RNA – In his Friday prayer sermon to a large and fervent crowd of believers in Qom’s Qods Prayer Hall, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi referred to this weeks’ Arba’in pilgrimage to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala and said, “The truth of Arba’in and the glow and shining of the sun of Karbala and Ashura was in such a way that we have come from a limited Arba’in to an Arba’in which millions of lovers participate in.”
The head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran added, “Today, humankind is incapable of describing the great human phenomenon of Arba’in and such a phenomenon is very rare. More than 20 million people from more than 100 countries are participating in the Arba’in pilgrimage from all ages, religions, sects, races and tribes.”
Explaining that the flame of Ashura has been illuminated in history and today millions of people have been drawn to Karbala, he said, “The cost of this pilgrimage is provided by the people themselves. The love, sincerity, sacrifice, unity and solidarity in the hearts of the participants of this pilgrimage undulates.”
Ayatollah Arafi commemorated the November 4, 1979 capture of the American embassy in Tehran, saying, “November 4th is the day of the fight against the arrogant powers and the anniversary of the capture of the ‘Den of Spies,’ as well as the day of Imam Khomeyni’s exile from Qom to Turkey.”
The head of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran said, “The United States is currently entering a new arena that, although not unprecedented, but in this dimension it is new. The demonstrations of November 4th throughout Iran, especially in Qom, must be carried out with magnificence and with the presence of all classes of society.”
He added that the cry of hatred against the enemies during this years’ demonstrations must be more intense than in the past because today the United States is pursuing several goals and strategies and noted, “The enemies are trying to drain the will to struggle from the people and deprive the authorities of the necessary determination and will and they have prepared many plots in this regard and they try to eliminate the people’s will with a thousand tricks.”
Ayatollah Arafi said that the enemies are trying to change the attitude of the people and the authorities towards the arrogant powers, “Deceived people who are promoting the idea of peace with the enemies are designing a detailed plot and we must be alert.”
A member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution added, “Some of the enemies’ plans and plots include: economic pressure and continued sanctions, pressure against the Islamic Resistance Front, new conspiracies to divide Islamic countries, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, strengthening their armed mercenaries in the region and the accompaniment of European countries.”
He said that the enemies are making new excuses to impose new sanctions, said, “The United States has violated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and is currently imposing sanctions which are worse than during the previous period. They have added new companies and individuals to their list of sanctions and have acted in more dangerous ways than before.”
Ayatollah Arafi added, “The Islamic Republic and the whole world are facing a new test. The Europeans who have not yet spoken the truth and we must not overlook their repeated deception. The Europeans must know that they must adhere to the agreements they have signed and that they must not join the arrogant front.”
The dean of al-Mustafa International University emphasized that government officials must take the statements and recommendations of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Khamenei] seriously and not be entranced by foreigners instead of the Resistance Front and faith in the nation because others will not accompany them. Under these conditions, the Americans have imposed more sophisticated sanctions on officials, revolutionary diplomats and warriors.”
The Friday Imam of Qom stressed that the Islamic Resistance Front must be more united and also, the Resistance Economy must be the basis of the movement of the country and we must rely on it and said, “Tomorrow is November 4th and we must make the nation more familiar with the series of new conspiracies. The determination and will of the authorities and all classes must be stronger until the arrogant powers understand that the Iranian nation won’t be deceived by them and will stand up to their plots with jihad and bravery.”
“Tomorrow is a new test to fight the enemies and consolidate the foundations of the Revolution which everyone must attend,” Ayatollah Arafi added.