“The Al-Quds Day march, the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war, and grieving Muslim youth,” What do you think ties together these three phrases? These are the expressions used by the brother of Martyr Robert Lazar, an Iranian Christian martyr, as he recounts the funeral procession for his brother.
On February 7, 1997, following the Al-Quds Day march in Tehran, a massive gathering of Muslim youth assembled to escort the body of Martyr Robert Lazar — a Christian martyr from the Iran-Iraq war — to Tehran's Saint Sarkis Cathedral. On that day, alongside Robert's remains, a thousand other martyrs, who had sacrificed their lives resisting the oppressive invasion by Iraqi forces starting in 1980 and remained unaffected even by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, were also laid to rest in Tehran. However, Robert's funeral had a distinctive atmosphere: “The funeral was strangely and remarkably massive, it was divine! The streets were closed! The ceremony became very grand, and I reflected, another Al-Quds Day [for our brother] has unfolded here. Inside Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Muslim brothers were gently beating their chests, [reciting verses] proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the owner of mourning today. There was no distinction between us and them.”
On the night of December 24, 2015, during the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei paid a visit to the martyr's family. In his address to the family, he remarked, “Religious minorities passed their test very well in the revolution and in the war as well. … They, as loyal, wise and brave Iranians, entered to war shoulder to shoulder with other Sunni and Shia Muslims.”
Iranian Christian youth actively participated during the intense days of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and throughout the eight-year war against Iraqi forces led by Saddam Hussein, aligning themselves with the struggle against the Shah (Pahlavi) system and Global Arrogance. Their involvement took various forms, including direct participation on the battlefields and providing logistical support to the war fronts. In Iran, Christians are primarily engaged in mechanical and automotive repair trades.
During the siege of Abadan in the years of the imposed war, Christians from Abadan, like many of their fellow citizens, chose not to evacuate the city. They worked alongside others in repairing vehicles used in the war. Christians also served as soldiers on the war's fronts. “Razmik Davidian” is another Christian martyr who, from the early days of the Islamic Revolution, joined Islamic Revolution Committees[1] alongside his Muslim Iranian brothers and ultimately attained martyrdom in the Sacred Defense. In his testament, he conveyed, “Dear compatriots, I sacrificed my life for the freedom of our homeland. Beloved friends, do not mourn my martyrdom, as from the early days of the revolution, my objective was to sacrifice my life for the homeland's freedom. I am honored to wear the uniform of a soldier so that my name will be remembered alongside the names of patriots.”
Yet, Iranian Christians didn't join the Islamic Revolution movement merely because of their Iranian identity. The revolution emerged from the spirit of justice and the longing for freedom within the Iranian people. In the Book of Matthew, a saying attributed to Jesus Christ proclaims, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice” (Matthew 5:6). Similarly, the book emphasizes, “But seek first the kingdom and its justice and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The inherently just and monotheistic essence of the Islamic Revolution motivated Iranian Christians to stand shoulder to shoulder with their Muslim compatriots in support of the anti-oppression movement of Islam.
Resistance in the birthplace of Jesus Christ
"Defiance against Zionist occupiers, mourning by Palestinian Muslim youth, Jerusalem." These are the first phrases that come to mind when witnessing the funeral procession of the late Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian Christian journalist killed by Israeli soldiers. On May 11, 2022, while covering the clashes between Palestinian resistance youths in the Jenin refugee camp and Zionist occupier forces, she was shot and killed by direct gunfire from Zionist military personnel. Youths from the West Bank, both Muslim and Christian, carried his coffin adorned with Palestinian flags. They were compelled to engage with Zionist security forces, marking a memorable chapter in the history of the struggle of the Palestinian people and Palestinian Christians against occupation.
Palestine bears historical significance as the birthplace of Christianity, with Jesus born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem, and crucial events of his divine life unfolding in this sacred land. In 1947, aided by British colonizers, an artificial state emerged, introducing Zionist immigrants. The wave of Global Arrogance, which in the 1980s drew Christians to the frontlines against its attack on the Islamic Revolution in Iran, had involved Palestinian Christians over four decades earlier, beginning in the early 1940s. Recognizing the colonial nature of this regime from the start, Palestinian Christians joined hands with Palestinian Muslims in a struggle that commenced more than four decades before the events of the 1980s.
At present, Christians in the West Bank are speaking out against evacuating their homes, and they have opened their churches in Gaza to provide shelter for war refugees.
The Common Foe of Islam and Christianity
The illegitimate Israeli government is inherently expansionist and acts as an occupier. This is evident through the widely recognized slogan “Zionist rule from the Nile to the Euphrates” and the confiscation of Palestinian lands and properties since the early days of the regime. Over the years of occupying Palestinian territories, the Zionist regime has made little distinction between Muslims and Christians. Actions like land confiscation, religious restrictions, desecration of holy sites, prohibition of construction, and even home repairs, along with harassment, unjustified arrests, and ultimately indiscriminate bloodshed highlight the minimal differentiation in the treatment of Palestinian Christians and Muslims by the Zionist regime.
The barriers imposed by the Zionist regime along the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip limit the mobility and access of Muslim and Christian communities in these regions to other cities or neighborhoods. Furthermore, the members of these communities have been denied access to agricultural lands, which have been replaced by Israeli settlements.
Zionist provocations continue to target both Muslims and Christians. The authorities, endorsing offensive acts such as spitting on Christians, aim to provoke anger and disrespect Muslims by desecrating the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
During the recent conflict in Gaza, Israeli bombs and bullets struck the Baptist Hospital and other hospitals with no discrimination. Amidst the remnants of ancient mosques in Gaza, one can also see stones from the crumbling structures of churches, along with the blood of those seeking refuge within.
Muslim fighters and those on the path to north Gaza have not been the only target of Zionist gunmen; even Christians inside churches are considered legitimate targets for the marksmen of this regime's army.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)
Christians worldwide rallied in the streets to support the Palestinian cause and the people of Gaza, aiming to show their solidarity with the oppressed. Some had to stop their pursuit of education or professional endeavors for backing the Palestinian cause. It is expected that Prophet Jesus’ followers and everyone who believes that venerable person to possess a greatness and high spirituality that is in accord with his exalted status will follow him on this path. However, despite efforts by Christian leaders in Gaza, and despite the cancellation of the Christmas celebrations in the West Bank, a loud and clear voice from the world Christian leaders is not heard. On October 7, the people of Gaza sought to raise awareness of the injustices they endured for years. Merely calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, without acknowledging the hardships Palestinians have faced over the past seven decades and the rights they have lost, goes against the principles of justice.
On December 27, 2000, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei stated:
This great divine prophet always made efforts during his lifetime to fight oppression, transgression, corruption, and those who tried to dominate nations by relying on their wealth and power and caused them to suffer both in this world and the hereafter. The sufferings which this great prophet endured since his childhood … were all aimed at achieving these goals.
At present, the people of Gaza, on the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, are facing a historic genocide alongside their Christian brethren. It is certain that if Jesus were with us today, he would be working tirelessly to find a way to assist the oppressed people of Gaza and confront the oppressive and bloodthirsty enemy, Israel.
[1] . Shortly after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, considering the situation in the country and the absence of security forces in the country, Imam Khomeini called for the formation of these committees. These committees in every city and neighborhood had the duty to protect their appointed areas.
