Muslims protest across India over killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader
Lucknow: Mourners took to the streets in various parts of India today to express outrage and grief over the death of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israel strike.
According to Kashmir Media Service, scenes of extreme distraught and sloganeering were also witnessed in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Telangana where protesters, holding Khamenei’s posters, voiced their anger against the US and Israeli military actions.
The protesters were seen beating their chests as they shouted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.
In Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow, scores of people gathered near the imambara and shouted slogans during the protest, with women mourners clinging to the Iranian leader’s photo and weeping.
Maulana Yasoob Abbas, general secretary of All India Shia Personal Law Board, announced that effigies of US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be burnt during the protest on Monday.
The Shia community has declared a three-day mourning, during which people will wear black, hoist black flags at their homes and organise special prayers, Abbas added.
Punjab, which has a minuscule Muslim population, saw protests and effigies being burnt in Ludhiana.
Shahi Imam Maulana Mohammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi, who led the protest, demanded that the central government declare a week-long national mourning. He urged Muslims worldwide to unite against such challenges, terming Khamenei a great
The announcement was made by Syed Asif Ali, a community leader, who appealed to members of the Shia community to observe mourning and refrain from celebrations during the period.
Many Muslim bodies and organisations across the country announced a multiple-day mourning period and scheduled their protests on Monday as well in memory of the Iranian leader.
