By Humaira Ahad

Imam Khomeini faced numerous struggles throughout his life, yet he always prevailed and succeeded due to his revolutionary zeal and extraordinary courage. 

Even 35 years after his passing, he remains a beacon of inspiration for those who believe in the righteousness of their cause.

For Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution, championing the cause of the oppressed worldwide, especially the people of Palestine, was paramount.

“We support the oppressed. We support whoever is oppressed wherever they may be, and the Palestinians are oppressed; the Israelis oppress them. For this reason, we support them,” he said.

This principle of supporting the oppressed became a central element of Iran’s foreign policy after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic and the overthrow of the Western-backed Pahlavi dictatorship.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, elucidates Imam Khomeini’s unwavering support for the oppressed with these words:

“One of the main elements of Imam Khomeini’s teachings was rushing to the aid of those who were oppressed and opposing the oppressor. In our era, the Palestinian people are an example of those who are oppressed," he said.

"From the first day of his life to the last, Imam emphasized and supported the Palestinian cause. He also called on the people of Iran and its officials to not forget to help the oppressed and stand up to the oppressor, negating the oppressor’s tricks, and strictly refuting and crushing the oppressor’s greatness and grandeur.”

As a pioneer in the fight against oppression worldwide, Imam Khomeini urged people to choose the path of unyielding resistance in the face of tyranny and injustice.

Ayatollah Khamenei in his speech on Monday, marking the 35th anniversary of Imam Khomeini's passing, said what Imam Khomeini said about Palestine decades ago is turning into reality today in the wake of the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and imminent annihilation of the occupying regime. 

Many observers believe that Imam Khomeini's staunch advocacy of the Palestinian cause and support for the Palestinian resistance is what contributed to the events of October 7, 2023. 

Importance of the Palestinian issue

Imam Khomeini viewed the Palestinian issue from a humanitarian angle. He believed in the Palestinian nation's indomitable struggle for freedom from occupation and saw the Zionist entity as pure evil.

“Neither the Iranian Muslim nation, nor any other Muslims, nor any open-minded individual, will recognize Israel. We shall always support our Arab and Palestinian brothers,” he said.

Imam Khomeini deemed the liberation of Palestine an Islamic duty for all Muslims worldwide. He stressed that the issue of Palestine concerns the entire Islamic world and is not confined to Arab countries.

He defended the Palestinian cause even when the Western-backed Shah of Iran had established diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime against the wishes of the people. 

“One of the reasons why we oppose the Shah is the assistance he gives to Israel. For more than fifteen years, I have repeatedly protested against the cooperation of the Shah and his government with Israel, and many Iranians, clergymen, and laymen alike, have gone to prison and been tortured for protesting Israel’s aggressions,” he stated at the time.

“We have always defended Palestine to the best of our ability as part of our Islamic duty, and, God willing, we will always carry out this divine duty alongside other Muslims.”

Long before the success of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini warned people about the dangers of the Zionist regime. He considered the establishment of the Israeli regime as America’s plan to extend its occupation beyond Palestine.

“For many years now, I have continuously spoken about Israel and its crimes in my sermons and writings and have brought to the notice of the Muslims that Israel is a cancerous tumor in a corner of the Islamic countries that will not be satisfied with Quds and the other places,” Imam said.

“They intend to move on. They follow America’s policy, and America does not simply aspire to one place, just as all the superpowers wish to bring all the countries under their control if they can... the Muslims must awaken.”

In his speeches, Imam Khomeini exposed the crimes of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people and insisted on the need to restore and defend their rights.

“Israel must leave Palestine soon, and the way to achieve this is for Palestinian brothers to uproot this core of corruption and colonialization from the region so that peace may return to the area,” the founder of the Islamic Revolution said in one of his sermons.

He regarded the usurpation of Palestine by the apartheid regime, assisted by Western imperialist powers, as a tragedy for all Muslims.

“It was a very painful tragedy in which it must be said the imperialist governments of the time were the main aggressors for they were the ones who devised this plot against the Muslims in this region,” Imam noted.

Unity of Muslims for Palestinian cause

Imam Khomeini warned of the "great danger of consigning the Palestinian issue to oblivion" and introduced Palestine as the axis of Muslim unity, urging all Muslims to stand up for Palestinians.

He said all Muslims, cutting across ideological and sectarian barriers, must come forward and assist their Palestinian brethren in whatever way possible to liberate their usurped land and destroy the usurper. 

Imam Khomeini considered the unity of Muslims to be a prerequisite for saving Palestine and blocking Israel’s expansionist plans. He encouraged all Muslims to extend their help to the Palestinians.

Even before the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Imam Khomeini had undertaken efforts to unite Muslims globally against the Zionist entity.

On August 7, 1979, Imam Khomeini addressed Muslim nations across the world, urging them to “cut the hands” of the usurping entity.

“I call on all Muslims across the globe and the Islamic governments to unite in cutting off the hands of this usurper (Israel) and its supporters,” he said, calling on them to set aside their differences.

“Make Islam your only point of reliance. Only by having uncountable material resources and, more importantly, by possessing divine and spiritual resources which are to be found in Islam, can you become a power over which the superpowers will never aspire to dominate and will not be subject to attacks from the left and the right in this manner and plunder everything you have.”

Determined to resolve the issue of Palestine, Imam Khomeini used every occasion to highlight and raise awareness about it, describing it as the primary issue of the Muslim world.

In a message issued during the Hajj pilgrimage in 1987, the founder of the Islamic Revolution addressed the world’s Muslims and the Hajj pilgrims with these words:

“Muslim nations must think about saving Palestine. They should express their disgust and hatred for the compromising ways of the shameful, self-serving leaders, who, in the name of Palestine, have ruined the aspirations of the people in the occupied lands and the Muslims in this region,” he said.

“Muslim nations should not allow these traitors to tarnish the prestige, reputation, and honor of the heroic Palestinian nation at the negotiating table.”

Al-Quds Day for Palestine

With the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, Imam Khomeini declared the last Friday of Ramadan each year as ‘International Quds Day’.

“I invite all Muslims to choose the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, which is during the time of the nights of destiny and which can determine the fate of the Palestinians, as ‘Quds Day.’ A ceremony should be held on this day to declare the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legal rights of the Muslim people,” he declared.

Imam Khomeini recognized International Quds Day as a day for the oppressed to rise and stand against the arrogant.

For him, Quds Day represented an event to raise awareness about the Palestinian issue and an occasion for people to pledge to free themselves from the bondage of US hegemony and Western imperialism.

Imam Khomeini believed the issue of Quds is a collective problem. He regarded it as a phenomenon concerning “all monotheists of all ages, present and future.”

The lifelong supporter of the Palestinian cause maintained that Muslims around the world have a moral duty to liberate Quds, “destroy Israel, and replace it with the heroic Palestinian nation.”

Today, every year, on the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, people around the world hold massive rallies in solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine.