TEHRAN – New details have emerged from a meeting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution held with the organizing committee of the ‘International Congress of Martyrs of Resistance and Defenders of the Shrine’ on June 19. 

The congress focused on the lives and endeavors of military advisors who were voluntarily deployed to Syria to help fight Daesh terrorists in the 2010s. These figures are known as the “defenders of the shrine” as the holy tomb of Lady Zeinab (a) is located in Damascus. 

During the meeting, which was attended by prominent figures like Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani, and IRIB Chief Payman Jebeli, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to the martyred fighters especially anti-terror icon General Qassem Soleimani. He said that these figures were essentially fighting for the beliefs and aspirations of the family of Prophet Mohammad(pbuh), the Ahl al-Bayt.

"The high ideals of the School of the Ahl al-Bayt (pbut), such as justice, freedom, fighting against oppressive powers, and making sacrifices on the path of the truth, have always attracted seekers with pure consciences," he stated. 

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the solidarity shown by students at American universities with the people of Gaza as an example of the existence of pure consciences throughout the world. “What is important is that the message of defending the shrine, which is in fact defense of humanity’s ideals, is conveyed to the pure consciences around the world,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei identified another dimension of defending the shrine by emphasizing the global outlook of the Islamic Revolution, noting: “Any movement, any action, and any revolution that only pays attention to its internal environment and neglects foreign developments will certainly suffer a blow.” 

He recognized the Defenders of the Shrines’ presence in countries where the enemy had devised a highly dangerous plot as a manifestation of the global outlook of the Islamic Revolution.

In this regard, Ayatollah Khamenei stated, “The enemy devised a plot and intended to destroy the Islamic system by dominating the region and simultaneously exerting economic and political, ideological and religious pressures on Iran. However, a group of faithful young people, with the Islamic Republic at its core, neutralized this costly plot of the Arrogant Powers.”

Emphasizing this point, he noted that the actions of the Defenders of the Shrine were crucial in saving both Iran and the region. Referring to the brutal, ruthless, and inhumane nature of Daesh and groups aligned with it which were formed with the support of weapons and propaganda from the U.S. and the West, the Leader emphasized, “The goal of these organizations was to destabilize the region, especially Iran, but the Defenders of the Shrine neutralized this significant threat as well.”

Ayatollah Khamenei considered the Islamic Revolution's ability to recreate its inherent fervor and enthusiasm from the early days of victory as another aspect of the Defenders of the Shrine movement.

Pointing to the expectations and analyses of certain individuals with Western ideologies which have predicted that the Islamic Revolution and its principles and ideals are weakening, he emphasized, “The courage, selflessness, sincerity, and deep belief in religious principles of the young Defenders of the Shrine is an incredible and unparalleled phenomenon that has shown the fallacy of Western-oriented analyses.”