Lieutenant-General Soleimani & the Red Flag of Qom
Lieutenant-General Soleimani; leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, was, as Soleimani himself expected, assassinated by
United States drone or helicopter rockets on the morning of Friday 3rd January 2020, while leaving Baghdad Airport by
car after a civilian flight in to Baghdad from Tehran to meet with the Iraqi prime minister.
Soleimani was revered by many Shiite Muslims around the world for his military successes in helping Shiite Hezbollah
protect and defeat an Israeli invasion of Lebanon (part of Israel's 'grand' strategy of building a mythic "Greater
Israel"), but more importantly, for his work in both Iraq and Syria coordinating the largely successful battle against Al Qaeda in Syria (or HTS) and ISIS (otherwise known as Daesh).
As Iran has consistently and publicly stated, and the evidence confirms, both Al Qaeda and ISIS, were not only funded and supported by the lunatic Wahhabist Saudis, but also by the United
States and other Western countries, particularly the U.K. (long a mercenary supporter of the Wahhabist Saudi tribe since
Lawrence of Arabia in the First World War). The Wahhabist Muslim sect believes that all non Sunni Muslims are 'heretics'
and should either be forcibly converted or killed . General Soleimani was therefore following the lineage of the great
Shiite Imams of medieval times, in protecting all Shiites -this time from the scourge of Wahhabism.
In collaboration with the Russians, a revitalized Syrian Arab Army (Assad's forces), a re-armed Iraqi Army, and Shi-ite
militias under his command, Soleimani had at the time of his death largely succeeded in defeating ISIS in Syria and
Iraq. The jaws are rapidly closing in on the remnants of Al Qaeda, HTS, ISIS and other Saudi and Western backed jihadists in Idlib in Northern Syria and Iraq. There is real fear in Washington “intelligence” circles that mainstream media will finally be forced to
expose the direct linkage between Washington and the head-chopping jihadists.
The recent death in Ankara of James Le Mesurier, leader of the White Helmets, supposedly humanitarian aid workers in Syria, but in reality well funded propaganda units
for the jihadist groups and their backers, is likely to be directly linked to imminent exposure of the White Helmets as
fakes, and the revelation of Western governments’ manipulation and likely bribery of senior staff at the OPCW to create
a ‘scientific finding” that the Assad government had gassed civilians. Western governments will consequently be finally
forced to acknowledge their appalling collaboration and support of psychopathic jihadist killers in the Middle East- all
in the name of oil and support for the Israeli entity.
American intelligence agencies consequently panicked and reasoned that a decisive provocation against Iran, would ensure
that Iran would ‘over-react”, and could thus be seen by the world as the crazed religious pariah state that the United
States has always tried to portray Iran as being since the Islamic revolution.
It might be useful at this point to list just some of the legitimate grievances Iran has against the United States.
The deposing of Iran’s democratic government under Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953 by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and the United Kingdom's MI6, and the installation of the
brutal Shah.
The arming and support for Saddam Hussein attempted invasion of Iran which cost millions of Iranian lives (and in which
ferocious war, Soleimani learnt his battle skills)
The provision of poison gas and equipment to Iraq, which resulted in further Iranian deaths in that war.
The shooting down of a civilian Iranian Airbus A300 by a US warship in the Persian Gulf , with 290 resultant deaths. No
official apology or compensation from the United States.
Ongoing promotion of Iran as a pariah state at the UN and with other Western governments, which resulted in severe
sanctions and the deaths of many innocent Iranians because of Iran’s non-existent nuclear weapons programme.
Unconditional support by the United States of the Wahhabist Saudi clan who have funded and managed Sunni jihadist
groups, killing many Shi-ite across the world, but particularly in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
United States unconditional support for the Israeli entity, in their desire to create a “Greater Israel” by the theft
and extremely brutal occupation of land from (largely Sunni) Palestinians, Shi-ite Lebanese and Syrians.
Perhaps it might therefore be understandable why Iran’s leadership calls the United States, the “Great Satan”.
Iran is, unlike many of the United States’ allies in the Middle East, a democracy of sorts. However the rules for
democracy are managed and controlled at a central level by its Shi-ite Islamist leaders, and democratic choice is very
limited (not too dissimilar in fact to the U.S. presidential election process).
While there are undoubtedly many in Iran who long for what Western democracy appears to promise, most are also fiercely
patriotic; proud of their many thousands of year's history as Persians. Faced with ‘existential” external threats, as
Iranians have been since the Islamist revolution in 1979, few Iranians would support an overthrow of their current
government.
Soleimani's death was mourned by hundreds of thousands of Shiites in Iraq and Iran. Memorials in Tehran had to be
postponed because of the size of the crowds mourning in him in other cities in Iran but the most crucial memorial was
held for him in the Iranian city of Qom . "Qom is considered holy by Shia Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatimah bint Musa, sister of Imam Ali ibn Musa Rida[6] (Persian Imam Reza, 789–816 CE). The city is the largest center for Shia scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of
pilgrimage, with around twenty million pilgrims visiting the city every year.." -Wikipedia.
The red Shi-ite flag of the blood of the martyrs and revenge, was raised in Qom at his funeral procession. According to
local reports it is the first time in the Qom mosque's history - a holy site since the Middle Ages - that the red flag
has been raised over the building.
It should be noted that the raising of the red-flag over Qom is not simply an Iranian government contrivance, but a
religious appeal to all Shi-ite believers around the world to avenge Soleimani's death - one who battled with the forces
of evil to save Shi-ites.
Albawaba .com notes that 'Last night Khamanei and Rouhani consoled Soleimani's family.
'Who is going to avenge my father's blood?' One of the commander's daughters asked.
In response, Rouhani promised her that 'everyone will take revenge' and assured her as she wept, 'we will, we will
avenge his blood, you don't worry.'
'The Americans did not realize what a grave mistake they have made. They will suffer the consequences of such criminal
measure not only today, but also throughout the years to come,' Rouhani said.
'This crime committed by the US will go down in history as one of their unforgettable crimes against the Iranian
nation.'
Iranian government news sources also quote IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying that: The assassination of martyred General Qassem Soleimani will be followed by a strategic revenge which will definitely
put an end to the US presence in the region," the IRGC top commander vowed in remarks to the state-run TV.
Is it possible that United States intelligence officials were unaware of the paramount importance of Soleimani to the
112 million people in the Shiite world? Did they not understand that his killing would provoke a desire for revenge
against the United States which would be unstoppable?
As the Shi-ite Hezbollah leader in Lebanon, Nasrallah stated on the Sunday following his killing; 'When the coffins of American soldiers and officers begin to be transported ... to the United States, (President Donald)
Trump and his administration will realize that they have really lost the region and will lose the elections...”
No matter whether President Trump carries out his threats to bomb 52 targets in Iran including "cultural sites". (which would of course be a war crime, but nothing new to the United States, which has been guilty of horrendous war
crimes and genocide in so many parts of the world since the U.S began: see our blog article; America’s Exceptional Interest in Wars) or whether the United States nukes Tehran, the revenge would continue .
The United State's only option now is to seek forgiveness from the Iranians and negotiate a deal which allows their
soldiers to leave safely from their many many bases circling Iran.
In just one example, the United State's main military base in the Persian Gulf s located on the island of Bahrain. Bahrain is ruled by an autocratic and brutal Sunni 'prince" over a population which is 62% Shi-ite. It would not require
any intervention on the part of the Iranians for a rebellion to once again boil over to depose the Bahrain Al Khalifa royal family and for Shi-ites in Bahrain to destroy the U.S. base there and its occupants.
While Western media choose to portray any actions by Shi-ite groups around the world as being by "Iranian proxies",
Shi-ite groups, whether military of otherwise, will seek to avenge the death of Soleimani; they have been called to do
so.
It would be timely for someone in Washington who is sane, and with more than the level of intelligence currently
displayed, to seek the mediation skills of someone like Russian Federation Foreign Minister Lavrov- who maybe be able to
help forestall what currently looks like the inevitable tragedy for United States soldiers as a result of General
Soleimani's killing.
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Links
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-highlights-qassem-soleimanis-role-in-fight-against-isis/
First published by Paul Martin at newantarctica.com