Art & Culture September 19, 2020 3 This Day in History Day of Persian Poetry (September 19)

Today is Saturday; 29th of the Iranian month of Shahrivar 1399 solar hijri; corresponding to 1st of the Islamic month of Safar 1442 lunar hijri; and September Synonymous With Shahriar 19, 2020 of the Christian Gregorian Calendar. 1405 lunar years ago, on this day in 37 AH, the Siffin War was started by the under his given name, Behjat, but in Azeri language, too. His most Omayyad rebel, Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, as a result of his refusal to step down, following his dismissal from the governorship of the Province of Syria by the later chose the name Shahriar. famous poem in Azeri language Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS) the First Infallible Heir His first poetry collection ‘Di- ‘Heydar-Babaya Salaam’ (Hello of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The war that lasted four months was fought in the van-e Shahriar’ was published in to Heydar-Baba) was published in region called Siffin, besides the River Euphrates in what is now the Reqqa District Tehran in 1931, with introductions 1954and has been translated into in Syria, a short distance from the city of Aleppo. In the final battle of the Siffin by celebrated poets and schol- more than 30 languages. War, when Mu’awiyah was on the verge of defeat, his comrade-in-crimes, Amr Ibn ars such as Saʿid Nafisi, Ḥossein Heydar Baba is the name of a al-Aas, ordered the Omayyad troops to raise on spear-points, what he claimed to be Pezhman-Baḵtiari, and Malek-al- mountain where the poet spent copies of the holy Qur’an, in order to deceive the people and sue for peace. Despite the warnings of Imam Ali (AS), many among his forces were deceived and refused Shoʿara Bahar, who praised his his childhood. Many of his bitter- to continue the battle against the demoralized enemy troops. These gullible people eloquent language, and his inno- sweet memories are reflected in forced the Imam to enter into arbitration with Mu’awiyah, and when the result vative and well-crafted imagery. his works. turned out against their nefarious desires, they openly rebelled against the Prophet’s Although Shahriar wrote in var- ‘The Blessing Bird of Good rightful successor. These misled people called Khwarej or renegades are considered ious forms, including lyrics, qua- Omen’, which is about Imam Ali outside the pale of Islam. It is an irony of Islamic history that Mu’awiyah, who had trains, couplets, odes, and elegies, (peace be upon him), is just one of reluctantly accepted Islam to save his life at the fall of Mecca to Muslims two years before the passing away of the Prophet; was made governor of the newly conquered he composed some of his most his many other noteworthy poems. Christian majority province of Syria. Here, through propaganda and forging of appreciated poems in the tradi- Shahriar saw three eras of Qa- hadith, he built a strong base against the Ahl al-Bayt. After the martyrdom of Imam TEHRAN (MNA) – September of Persian Poetry and Literature’. tional genre of ghazal. His poems jars, Pahlavi, and the Islamic Ali (AS), he seized the caliphate from Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS) through deceit, 18 is the death anniversary of Seyed Born on January 2, 1906, in are mainly influenced by Hafez, a Republic. A deeper look into his thus laying the groundwork for the Godless Omayyad Dynasty that terrorized Mohammad-Hossein Behjat-Ta- a village near Tabriz City, East well-known Iranian poet. poetry shows his objection to in- Muslims for 91 years. brizi, better known by his pen-name Azarbaijan Province, Shahriar’s Shahriar’s lyrical poems could justice and narrow-mindedness. 1386 solar years ago, on this day in 634 AD, Damascus, fell to the Arab Muslims, Shahriar (1906-1988), who was a passion for poetry was recognized be divided into three broad cate- He supported his people at critical only seven years after the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius’ much trumpeted triumph in Syria and Upper Mesopotamia over the Sassanid Empire in the 26-year long final and prominent Iranian poet. at an early age. While still in high gories of religious, panegyric, and times such as the 1980-1988 Iran- most bloody round of the Roman-Persian Wars that were being fought intermittently Iranians honor his memory on school in Tabriz, his first poems love poems, although the lines be- Iraq war when he reinforced the for the past 720 years since 92 BC. Heraclius’ loss of Syria to the Muslims, who this date every year, which has appeared at the school’s journal. tween the three are blurred. morale of Iranian soldiers through subsequently overran the Iranian capital, Ctesiphon (near Baghdad in Iraq, meant been named as the ‘National Day Initially, he published his poems Azeri origin poet wrote poems his poems. the curtain had come down on four centuries of Byzantine-Sassanid rivalry for regional supremacy, as new players took charge of the battlegrounds of Syria and Mesopotamia that would now see some of the most crucial battles in Islamic history. 1381 lunar years ago, on this day in 61 AH, some 20 days after the heartrending Iran’s Acclaimed Film Participates at U.S. Festival tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), the captive children TEHRAN (IFILM) -- ‘Echo’, Festival in Italy, the 18th Hiro- and womenfolk of the Blessed Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), along a short film made by Iranian shima Int’l Animation Festival in with the heads of martyrs, mounted on spear-points, were brought to Damascus in filmmaker Barzan Rostami, has Japan, the 7th Star Film Fest in fetters to the court of the Godless Yazid Ibn Mu’awiyah – the self-styled caliph of become a contender at the 2020 the usurper Omayyad regime. The Omayyads decorated the bazaars and streets to Croatia as well as the 6th Global mock at the Prophet’s noble family members. They celebrated the occasion as a day Charlotte Film Festival in the U.S. Impact Film Festival (GIDC) in of festivity. Nonetheless, despite the severe sufferings, the noble captives, including Rostami’s film, with a theme the U.S. Hazrat Ruqayya (SA), the less-than-four-year daughter of Imam Husain (AS), bore on the wildlife and environmen- Late in May 2020, ‘Echo’ went themselves with dignity. Yazid rejoiced, saying he had avenged the blood of his tal abuse by human beings, will on screen at the 4th Southern infidel ancestors, killed in the battles they had imposed on the Prophet at Badr and vie for award at the 12th edition Cone International Film Festi- Ohad. The Imam’s sister, Hazrat Zainab (SA) and the Imam’s son and successor, of the Charlotte film event, to be val (FICCSUR) in Mexico, and Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), delivered memorable sermons at Yazid’s court and the Great Mosque, to expose Omayyad blasphemy against the Prophet’s grandson and held on September 23-27. succeeded to grab the Best Ani- Ahl al-Bayt. The conscience of the Syrian people was thus aroused, alarming Yazid September 2020 is a busy mation Short Film award of the and making him release the noble captives. month for ‘Echo’ as it will be event. 1154 solar years ago, on this day in 866 AD, Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI, was also in the running at two more Created in 2006, the Charlotte born. Of doubtful paternity, since his mother was the mistress of Emperor Michael global film events, including Film Festival hosts emerging III and at the same time the wife of the future Emperor Basil the Macedonian, he the 15th Sunnyside Shorts Int’l filmmakers from around the succeeded to the throne on the latter’s death and ruled for 26 years till his own death Film Festival (SSIFF) in the U.S. world to showcase their works in 912. His reign saw the loss of more territory to the Muslims in both Sicily and in Italy (Sep. 20-22). with the 4th Rosarito Film Festi- Asia Minor, as well as islands in the Aegean Sea. The greatest setback for him was (Sep. 26) and the 7th Internation- The long list of the internation- val in the U.S., the 6th Corto e a for industry professionals and in 904, when the Greek Muslim admiral, Rasheeq al-Wardami, sailing from Syria, al Festival of Cinema Povero in al screenings of ‘Echo’ goes on Capto- Premio Mario Puzo Film audience members alike. took control of Thessalonica, the second largest city of the Byzantium Empire. After a week’s stay, during which he seized some 60 ships and forced the Christians to free over 4,000 Muslim prisoners, Rasheeq sailed back to the Levant. Born as a Christian and named Leo by his parents, Rasheeq was an officer in the Byzantine Ecologists Sound Alarm navy, before discovering the truth of Islam and joining the Muslims. Also known as Ghulam Zurafa, three years later in 907, he had sailed up the Dardanelles and besieged Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, much to the horror On Plastic Pollution of Emperor Leo VI. In May 912, just before the humiliated Leo VI died, Rasheeq TORONTO (Dispatch- worldwide annual emis- al-Wardami and his fellow Greek Muslim admiral, Damian of Tarsus, known by es) -- Ecologists studying sions to rivers, lakes and his Muslim name, Ghulam Yazman, decisively defeated the Byzantine admiral, Himerios, off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea, in retaliation for an attack by the prevalence of plastic oceans could be as much Christians on the Muslims of Cyprus. pollution in aquatic eco- as 53 million metric tonnes 664 solar years ago, on this day in 1356 AD, the Battle of Poitiers occurred during the systems around the world by the year 2030,” says “Hundred Years War” in Europe when an English army under the command of Edward the Black Prince defeated a French army and captured the French king, John II. are concerned after mea- Stephanie Borrelle, Smith 283 solar years ago, on this day in 1737 AD, a devastating cyclone in India’s Bay suring the scale of human Postdoctoral Fellow at U of Bengal destroyed some 2,000 ships and other vessels. It was estimated that more response needed to reduce of T and lead author on the than 30,000 people died in the densely populated area called the Sundarbans in what is now Bangladesh and the Indian state of Bengal. future emissions and man- study. 150 solar years ago, on this day in 1870 AD, during the Franco-Prussian War, the age what’s already floating Siege of Paris began, resulting in the surrender of Paris and a decisive Prussian victory on January 28, 1871. around out there. 29 solar years ago, on this day in 1991 AD, the US imposed a military pact on the “Unless growth in plastic Persian Gulf emirate of Kuwait, for stationing troops and equipment on the claim of production and use is halt- preventing a repetition of Iraq’s military aggression and occupation that had ended some six months ago. A year later, the former colonial power, Britain, followed by ed, a fundamental transfor- France also imposed similar pacts on Kuwait, as part of the plot to militarize the mation of the plastic econ- Persian Gulf. In the next few years, the US, along with Britain and France, imposed omy to a framework based similar military pacts on Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, in order to seize billions of petro-dollars by supplying obsolete military hardware on recycling is essential, which the Arab states cannot use. These pacts have led to a rise in the unwanted where end-of-life plastic military presence of foreign powers and fueled insecurity in the Persian Gulf. products are valued rath- 26 solar years ago, on this day in 1994 AD, 20,000 US troops invaded and occupied Haiti in the Caribbean Sea on the pretext of reinstatement of President Jean Bertrand er than becoming waste,” Aristide, three years after the coup staged by General Raoul Cedras to seize power. says Chelsea Rochman, Aristide, who had sought refuge in the US, was reinstated in October 1994. The real intention of the US was control of Haiti, and a decade later, Washington, by openly assistant professor in the supporting rioters, kidnapped Aristide from the presidential palace and replaced him Department of Ecology & with another president. The recurring aggressions of the US on Haiti are a clear Evolutionary Biology at example of violation of international rules and regulations and military interference in the affairs of other countries. the University of Toronto 18 solar years ago, on this day in 2002 AD, the prominent jurisprudent, Ayatollah (U of T), and senior author Seyyed Mohammad Ali Movahhed Abtahi, passed away at the age of 72. Born in of a study published in Sci- Isfahan, at the tender age of 15 years he enrolled at the Qom seminary and studied under prominent ulema, such as Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Boroujerdi, ence outlining the acceler- Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani and the famous exegete of ating pace with which plas- the holy Qur’an, Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabaie. At the age of 24 tic emissions enter Earth’s he left for the holy Najaf seminary in Iraq, where he spent twenty years, studying under the famous Grand Ayatollahs Seyyed Mohsin al-Hakim, and Seyyed Abu’l- waterways annually. Qasim Khoei, and reaching the status of Ijtihad. On his return to Iran he engaged “Even if governments himself in teaching, research and writing of books at the Qom seminary. He wrote around the world meet over a hundred books and treatises on a wide variety of Islamic sciences, including the 5-volume “Tahdhib al-Maqal fi Sharh Rejal”, the 10-volume “Akhbar ar- their ambitious global Ruwwaat”, the 4-volume “Osoul-e Fiqh”, and the 2-volume “al-Me’raj” on commitments, and other Prophet Mohammad’s (SAWA) Ascension to the highest point in the heaven and back to Planet Earth in a fraction of the night. countries join those efforts Maranjab desert is located in the north of Aran-o Bidgol city in Isfahan province, central Iran. to curb plastic pollution, Courtesy of the Young Journalists’ Club.