A BRITISH imam paid tribute to killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by saying he was a “martyr” that Muslims should “aspire” to be like.

The holy man told worshippers they should be “jealous” of the military chief’s death as he spoke to a crowd outside the Islamic Centre of England in central London.

His speech comes after the general, known as the second most powerful man in Iran, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad Airport.

Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, the special forces unit of the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was thought to be responsible for the deaths of British and US soldiers.

The imam said: “I would like to give you all my condolences but I would also like to congratulate you.

“We are lucky enough to live in a time where we can see, touch and feel a man like Qassem Soleimani and we hope and we pray and we work hard to make sure that there will be many many more Qassem Soleimanis.

“We aspire to become like him, we are jealous and we want the same thing for ourselves and our loved ones.

“The beauty of Islam is that we can turn around to our enemy and say ‘do your worst’ because the worst is the best that can happen to me.”

Soleimani’s assassination, on Donald Trump’s personal authority, has brought Iran and American to the brink of war.

Trump has celebrated the military chief’s death while Boris Johnson said Britain will not “lament” his killing.

Source » thesun