Alwaght- As Iran marked the World Quds Day, many nations in other Muslim and Arab, and even Western, countries took to the streets on Friday and Saturday in solidarity with Palestine. The significance of the Quds Day for the Muslims is indicative of the high value of the Palestinian cause for them around the world, especially that this year is the second year in a row that war and crimes by the Israeli occupation against Gaza continue.
Every year on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims and free people around the world mark World Quds Day by holding marches in support of the Palestinian people. In some countries, various segments of the population, including academics and artists, seek to raise awareness of the need to achieve Palestinian rights by holding cultural meetings, art exhibitions, and charitable donations.
Jammu and Kashmir
International Quds Day rallies in Jammu and Kashmir were held with big turnout. Participants raised the Palestinian flag and a model of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and chanted the slogan "Freedom for Palestine."
Pakistan
A march was held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to mark Quds Day. Pictures show a large crowd of Pakistani citizens at the Quds Day march in Islamabad.
Bahrain
Last night, marches were held in several cities in Bahrain to mark International Quds Day, with participants holding pictures of Bahraini Shiite leaders Sheikh Isa Qassem and Sheikh Ali Salman, as well as Hezbollah leader martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Yemen
The Al-Aqsa Support Committee in Yemen planned a march in Sab’een Square in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, and more than 400 central and secondary squares in cities and regions in 14 Yemeni governorates have been designated as venues for large-scale rallies on Quds Day. The presence of the Yemeni people in the marches was an opportunity to underscore their support for the resistance and support for Gaza in confronting the Israeli attacks. On the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan and the Quds Day, the Yemeni people reiterated their support for the Palestinian cause by attending the Sab’een Square in the capital Sana'a in millions. According to images published by Al-Masirah TV, a large crowd gathered in the capital and shouted for the freedom of Palestine. This gathering of millions comes at a time when the US has stepped up its aggressive attacks on Yemen; attacks that are due to the country’s support for Palestine and the Yemeni army’s retaliatory attacks on the occupied territories and the interests of the Israeli regime in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in solidarity with Gaza.
Sayyid Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement, had called on the Yemeni people to hold widespread rallies in his speech on Thursday night, saying: "Imam Khomeini (may Allah have mercy on him) declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Quds Day and the day of people's awakening. Quds Day reminds us of the nation's responsibility towards the holy places and the great injustice that the Palestinian people have suffered." Addressing the Yemeni people, Sayyid al-Houthi said: "Your demonstrations on Friday express your loyalty, steadfastness, courage and anger against the American and Zionist enemies, and I hope that these demonstrations will be as widespread and large as always."
Iraq
The Iraqi people celebrated Quds Day this year to stress that Iraq and its people are loyal and committed to Palestine and the Palestinian cause. Like other Muslim countries, Iraq observes Quds Day. By turning out to the Quds Day marches, the Iraqi people emphasize the importance of Palestine and its holy sites and the Palestinian cause, and to keep the Palestinian issue alive in the conscience of the nation and to confront Israeli conspiracies.
Afghanistan
Quds Day is celebrated every year by citizens of various Islamic countries, including Afghanistan, as a day of renewing commitment to the Palestinian cause. On Quds Day, Afghan users on social media in Afghanistan also decorated their social media pages by sharing pictures of Imam Khomeini (RA) and Al-Quds.
Reza Alinejad, a Facebook user, wrote: "Today is the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, which is International Quds Day. Defending the oppressed in Gaza and the fierceness of the freedom fighters of the world is the duty of Muslims. O Allah, hasten the arrival of the light."
Del Agha Qassemi, another social media user, posted: "The presence of each and every one of you freedom fighters of the world in the Quds Day march, or even publishing a message on social media in support of the oppressed people of Palestine, will not only strengthen the hearts and console the families of the martyrs, but will also water the seedlings of unity of the Islamic ummah and light a burning fire in the hearts of the world’s arrogant."
Seyyed Mohammad Javad Mousavi, another user, wrote on his Facebook page:" Now that we are on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan; Holy Day, according to the words of Imam Ali (AS), let us be enemies of the oppressor and friends of the oppressed... In our era, there is less news of condemning the oppressor for their oppression, and supporting the oppressed for being oppressed; rather, enmities and friendships are all based on interests, not on the criteria of oppression against man and humanity; even in the limited Islamic realm, other Muslims, due to the plots of the arrogant powers of the world, have become so distant from each other and the united Islamic ummah has been torn apart that no nation shows the slightest reaction to oppression, as if they have no human or religious responsibility towards other people and the oppressed." According to Mousavi, everyone is carelessly and indifferently ignoring the crimes that are being committed today against the defenseless people of Gaza and Palestine." Thousands of innocent children and men and women have been killed. We are carelessly passing by, and it is as if the Islamic nation no longer has a common interest, a common goal, or a common destiny."
Turkey
On Friday, hundreds of Turks marched in Istanbul on Quds Day. People also in Igdir took to the streets to mark the day. The mechers raised flags of Palestine and Hezbollah and the banners of martyrs of the Axis of Resistance including Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. They chanted: "The Zionist killers will pay the price."
They further chanted: "We are all Hamas, we are all Hezbollah. Salutes to Lebanon, the resistance will continue. Thousands of salutes to Hezbollah, to Hamas, and to resistance. We sacrifice our life and blood to Al-Aqsa Mosque."
