By Press TV Website Staff
The highlight of this year’s United Nations General Assembly summit in New York was the persuasive, power-packed and widely applauded speech by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi.
At the premier conference of world leaders, President Raeisi minced no words in showing Western hegemonic powers a mirror and laid bare their blatant hypocrisy on democracy and human rights.
He strongly denounced the desecration of the Holy Quran in some European countries and eloquently defended the Muslim holy book by saying that the word of God “does not burn” and is “eternal.”
“It shall never burn. It is eternal,” President Raeisi proclaimed in chaste Persian, pointing to the enduring and overwhelming appeal of the Muslim holy book beyond the frontiers of time and space.
Iranian president’s speech in general and his remarks about the Holy Quran were commended widely.
Following the speech, the Press TV website launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #ItShallNeverBurn, which has been trending worldwide in recent days across social media platforms.
Press TV website invited social media users to share photos and videos, honoring the Holy Quran and giving a fitting answer to those who seek to fan the flames of hate toward scared Muslim sanctities.
Soon, hundreds of thousands of social media users from South Asia to Africa to Latin America to West Asia joined the campaign and began recording and sharing videos of themselves, repeating what President Raeisi said in his UNGA speech about the Holy Quran – “It shall never burn.”
Many held a copy of the Holy Quran in their hands and posted images with the viral hashtag – #ItShallNeverBurn, taken from President Raeisi’s powerful UNGA speech.
“Quran is the light in dark nights. Quran is hope in uncertainty. Quran is the unity of distracted Muslims,” wrote one social media user, Haroon Safdar Malik from Melbourne.
Ali Salaam, editor of Basira Press and a Muslim convert, shared a video of himself on X, formerly known as Twitter, denouncing Westerners for desecrating sacred Islamic sanctities, and said the Qur’an “is the only cure that exists for the physical and spiritual problems of mankind.”
“#ItShallNeverBurn as it is a physical manifestation of a metaphysical reality – a message carried from Adam to Abraham to Moses to Jesus and lastly to Muhammad – that can never be erased,” he wrote.
The Qur’an is the only cure that exists for the physical & spiritual problems of mankind.#ItShallNeverBurn as it is a physical manifestation of a metaphysical reality – a message carried from Adam to Abraham to Moses to Jesus and lastly to Muhammad – that can never be erased. pic.twitter.com/3xzOXNNddb
— Basira Press (@BasiraPress) September 23, 2023
Sayeda Zainab Huda, a university student from Pakistan, in her tweet, said President Raeisi was speaking at the UN General Assembly on behalf of 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, not just Iran.
“When Ebrahim Raeisi made the statement, he wasn’t just representing Iran but also speaking on behalf of the 1.8 billion Muslims, emphasizing the significance of the Quran. #ItShallNeverBurn seems to convey the idea that the Quran is eternal and will endure,” she wrote.
When Ebrahim Raisi made the statement, he wasn’t just representing Iran but also speaking on behalf of the 1.8 billion Muslims, emphasizing the significance of the Quran. #ItShallNeverBurn seems to convey the idea that the Quran is eternal and will endure. pic.twitter.com/jc9aAZU3pZ
— سیدهزینب (@SZainabHuda) September 24, 2023
The powerful quote was shared widely by many other social media users with the same hashtag.
Importantly, the Iranian president’s thumping speech at the premier annual conference of world leaders came in the wake of a series of incidents of Quran burnings in European countries in recent months.
In Sweden, authorities provided protection to a far-right Islamophobe as he recklessly went on a Quran-burning spree across the capital Stockholm, including in front of foreign diplomatic missions.
Iran and other Muslim countries strongly denounced the acts. Ebrahim Raeisi’s government in Tehran even refused to accept the new Swedish ambassador as a mark of protest.
Quran burnings have also been witnessed in Denmark, with most Western governments turning a blind eye to it, quietly defending such provocative actions in the name of “freedom of speech.”
Dina Sulaeman, a university professor from Indonesia, in her post on X, shared her photo with a copy of the Holy Quran that she had bought from a market in the Syrian capital Damascus.
“Brothers and sisters… there is a campaign against the acts of burning of the Quran. Post your photo with the Al Quran, with the hashtag #ItShallNeverBurn,” she wrote.
A user named Fatimah Jafferi from Iran’s holy city of Mashhad shared an image with the Holy Quran, and described it as an “eternal guide to humanity.”
A Twitter user and medical student from Pakistan said Ebrahim Raeisi is not her president but she is “proud of him” as he represented her emotions, applauding his UNGA address.
The same quote was used by several other X users as well, with the same viral hashtag – #ItShallNeverBurn.
Misam Ali Zaidi, a user from India, tweeted with the #ItShallNeverBurn hashtag saying “We have lifted the Holy Quran high, from the sacred soil of Karbala to the most esteemed parliaments across the globe.”
He was referring to pro-Quran demonstrations across the world, including in the holy city of Karbala during the recent Arbaeen commemorations that saw the participation of over 25 million people.
Most of the users cited “It Shall Never Burn” and “It Is Eternal” to convey a message to hate-mongers in the West who have weaponized Islamophobia against the Muslim community.
The campaign is still going strong on all social media platforms as more users from various countries continue to join in and share their thoughts, images and videos with the #ItShallNeverBurn hashtag.
More posts with the #ItShallNeverBurn hashtag are shared below:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وُدًّا
Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds—the All-beneficent will endear them [to His creation].[19–96]#HolyQuran#ShiaMuslim#ItShallNeverBurn
📚آیه ۹۶ مریم pic.twitter.com/rOpPuFbkok— ام البنینِ توییتر☺️ (@KrmyNrjs) September 24, 2023