1. Jerusalem (Quds) Day in Moscow
21 August 2012 - 12:34pm
The last Friday of the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan is marked as the International Day of
Solidarity with the Palestine People initiated by the Iranian ayatollah Khomeini. The various
countries hold arrangements which are aimed at drawing attention of the society to
humanitarian problems of the center of three world religions and contributing to the Palestine
problem’s settlement.
RadzhabSafarov, general director of the Contemporary Iran Study Center
When in 1979 the spiritual leader of Iran imam Khomeini suggested making the last Friday of
the sacred month of Ramadan the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Peoples – Quds Day –
some people didn’t understand the idea. Some were surprised. But some people began to
understand that it was philosophy of the Islamic Republic – justice. And justice is violated in
Quds, in Palestine outrageously. That is why it becomes a more important factor of international
politics day after day. Many peoples and various countries are involved in the process. And
every year this day becomes a day when people try themselves: whether they understand ideas of
justice adequately or not.
ShamilSultanov, president of the strategic research center “Russia-Muslim World”
When the great ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran, announced a
sacred duty of all Muslims to mark the day on the last Friday of Ramadan, one of his objectives
was to make people estimate themselves, estimate their attitude to this problem and try their
inner value guidelines with Quds, Jerusalem. When I remember this day, Jerusalem (Quds)Day, I
recall and admire with the great Palestinian peoples who have been fighting for many decades in
unbearable conditions against the world hegemony, against the world imperialism, against the
West, against the US, and against Zionism. Let’s be honest, history has seen many examples
when many nationalities failed completely, when they didn’t resist, when they stopped resisting
and lost their identity. Unfortunately it concerns a series of nationalities in our country, when
cultural expansion, value expansion led to actual transformation of nationalities. Palestine is
another case. The Palestine peoples improve and strengthen their self-identification despite
difficult conditions of the struggle. The Palestinian peoples today is much more a united
nationality than 60-70 years ago.

2. HeydarJemal, representative of the Islamic Committee of Russia
The problem of Jerusalem and the problem of Palestine are at the focus of the world history. It is
a key problem. Attitudes towards Palestine and Jerusalem are an acid test for every politician and
political movement. Today the world sees polarization of two macro-camps. On the one hand
there is an impudent international bureaucracy connected with intergovernmental, supra-
governmental, and especially non-governmental structures which strives for playing the leading
role in decision-making. On the other hand, there is the national struggle for independence of
states and territories. But they are not the only forces. Even though these two forces play the
main role in the international arena, there is the third force which is called “Islamic revival.” This
is political Islam which claimed its appearance on Tahrir Square. Of course there were
precursors before, but the beginning of the Islamic revival was set by the Islamic revolution in
Iran in February 1979. And the revolution is the pattern, the engine, the dynamic which launched
the mechanisms of Islamic revival for both Sunnis and Shiahs. Jerusalem is a key point, and the
Palestinian people and the problem of Palestine are the key problem which is an index of how
truthful and adequate the Islamic forces which claim to participate in this huge fatal process of
Islamic revival are.
Mikhail Shevchenko, member of the Public Chamber of Russia
This Quds Day, the Day of Solidity with the Peoples of Palestine, the day when we talk, think,
pray of freeing Jerusalem from occupation and oppression. This is the day when every person
should relate himself to this problem, this day. It is like an acid test – it tests political views and
political positions. It cuts out demagogy and empty rhetoric from the real position and real
support of the Palestinian people. I have just visited the country which promotes Palestine to
members of the UN, Norway, which is still shocked by the outrageous mass killing committed
by insane, as some people say, neo-Nazi, others say supported by some forces in the West Mr.
Breivik. He justifies his deeds. I remind you that he shot the youth camp who supported
Palestine. Many activists of pro-Palestinian movement were killed; dozens of young people.
Their Palestinian brothers died as well. There were Muslims from Russia: Chechens, residents of
the Caucasus, someone was killed, the other was injured heavily. Breivik’s behavior is not a
behavior of an isolated person. Breivik’s activity is a planned terrorist attack of the Western
liberal world against traditional values of people. Breivik and the Western system of values, the
Western oppression system attacked not the camp of young internationalists who supported the
Palestinian movement, but attacked Islam. And Breivik states on it. He attacks the political
vision which enables Palestinians to resist. Of course not only Muslims fight within the
Palestinian movement. Orthodox Christians who are a minority in the Palestinian movement
have been the leaders of the struggle for many years. We will not forget the name of George
Habash. We will never forget names of the Palestinian community’s members who took part in
this struggle.
Seyed Mahmoud-Reza Sajjad, Iranian ambassador in Moscow
Jerusalem (Quds)Day is a battle against violence in general, a movement against a one-sided
approach. The day is against geographic changes of the world map by military means. Today we
see what happens in Syria. We see that the Western countries use the identical forms in Syria

3. which they used previously in Palestine – violence. I urge Russian population together with
Iranian population and Muslims all over the world to appreciate this day and stand against the
one-sided approach of the Western countries, against violence. Unfortunately, we see these
phenomena in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria in the 21st century.
Vafik Al Shayer, chairman of the Center of Palestinian Culture in Moscow
Jerusalem needs support very much, as it suffers from barbarian attempts of changing its historic
and religious image. Events which happened in the past two years in the Middle East and the
Arab world are connected with some plans touching on the fate of Jerusalem, as efforts of the
American administration on establishing of the mono-polar world will definitely touch on
Jerusalem’s fate. We all witness statements by American top officials toward the status of
Jerusalem. The mono-polar American world is the biggest disaster for the whole planet. We as
Arabs feel it. Examples of destructions and victims in Iraq, Libya, Syria and long misery of the
Palestinian people confirm it. The world should be multi-polar where interests of all religious
and political movements would be followed. It is a salvation of sacred Jerusalem.
VitalyNaumkin, head of the Oriental Sciences Institute
The events in the Middle East intercept the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the eyes. Many
people have an illusion that this problem might be postponed, that it has lost its relevance due to
Arab spring and developments in Syria, Iran and that some forces might solve their problems
using the situation. It is absolutely not true. Any hesitation in finding the right settlement of this
problem is equal to death. The world has almost no places where occupation of land is taking
place. The occupation of the city, a part of the city which is a sacred place for great Abraham
religions seems unacceptable for our modern life. A rapid change of character, demographic
situation and character of territories is taking place. Unfortunately, construction of residential
areas continues. And it worries us. Many analysts believe that in several years there will be no
space for establishing the Palestinian state with the capital in Eastern Jerusalem, as the
international law and the resolution of the UN SC demand. Something has to be done quickly.
The world does too little for it. We all apply insufficient amount of efforts.