Art & Culture April 17, 2021 3 This Day in History Polish Festival Hosts ’s (April 17)

Today is Saturday; 28th of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1400 solar hijri; corresponding to 4th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1442 lunar hijri; and Documentary April 17, 2021, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar. 1389 lunar years ago, in 53 AH, the bloodthirsty Omayyad governor of Iraq four siblings, who are all over 70 and Fars, Ziyad Ibn Abihi (or son of unknown father), died in Kufa at the age 53. Born in Ta’ef to a slave-girl named Sumayya, used by her Arab master and never married. as a prostitute to augment his earnings, Ziyad, known as a person of doubtful They are all isolated and live paternity, became a Muslim – though in name only. His craftiness and brutal nature in handling the affairs of Fars (Iran), made Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, together as the villagers have the usurper of the , to declare him half-brother on testimony of the shunted them for they believe wine-seller of Ta’ef Abu Maryam Sululi that Ziyad was the result of cohabita- tion of Abu Sufyan with Sumayya. As an enemy of the Household of Prophet the four of them are ominous and Mohammad (SAWA), Ziyad terrorized the followers of Imam (AS), and bring bad luck for the residents martyred some prominent figures. On his death he was succeeded as governor of the village. by his equally bloodthirsty son, Obaidullah (also born out of wedlock), who earned lasting damnation for perpetrating the tragedy of Karbala and martyr- The documentary was previ- dom of Imam Husain (AS). ously nominated for the best 1277 solar years ago, on this day in 744 AD, Waleed II, the 11th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime, was killed after a reign of a year and two- short documentary award at the and-a-half months, because of his immoral habits. On assuming power he had 18th Big Sky Documentary Film ordered his forces in Khorasan to harass Yahya Ibn Zayd, the grandson of Imam Festival in the U.S. Zain al-Abedin (AS) – the 4th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Yahya was martyred in a battle in Jowzajan, which is presently in Afghanistan, It also grabbed the best docu- and his severed head was sent to Damascus, where it is believed to be buried mentary and editing awards at the in the Omayyad Mosque in the spot which is mistakenly known today as the tomb of Prophet Yayha (John the Baptist). He built in his palace a fountain of 37th Tehran Short Film Festival. wine in which he used to take dips. On one occasion he threw the holy Qur’an The Kraków Film Festival is and riddled it with a volley of arrows. Once, in the state of intoxication and in one of Europe’s oldest events the act of cohabiting with a drunken concubine, when he heard the call for the Fajr Prayer, he promptly asked the ritually unclean woman to put on his clothes, dedicated to documentary, an- enter the mosque, and lead the Morning Prayer. In a famous hadith, Prophet imation, and other short film Mohammad (SAWA) had foretold about this ungodly Omayyad ruler by name, A still from Iranian documentary ‘Khoniyar’s Children’ and called him the Pharaoh of the ummah. Eventually Waleed II was besieged forms. in al-Aghdaf in what is now Jordan and killed by his own forces. TEHRAN (IFILM) -- Iranian Kraków Film Festival in Poland. mentary will represent Iran at the The 61st edition of the event is 866 lunar years ago, on this day in 576 AH, the Baghdadi grammarian, poet, The film directed by Arman and author, Mohammad Ibn Mohammad Ibn Muwaheb, famous as Ibn Kho- documentary ‘Khoniyar’s Chil- 2021 edition of the festival. scheduled for May 30 – June 6, rasani, because of his origin in northeastern Iran, passed away at the age of 82. dren’ has made its way to the Qolipour-Dashtaki, the docu- The doc narrates the story of 2021. Among his works, mention could be made of a voluminous diwan of poetry. 834 lunar years ago, on this day in 608 AH, poet and scholar Abu’l-Qasim Hibatollah bin Ja’far, known as Qazi as-Sa’eed Ibn Sana ul-Mulk, famous for Virtual International Quran Exhibition Due in May the treatise “Dar at-Tiraaz” which he devoted to the genre of “muwas̲h̲s̲h̲ah” poetry, passed away in Cairo at the age of 63. His poetical compositions include TEHRAN ( IBNA)-- The interpretations of the Holy an account of the Epic of Ashura (Moharram 10) and the tragic martyrdom of virtual edition of the Interna- Quran. Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). tional Holy Quran Exhibition, Dozens of publishers from 672 solar years ago, on this day in 1349 AD, with the murder of Fakhr od- Dowla Hassan II, the Bavand dynasty of Mazandaran came to its end, and Kiya which is organized every‎ year other countries are also sched- Afrasiyab, who had defeated the Bavandid army, crowned himself the first ruler during the holy month of Ra- uled to showcase their latest of the new Afrasiyabi dynasty – which ended 155 years later in 1504 with the annexation of Mazandaran by Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Empire. madan, known as the spring offerings on the Holy Qu- 624 solar years ago, on this day in 1397 AD, Geoffrey Chaucer of England of the Holy Quran, ‎will start ran. A 20 percent discount is recited for the first time his magnum opus“The Canterbury Tales” at the court on May 1 and will run for ten of King Richard II, in the colloquial language of the ordinary English masses, planned to be offered by the rather than the church language Latin or the court language French, thus paving days.‎ publishers on their products. the way for emergence of English as the official language of the people of Copies of the Holy Quran The previous edition of the England. 231 solar years ago, on this day in 1790 AD, US politician, inventor, diplomat, published by various Iranian exhibit was canceled due to and printer, Benjamin Franklin, died at the age of 84. and international publishers the outbreak of the coronavi- 141 solar years ago, on this day in 1880 AD, British archeologist of Mesopotamia, Charles Leonard Woolley, was born. His widely read book titled “Ur of the as well as books on the Iran- rus and this edition was forced Chaldees” is a record of seven years of excavation, described his findings in a Iraq war (1980-1988), known will be on view at the exhibit. will also dedicate sections to to be held online to help con- manner both informative to specialists and accessible by lay-persons. in Iran as the Sacred Defense, tain the spread of the virus. 126 solar years ago, on this day in 1895 AD, Japan forced upon China the The annually-held exhibit display top translations and Treaty of Shimonoseki, marking the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and compelling the defeated Qing Empire to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan. Japan’s arrogantly imperialist attitude towards Hundreds of Films Participate China and Korea led to destructive wars and massive killing of people. 117 lunar years ago, on this day in 1325 AH, the prominent scholar Ayatollah at Fajr Int’l Festival Sheikh Hassan Ali Tehrani passed away and was laid to rest in the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad. TEHRAN (IFILM) -- More ema. 106 solar years ago, on this day in 1915 AD, chemical gases were used for the than 300 Iranian films have first time in a war. In this inhuman measure, which took place during World War The 39th edition of the na- I, German forces attacked British and French forces with chemical gas, killing been submitted to the 38th tional version of the festival a large number of them. Fajr International Film Festi- was held on January 31-Feb- 75 solar years ago, on this day in 1946 AD, the last French troops left Syria following formal recognition of its independence earlier in the year. val (FIFF) in Tehran. ruary 10. 60 solar years ago, on this day in 1961 AD, following failure of their The Secretariat of the fes- diversionary landing near Baracoa, Oriente Province, over 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban anti-revolutionaries, launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of tival reported on Wednesday Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Cuban that 82 feature films, 40 fea- forces killed 200 rebels and captured 1,197 in less than 72 hours. 46 solar years ago, on this day in 1975 AD, the US-backed Lon Nol regime of ture-length documentaries, Cambodia surrendered to the Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodia). Pol Pot, leader of and 190 fiction short films the Khmer Rouge, occupied the capital Phnom Penh ending Cambodia’s five- year war. He renamed the country “Democratic Kampuchea”, thus beginning and short-length documen- his brutal rule that resulted in the death of some three million people or taries were submitted to the approximately 25 percent of the Cambodian population, through executions, forced labour, malnutrition and poor medical care. FIFF. 29 lunar years ago, on this day in 1413 AH, Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amoli, According to the report, passed away at the age of 91. His students include Mostafa Mohaqeq Damad, Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani, Ayatollah Mohammad Mofatteh, and only 251 films had applied Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi. Ayatollah Amoli was the father of Dr. Ali Larijani, for the festival by the initial the former Speaker of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) and of Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, the former Judiciary Head. deadline and that number 17 solar years ago, on this day in 2004 AD, Palestinian activist and Leader of the reached 312 after the dead- Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Rantisi, was martyred when the car carrying him was targeted with missiles by Zionist choppers. line was extended until April Born in Palestine in 1947, he graduated in medicine from Egypt’s Alexandria 6. University in 1967, and joined the struggle against the usurper state of Israel. He was imprisoned, tortured and exiled to “no man’s land” on the frontier of This year, the Fajr Interna- Occupied Palestine with southern Lebanon, where the contact of Rantisi and tional Film Festival will open his group with members of the legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah, positively changed their outlook, and infused new spirit into Hamas. in Tehran on May 26 and run 14 lunar years ago, on this day in 1328 AH, the famous researcher, author and until June 2. religious scholar, Allamah Seyyed Morteza Sharif Askari, passed away at the age 96 in Tehran and was laid to rest in Qom in the holy mausoleum of Hazrat The 2020 edition of the Fatema Masouma (SA). He wrote several books, shedding light on the facts of FIFF was cancelled due to Islamic history and refuting the baseless accusations against Shi’a Muslims. Some of his works are: “Abdullah ibn Saba and Other Historical Legends”, the coronavirus pandemic. and “150 So-Called Companions”. The latter work is a thorough research of Since its establishment in primary Islamic books of hadith and history to expose as fictitious some 150 persons who never existed but were unfortunately regarded as companions of 1982, the Fajr Film Festival Tehran’s leafy Vali-e Asr Street, famed as the longest in West Asia, runs for over 17 kilometers from the the Prophet and spurious accounts of the Prophet’s life narrated from them, in has played a vital role in the railway station in the south of the metropolis to Tajrish square in the north. It is lined with many shops, order to mislead Muslims and keep them ignorant of the divinely-decreed rights restaurants, parks, cinemas, and cultural centers. of the Ahl al-Bayt. development of Iranian Cin- Courtesy of IFILM