Khamenei: Jihad Against Israel
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a decree to act against Israel, which he calls "an infidel that should be warred against" (Kafer-e-Harbi) because of the "slaughter of the Palestinian Muslims" and the "plunder of Islamic lands". He stated: "All Palestinian fighters and all believers in the Islamic world must help the defenseless [Palestinian] women, children, and people in Gaza. Anyone who dies in this legitimate and sacred defense is a shahid [martyr]."[1]
The Iranian Martyrdom-Seekers Movement
On December 30, 2008, a senior Student Basij movement official, Mohammad Hassan Alaghemand, announced the establishment in Iran of an organization of martyrdom-seekers, called the "Brigades of the Forces of God's Prophet Muhammad – The Quds Esteshhad Units," sponsored by all the prominent student organizations in the country. Alaghemand invited students wishing to join to register at Student Basij offices across the country, or online at www.esteshhadi.com .[2]
At www.esteshhadi.com/register, a website launched for registering these martyrdom-seekers, applicants can fill out a registration form, with first name, last name, mailing address, state ID number, gender, age (must be over 18), email address, education, area of study, university attended, and student number. Below the form appears Khamenei's decree regarding the need to help the Palestinians.
The Iranian news agency Fars reported, on December 29, 2008 "Only one day after the" Esteshhad Brigades of the Forces of God's Prophet Muhammad was established, over 20,000 Iranian students had signed up... to be sent to Gaza if necessary, and to defend the oppressed Palestinian people, according to Khamenei's decree.[3] Thus, for example, at a December 29 student demonstration at Amir Kabir University in Tehran protesting against the Israeli attack on Hamas - 271 students declared their willingness to participate in martyrdom operations. The same day, another senior Student Basij official, Ali Reza Zahedi, declared that "obeying [Khamenei's] jihad decree, members of the Student Basij have launched a [volunteer] sign-up [campaign] at all universities for the "Brigades of the Forces of God's Prophet Muhammad – The Quds Esteshhad Units."[4]
Senior Iranian regime officials, such as Expediency Council secretary Mohsin Rezai and Majlis member Ahmad Tavakkoli, also announced their willingness to join the Iranian fighters' movement.[5]
In letters to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, posted December 30 on www.esteshhadi.com, the student organizations stated, "The students' movement is anticipating a revolutionary move in order to fulfill our requests regarding the people in Gaza."[6]
Student Organizations Issue Ultimatum to Egyptian, Jordanian Diplomatic Representations: Get Out By Noon Tomorrow
On the same website, the Iranian student organizations issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the director of the Egyptian interest office in Tehran, Amro Al-Zayyat, demanding that Egypt either condemn the Israeli offensive and open its borders to let supplies enter Gaza, or remove its representatives from Iranian soil by noon on January 1, 2009. The organizations said that they intended to take over the Egyptian representation, and threatened that the fate of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would be the same as that of the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.[7]
An identical ultimatum was issued to Jordan's representatives in Iran. In addition, the secretary-general of the Association of Independent Islamic Students Organizations, Mehdi Tousi, said that the Iranian student organizations intended to demonstrate on January 1, in front of the Jordanian representation in Tehran, and reported that "many students from across the country are now en route to Tehran."[8] It was also reported that on December 31, firebombs were thrown at the Jordanian representation.[9]
Senior Student Basij official Mohammad Hassan Alaghemand announced that students had entrenched themselves in front of the Egyptian interest office with the aim of causing a shutdown of the office and the removal of its representatives from Iran. He also called on the Iranian Foreign Ministry to implement Khamenei's decree and to shut down the office.[10]
It was further reported that on the night of December 30, hundreds of Iranian students participated in a violent demonstration in front of a building belonging to the British diplomatic representation in Tehran. Dozens of them managed to enter the premises and were arrested by Iranian security forces (see photos below).[11]
Endnotes:
[1] http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=contentShow&id=4602, December 28, 2008; Fars (Iran), December 29, 2008.
[2] He said, "Next week, the students participating in these brigades will hold a large demonstration, during which they will declare their willingness to carry out martyrdom operations." Fars (Iran), December 30, 2008. The student movements participating in the martyrdom-seekers movement include: the Student Basij, The Office for Strengthening Unity (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat), the Association of Independent Islamic Students Organizations, the Islamic Students Union, and the Movement of Students Seeking Justice.
[3] Fars (Iran), December 12, 2008.
[4] Fars (Iran), December 29, 2008.
[5] Rezai said that he would go to Gaza within 48 hours to wage jihad in the path of God to fight Israel alongside the Palestinians if his presence would help them. Tavvakoli proposed that a popular movement of volunteers from Iran and the other Islamic countries advance to Gaza. Fars (Iran), December 29, 2008.
[6] http://esteshhadi.com/fa; Fars (Iran), December 30, 2008
[7] www.esteshhadi.com, December 30, 2008
[8] Fars (Iran), December 31, 2008.
[9] Shihab News (Iran), December 31, 2008.
[10] Fars (Iran), December 30,. 2008.
[11] Photos from Fars (Iran), December 31, 2008: http://www1.farsnews.com/plarg.php?nn=M409681.jpg http://www1.farsnews.com/plarg.php?nn=M409706.jpg
http://www1.farsnews.com/plarg.php?nn=M409694.jpg
