EXCLUSIVE: First Translation of Khameini’s New Book on the Destruction of America, Israel
NOTE: What follows is the first significant translation of the newly-released book, ‘Palestine’ by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini. The page numbers below refer to the original PDF in Farsi (available here). This page will be updated as more of the book is available in translation.
As Jonathan Tobin writes at Commentary:
The Khamenei Palestine book is important not in and of itself but because the regime’s obsession with Israel is a key to its foreign policy. Iran constitutes a grave threat to Neighboring Arab countries that are at least as angry about the president’s embrace of Tehran as the Israelis since their nuclear status would undermine their security. But as much as Iran is focused on regional hegemony in which Sunni states would be brought to heel, as Khamenei’s Palestine illustrates, it is the fixation on Israel and Zionism that really animates their expansionism and aid for terror groups.
As Taheri notes in his article on the book, Khamenei distinguishes his idée fixe about destroying Israel from European anti-Semitism. Rather, he insists, that his policy derives from “well established Islamic principles.”Chief among them is the idea that any land that was once ruled by Muslims cannot be conceded to non-believers no matter who lives there now. While the Muslim world seems to understand that they’re not getting Spain back, the territory that constitutes the state of Israel is something else. Its central location in the middle of the Muslim and Arab worlds and the fact that Jews, a despised minority people, now rule it makes its existence particularly objectionable to Islamists like Khamenei.
Khameini: ‘Palestine’ (2015)
Introduction by Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati
The role of Shia Ulama [Islamic leaders] in the complicated issue of Palestine has steadily moved toward reaching its goal. The issue of Palestine has had many extensive, large-scale reflections all around the world. The way Shia Ulamas, [scholars] including Motaharri, dealt with the issue of Palestine was to rely on Allah internally and on Muslims externally, which enabled them to fight against the oppressors with all their might. Having this in mind, it is worth it to know how this class of Muslim scholars approached the issue of Palestine and Zionism.
Mohammd Hasan Ibn Mohammad Ibrahim Gilani, one of these scholars, who in his own time had experienced an issue of occupation, as the Israeli-Palestine issue, emphasizes Jihad as a mandatory Islamic duty on Muslims’ shoulders. He states, “If the people of darkness and blasphemy attack Muslims’ lands and try to establish a non-Islamic political system in that land, jihad becomes a compulsory religious duty for all Muslims who are able to use a weapon. Sheikh Mohammad Reza Hamedani, who lived in 19th century, in his book, Trqib Ul Musliemin Ela Difa Ul Moshrekin[Encouraging Muslims to resist non-Muslims] expressly writes, “ The purpose of jihad is to preserve the seed of Islam and granting Islam prosperity and superiority. Until reaching that goal, the duty of jihad is compulsory.”
By studying the contemporary history of Shia movements, we see how this class of Muslim scholars, even in difficult situations when the foundation of Islamic society was under attack from everywhere, led Muslims in waging jihad. They meticulously analyzed the situation and recognized the colonists’ long-term plan. In various circumstances, these scholars created obstacles in the way of the colonists and prevented them from reaching their ultimate goal. For example, in Iraq, the British Army tried to subjugate Iraqis, suppress their uprisings, and divert Iraqis’ attention from revolting against them. They created an atmosphere of fear among Iraqis, not knowing that the Iraqi Shia Ulama [Muslim religious leaders] would disappoint them. An Iraqi Muslim scholar who lived during World War I recorded his observations of Najaf Shia uprising and its causes. He wrote,
Some people believe that only because of Islam and Islamic honor the crusaders could not dominate Najaf and rule over this city, which is the center of religion and the apple of the eye of Shia Muslims. Islamic honor prevented the crusaders from placing the flag of trinity over monotheism.
Islamic sources and faith enabled the Ulama to fulfill their Islamic duty regarding the issue of Palestine. Examining the movement that Shia religious leaders initiated and comparing it with their current day position toward the issue of Palestine proves that Shia Ulamas are among the most persistent and non-compromising Islamic leaders who have shown resistance to the danger of Zionism. In response to a question fromMohammad Sabri Abedin, Agha Mohammad Hossain aul Kashif al-Quta, who was the highest-ranking Muslim scholar in Najaf, wrote, “The worst type of oppression is forgetting about Islamic duties and disrespecting the Quran by disobeying its commands.”
Regarding selling Palestine land to Jews and its Islamic ruling about these types of transactions, Kashif al Quta states, “Don’t you even realize that selling land to the Jews in general and being involved in the transaction as agents or the like is tantamount to fighting against Allah and his prophet and destroying the religion of Islam? Those who participate in such transaction are out of the religion and consequently infidels. Do not do business with those who are involved in such transactions. Do not marry them. When they die, do not let them to be buried in Muslims’ cemeteries. You should make a list of apostates, mention their names in there, and publicize it.” [Note: Being recognized apostate allows Muslim to kill the person, make his wives and children slave, and appropriate his property.]
The Ulama’s objection to the two-state Solution in the United Nations was the first formal confrontation between the Islamic scholars [Ulama] and the West, which highlighted the role of Iraqi scholars in resisting against the West. Shia leaders like,Hebbat Ul Din Shahrestani, Sayyed Mehdi Sadr, Sayyed Mohammad Mehdi Isfahani, Sheikh Razi Aul Yassin, Yusuf Ata, Habib al Ubaidi, and Ibrahim Ravi, sent a telegraph to both the United Nations and the United Kingdom Department of State, expressing,
Hereby, we the delegates of Islamic legal schools announce our dissatisfaction to the two-state solution, which is aiming to strike at the heart of Arabs and Muslims.
Ayatollah Sayyed Abul Hasan Isfahani, another high-ranking Muslim scholar, wrote a note to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad asking Iranians to double their efforts in the United Nations for Palestinian rights. Accordingly, Kashi al-Quta wrote a letter to Malik Ghazi, the king of Iraq, encouraging him to adopt the same tactic in the United Nations and support Palestinians. He warned the king and the British officials that the only choice they have is to issue a fatwa for Jihad.
Al-Nahar, a Baghdad newspaper, reported that [in the 1950s] Muslim scholars gathered around Imam Ali’s Shrine in Najaf and discussed the possibility of issuing the fatwa of jihad. Ulama from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Arab Gulf countries were invited and Kashif al Quta issued the fatwa for jihad. The issued fatwa stated,
O, Muslims, Arabs, brothers, and human beings! A situation in which the beheaded Palestine is trapped, is obvious. As I have said before, the issue of Palestine is not just an Arab-Muslim issue. Every human being has to wage jihad. Hereby I send a public invitation to Arabs and Muslims. Allah is my witness that if I were not old and sick, I would be the first person to make jihad against Israel.
In another fatwa, Kashif al Quta, classified the Islamic world and assigned each one of them to perform their duty of jihad regarding Palestine. The first country he addressed was Jordan. He believed, since the Hashemite family runs Jordan and they are decedents of the prophet, they are the ones who need to initiate jihad. After Jordan, he addressed Hijaz [Saudi Arabia]. He said, “Since Islam shone in that land, Saudis also should be a part of the jihad.” Kashif al Quta also assigned Syria and Egypt for the reason that they are Palestine’s neighbor.
In the 1960s, Imam Khomeini started his transparent and relentless movement, which played a pivotal role in the realm of politics and the establishment of a new wave called “Islamic Awakening.” Islamic awakening in Iran and in the Islamic world aimed to first topple the Pahlavi regime and replace it with an Islamic republic system and second, to wage Jihad in the region against Zionism in an effort to emancipate Palestine. Globally, the movement is going to confront the United States as the symbol of injustice. In one sentence, Imam Khomeini’s purpose of struggle is to emancipate Iran and the Islamic world from the superpowers’ bondage, restore honor to Islam, and establish an Islamic government based on Islamic principles.
With persistence and honesty, Imam Khomeini raised the flag of the emancipation of Quds and Palestine. The chain of resistance against Zionists is currently more evolved. Today, the resistance line starts from Iran and covers Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, West Bank, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Yemen, Bahrain, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This new wave of Islamic awakening, which was initiated by Imam Khomeini, is now stronger than ever. Cutting the hand of the United States from Islamic countries, establishing Islamic government and restoring Islamic values, and emancipating the whole of Palestine are our objectives.
Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati
[Biographical Note on Ali Akbar Velayati: Velayati was born in Rostamabad village in Shemiran, Tehran, on 24 June 1945. He was admitted to Tehran University of medical sciences in 1964. Velayati finished his studies in pediatrics and moved to Johns Hopkins University for a fellowship in infectious diseases. Velayati taught at a university and was an active member of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, Expediency Council and Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation. During the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, Velayati was arrested by the intelligence service when he was only seventeen. After the Islamic Revolution, and under Mousavi, the former Iranian prime minister, Velayati served as the minister of foreign affairs. After Hashemi Rafsanjani became the president of Iran, he retained his position until 1997. Since then he has been an advisor on international affairs to the Supreme Leader of Iran. In November 2006, Argentine Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corra issued an international arrest warrants for Velayati and six other Iranians and one Lebanese in connection with the AMIA terror attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 85 people and seriously injured151. The attack on the Jewish Cultural Center came two years after the 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. Velayati has been on the official Wanted list of Interpol since March 2007 charged with “Aggravated Murder and Damages” related to the 1994 AMIA bombing case. The arrest warrant is based on the allegation that senior Iranian officials planned the attack in an August 1993 meeting, including Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, Mohammad Hejazi, Khamanei’s intelligence and security advisor, Rafsanjani, then president, Ali Fallahian, then intelligence minister, and Velayati, then foreign minister.]
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