Another Qods Day

Not being a Muslim, I didn't know what Qods Day is.

But, it seems to be important. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) posted two articles yesterday,

• "Int'l Qods Day to be observed worldwide on Friday, October 5"
• "Zionist regime's allies to receive response on World Qods Day"

The "Zionist regime's allies" article said that Qod's Day "day falls on October 12 this year."

The two articles are in the English-language section of the IRNA website, so I may be missing something. However, either there's an "Int'l Qods Day" on October 5, 2007, and a "World Qods Day" on October 12, 2007, or Qods Day happens twice.

At any rate, October 12, 2007, is supposed to be very important.

The "Zionist regime's" article quotes Gholam-Hossein Elham, an Iranian government spokesman. "The US loses all opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime) which is now at its weakest political and social position," Elham said yesterday (September 19, 2007).

Qods Day seems to be rather important in Iran. Back in 2001, Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani made a speech in December, a translation of it,by by BBC Worldwide Monitoring, is posted at GlobalSecurity.org: Qods Day Speech (Jerusalem Day).

Here's an excerpt from the 2001 Qods Day Speech page: "Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani warned the USA not to get the wrong idea from Taleban's swift defeat and try using force to get rid of other governments it dislikes."

In 2007, Gholam-Hossein Elham's teaser on what the infidels can expect on this year's Qods Day seems like more of the same. IRNA said that Elham "warned that Washington's insistence on its wrong policies and arrogant approaches would have no result 'but further political disgrace" for itself.'

"Referring to the approaching World Qods Day, the spokesman stressed, 'Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final response for their support on that day.'"

I'm taking the Qods Day preview seriosly, particularly since Iran has said that Israel would be attacked if Iran's "civilian" nuclear facilities are bombed, and the way that Iranian munitions either pop up or drop in on Iraq.

My hope is that the American Congress pays less attention to the Iranian government's preferences, and more to the long-term security of America.

At least I found out what Qods day was. The 'Zionist' article says "Qods Day is held each year on the last Friday of Muslims fasting month of Ramadan after it was nominated by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, as a day to voice the protest of the Islamic Ummah against the Zionists."

I'd still like to know how Qods Day showed up in an 1860 book.