On the occasion of Muharram, the holy month of mourning for Shia Muslims, posters of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appeared across several villages in West Bengal’s minority dominated Basirhat subdivision, including Narkelberia, stirring both spiritual reverence and political discourse.
The posters, emblazoned with the message “A fighter who refuses to give up” beneath the Ayatollah’s portrait, appeared in the aftermath of the recent 12-day Israel-Iran war, which concluded with a fragile ceasefire on June 24. While the conflict initially unfolded without direct U.S. involvement, American forces under the Donald Trump administration later launched airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities using bunker-buster bombs. Following this, Washington facilitated a truce between the two adversaries, leading to a temporary pause in hostilities.
On Sunday, coinciding with Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram — a day of deep mourning in the Shia tradition — the emergence of these posters took on a symbolic dimension. Declaring Khamenei a “real-life hero”, the posters carried a message rallying the global Muslim community against what was described as “Zionist aggression” towards Palestine and Iran.
"It will be written in history that when the rulers of Muslim countries remained silent out of fear of Jews, this 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei stood tall and unyielding,” the poster read.
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The local Narkelberia Shaheed Titumir Karbala Committee, in collaboration with the Shia Mosque, confirmed their support of the message. Imam Mohammad Haider Ali, speaking on behalf of the Shia community, stated, “Ayatollah Khamenei is not just a leader, he is our religious guide. His fatwas are followed by Shias across the globe. His message to Israel and America is clear— if you want to know who we are, read the history of Karbala. Just like Imam Husayn never submitted to Yazid, we shall not bow either.”
The posters, while affirming allegiance to the Iranian cleric, also voiced sharp condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and Iran, and lamented the perceived silence of the global Muslim leadership.
“From infants to women, lives are being crushed in Palestine. Had the Muslim Ummah stood together, neither Israel nor America would have dared to act with such impunity. The time has come for unity. That spark has already been lit in Iran,” Imam Ali asserted.
A unifying message was also echoed through the posters— a rejection of sectarian division.
“There is no difference between Shia and Sunni. We share the same Quran, the same Prophet and the same Allah,” the message read, calling for solidarity against common adversaries.
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