Jaipur: Shia Muslims in Jaipur and Ajmer Sunday held gatherings to mourn the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US–Israeli military operation.In Jaipur, mourners dressed in black assembled at Shia Jama Masjid in Subhash Chowk to offer prayers and condolences. Organisers said families declared three days of mourning. A peaceful procession later moved through designated neighbourhood routes, with participants chanting slogans and holding placards.In Ajmer, community members gathered at Taragarh Dargah to offer prayers and discuss developments in the Middle East amid heightened regional tensions. The gatherings came as conflict escalated following the strikes that reportedly led to Khamenei’s killing.Maimuna Nargis, an art conservator in Jaipur, held a banner reading “Long Live Khamenei” and compared the moment to the Battle of Karbala. “This incident reminds us of the Battle of Karbala, in which the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Imam Hussain, was killed fighting the tyrant Yazid. The battle still remains fresh in the memory of Muslims even after 1,400 years. Likewise, the martyrdom of Khamenei and those responsible will be remembered for centuries to come,” she said.Syed Mehmood Ijlal, joint secretary of the Targarh Dargah Committee in Ajmer—described as one of the oldest Shia neighbourhoods in the country—accused the United States and Israel of waging a “never-ending war against Muslims.” “We will pass on the tale to our future generations, reminding them that the real evil is the US and Israel,” he said. Jalal also criticised what he described as the absence of an official condolence message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it hurtful and saying Iran had sided with India in times of need.Khamenei was widely regarded as a spiritual figure of significant influence among Shia Muslims worldwide, and his reported death has resonated across Shia communities. In Rajasthan, the Shia population is estimated at close to 5 lakh out of about 85 lakh (8.5 million) Muslims, with larger concentrations in Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur, while numbers in many other districts remain relatively small.
