Imam Khomeini in the War against Zionism

“Today the whole Islamic world should regard Palestinian issue the main agenda. This is the mysterious key which can open the doors of salvage to Islamic nations”.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

A steel barrier

World Jewry, particularly in Iran under the Pahlavi era was faced with serious and uncompromising barriers, obstacles that Zionism had not ever experience anywhere in the world. They were, however, of scholars attributed to religion but had no resemblance to the scholars who could be deceived with pieces of silver to sell Christians.
In Iran there were alert and cautious clergies and scholars who actually out of clairvoyance could recognize their main enemy through multiple faces in order to foil their evil goals. In these final papers, as a well conclusion to this article, we briefly mention the lofty ideas of Ayatollah Khomeini (Allah the Almighty be convinced with him) and review his wonderful and enlightened positions against the international Zionism.
By stepping into the world of politics he really surprised the East, shocked the West, put Arab world in the bottleneck and turned into the most important issue in the world. His battle with the World Zionist can rightly be called "Khomeini’s epic" at the front counter with the Samaritans of the time. The Samaritans that instead of the golden calf, has confiscated a land and have chosen it as their idol and it callously kill thousands of innocent men, women and children for it.
But the Great Khomeini broke the idol and recorded his name among the idol-breakers in the history and at war with those deserving the wrath of God created a turning point in the history of the institution. Imam Khomeini, in addition to being a theologian and a mystic enlightened Juris consult, had in-depth insight into the politics. Although he didn’t forget his lessons during this combat, he completely monitored the real enemies.
Many consider Imam Khomeini just a flagman in the fight against the sinister Pahlavi government, but how simple-minded they are to think that way and what harms they have inflicted on this unique character.
This is Imam Khomeini who has understood the concept of the Word of God where it says: Verily you’ll find that Jews and those who consider a partner for God, are the most serious enemies of people.
And the belief in this Holy Word and his intellectual miracles after centuries of neglect and forgetfulness of Muslims, at the first moments of his public uprising, in 1962 in a sensational speech said:
Now the danger has come and that is the Zionism.
Imam Khomeini with his divine insight shows the real enemy and wants people to fight against it:
Hereby, according to my religious duty, I warn Iranian nation and the Muslim world. The Holy Quran and Islam are in danger. The independence of the country and its economy is under the grip of Zionists.
Warn people about the danger of Israel and its agents, in your mornings recall the suffering inflicted on Islam and Islamic centers and faith.
Imam Khomeini’s fighting course
However, a brief course of his stance against the Zionist actions can be stated as thus:
His first official position coincided with the beginning of his political struggles with the regime in connection with the failure to align the regime with the oil embargo of Israel, and its reluctance to cut diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.
In an interview, Imam Khomeini stated that:
"One of the ways that have put us in front of Shah is his aid to Israel. He has usurped Muslims’ oil industry. This has been a cause of my disagreement with Shah."
Since 1962 and in his famous message on the occasion of New Year’s Day, he refers to killing of Muslims and clergymen by the government in order to protect the interests of Israel. After that, Imam on various occasions inside and outside of Iran has seriously discussed this issue. In his message about the bill of provincial associations and states highly criticizes Zionist domination on the benefits and facilities of Iran.
In the same year, in response to the decision of the guilds of the city of Qom about economic relations with Israel, considers it a great danger to Islam and independence of the country. In 1963 in response to the letter of scholars of Yazd considers the danger of Israel as a serious threat and invites all walks of society to protest against Israel and the government of Pahlavi.
One of his strongest and sharpest political positions against Israel is his famous speech at the Grand Mosque, after his release from prison:
“Behold! Our religion demands that we do not agree with the enemies of Islam, the Qur'an demands that we Muslims do not become an ally of the enemy of Islam. Our nation disagrees with Shah’s alliance with Israel”.
After bloody murder in Feizih School, Imam with his historic speech put fighting against Israel at the center of his campaigns. In his message for the month of Muharram in 1964, he considers relationship with Israel as a great disgrace and called for Muslim unity against Israel.
On 28.8.1968 Imam in response to a letter written by a group of devotees and Palestinian militant youth, while emphasizing on the necessity and urgency of fighting with Israel, gave permission to use Zakat and other donations to counteract the threat of Israel to help advocates and militants. In August 18, 1969, Israel forces set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Imam condemned the Zionists and announced that the mosque should not be rebuilt until Palestine becomes free so that the Zionist crimes will be in the eyes of Muslims and not be forgotten.
During the fifties until evolution of the Islamic Revolution, in different statement in response to letters from people, students and scholars, while making it obligatory on all Muslims to liberate Palestine and the world and supporting Palestinian militant groups, Imam Khomeini kept this issue alive in the minds and public opinion.
The peak of his anti-Zionism trend and his support of the Palestinian people was in determining the Quds Day as International Day against oppressors, tyrants and Zionism. In a symbolic and initiative act, he assigned the last Friday of Ramadan as the Quds Day and in parts of his message said:
"Quds Day is a global day. The day is not the day fully dedicated to Quds, rather it is the day for the oppressed to fight against the oppressors... all nations shall rise and cast this Gemma of corruption into the garbage; it is the day in which we should do our best and liberate Quds ... Quds Day is in fact Islam day, is the day in which we must revive Islam and Islamic law should be implemented in Islamic countries ... Quds Day is the separation of right and wrong.”
A Shah with Jewish ideology
Yes, at a time when many so-called intellectuals, Muslim scholars and homeland friends not only felt no threat to Islam and Iran, but are also engaged in political battles and hypocrite scholars without piety, and preachers called Shah as the shadow of God, Imam Khomeini, directed the spearhead of his attack on the Shah and said:
"Today I was informed that some people of the pulpit have been taken to the Organization for Security and are said: You do not have to do three things, after that you can do anything you want.
First, don’t talk against Shah; second don’t speak about Israel; and third, do not tell that religion is in danger. You do not have to do three things, after that you can do anything you want. Ok! If these three are to be set aside, what other things shall we say? Whatever troubles we have roots from these three, all our problems. Israel wasted the country. Israel is His Majesty’s friend? There are some facts at work? They say stop talking against Shah and Israel.
What is the relationship between Shah and Israel? Perhaps to the security’s organization, Shah is one of the Jews; the fact that he claims being Muslim and says I am a Muslim and in terms of appearance, he seems Muslim, he may be secretive about it”.
In the midst of these struggles, the disciples and devotees of Imam Khomeini never stayed silent and in their intellectual speeches enlivened the spirit of awakening and freedom in the body of those who were negligence. Here, the philosopher and thinker of Islam, Allamah martyr Morteza Motahari warns against the Zionist danger:
If the Prophet was alive today, what he would do? What issue would he think about? I swear, I swear that the Prophet, in his sacred tomb is shaking today for the sake of what Jews are doing. It is a matter of two to four. If someone hesitates to say, he has committed a sin. If I do not say, I have sinned by God. And if preachers don’t say, they have sinned, too.
In addition as a responsible expert in Islamic Studies by getting spirit from great and blessed event of Karbala, Motahari invites everyone to fight against Zionism and the epics are raised at the time that the Shah has become a slave in the service of the Zionism and Zionist influence in the country has become vast and impressive, but this unmatched master as it is worthy of a conscious thinker like a careful observer by observing the real enemy gallops on asleep and unaware people and with his thunderous shouts breaks the asphyxiation caused by the Pahlavi regime and introduces an active, alive, dynamic Islam to those who knew Islam just by crying and shouting and stories which were distorted:
By Allah the proposition that most hurts Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the issue of occupation of Palestine.
The story that most hurts the heart of Imam Hussein Ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is the same thing. If we want to value ourselves, if we want to value mourning for Hussein bin Ali (peace be upon him), we have to think that if Hussein bin Ali was among us today, and he would say: mourn for me” what slogan do you think he would suggest? Would he say: call my youth, Akbar, or he would say call distressed Zeinab?
Things that I (Imam Hussein) never submitted to in my life to this kind of rhetoric of and did not say a word of this conversation? If Hussein bin Ali was here today he would say: if you want to mourn for me, your slogan should be Palestine. Today’s Shemr is Moshe Dayan. Shemr who lived one thousand and three hundred years ago is now dead. Acknowledge today’s Shemr.
Now that the ugly face of Zionism is obvious to those who are willing to know, Imam Khomeini as an informed politician by examining all aspects of the matter unveils the curtains and destructive and anti-religious goals of Zionism. In Imam Khomeini’s thinking, Zionism is a movement against Islam and Muslims. It was his intellectual effort to turn this crisis from an Arabic issue to an Islamic issue.
There is no doubt that such an effort was the fruit of Imam Khomeini’s idea of Islamic unity and lead to the practical realization of the idea. Politically and militarily, such an approach would put a billion Muslims instead of a hundred millions Arabs against Israel. Imam Khomeini considered Islamic anti-Zionism as the most striking features of this movement, under the patronage of the colonial powers. In his view, Zionism was a political, colonial, and secular phenomenon which was separate from the Jewish community.
Imam Khomeini separates his opposition to Israel and Zionism opposition to Judaism and Jews and even warns about respecting other religions.
However, he considers Zionism as the son of colonialism and arrogance enjoying continuous support in the United States of America. While pointing out to the Zionist ties with the West, especially the United States of America's biggest investors and financiers, he states the origin and cause of the creation of Israel in this way:
"Israel is born as a result of colonial government collusion and intellectual repression and colonization of the West and East aimed at suppressing Islamic nations and today is supported by all the colonists. Britain and the United States of America by strengthening it politically and militantly and by providing them with guns constantly provoke this state against the Arabs and Muslims."
Other features in the works and speeches of Imam Zionism too much emphasis on it, the ideology of the Nile to the Euphrates. He believes that with the occupation of Palestine, Lebanon, the Golan and peace agreements, abuses of the Zionists, not end, but they walk in order to realize Greater Israel and the Middle East and Islamic countries have realized the risk.
Imam warns the Arabic states for the purpose of wiping Israel off the geo-political zone, to equip and recommended uprising against Israel.
In this context, while mentioning political games of the United States of America and Israel in the form of pacifism, regards it as a time to take the next step to realize Zionists’ sinister goals, i.e. ruling over Muslim lands from the Nile to the Euphrates; he refers to this this move of Israel as a slow-moving serpents crawling like a dangerous reptile threatening to seize and plunder Middle East.
In general, from the point of view of Imam Khomeini, Zionism means Islam phobia, secularity, expansionism, born of arrogance, Gemma of corruption, political tool for depredation land of El Dorado and rich Islamic countries, as part of a sinister plan from the Nile to the Euphrates are looking for achieve their own colonial doctrine.
In general we can say that from the political views of Imam Khomeini, if the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran was a top priority for them, outside the country, the freedom of Jerusalem and Palestine, the most important concern of his political thought and action accounted for.
One of his fundamental disagreements with the Pahlavi regime was Zionist influence in Iran and the presence of Israeli elements in government positions.
On the other hand, in the revolutionary and liberate thought of Imam Khomeini , we can consider the liberation of Iranian and Palestinian nations as the two fundamental objectives that are reflected in his copious oral and written works and his political campaign. Imam Khomeini with the same mindset to a comprehensive review of its revolutionary Iran and the Palestinians consider both the front and tried to realize their revolutionary goals so that by the government of Iran and Israel the risk of this note:
Israel does not want that this country have scientists, Israel does not want Quran to be in this country, and Israel does not want religious scholars to be active in this country. Israel does not want Islamic rules to be in this country, Israeli agents crush Feizieh School, they are trying to crash us, they want to knock you out, they want to usurp your economy, they want to destroy your agriculture and trade, they want to deprive you of your wealth and gain the wealth for themselves, they are trying to use their agents to break the barriers, the barriers that keep their hands away from their goals.
Qur'an is a barrier, it must be broken, clergies are barriers, they must be broken, the way Feizieh School is barrier, it should be destroyed, seminary students may later block their way, they should be fallen from the roof, their heads and feet are to be broken. In order for Israel to achieve its own interests, our government following Israel is humiliating us.
Imam Khomeini being aware of the pressure groups present in the court of Shah and colonial projects and programs that Jews had formulated, introduce them against the interests of the country:
These asserted terms (revolution of Shah) was created for the benefit of the United States of America and Israel in Iran.
Which part of civilization do we disagree? We are against corruption. We say that your reform programs are made by Israelis. Even if you want to make a plan, you stretch your hands before Israel. You get military expert from Israel.
Imam Khomeini’s warning about the World Zionist domination
Imam Khomeini considers the main enemy of Zionism not the Jewish people of the world, rather believes the main risk to be global domination of the Zionism. Zionism’s domination over the United States of America was one of the reasons why Imam called it the Great Satan. Although after the Islamic Revolution Zionism unclean hands in Iran was cut, but Imam again warned about the dangers of the enemy and its spread among Muslims:
As in past years, I repeatedly warned before and after the revolution, again learning infected tumor and cancer risk Zionism would be paid in the body of Islamic countries and their unwavering support for the Iranian people and government officials from all Islamic Fighting zealous Muslim nations and youth in Jerusalem with my freedom.
And with the same view with the aim of keeping alive the memory of the oppressed people of Palestine assigned the last Friday of Ramadan as Quds Day I order to prove his determination to fight against oppression which had been a goal of glorious revolution.
Imam Khomeini has in mind a type and method of struggle with Zionism which is revolutionary and believes that governments and Palestinian groups should not engage in diplomatic negotiations for the rights of the Palestinians. And only with jihad and armed struggle Israel can be destroyed, because Israel is a cancer for which the only treatment is the deep surgery and digging it.
He blames those who seeks political approach to solve the Palestinian issue and says: "I would advise Palestinian leaders to stop their comings and goings and with relying on God and the people of Palestine and their weapons contest with Israel to death, because such comings and goings discourages people from fighting. Make sure that neither the East nor the West will be good for you. With faith in God and relying on your weapons continue struggling to achieve your legitimate demands."
Imam Khomeini considers the main pain of Muslims to be schism, as far as stating that the weakness causes cowardice against Israel while if Muslims were united and each poured a bucket of water, Israel would be drowned in water.
One of the ways to control and deal with the Israeli leader, the necessity of refusing to export the oil-rich states of Israel and their supporters, and insisted on the fact that the government of the Islamic countries need oil, and other facilities a weapon against Israel and colonial exploitation.
It is worth noting that Imam Khomeini suggested this scheme at the time when industrialized countries have not begun discussion of alternative energy, oil and embedding strategic reserves. According to Imam Khomeini, Muslims’ main problem causing further trials and hardships was that committed governments to the superpowers knew and believed that their solutions are into the hands of nations.
Imam Khomeini has stated about the role of international organizations:
"Muslims should not sit and watch international organizations do something for them, the people themselves should rise up and force their governments to stand up against Israel; they should not suffice to condemn their acts".
Imam Khomeini considers the secret to victory is martyrdom and refers to it a Quranic secret that irrespective of material and animal world leads to advancement of aspirations of nations, and remind people that they should understand this secret.
By referring to the Palestinian Intifada and the Islamic movement of the Palestinian people as a holy tree and a pearly star, Imam Khomeini considers this method as the most efficient strategy for the destruction of the Zionist regime, and insisted on its continuation of the uprising.