Former Hizbullah MP Nawaf Mousawi said in a January 3, 2023 show on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that there was nothing “heroic” about the January 2020 U.S. assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani, since it was known when his plane would land and who is on board. In contrast, he said that an example of “real heroism” was an operation he claimed was carried out in the same month by Soleimani’s “disciples” during which a CIA plane carrying top CIA officials, including Iran Mission Center commander Michael D’andrea, was “downed” (false reports about such an attack were circulated by Russian and Iranian news outlets in January 2020 – in truth, D’andrea retired from the CIA in 2021). Mousawi also said that Soleimani had played a “significant” role in the Afghan resistance to the U.S. “occupation”. For more about Nawaf Mousawi, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 1709.

German-Egyptian scholar Hamed Abdel-Samad said in an interview that was posted to the Brother Rachid TV channel on YouTube on November 17, 2022 that Islam has been “distorted” from the beginning and that countries that implement shari’a law such as Afghanistan, ISIS, Iran, and the Boko Haram have failed to produce ideal societies. He also said that the Gulf countries are abandoning shari’a law because it is incompatible with their economic interests, and he said that in the modern world, shari’a law has been reduced to the subjects of sexuality and hijabs because there is no longer a slave trade. For more about Dr. Hamed Abdel-Samad, see MEMRI TV Clips Nos. 8955, 8870, 7421, 7229, 7188, 7123, 7072, 6960, 6759, 6727, 6651, and 6112.

Lebanese MP Camille Dory Chamoun, the leader of the National Liberal Party and grandson of Lebanon’s second President Camille Chamoun, said on a January 3, 2023 show on Al-Jadeed TV (Lebanon) that he believes that the “resistance” no longer plays a positive role in Lebanon and that it has now become a burden. He also said that the Lebanese people are tired of wars and of the mass emigration from the country, stating: “We will not sacrifice Lebanon for the sake of the resistance.” He added that people who think Lebanon is “doing great” are free to live with the “resistance, the smuggling, and the chaos that we are seeing today,” but should do so in their own areas. For more information about Camille Dory Chamoun, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 8898.

Recently-released Israeli Arab terrorist Karim Yunis, who is also a member Fatah’s Central Committee, told Palestine TV on January 7, 2023 that the Palestinians do not recognize the Green Line and that Palestine belongs to them in its entirety. He also said that the Israelis want to tear Palestinians apart but will fail. Yunis was released from Israeli prison on January 4, 2023 after serving 40 years for murdering of Israeli soldier Avraham Bromberg in 1980.

This clip is a compilation of footage showing Iranians protesting outside the Rajai-Shahr Prison in Karaj, Iran against the impending executions of protesters 22-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlou and 18-year-old Mohammad Boroughani. The protestors chanted “This is the year of bloody [uprising!] [Khamenei] will be toppled!”, “I will kill whoever killed my brother!”, and “This is the final warning! There will be an uprising if you carry out the execution!” The protest was also attended by Ghobadlou’s mother, who said that her son has been falsely accused of murdering somebody so that the authorities could execute him. The footage in this clip was posted on January 8, 2023 to Iranian dissident journalist Masih Alinejad’s Twitter account and to the Iran International Instagram page. According to human rights organizations and activists, the two men have been denied due process.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said at a January 4, 2023 meeting with a group of women ahead of the celebrations of the birthday of Muhammad’s daughter Fatima that the West portrays itself as spearheading the struggle for women’s rights, even though sexual assault is rampant throughout the West and its institutions. He said that the West has done terrible damage to women’s dignity, particularly by sexualizing them, and he said the institution of family has deteriorated fatally and beyond repair in the West. He also told the women that their job is to expose the West’s “disastrous views” on sexuality and women. Khamenei added that women who don’t wear their hijab properly should not be accused of “having no faith” or being unfaithful to the Islamic Revolution. Khamenei’s remarks were aired on Channel 1 (Iran).