It was Ashura in the year 1383 AH, coinciding with June 3, 1963. Imam Khomeini went to the pulpit in the Faizieh Seminary in Qom.
In a brilliant sermon where he severely criticized the Pahlavi regime, he drew everyone’s attention to a point that was one of the basic foundations of his revolutionary movement, the fight against Israel.
That is the regime that according to him created a tragedy in the Islamic world by usurping Palestine.
In that well-known speech, Imam Khomeini warned people about the dangers of Israel – a regime that seeks to destroy Islam, the Qur’an and religious scholars.
He also shed light on the relations that the Shah’s government had with the Israeli regime.
Even though the aforementioned date is considered to be the starting point of Imam’s revolutionary movement, the root of Imam’s speech on Palestine and the Israeli occupation of it goes back to an earlier time.
In March 1963, Imam Khomeini wrote a letter about the danger of Israel to the various unions and associations in Qom in response to their inquiry.
He wrote, “Because of my religious obligation, I hereby warn the people of Iran and the Muslims of the world that the Holy Qur’an and Islam are in danger.
The independence of our country and its economy are in danger of being seized by the Zionists.
With the deadly silence of the Muslims, it won’t be long before they [the Zionists] destroy the existence of the Muslim nation in all its aspects.”