On the second anniversary of the martyrdom of General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi Al-Mohandes, a conference entitled “Martyr General Soleimani, the Unknown Hero in Afghanistan”, with a look at the record of Martyr Soleimani in the events of the last three decades in Afghanistan, was held on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, in Kabul, attended by scholars, clerics, students and various segments of the people, including men and women.
In this ceremony, referring to some of the characteristics of General Qasem Soleimani, Hojat al-Islam Sayeed Issa Hosseini Mazari, Afghan member of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, and head of the Tebyan Center for Social-Cultural Activities, and the Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) said, “Martyr Soleimani did a lot of services for Afghanistan, so that it can be said that he was really a hero of the struggle in Afghanistan.”
According to Hosseini Mazari, “Martyr Soleimani is a martyr who not only we believe is an unknown hero for Afghanistan, but other nations also believe that this martyr belongs to them. Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Hamas resistance group, said in his speech that this martyr is the martyr of Quds; the Iraqis say that this martyr is a martyr of Iraq; the Syrians say that this martyr is a martyr of Syria. Thus, each of the Muslim nations has always expressed its feelings towards this martyr with such literature.”
“Not only Muslim nations, but also non-Muslim nations respect this martyr. Therefore, this martyr is not only a hero martyr for Iran and Afghanistan, but also for all Muslim nations, and even a hero figure for the whole world of humanity and freedom seekers of the world,” Hosseini Mazari continued.
Answering the question he raised as “How did this martyr come to be known as a hero and then take root in the hearts of all nations, Muslim and non-Muslim, and become known as a popular figure?” he said, “There is a lot of talk about this issue. But what made this martyr a true hero was that he was a Muslim and a follower of the Velayat in true sense of the word. He was truly obedient to the Leader. This, is a central characteristic that manifested in General Soleimani, and made him popular in the heart of all Muslim nations and freedom-loving of the world.”
Other chracteristics
“There are other characteristics that this martyr is known for. Anyone who is a true Muslim and truly follow the Velayat will be as distinct as Martyr Soleimani, and like him, he will be influential throughout his lifetime, and he will become universal after his martyrdom,” he said.
“One of the characteristics of Martyr Soleimani inside Iran was that he was a non-partisan. This does not mean that Martyr Soleimani did not act in an organized manner, rather, he was moving in the most organized way, and not only did he act organizationally, but he was a model for all organizational movements. But to say that he acted as a non-partisan means that he was associated with all parties, and encompassed all parties and organizations, and had a balanced view of all. Not only the parties, but all the people of Iran were loved and cared for by this martyr. This is the characteristic that every Muslim should have. Every fighter must have such an attitude towards his groups and people in the conditions of struggle and work,” Hosseini Mazari continued.
“While being a religious person and a follower of the Velayat, Martyr Soleimani acted beyond a particular religion, creed or geography. his focus was generally on the oppressed, as he always paid attention to the Iraqi Yazidis. Also, in every Islamic country where religious minorities were oppressed, General Soleimani was one of the defenders of the rights of the oppressed,” Mazari, added.
Martyr Soleimani stood against the United States
Following the ceremony, Hojat al-Islam Sayed Hossein Alemi Balkhi, President of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) Lovers Assembly said, “Freedom fighters are divided into two groups: First, those who believe in God and fight in the way of God, such as the martyr Sardar Qasem Soleimani, who never fails; Second, those who do not believe in God and whose struggle is for things other than God. These groups are always doomed to failure.”
The martyr General Qasem Soleimani strived only for God and never included material interests and ethnic-religious tendencies in his goal,” he continued.
“The United States is a power that currently has more than 800 military bases in 150 countries, and it is politically difficult to fight, and because of the authority of this global giant, the United Nations cannot do anything without the permission of the United States. However, General Soleimani, recognizing an enemy like the United States, confronted, and fought against it, and did what he wanted to do, and slowed down the growing expansion of the United States in the region,” added Alemi Balkhi.
“The United States’ seemingly withdrew from Afghanistan. But we should not think that this world power has failed, but they are still present and seeking to weaken Islam and Muslims. Therefore, the people of Afghanistan must resolutely unite against the countries that have invaded and harmed Afghanistan for 20 years, including the United States, in order to prevent the fate and history of the Afghan people from being decided by foreigners,” he said, referring to new US plots in the region.
“The will of the Council of Shiite Ulema of Afghanistan is the will of the people. But so far, the Taliban have not responded to these demands,” Alami Balkhi said, reiterating the position of the Council of Shiite Ulama of Afghanistan.
General of Islam
Following the conference, Hojat al-Islam Sayed Mohammad Hossein Sharifi Balkhabi, the former representative of the people of Sarpol in the House of Representatives, said, “Martyr Qassem Soleimani, from the point of view of his activities, not only belonged to Iran, but was one of the leaders of Islam all over the world.”
“General Soleimani did not belong to a specific nation and geography but belonged to the whole Islamic world. Following the example of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and other martyrs of Karbala, he stood up and fought against the enemy until he was martyred,” he stated.
“The path of the martyrs who fight with religious and universal motives, and think with a broad view of human values, regardless of ethnicity, race, position and geography, is always alive,” Balkhabi added.
As another speaker of the conference, Hojat al-Islam Yarmohammad Rahmati, head of the central office of the Center for Tebyan Social Cultural Activities said, “Martyr Qasem Soleimani was always present in the scene of jihad and resistance and never bowed down to infidelity and takfir.”
“Nobles like Soleimani always fought in the scene of jihad and resistance against sedition and corruption, and this was a great service to the religion of Islam. He gained great honor,” Rahmati added.
“By their constant struggle, the nobles of the history of Islam have stood against the enemies who want to plunder all the values of the Muslims. They brought a country like America to its knees and throw their awe and hegemony to the dustbin of history,” added the head of the central office of the Tebyan Center for Social and Cultural Activities.
“Whoever God helps; no power can defeat him. Martyr Soleimani always considered God in jihad and struggle. That’s why he achieved success,” Rahmati said.
“Every once in a while in the history, figures like the martyr General Qasem Soleimani appear in Islamic geography and save Muslims from the slavery of foreigners as well as the attacks of takfiri and terrorist groups who have no belief in God,” he added.
It should be mentioned that the conference started with the recitation of the Quran by Sayed Mohammad Ahmadi and continued with the performance of Hojat al-Islam Zia Movahedi. The conference concluded with a prayer by Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Haidar Zaki.