Quds Day an Islamic day of
general mobilization on behalf Palestinian cause

Every year, the crowds who turn out for International Quds Day remind the Palestinians that their cause enjoys massive international popular support.
 

Tehran (Qodsna)- Imam Khomeini designated the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as the International Quds Day in order to open a new phase of solidarity with Palestinians and invite Muslim and freedom-loving nations to be vigilant in the face of Zionism and global arrogance. Imam Khomeini described International Quds Day as the day of revival of Islam and said that the Quds Day is the day of war of the oppressed against the oppressors.

On this day, the Muslims of the world take to the streets to condemn Israeli occupation, torture, crimes against humanity by bombardment of civilian targets and systematic killing of the young protesters demanding Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories of the Palestinians.

Palestine is the land of prophets and the first Qibla for the Muslims. For its special standing, it has always been attacked by others. 77 years ago, a regime was formed in the Holy Land by the help of the West, which was named “the cancerous tumor” by Imam Khomeini. Many believe that Imam Khomeini gave new life to the pro-Palestinian movements by establishing International Quds Day.

Qods News Agency interviewed with a Kevin Barrett, Islamic scholar and former American academic on the occasion of International Quds Day.

The interview comes as follows:

Qodsna: What’s your opinion about the effect of International Quds Day on Palestinians?

Kevin Barrett: Every year, the crowds who turn out for International Quds Day remind the Palestinians that their cause enjoys massive international popular support. This reminder is especially important now, as the Zionists shamelessly commit genocide, accelerating their destruction of the Palestinian people and of the Muslim and Christian holy places in Occupied Palestine. Palestinian Muslims, in particular, are making great sacrifices to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Zionist attacks on Al-Aqsa, and Zionist plans to destroy it, were a major factor leading Palestinian resistance movements to launch the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in October of 2023. The Resistance carried out this operation on behalf of the whole Muslim world and its beloved Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the people of Palestine in general and Gaza and particular have been suffering tremendously as a result of the Zionist genocide that has accompanied the war. Palestinians need to know that they have not been forgotten by the world’s two billion Muslims, and Quds Day is a forceful reminder that we are in awe of their courage, appreciate their sacrifices, and stand alongside their heroes and martyrs in the long struggle to liberate Palestine from the Zionist Antichrist

Qodsna: To what extent have Imam Khomeini's ideals been realized?

Kevin Barrett: Imam Khomeini designated Quds Day as an Islamic day of general mobilization on behalf of the Palestinian cause. He hoped that all of the world’s Muslim communities would unite behind Palestine and demonstrate that unity by participating in Quds Day marches and demonstrations. That vision has been partially realized, as major demonstrations occur every year in well over a dozen countries, with smaller ones happening in many other places as well. Unfortunately, the leadership in many Muslim countries and communities fears the revolutionary potential of the massive grassroots support for Palestine that dominates popular sentiment. That disconnect between the leaders and the masses has prevented the full potential of Quds day from being realized. For example, here in Morocco, if the Awqaf Ministry were to give imams permission to publicize Quds day during Friday prayers, or better yet strongly encourage it, there is no doubt that millions of Moroccans would pour into the streets to support their Palestinian brothers and sisters. But because Morocco is economically dependent on the West, and would be harshly punished if its government took a stronger pro-Palestine position, imams are unfortunately discouraged from talking about Palestine and publicizing International Quds Day. So the Quds Day demonstrations here attract thousands rather than millions. Similar situations pertain in numerous other countries. All in all, Imam Khomeini’s ideal of Quds Day becoming a near-universal observance across the entire Muslim world has been partially achieved but still has a ways to go.

Qodsna: In your opinion, what goals did Imam Khomeini have in mind by designating the International Quds Day?

Kevin Barrett: Imam Khomeini’s larger goal in designating International Quds Day was to remind Muslims, and to some extent Christians and those of other faiths, that Palestine is a religious issue. Prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, most observers had believed the world was growing more secular and that religion was waning in importance. The pro-Palestine movement at that time was largely a secular left-wing phenomenon, just as Zionism—a centuries-old messianic millenarian heresy—had successfully disguised its true nature by posing as a form of secular nationalism. Most people saw the conflict in terms of ethnic nationalism, settler colonialism, and other secular interpretations. Imam Khomeini corrected this distorted interpretation by reminding the world that al-Quds, the Holy City, is sacred to the world’s five billion Abrahamic monotheists, and that this sacrality is at the heart of the war that is being fought between the forces of injustice, namely the Zionists and their backers, and the forces of justice, namely the Palestinians and their supporters.

Qodsna: How do you see the impact of Iran’s foreign policy on the Palestinian cause?

Kevin Barrett: Iran is the leading state supporter of the Palestinian Resistance. It has made great sacrifices, and even seen several of its top leaders martyred, to pursue a principled policy of resistance to Zionist evil. Today, even after the Zionists have succeeded to a certain extent in overthrowing or murdering several of the region’s leading anti-Zionist governments and leaders and terrorizing much of the regional leadership into submission, Iran stands tall and strong for Palestine. Iran’s support for Palestine has posed such a threat to the Zionists that they have been driven to lash out in suicidal overreactions that will ultimately doom their project. When Palestine is finally liberated, Iran’s steady and courageous policy, pursued unwaveringly over decades, will deserve much of the credit.

Qodsna: Israel is on the dangerous path to international isolation due to its war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon. What horizon do you foresee in the path of Israel's collapse?

Kevin Barrett: It is very difficult to predict the exact date that Israel will disappear. I would expect the final collapse to occur within the next two decades, depending on how fast the world in general and the region in particular changes. A radical retrenchment of US global power, when it comes, will leave Israel vulnerable to both external military power and internal contradictions. We may be seeing the beginning of that retrenchment now, as US president Trump concedes defeat in the Ukraine war, alienates traditional US allies, burns American soft power, and sounds the death knell of the post-World War II US empire. Unrest and economic collapse in America, possibly in concert with a larger war, could create a situation in which Zionist-oligarch-owned Washington can no longer throw its weight around in West Asia. But even barring a quick and catastrophic American collapse, it’s likely that the Zionists have succeeded in uniting the people of the region against them to such an extent that a combination of sustained military, diplomatic, and economic pressure will put them in an untenable position. And alongside the external pressure, Israel’s branding itself as “the genocidal nation” has alienated the liberal, educated, economically productive segment of its own population, which has been emigrating to escape the fanatical genocidal messianic-millenarian hellhole their nation has become. So Israel’s tech-driven economy will continue to implode, while conflicts between fanatical settlers and relatively normal Israelis will continue to accelerate until they reach the breaking point. Collapses happen first slowly, then quickly. The slow part is ongoing now. But the precise moment when Israel suddenly and inevitably accelerates into the abyss is unknowable in advance.