Shia Muslims in Lucknow protest killing of Qasem Soleimani, declare him a martyr

New Delhi: A huge gathering of Shia Muslims convened at Chhota Imambara in Lucknow to protest the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. The crowd led by Maulana Kalbe Jawad shouted slogans against America and declared Soleimani a martyr.

Jawad praised Sulemani claiming that the Iranian general was fighting al-Qaeda and ISIS and asked why America had him killed. He said that if India was really against terrorism then it has to oppose America. "If India is really against terrorism, then it has to oppose America, Donald Trump should be punished by the International Court," he said.

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He also claimed that US President Donald Trump should be punished by the International Court for his order to execute Soleimani. "Pakistan is a terrorist country so is America, Pakistan is a puppet in the hands of America, Saudi Arabia funds everyone. Now America has made friends with Saudi Arabia and turned against Pakistan. How will it work? America has carried out a terrorist attack, the case has reached an international level."

On the violent protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that has rocked Uttar Pradesh, he insisted that protests should be like the way Mahatma Gandhi used to hold them, peaceful and non-violent. 

On the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the commander of Iran`s elite Quds Force Qassem Soleimani was among the seven killed in an airstrike by the US military near Baghdad international airport. Soleimani was regarded as the second most powerful figure in Iran and was a US-designated terrorist.