Alwaght- As Iran marks the Islamic Republic founder Imam Khomeini's passing anniversary, other countries are also holding similar ceremonies to commemorate a leader that changed the equations once governed the region and even the world.
Regional countries remember a political and religious leader who restored to the nations self-confidence. Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and others were among the countries marking his demise anniversary.
Ali Fahm, an Iraqi analyst commenting on Imam Khomeini's character, believes that the only power that could stand in the face of overbearing Americans and the West was the Islamic Revolution of Iran led by Imam Khomeini. Imam Khomeini put the support for those fighting for freedom around the world on his agenda and was able to "unite all Muslims and free people against powerful and arrogant regimes."
The Palestinian cause has been in the mind of Imam Khomeini since the first day of the victory of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the Western-backed monarchy in Iran. Everyone witnessed that from the very beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, he ordered the closure of the Israeli embassy in Tehran and the replacement of Palestine at that embassy, added Fahem who attended the ceremony in Baghdad.
The anniversary ceremony in Oman
Imam Khomeini's anniversary was also held in the Omani capital Muscat with the presence of a number of social and cultural activists at the Iranian embassy.
In the ceremony, several scientific, cultural and religious figures of Oman in speeches explained the role and position of Imam Khomeini and the impact of his ideas on the elites and the ordinary people and unification of the Islamic world. They also brought in spotlight and hailed his characteristic features.
Palestinian commander: Imam Khomeini united the Muslims behind the Palestinian cause
Mohammad al-Barim, the commander of the Palestinian People's Resistance Committees, on the occasion of the anniversary of Imam Khomeini's demise, told reporters: "Imam Khomeini restored the credibility of the Palestinian cause by emphasizing its centrality in the Islamic world. He united all Muslims around the Palestinian cause and blamed and embarrassed the submitters."
Talking in Gaza, al-Barim said that Imam Khomeini declared the International Day of Quds to get the Palestinian cause on the track and realize the Palestinian rights and the resistance as a top priority not only at the regional but also international levels.
"We will not forget Imam Khomeini's famous fatwa on granting khums and zakat to the Palestinian mujahideen," said al-Barim.
The Palestinian commander focused on many of the issues established by Imam Khomeini, including the transformation of the Israeli embassy into a Palestinian embassy and the announcement of World Quds Day on the last Friday of each holy month of Ramadan, which still has a great effect on the revival of the case of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestine in the lives of all Muslims and all free people across the world.
"Imam Khomeini also supported the Palestinian uprising in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria at the time the Palestinian Liberation Organization was leading the confrontation with the Zionist enemy," he added.
Kabul conference shedding light on Imam Khomeini's thoughts
A conference was held in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of Imam Khomeini's passing under the title "Imam Khomeini's mindset and awakening of the Muslim world." The Islamic Revolution Movement of Afghanistan arranged the conference in which a large number of university professors, students, and clerics delivered their speeches.
Mohammad Amin Shafaee, an author and Kabul University professor, in the ceremony held that Imam Khomeini "throughout his blessed life emphasized the growth and development of his personality and movement in the divine path. This can be witnessed in different situations of his life. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the Imam used to close his meetings every year during the holy month of Ramadan; namely even when he was at his 90s, he was committed to worship."
Salman Karimi, one of the Friday prayer imams of western Kabul, also spoke at the ceremony, saying that the Islamic Revolution of Iran under Imam Khomeini leadership "caused a quake in the contemporary world and astonished it."
The role of Imam Khomeini in educating Muslims and disclosing the faces of the enemies of Islam, and especially in raising the level of insight and knowledge of the youth, who were immersed in the mud of vulgar culture of the West and East, was unique.
"Not only he prescribed a theoretical way to free the Muslims for under the yoke of the colonialist powers but also led to success a revolution that takes deeper roots each and every day in the minds of the sophisticated people."
Sayed Mohammad Zaki, another Afghan thinker, said that the struggle of the Imam was a religious and spiritual one whose motives, principles, and rules were modeled on the holy Quran, the sunnah of the Prophet, and the Imams, and therefore bore no resemblance to the movements of professional politicians.
"This purity of heart, in turn, created unique resolution in the Imam's leadership that rejected any compromises to the enemies or tolerance of them.
Shah Reza Salehi, a mosque preacher and professor at Imam Sadeq Educational and Cultural Institute of Kabul, highlighted in an address Imam Khomeini's simple life style and management traits.
"One of his brazen characteristics is his life simplicity which, along with other features, can provide a model for the youth today," said Salehi.
Azerbaijani academic describes Imam Khomeini
The deputy director of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan said that Imam Khomeini's emphasis on the unity and integrity of the Islamic world is "of great importance."
The Azerbaijani academic stated that while the superpowers in most cases pursued the policy of creating divisions among Islamic countries with the aim of realizing their "mean interests". Imam Khomeini, on the opposite side, called for unity.
"One of the slogans of the Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini was the unity of word and the unity of action. He had explicitly stated that Islamic countries could end colonialism if they achieved unity and solidarity against the Western powers."
Mr Jamalzadeh hailed the current "positive trend" adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to defend Islamic interests. "This underscores the significance of the policy established by Imam Khomeini to unite the Muslim world," he went on, adding: "In the present conditions, the Imam-wished unity and solidarity among the Muslim countries and even the developing countries have improved. As a great figure, the Imam led the Islamic Revolution to victory and established the Islamic Republic, proving the efficiency of the Islamic management just against the views of some biased people."
He went on that the economic and social development of the Islamic Republic of Iran showed the world that the Islamic system has the most effective options for the progress and development of a country and society.
Magnificent Moscow ceremony commemorating Imam Khomeini
Imam Khomeini and his thoughts are not only popular in Iran but also in many other countries. The ceremony held on Friday night in Moscow with the glorious presence of Russian, Azeri, Afghan, Tajik and Uzbek citizens and cultural and religious figures bears witness to this fact. The excitement of the large crowd at the Islamic Center of Moscow, most of whom were non-Iranians, despite coronavirus restrictions, showed the popularity of Imam Khomeini among the people of various countries, including Russia. During the ceremony, a number of Shiites of the Russian capital commemorated the late Iranian leader and also the June 5, 1963 uprising of Iranians against Western-supported Shah monarchy.
In the ceremony, which was held in cooperation with the Shiite Religious Organization of Moscow, the Ahl Al-Bayt Society, and several religious organizations, Nizami Baglarov, the head of the Society, asserted that Imam Khomeini was an experienced and pious thinker, a philosopher, and high-ranking and accurate theologian.
His passing marked a huge loss for the Muslim world. The Muslims lost a leader who empowered them to achieve freedom. The Imam fought the West with all his power and resolution. The West moved against him and threatened him, but he was fearless and firm, continued Baglarov.
He said: "Imam Khomeini was the Imam of us all. Imam Khomeini lived with greatness and left the mortal world with greatness and eternity. He set the most obvious example of faith, asceticism and piety in the modern world. Imam Khomeini defended Islamic values with all his might."
The Shiite figure hailed Imam Khomeini for setting an example for today's human to reach the highest levels of magnificence, dignity, and superiority.
"He is the light for the generations to come and a treasure for the humanity. The nations still enjoy his enlightening and deep thoughts," he asserted.
Iraqi cleric: In Imam Khomeini's view, the youths are a turning point
The leader of the "Ahdullah" Islamic movement and one of the Iraq's mujahideen clerics emphasized at the student conference commemorating the demise of the founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in Baghdad that Imam Khomeini paid special attention to the youth and considered them a turning point. Sayyid Hashim al-Haydari told the students and youths attending the gathering that Imam Khomeini saw the youths' main identity shaped by religion and Islamic values. Referring to hundreds of thousands of Americans advisors in Iran under Shah regime, al-Haydari held that Imam Khomeini did not only free Iran from the monarchy regime but also had a higher goal: freeing people from the American arrogance.
"Imam Khomeini invested on the poor, deprived, and youths with this mentality and saw dignity and horonr realization in Islam. That is why he spent 15 years preparing the hearts for the revolution and managed to build a political system based on Islamic values," said al-Heydari who talked in the webinar.
Iran's dignity and success a result of following Imam's path
A top Pakistani journalist and editor-in-chief of Nawaiwaqt eletronic paper sees today Iran's glory and victory a result of Imam Khomeini's ideals." The great personality of the architect of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is a source of inspiration not only for the people of this country but also for the nations of the world," said Javed Sediq, adding that Imam Khomeini is a source of great pride for the Muslim world.
"By launching a great struggle, Imam Khomeini overthrew the authoritarian monarchy and established the system of the Islamic Republic in Iran, and today we owe the pride, honor and victory of the Iranian people in various fields to the sacrifices and courageous leadership of Imam Khomeini. The victory of the Islamic Revolution and the strong support of the Iranian nation for the leadership of Imam Khomeini caused the despair of many Western powers, including the United States, because they could no longer make Iran obey them. The Iranians became a free nation with an independent state. The Westerners need to realize that Iran is a resistant nation and will never yield to the pressures. So their efforts, including those of the new US administration and Biden himself, to restore the nuclear deal are a good step."
The Pakistani journalist added that thanks to Imam Khomeini's guidelines, Iran has made progress at all levels. The Iranian presidentiap elections are forthcoming and whoever wins, will continue moving in the path of the Islamic Revolution.
"All plots of the past seeking to impair the Islamic Republic have met their failure and will fail in the future, too, because Imam Khomeini told his nation how to remain firm in the tough conditions. His guidance to date have facilitated the flourishing of the Islamic Revolution."
Imam Khomeini's global influence
Imam Khomeini's intellectual influence in pro-freedom nations is definitely a proven fact today. The influence of his revolutionary thought and performance shows itself most importantly when we look at Palestine, where the resistant groups have scored a game-changing victory over the armed-to-the-teeth Israeli regime. Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini put focus on the Muslim world issues, including the Palestinian cause. He set up a new discourse in the Muslim world. To put it differently, his thoughts about Palestine and Al-Quds (Jerusalem) have upgraded from theory to action. The Islamic Revolution marked end of a period and start of a new period for the Israeli occupation. Many analysts agree that today the era of Israeli expansion, growth, and unchallenged violation is over and the Israelis have entered the era of decline and stagnation, and shift from offense to defense. All these changes are a result of the direct influence of Imam Khomeini's thought and performance.
