Qom Friday Prayer Leader:

Saudi exclusion of Iran from Hajj, a sign of oppression

Rasa – Ayatollah Arafi said the exclusion of Iran from the Hajj pilgrimage is due to the obstruction of the House of Saud, saying: “The House of Saudi has deprived our nation of the Hajj, which is a sign of their oppression of us and is also due to revolutionary spirit.”

News ID: 422420

Date: 04 June 2016 - 13:43

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon to a large and fervent crowd of believers in Qom’s Qods Prayer Hall, Ayatollah Ali-Reza Arafi said the issue of Hajj "is due to the obstruction of the House of Saud. They know that the Iranian people love the Hajj and is eager to participate in its rituals. In continuation of their crimes, the House of Saudi has deprived our nation of the Hajj, which is a sign of their oppression of us and is also due to revolutionary spirit.”

The member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom said added that Imam Khomeini said if we are not present in the Hajj rituals, our hearts will still circumambulate around the Ka’bah.

“The world will know that we will attend the Hajj and perform the ritual of the ‘disavowal of the pagans’ and will shout the slogan of ‘death to America’ again,” he said.

15 Khordad uprisings milestone in Iran's history

In other remarks, Ayatollah Arafi referred to the uprisings of June 5 and 6, 1963, known as the 15 Khordad uprisings in Iran saying this event was very important and symbolic in Iranian history.

In 1963, Iranians protested against the arrest of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini after he delivered a speech attacking the Shah, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, and Israel.

The head of al-Mustafa International University added that this event was a milestone in Iran’s history and a new chapter for the Islamic movements in the country. The 15 Khordad protests were an innovative model for revolutionaries throughout the world who have transformed the logic of struggle from Marxism and nationalism into the logic of Islam.

He said that the essence of 15 Khordad is fighting against the hegemonic powers and the ascendency of political Islam, revolutionary Islam and pure Islam in the light of the leadership of Imam Khomeini.

Qom’s Friday prayer leader called for of solidarity with the oppressed people of the world and condemned the killing of people, especially the oppressed Shi’as of Pakistan.

Ayatollah Arafi added that we announce our solidarity with Allamah Nasir Abbas, the leader of Pakistan’s Majlis Wahdat-e Muslimeen (MWM), who declared a hunger strike to protest the recent wave of targeted killings of Shi’a Muslims in the country. “We hope the Pakistani government and the army take the correct steps to control such incidents,” he said.

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