(OPINION) MS – For the first time ever, a blood-red flag is being flown over the famous Jamkaran Mosque in the Iranian “holy city” of Qom. If you have not see it yet, you can watch it being raised right here. And as I will explain below, the fact that this mosque is directly associated with the Mahdi makes this symbolic gesture doubly significant.
The hoisting of this flag was broadcast on Iranian state television, and it was obviously intended to send a message to Shiites all over the globe. So precisely what was that message? Well, we are being told that according to Shiite tradition a red flag represents both “blood spilled unjustly” and a call for revenge…
Red flags in Shiite tradition symbolize both blood spilled unjustly and serve as a call to avenge a person who is slain. It is the first time in history that the red flag has been hoisted on top of the Jamkaran mosque in the Iranian city and comes after warnings of harsh retaliation against the US. Red flags have also been spotted flying at anti-U.S. demonstrations in Tehran over the past few days. Clearly, the Iranians want blood. They will never, ever forgive us for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, and their faith requires that he be avenged.
There is also a message inscribed on the blood-red flag that is now flying above the Jamkaran Mosque, and apparently it is a reference to the death of the grandson of Muhammad… The flag, inscribed with the words “Those who want to avenge the blood of Hussein,” was hoisted above the mosque’s shrine for what local reports claimed was the first time in history, according to the Daily Mail.
The grandson of Muhammad, Hussein was decapitated in A.D. 680 during the Second Islamic Civil War, when Muslims were fighting over who was the proper successor to their prophet. The act was met with bloody retaliation from Muslims who considered Hussein’s death unjust and sought to avenge him. Obviously the Iranians are viewing this as something much bigger than simply extracting sufficient revenge for the death of a deeply loved national leader.
Rather, they seem to be using this moment as a call to wage jihad against all of the enemies of Shia Islam. And as I mentioned above, the fact that this flag was raised over this particular mosque is a very big deal. The Jamarkaran Mosque is considered to be one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, and it is also associated with the future reappearance of the Mahdi. In fact, as the flag was being hoisted there was a direct reference to the Mahdi… READ MORE
