Quds Day

This article is about the annual pro-Palestinian day of protest. For the Israeli national holiday, see Jerusalem Day. For the march on the Israeli holiday, see Jerusalem Day march.
Quds Day
Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, 2016
Official nameروز جهانی قدس (Ruz Jahâni Quds)
Observed byArab world, Muslim world, anti-Zionists
TypeInternational
SignificanceDemonstrations against Zionism, the State of Israel, and the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem; solidarity with the Palestinian people
DateLast Friday of Ramadan
2023 dateApril 14[1]
2024 dateApril 5
FrequencyAnnual
Started byRuhollah Khomeini
Related toIranian Revolution
Palestinian nationalism
Anti-Zionism
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    Quds Day (lit. 'Jerusalem Day'), officially known as International Quds Day (Persian: روز جهانی قدس, romanized: Ruz Jahâni Quds), is an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to express support for Palestinians and oppose Israel and Zionism.[4] It takes its name from the Arabic name for Jerusalem: al-Quds.

    The event was first held in 1979 in Iran, shortly after the Iranian Revolution. The day exists partly in opposition to Israel's Jerusalem Day, which has been celebrated by Israelis since May 1968 and was declared a national holiday by the Knesset in 1998.[5] Today, rallies are held on Quds Day in various countries in the Muslim world, as well as in non-Muslim communities around the world,[6] in protest against the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem.[7][8]

    Critics of Quds Day have argued that it is antisemitic.[9][10] In Iran, the day is marked by widespread speeches and rallies that have been frequented by chants of "Death to Israel, Death to America", with crowds trampling and burning Israeli flags.[11][12] Quds Day rallies have also featured demonstrations against other countries and causes.[13][14][15]

    1. ^ "Ramadan Calendar 2023, Sehar (Sahur) Time and Iftar Time | IslamicFinder". IslamicFinder. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
    2. ^ "Al-Quds Day to be marked tomorrow". The Nation. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
    3. ^ "Ramadan Calendar 2024". IslamicFinder.
    4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbcpersian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    5. ^ Francesca Ceccarini, Al-Quds e Yerushalayim Un dialogo in due lingue. I Paesi arabi e la questione di Gerusalemme, FrancoAngeli, Milan 2016 p.166
    6. ^ C. Hanley, Delinda (2010). "International Al-Quds Day in DC". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. – via General OneFile (subscription required)
    7. ^ * Sokolski, Henry D.; Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute; Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (2007). Gauging U.S.-Indian strategic cooperation. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-58487-284-9. Many Muslims commemorate Al Quds Day by protesting against the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem where the Al Quds mosque is located {{cite book}}: |author3= has generic name (help)
      • "Iran warns West on al-Quds day". Al-Jazeera. September 26, 2008. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in cities across the country to protest against Israel's occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem.
    8. ^ Chambers, Bill (July 12, 2015). "Al-Quds Day Commemorated in Chicago". The Chicago Monitor. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
    9. ^ Sommerlad, Joe (June 8, 2018). "This is why people are burning effigies of Donald Trump in Iran today". The Independent. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
    10. ^ Küntzel, Matthias (2015). "Tehran's Efforts to Mobilize Antisemitism". Tehran's Efforts to Mobilize Antisemitism: The Global Impact. Indiana University Press. pp. 508–532. ISBN 9780253018656. JSTOR j.ctt18crxz7.22. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
    11. ^ Seliktar, Ofira (January 2, 2023). "Iran's antisemitism and anti-Zionism: eliminationist or performative?". Israel Affairs. 29 (1): 137–154. doi:10.1080/13537121.2023.2162260. ISSN 1353-7121.
    12. ^ Wistrich, Robert S. (2014). "Gaza, Hamas, and the Return of Antisemitism". Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs. 8 (3): 35–48. doi:10.1080/23739770.2014.11446601. ISSN 2373-9770.
    13. ^ "Al Quds Day: Protesters burn flags and chant 'death to Israel' at annual rallies held across Iran". independent.co.uk. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
    14. ^ AFP (June 23, 2017). "Chants against Israeli occupation in Palestine, Saudi and US as Iran marks Al Quds Day". Hindustan Times. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
    15. ^ Marjohn Sheikhi (June 8, 2018). "Today's Quds rallies in opposition of Israel, US, Saudi Arabia". Mehr News. Retrieved June 8, 2018.