Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday blasted the desecration of Iraqi holy sites by U.S. troops, saying Muslims will certainly not stand by idly in the face of these impudent and arrogant acts, committed in such an ignorant manner.
Expressing regret over the profane actions committed at the holy places in Iraq, the Leader warned that Muslims, and especially Shias, in Iraq and other parts of the world will not remain silent about these significant incidents and one cannot remain indifferent toward them.
The Leader said Imam Ali (AS) and his son Imam Hussein (AS) are very dear to Muslims and especially Shias and their shrines are revered, adding that Muslims will not tolerate the incursion upon their holy sites by the U.S. military. Ayatollah Khamenei added that these U.S. crimes are being condemned by the entire Islamic world, the Shias, and the Iranian people.
In an address to theology students, the Leader pointed out that the United States talks about human rights and democracy while it commits crimes and sacrilegious acts, overwhelmed by a sense of self-importance.
The hatred sown by U.S. troops in Iraq is going to produce hatred for decades, the Leader said, adding that the recent Abu Ghraib scandal will be a shameful mark on the brow of the U.S. which will not be easily washed away.
The Leader called U.S. officials' claims that they had no information about the abuse of prisoners in Iraq sheer lies, adding that they are saying such great lies despite the fact that they were warned about the conditions at Abu Ghraib prison months ago by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, the mistreatment of the Iraqi people, the appointment of a U.S. administrator in Iraq, the torture of prisoners, and the attacks on the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala are a series of mistakes that have placed the U.S. forces in a quagmire, and the more they try to advance the deeper they sink.
He called the plan for handing over sovereignty to Iraqis a ruse and said that Iraqi politicians and prominent figures should know that anyone who comes to power and becomes a puppet of the U.S. will be as hated as the U.S.
"If Western states are sincere in their claims that they respect human rights, they should strongly condemn the U.S. measures and crimes in Iraq, and this condemnation should be followed by a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly. Otherwise, their claims about respecting human rights are meaningless for the people of the world," Ayatollah Khamenei said in conclusion.