Eid Amid Grief: A Message from Lucknow That Reflects a Larger Tragedy
Targeted Killings and Strategic Miscalculations
State Structure vs Individual Leadership: The Iranian Model
Martyrdom as Political शक्ति (Power): From Karbala to Contemporary Iran
Historical Parallels: From Early Christianity to Vietnam
The War Narrative: Unity, Retaliation, and National Resolve
Conclusion: Can Military Force Break Ideological Resistance?
Justice Markandey Katju analyses the Iran conflict, arguing that martyrdom strengthens national resolve. Explore historical parallels, geopolitical implications, and why resistance may outlast military power.
The blood of martyrs is seed
By Justice Markandey Katju
Today, 21st March 2026, is Eid in India. Last night I sent my Eid greetings to all my Muslim friends, who reciprocated them.
Among the messages I received was one from a Shia lady of Lucknow, UP, India, Saibi Naqvi, which really touched me. She sent me a picture of mourning people in black dresses, with the words '' No Eid this year 2026.'' written on it.
Saibi was obviously referring to the killing of Ayatollah Khameini, the spiritual leader of many Shias all over the world, and others, including Ali Larijani and 165 Iranian schoolgirls, killed in the present war.
The US-Israeli leaders probably thought that by killing the 86-year-old Ayatollah Khameini and many top Iranian officials, they could terrorise Iranians, bring about a quick regime change, and install a pro-US regime in Iran ( as was done in Venezuela ). They thought that the Iranian regime was unpopular in Iran, and so decapitating its leaders would lead to the coming of Iranians on the streets, celebrating their 'liberation'.
But what actually happened was just the reverse. In Iran, the regime is not an individual; it is a structure laid down in the Iranian Constitution of 1979. If one Ayatollah dies, he is replaced by another, and not that the regime is destroyed or is changed. In fact, by killing Ayatollah Khameini, he has been made into a martyr ( like Imam Husain who was killed in Karbala ), which has further fortified the regime, united Iranians, and strengthened their resolve manifold to fight on, irrespective of the odds. The massive crowds which turn out in all Iranian cities daily, fearless of the danger of being bombed from above by US-Israeli jets, mourning for their slain respected leader and condemning the unprovoked brutal US-Israeli aggression, and the barrage of missiles and drones being hurled by Iranians on Israel and US bases and assets in Middle Eastern countries, is clear proof of this.
"The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church" is a famous phrase by early Christian theologian Tertullian (c. 155–220 AD), signifying that the persecution and execution of early Christians ( e.g. by feeding them to the lions, or burning them alive, in the arena ), far from extinguishing Christianity, fuelled its growth and spread in the Roman Empire. Tertullian famously argued that the more Christians are "mown down," the more they multiply, turning martyrdom into another event which will lead to the eventual triumph of their faith
The Vietnam War American veteran Bill Erhart said in an interview that before he went to Vietnam, the common perception in America was that the Vietcong terrorized the Vietnamese population, and forced them to fight the Americans on pain of death. But after he got to Vietnam, he began to understand that the Vietcong didn't need to do that. All they had to do was to let a US Marine patrol go through a village, and whatever was left of the village got them all the recruits they needed.
Similarly, the more Iranians are killed by the US-Israeli forces, the more is strengthened their unyielding resolve to win in this war. As the great Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh said to the Americans during the Vietnam war '' You may kill 10 of our people, while we kill only 1 of yours, yet we will win ''.
So, however many Iranians the US-Israeli forces kill, they will be viewed as martyrs, and the brave, indomitable Iranians will not be defeated, however long this war lasts.
This sher ( couplet ) of the famous Urdu poet Majrooh Sultanpuri can be said of the lion-hearted Iranians :
'' Sar par hawa-e-zulm chale sau jatan ke saath
Apni kulahkaj hai usi baankepen ke saath ''
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)
