TEHRAN (FNA)- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei voiced support for the American people’s uprising against racism in the US, saying that Washington has knelt on the neck of the weak nations the same way it killed George Floyd.
In a message on the occasion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei condemned the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the US police, stressing that Tehran “strongly supports the American people in their anti-racism movement and deplores cruel behavior of the racist US government”.
“The US treatment of weak nations is a mega-size replica of the behavior of its police who knelt on the neck of a defenseless black man and squeezed until he died,” he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the American forces’ deployment in the region, and said, “We consider the US presence in West Asia as harm to the regional nations and the cause of destructions and underdevelopment of the countries.”
The Leader called for unity among the Muslim nations against the criminal acts of the US and Israeli regime, stressing the need to assist Palestine, Yemen and all the oppressed Muslims in the world.
He also pointed to the Hajj rituals, saying the annual Hajj pilgrimage demonstrates the Muslim World’s grandeur against the modern lack of wisdom.
“Hajj is exercising power against the Arrogant Powers that are the centers of corruption, oppression, and pillage. Hajj shows nations’ capabilities. If Hajj organizers submit to and seek God’s pleasure rather than the US’s, Hajj can solve the Muslim World’s big problems,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Part of his message about this year’s rituals which has been restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, read, “Hajj has always been the occasion of feeling the dignity, greatness, and blossom of the Islamic world. This year is experiencing the sorrow and regret of the believers and the feeling of separation and the failure of the eager.”
“Hearts feel homesick from the nostalgia for the Kaaba, and the separated are embracing tears and sighs. This deprivation is short-lived and will not last long God willing, but its lesson, which is to appreciate the great blessing of Hajj, must be sustained and free us from negligence,” the Leader said.
Hajj – the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca – has begun, but under dramatically different circumstances due to the coronavirus outbreak.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj is required for all Muslims who are physically or financially capable of undertaking it at least once in their lifetime and is usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
But this year, only up to 10,000 people already residing in Saudi Arabia will participate in the five-day pilgrimage, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world that attended last year.
