TEHRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that International Quds Day is the symbol of the Iranian people’s unity.

“The enemy has always sought to undermine the Quds Day ceremony, but again this year, the Iranian nation will honor this day with marches in Tehran and the rest of the country and many of the Muslims of the world will follow this nation and revive the name of Quds once again,” Ayatollah Khamenei told worshippers in a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran.
People should be careful that certain individuals do not use Quds Day to organize gatherings to create divisions among the people, because the Iranian nation can be a leader in supporting Palestine only when they are united, he noted.
International Quds Day is a day of solidarity with Palestine observed on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. Anti-Zionist demonstrations are held on Quds Day all over the world, but especially in Iran where the event was inaugurated after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The late Imam Khomeini made the proposal to establish an international day of solidarity with Palestinians in August of that year.
Ayatollah Khamenei also said diverse views -- as opposed to disagreements about the principles of the revolution -- are beneficial for society.
“Critical people and groupings… are beneficial to the country if this… is within the framework of its principles, i.e., Islam, the Constitution, and the Imam’s guidelines and will,” he said.
“Contrary to some propaganda, if a person or a grouping disagrees… the establishment lets them be. But if somebody stands against the foundation of the system and undermines and draws his sword against the revolution, this would not be tolerated anywhere in the world, and also in Iran, the establishment will deal with him decisively,” he added.