First Int'l Quds Day Summit to be held in Iran

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states approved Iran as host of the first ever Int'l Quds Day Summit in Tehran next year, Iranian Culture Minister Sayed Mohammad Hosseini said here on Wednesday. He made the remark in an exclusive interview with Channel 4 of the Iran’s stat TV. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister added that upon Iran’s proposal and OIC’s approval, as of this year the International Qods Day rallies would be held simultaneously at entire 57 Islamic countries on last Friday of fasting moth of Ramadan. Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini added that “Also based on a proposal by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the approval of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), it was agreed that the 10th OIC Summit would be held in Tehran in the year 2003. According to the culture and Islamic guidance minister, also in order to support the oppressed Palestinian nation and to confront the moves made by the enemies of Islam in their Islamophobia and anti-Islamic propagations, an internet TV network would be launched with the collaboration of the Islamic countries and Iran is a member of its Executive Committee. “Holding the second International Cultural and Artistic Persian Gulf Festival to mark the National Persian Gulf Day on April 29, 2012 in best was stressed by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed. “Artists and scholars from Iranian provinces will be responsible for different categories of the festival which will be held in the southern city of Bandar Abbas and some other Iranian cities.” “The Persian Gulf has always been coveted by Western countries and many young Iranians have been martyred while protecting the historic waterway,” Hosseini said. “We should protect the identity of the Persian Gulf in all possible ways.” Hosseini also announced that there were plans of launching a Persian Gulf digital library and composing a symphony representing the waterway. While historical documents show that the waterway in southern Iran has always been referred to as the “Persian Gulf,” certain Arab states have recently mounted efforts to remove “Persian” from the name of the waterway. Iran designated April 30 as the National Persian Gulf Day to highlight the fact that the waterway has been referred to by historians and ancient texts as “Persian Gulf” since the Achaemenid Empire was established in what is now modern day Iran. Additionally, the culture minister declared the presence of 2500 Iranian and 1600 foreign publisher at the 24th Tehran International Book Fair. About the Qud day, it should be noted that the annual anti-Zionist day of protest was conceived originally by the late leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini (P). In August 1979, the year of the Revolution, in solidarity with the Palestinians, Khomeini declared the liberation of Jerusalem a religious duty to all Muslims. He stated, “I invite Muslims all over the globe to consecrate the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Al-Qods Day and to proclaim the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslim people of Palestine. For many years, I have been notifying the Muslims of the danger posed by the usurper Israel which today has intensified its savage attacks against the Palestinian brothers and sisters, and which, in the south of Lebanon in particular, is continually bombing Palestinian homes in the hope of crushing the Palestinian struggle. I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters. I call on all the Muslims of the world to select as Al-Qods Day the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan - which is itself a determining period and can also be the determiner of the Palestinian people’s fate - and through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims world-wide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Muslim people. I ask God Almighty for the victory of the Muslims over the infidels.