Faraan: The word “Israel” has been repeated several times in the intellectual literature of Imam Khomeini. To the extent that, that Imam considers the struggle to destroy it relevant to the fundamental issues of the revolution, such as the need to establish an Islamic government in the country, scientific-industrial progress and the creation of a strong army to defend and liberate the nations. If we pay attention to the sayings, writings and speeches of Imam during a quarter of a century, we will realize the existence of this relationship.
For example, in the Sahifa of Imam, in announcing the International Day of Quds, he have said:
“I have been warning Muslims for years about the dangers of usurping Israel. I call on all the Muslims in the world and Islamic governments to unite to fight this usurper regime and its supporters … We must know that Israel is the enemy of humanity. We say that Israel must disappear from the pages of the times.” (1)
He emphasized that the Qur’an commands Muslims to fight against their enemies, and that Israel has long stood against Muslims and fought them. Similarly, the United States has risen up against the Muslims. Therefore, liberating The Holy Quds is the duty of all the Muslims. (2)
Imam Khomeini considers the companionship and unity of the Islamic Ummah as a long-standing dream of the Iranian nation and called on the Islamic Ummah to join hands with the government and the people of Iran in expelling the usurping Israel. He says, we have risen up for our defense – which is a divine and obligatory human duty – and we have no intention of invading other countries. We call on the Islamic governments to stand together and defend the rights of Muslims against aggressors and criminals such as Israel with endurance and abidance. (3)
One of the Imam’s most strong and solid stances against Israel is a speech he delivered after his release of the prison in Masjid A’azam [Great Mosque] of Qom. He said: “O nation, our religion demands that we must not agree with the enemies of Islam, our Qur’an demands that we must not stand in the line of the enemies of Muslims. Our nation opposes the Shah’s alliance with Israel.” (4)
At the same time, Imam considers the Jews to be very different from the Zionists and says: The reckoning of the Jews is different from the Zionists. If the Muslims defeat the Zionists, then this has nothing to do with Jews. They [the Jews] are a nation like other nations, they also have the right to life and no one will harass them”. (5)
Therefore, the Imam’s struggle against Zionism originated from a single criterion, i.e. the laws of the Holy Qur’an, which has determined the purpose and means of achieving it. Thus, Imam Khomeini considers the attempt to eliminate the Israel and the United States or at least the cessation of US domination over the Islamic Ummah as the culmination of the revolutionary movement and the cause of the unity of the Ummah, and if the struggle is the cause of this unity, the victory of the Ummah will lead to its realization. (6)
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Translated by: al-Haaj Hussain
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1. See: Sahifa Imam, vol. 5, pp. 186-187.
2. Sahifa Imam, vol. 5, pp. 186-187.
3. Sahifa Imam, vol. 16, pp. 46-48.
4. Sahifa Imam, vol. 1, pp. 77, 1964-05-15.
5. Sahifa Imam, vol. 11, pp. 3-4.
6. http://yun.ir/9m6yv2
