Al Jazeera deletes podcast tweet glorifying Soleimani shortly after posting

Al Jazeera deletes podcast tweet glorifying Iran’s Soleimani shortly after posting

Qatar’s state-run broadcaster Al Jazeera published a podcast last week glorifying Iran’s slain Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

A few days later, Al Jazeera deleted the link to the podcast from its Twitter page.

Al Jazeera’s podcast was part of its “Rumooz” series (which is the Arabic word for “icons”), and introduced the episode by saying: “His star has shone in the Iran-Iraq war, then he became the engineer of most of Iran’s foreign battles, leaving his mark on some of the most volatile areas in the region: Syria, Yemen, Iraq and others. His assassination almost ignited a third world war, who is Qassem Soleimani?”

The podcast’s introduction is filled with cinematic music that builds dramatically, leading to the opening statement.

“I am Soleimani, the soldier fighting for the sake of Allah… The name great Satan fears… I am nothing more than a soldier of the Islamic Revolution… A soldier, I thank Allah, for blessing me with martyrdom,” the voice actor says.

An Iranian holds a picture of late General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, as people gather to mourn him in Tehran, Iran January 4, 2020. (Reuters)

The IRGC is designated as a terrorist entity by the US government.

The podcast’s voice actor speaking as Soleimani said: “We defended Syria, its people, and the whole region against the American-Zionist conspiracy and terrorism, and Iran has become a source of stability in Syria… We helped them using our experience through non-military jihadi groups.”

“Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad Movement are not proxy groups, but are our brothers and partners in the resistance project against the Zionist regime.”