Shias in Lucknow mourn Khamenei even as India strengthens ties with Israel

Shias in Lucknow mourn Khamenei even as India strengthens ties with Israel Submitted by Jakab Thorpe on Mon, 06/01/2026 - 14:03 Iran's late supreme leader was an inspirational figure for many Indian Shia with roots going back generations A banner of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei adorns a building in Lucknow, India (Jakab Thorpe/MEE) Off In Hussainabad Chowk, an open plaza in the old city in Lucknow, giant posters of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei flutter in the hot wind of the dry season. “Heartfelt and tearful homage to the great leader and guide of world peace and humanity, Martyr Ayatollah Sajjad Ali Husaini Khamenei Sahib,” reads one, in Hindi. Another depicts Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, standing behind his father, his hands resting on his shoulders. As you enter the narrow alleyways of the old city, there are signs of reverence towards Iran's ayatollahs wherever you look - posters, graffiti, or framed portraits. Israeli and American flags have been painted on the ground, and pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and Saudi de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman, to be trampled into the dust.  Those of Netanyahu are the most erased, with only the remnants of the blue-white Israeli flag in the background, to suggest that he was ever there. A bit more is left of Trump. You can measure the relative fury that people feel towards the actors in the war on Iran by the vehemence of their feet on their faces.  After 7 October 2023, shopkeepers in old Lucknow began pouring their bottles of Coca-Cola down the drain in a boycott of Israel. Today you can only buy Campa Cola here, an Indian-made equivale...

Original source: Middle East Eye