2023-12-26 12:55:29
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the University of Tehran has been, every week, on the occasion of the great weekly Friday prayer, the epicenter of rallies in favor of the Palestinian Islamist movement, supported by the Iranian government. . With pro-Muslim and pro-Hamas banners on the front, Basij militiamen, close to power, meet there with their families, brandishing yellow flags of Hezbollah and Palestine, and chanting slogans hostile to the Jewish state.
“The Palestinian question concerns all Muslims and the fight against Israel is an obligatory jihad for every Muslim,” believes Alireza. This 30-year-old Iranian came to proclaim his support for Hamas and the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, with his wife, dressed in a black chador, and their two daughters, adorned with scarves and long-sleeved dresses. Alireza is convinced: Muslims will defeat Israel. To contribute to this cause, the father is even ready to leave his family and join the fight in the Palestinian enclave. Around them, the songs of the Basijs resonate: “Oh, if only Khamenei ordered me to wage holy war!” »
Rallies across the country
“Get out of the way, lead the way!” “, shouts Aria, delivery man, blocked on Keshavarz Boulevard by this pro-Hamas rally. His honking and protests attract harsh looks from the Basijs. “All these people who insist on participating in the war and helping the Palestinians are liars, he believes. They are simply looking to attract attention or gain points with those who are watching them. » While waiting for the street to calm down, Aria parked her red motorcycle and her blue delivery bag, and sat down on a bench. “It makes no sense for a father, in an already starving country like ours, to engage in a war that is not his. These slogans and these closed streets are for me a posture, judge the delivery man. The protesters must gain something from this. »
Organized by mosques and by Basijs affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, rallies in support of the Palestinians are taking place across Iran. Some demonstrators shout slogans over loudspeakers calling for the destruction of Israel. In Tehran’s Mirdamad neighborhood, a Quran reciter and Bassij member says that if the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, orders it, many Iranians will tighten their belts for war against Israel .
Financial contributions discussed
The debate around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been lively in Iran. But for Bita, a dental surgery student, government supporters’ support for the Palestinians and Hamas is irrational. The young woman regularly shares anti-war images on social media, but for her, Israelis and Palestinians are as responsible as each other.
In his eyes, the quest for power and political ambition leads to wars whose immense toll always falls on the populations. “I do not support any side and I condemn the warshe explains. We constantly see information about poverty and deprivation in several provinces of the country. It puzzles me that our government openly supports Hamas. His significant financial contributions are always a topic when we talk about foreign policy in small circles. » For Bita, most of the funds allocated to groups supported militarily by the Islamic Republic would be more useful if invested in the country’s health or education, rather than fueling conflicts.
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