Master of Martyrs! No, he has no need for our tears and our tears, per se, cannot do anything! But these lamentation gatherings and meetings unite the people and give them direction. 30 to 35 million people during the month of Muharram, especially the Ashura days, all have a united aspect and move in one direction. Some of the Imams (a.s.) have asked that mouming be arranged for them at Mana [43]. Some of the Infallible Imams (a.s.) have wanted that elegies be recited for them from the pulpits, others have stressed that rewards will accrue to those who cry, make others cry or appear to be sad and crying. The issue is not shedding of tears at all, it is political for our Imams (a.s.) with their divine vision wanted to unite and mobilize the nations, bring them together by various ways so that they won’t be vulnerable.
Some of the Infallibles, (e.g. Imam Baqir – a.s. may have been the one) have wanted a reciter of elegies to be stationed at Mena (a place where hajj pilgrims converge to perform certain hajj rites) and recite elegies in their names. That was not because Imam Baqir (a.s.) had needed elegies, rather, it has had political significance. Consider Mena during the hajj season; pilgrims from all around the earth would be gathered there hag lamentation over the crimes committed by the Imam’s opponents which had resulted in his martyrdom and the matter would surely reverberate clear across the Islamic World. These mourning sessions have been underestimated.

His Holiness Imam Baqir (a.s.) upon his death willed that someone be hired for ten successive years and placed at Mena to cry for him. What kind of challenge is this? Did Hazrat Baqir (a.s.) need tears, what for and why at Mena during the hajj pilgrimage!? This is the point, the political, psychological and humane point. Ten years of tears in succession! Well, people who make the pilgrimage see this and ask about it and when they receive answers, their attention is gained toward this ideology. It supports the oppressed and weakens or destroys the oppressors. We offered youth, so did Karbala. We should preserve this. You shouldn’t think that tears were the issue. No, not tears but political, psychological and social aims are involved. If tears were the issue, why the pretension to it? What need could the Master of Martyrs have for tears? The Imams (a.s.) insisted that we hold gatherings for lamentation, etc., because it gives solidarity to the move and safeguards the Faith.

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The depth significance of the lamentation meetings is little known and, to some, it is not evident at all. Our narratives place such great value on even one drop of tear, even for pretension to crying, for the victim of Karbala not because the Master of Martyrs personally needs the tears or lamentations and not even for the reward that those who shed tear will receive [44]. But, why such exterior dinary rewards have been prescribed for the lamentation gatherings? Why has God Almighty granted so much reward for even one drop of tear, for even pretension to crying? The political dimension of the issue is, little by little, becoming known and, God willing, it will become more evident in the future. The assignment of such great rewards for lamentation and mouming gatherings, for recitation of elegies has been in addition to its spiritual and devotional aspects, for political considerations, a major political purpose. The day the related narratives were issued, this saviour minority group was afflicted with the Omayyad and Abbasid rulers, a small minority vis-a-vis great powers.
At that time, in order to organize the political activities of this minority, they devised a path which itself was an organizing element. That device was to quote divine inspirational sources for the formation of these meetings, their greatness and the highest reward for mourners. The Shiite minority in those days gathered around these lamentation meetings, many of them did not know what it was all about. The issue was imparting organization to a minority group that faced a cruel majority. In the course of history these lamentation gatherings developed into an all-inclusive organization in every Muslim Country. In Iran, which is the cradle of Islam and Shiism that which threw fear in the despotic autocrats, who meant to destroy the clergy and Islam, was these mourning sessions.

Maybe Westernized individuals call us a weeping nation and maybe our own people cannot grasp the meaning of so much reward for one drop of tear or for one lamentation gathering. Perhaps they cannot digest or comprehend the promises made for praying. The political aim of these tears and prayers is to draw people together and their collective attention to God that will result in their unity and mobilization for an Islamic aim. A lamentation gathering is for people to cry for the Master of Martyrs and be rewarded for it in the Hereafter. However, the important point is the political aspect that was designed by our Infallible Imams (a.s.) in the early days of Islam, and will last to the end, to get all the people gathered under one single banner, one single ideology and nothing can bring about such unity as readily as the mourning for Imam Hosein (a.s.).

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Others go to the mosques, listen to the sermons and hear what is being preached but when time comes for lamentation, they leave. This is because they do not know the significance of lamentation and elegies for the Infallibles. It is these mourning gatherings that have saved and preserved the altar and the pulpit. If there was no lamentation, this pulpit would not be here today. We must cry for our Martyrs, cry out loudly and awaken the people. We must make the people realize that our lamentation is not to earn rewards. We do lament to advance. The Master of Martyrs did not sacrifice himself to earn rewards, he was not in need of such a reward. He did so to save the ideology, to advance Islam and revive it. You who cry from the pulpit and make others cry, you who recite elegies that make listeners shed tears, your aim and purpose must be to advance Islam by these tumultuous uproars just as you have done so to the present time. People must be made to understand that the aim of our lamentations is not just to make them cry, rather, they must know for sure that Islain has been preserved by these tears, even sham weeping helps the ideology.

If people could truly understand and make it understood by others what all this is about, the lamentations, the mournings and the elegies and why such high divine reward for a drop of tear shed for Imam Hosein (a.s.), they would not call us the weeping nation, rather they would call us the nation of epic action. If they could understand the meanings and mobilizing effects of the prayers enunciated by His Holiness Imam Sajjad (a.s.) at Karbala where he was under a governmental rule that had usurped all the powers, they would not say “what are prayers for!?” If our intellectuals could understand the political and social dimension of these mouming and lamentation meetings, these recitations of elegies and passion plays, they would not tell us why we have them, hold them and observe them.
Some are asking our youth: “How long will you cry” How long will you mourn” Let’s hold a demonstration in protest!? Ills is because such people do not understand the meaning, the aim of the Ashura lamentations and (how) it has been maintained so far. They do not know this, they cannot be made to understand.
They do not see that this lamentation (in honour of the Infallibles) “builds” up human beings, develops the men. These Ashura mouming sessions, are propaganda against tyranny, against the arrogant taghuts; it is reciting the oppression of the oppressed and it must go on indefinitely.

Today terrorism is our common worry

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The bitter events brought about by blind terrorism in France have once again, moved me to speak to you young people.

In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

To the Youth in Western Countries,

The bitter events brought about by blind terrorism in France have once again, moved me to speak to you young people.  For me, it is unfortunate that such incidents would have to create the framework for a conversation, however the truth is that if painful matters do not create the grounds for finding solutions and mutual consultation, then the damage caused will be multiplied.

The pain of any human being anywhere in the world causes sorrow for a fellow human being.  The sight of a child losing his life in the presence of his loved ones, a mother whose joy for her family turns into mourning, a husband who is rushing the lifeless body of his spouse to some place and the spectator who does not know whether he will be seeing the final scene of life- these are scenes that rouse the emotions and feelings of any human being.  Anyone who has benefited from affection and humanity is affected and disturbed by witnessing these scenes- whether it occurs in France or in Palestine or Iraq or Lebanon or Syria.

Without a doubt, the one-and-a-half billion Muslims also have these feelings and abhor and are revolted by the perpetrators and those responsible for these calamities. The issue, however, is that if today’s pain is not used to build a better and safer future, then it will just turn into bitter and fruitless memories. I genuinely believe that it is only you the youth who by learning the lessons of today’s hardship, have the power to discover new means for building the future and who can be barriers in the misguided path that has brought the west to its current impasse.

Anyone who has benefited from affection and humanity is affected and disturbed by witnessing these scenes- whether it occurs in France or in Palestine or Iraq or Lebanon or Syria.

It is correct that today terrorism is our common worry.  However, it is necessary for you to know that the insecurity and strain that you experienced during the recent events, differs from the pain that the people of Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan have been experiencing for many years, in two significant ways.  First, the Islamic world has been the victim of terror and brutality to a larger extent territorially, to greater amount quantitatively and for a longer period in terms of time. Second, that unfortunately this violence has been supported by certain great powers through various methods and effective means.

Today, there are very few people who are uninformed about the role of the United States of America in creating, nurturing and arming al-Qaeda, the Taliban and their inauspicious successors.  Besides this direct support, the overt and well-known supporters of takfiri terrorism- despite having the most backward political systems- are standing arrayed as allies of the west while the most pioneering, brightest and most dynamic democrats in the region are suppressed mercilessly. The prejudiced response of the west to the awakening movement in the Islamic world is an illustrative example of the contradictory western policies.

I genuinely believe that it is only you the youth who by learning the lessons of today’s hardship can be barriers in the misguided path that has brought the west to its current impasse.

The other side of these contradictory policies is seen in supporting the state terrorism of Israel.  The oppressed people of Palestine have experienced the worst kind of terrorism for the last sixty years.  If the people of Europe have now taken refuge in their homes for a few days and refrain from being present in busy places- it is decades that a Palestinian family is not secure even in its own home from the Zionist regime’s death and destruction machinery. What kind of atrocious violence today is comparable to that of the settlement constructions of the Zionist regime?

This regime- without ever being seriously and significantly censured by its influential allies or even by the so-called independent international organizations- everyday demolishes the homes of Palestinians and destroys their orchards and farms.  This is done without even giving them time to gather their belongings or agricultural products and usually it is done in front of the terrified and tear-filled eyes of women and children who witness the brutal beatings of their family members who in some cases are being dragged away to gruesome torture chambers.  In today’s world, do we know of any other violence on this scale and scope and for such an extended period of time?

Shooting down a woman in the middle of the street for the crime of protesting against a soldier who is armed to the teeth- if this is not terrorism, what is? This barbarism, because it is being done by the armed forces of an occupying government, should not be called extremism? Or maybe only because these scenes have been seen repeatedly on television screens for sixty years, they should no longer stir our consciences.

The military invasions of the Islamic world in recent years- with countless victims- are another example of the contradictory logic of the west. The assaulted countries, in addition to the human damage caused, have lost their economic and industrial infrastructure, their movement towards growth and development has been stopped or delayed and in some cases, has been thrown back decades.  Despite all this, they are rudely being asked not to see themselves as oppressed.  How can a country be turned into ruins, have its cities and towns covered in dust and then be told that it should please not view itself as oppressed? Instead of enticements to not understand and to not mention disasters, would not an honest apology be better?  The pain that the Islamic world has suffered in these years from the hypocrisy and duplicity of the invaders is not less than the pain from the material damage.

Dear youth! I have the hope that you- now or in the future- can change this mentality corrupted by duplicity, a mentality whose highest skill is hiding long-term goals and adorning malevolent objectives.

Dear youth! I have the hope that you- now or in the future- can change this mentality corrupted by duplicity, a mentality whose highest skill is hiding long-term goals and adorning malevolent objectives.  In my opinion, the first step in creating security and peace is reforming this violence-breeding mentality.  Until double-standards dominate western policies, until terrorism- in the view of its powerful supporters- is divided into “good” and “bad” types, and until governmental interests are given precedence over human values and ethics, the roots of violence should not be searched for in other places.

Unfortunately, these roots have taken hold in the depths of western cultural policies over the course of many years and they have caused a soft and silent invasion.  Many countries of the world take pride in their local and national cultures, cultures which through development and regeneration have soundly nurtured human societies for centuries.  The Islamic world is not an exception to this.  However in the current era, the western world with the use of advanced tools is insisting on the cloning and replication of its culture on a global scale.  I consider the imposition of western culture upon other peoples and the trivialization of independent cultures as a form of silent violence and extreme harmfulness.

Humiliating rich cultures and insulting the most honored parts of these, is occurring while the alternative culture being offered in no way has any qualification for being a replacement.  For example, the two elements of “aggression” and “moral promiscuity” which unfortunately have become the main elements of western culture, have even degraded the position and acceptability of its source region.

So now the question is: are we “sinners” for not wanting an aggressive, vulgar and fatuous culture? Are we to be blamed for blocking the flood of impropriety that is directed towards our youth in the shape of various forms of quasi-art?  I do not deny the importance and value of cultural interaction.  Whenever these interactions are conducted in natural circumstances and with respect for the receiving culture, they result in growth, development and richness.  On the contrary, inharmonious interactions have been unsuccessful and harmful impositions.

We have to state with full regret that vile groups such as DAESH are the spawn of such ill-fated pairings with imported cultures.  If the matter was simply theological, we would have had to witness such phenomena before the colonialist era, yet history shows the contrary.  Authoritative historical records clearly show how colonialist confluence of extremist and rejected thoughts in the heart of a Bedouin tribe, planted the seed of extremism in this region.  How then is it possible that such garbage as DAESH comes out of one of the most ethical and humane religious schools which as part of its inner core, includes the notion that taking the life of one human being is equivalent to killing the whole of humanity?

One has to ask why people who are born in Europe and who have been intellectually and mentally nurtured in that environment are attracted to such groups?  Can we really believe that people with only one or two trips to war zones, suddenly become so extreme that they can riddle the bodies of their compatriots with bullets?  On this matter, we certainly cannot forget about the effects of a life nurtured in a pathologic culture in a corrupt environment borne out of violence.  On this matter, we need complete analyses, analyses that see the hidden and apparent corruptions.  Maybe a deep hate- planted in the years of economic and industrial growth and borne out of inequality and possibly legal and structural prejudice- created ideas that every few years appear in a sickening manner.

Any rushed and emotional reaction which would isolate, intimidate and create more anxiety for the Muslim communities living in Europe and America not only will not solve the problem but will increase the chasms and resentments.

In any case, you are the ones that have to uncover the apparent layers of your own society and untie and disentangle the knots and resentments. Fissures have to be sealed, not deepened. Hasty reactions are a major mistake when fighting terrorism which only widens the chasms. Any rushed and emotional reaction which would isolate, intimidate and create more anxiety for the Muslim communities living in Europe and America- which are comprised of millions of active and responsible human beings- and which would deprive them of their basic rights more than has already happened and which would drive them away from society- not only will not solve the problem but will increase the chasms and resentments.

Superficial measures and reactions, especially if they take legal forms, will do nothing but increase the current polarizations, open the way for future crises and will result in nothing else.   According to reports received, some countries in Europe have issued guidelines encouraging citizens to spy on Muslims.  This behavior is unjust and we all know that pursuing injustice has the characteristic of unwanted reversibility.  Besides, the Muslims do not deserve such ill-treatment.  For centuries, the western world has known Muslims well- the day that westerners were guests in Islamic lands and were attracted to the riches of their hosts and on another day when they were hosts and benefitted from the efforts and thoughts of Muslims- they generally experienced nothing but kindness and forbearance.

Therefore I want you the youth to lay the foundations for a correct and honorable interaction with the Islamic world based on correct understanding, deep insight and lessons learned from horrible experiences.  In such a case and in the not too distant future, you will witness the edifice built on these firm foundations which creates a shade of confidence and trust which cools the crown of its architect, a warmth of security and peace that it bequests on them and a blaze of hope in a bright future which illuminates the canvass of the earth.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei

8th of Azar, 1394 – 29th of Nov, 2015