A crowd of Iranians welcomed famed Nigerian preacher Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who reportedly arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for medical treatments.
Welcoming him as a symbol of resistance is a significant move that reflects Iran’s position on religious and political issues.
The head of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Zakzaky, met crowds of Iranians who traveled great distances bearing welcome placards to catch a glimpse of him outside the airport.
Zakzaky is known as the leader of the Shia population in Nigeria.
He has been a vociferous critic of the Nigerian government and has also been steadfast in the fight against oppression, along with his role in propagating Islamic teachings, which has attracted a lot of support for his positions on a number of subjects.
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His entry into Iran is interpreted as Iran’s support for his initiatives and an endorsement of what they refer to as “resistance movements.”
Sheikh Zakzaky delivered a brief address to those who came to welcome him. “I am very pleased and happy to see these faces of people in solidarity with what has happened to us,” he said.
“We thank Allah for giving us the opportunity to have passed these difficult periods, and we hope, inshallah, that in the near future, the message of the Islamic Republic of Iran will engulf this world, not only Africa but beyond, to the American continent, the European continent, and the whole world,” he added.
Although Iranian authorities have not provided precise information about Zakzaky’s visit, sources indicate that the warm welcome he received at the airport will be followed by a meeting with a number of senior officials while there.
Sheikh Zakzaky’s impact as a representation of resistance goes beyond Nigeria. His supporters consider this visit to be a validation of their cause and think it will spark their movement.