'Iran Mashallah!': People in Saudi Arabia Praise Iran amid Israeli Aggression
In a memo written in Persian for IQNA, former Iranian minister of culture Ahmad Masjed-Jamei says:
The behavior of the people of Saudi Arabia, like those of other countries, towards Iranian pilgrims during Hajj is compassionate and empathetic. I am staying in a hotel where, besides us, 19 other caravans are present. One side of the hotel opens onto a main street, and the back door of the hotel is a place where goods are brought in or taken out; opposite this door, there is a local mosque where I sometimes go for Asr prayers. This neighborhood is inhabited by immigrants—workers from various countries who have come here and are engaged in different jobs.
With the onset of the Zionist regime’s war against Iran, whenever I visit this small mosque, I witness scenes of mixed sadness and solidarity among the worshippers with Iranians. For example, before prayer, people are following the news of the war against Iran on their mobile phones. They skip over other reports and news but focus carefully on updates about Iran’s defense. After prayer, they sometimes lay out a simple meal—dates, water, and bread. Now, alongside the people’s gatherings in the mosque, some share their phones, watching these updates, and the mosque staff and worshippers are viewing the news, happy about the punishment of all those Zionist atrocities.
There is a Kashmiri pilgrim among them who considers Kashmir a smaller Iran and speaks Persian. He describes Iran’s resistance as “a source of pride for the Islamic world.”
The reactions of the servants at the Masjid al-Haram also vary these days. With the expansion of the Haram during Bin Salman’s era, new routes to enter the mosque have been created. Usually, Iranians enter through Bab al-Ali. Once, when we entered from a different route, I asked one of the mosque servants which side that gate was on. He asked, “Iranian?” and then continued: “Iran, mashallah!” he replied cheerfully, “All gates are Bab al-Ali,” which I found very sweet, and I thanked him.
One day, I was on the bus heading to the Haram for the pilgrimage. The driver was Egyptian; I struck up a conversation with him, and with warmth and kindness, he talked about “a strong” and “Mujahid” Iran. He was holding a prayer bead in his hand. I told him that his prayer beads are like those from Mashhad. He knew of Iran's Mashhad. He said, “With this prayer bead, I say the remembrance (dhikr) every day, and I’ve been saying it for the Iranians for a few days now.” I asked, “What dhikr?” He replied, “33 times ‘Allahu Akbar,’ 33 times ‘Subhan Allah,’ and 33 times ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdih’.” I told him we also have this dhikr, known as the tasbih of Lady Fatima (SA), but instead of ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdih,’ we say ‘Alhamdulillah.’ He said, “It’s very good that you’ve named the dhikr after Lady Fatima (SA). Egyptians really love Lady Fatima (SA), the daughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Recently, I’ve also been reciting these dhikrs for you. In Egypt, whenever God blesses someone with twin boys, they name them Hassan and Hussein."
Such examples could be numerous.
Read More:
The Israeli regime unleased an aggression against Iran on June 13 by targeting the country's residential and military areas, assassinating senior off-duty military commanders and nuclear scientists along with their families. The attacks also targeted the country's peaceful nuclear facilities.
Iran, in response, has launched Operation True Promise III, targeting the regime's military infrastructure by missiles and drones.
4289594
