The book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish unveiled with the presence of Ayatollah RamazaniAhlulBayt News Agency – ABNA

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish was unveiled in the presence of Ayatollah Ramazani, Secretary General of the World Assembly of AhlulBayt (as).

The unveiling ceremony of the book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish was held in Qom on Thursday morning September 23, 2021, in the presence of Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary General of the World Assembly of AhlulBayt (as).

At the ceremony, calling Arbaeen an international movement, Hojat al-Islam Naji, director of the Nasim Rahmat Institute, said: “Arbaeen’s global movement has reached the Latin American region. When Imam Mahdi (as) reappears, he will introduce himself as Imam Hussain (as). Therefore, we have to use the keyword “Imam Hussain (pbuh)” to introduce the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (pbuh), and Arbaeen is the most important ritual that can introduce Imam Hussain (pbuh).

“Although the book ‘Arbaeen Photo Album’ in Spanish is unveiled in Iran, the main unveiling ceremony will take place on Arbaeen Day (Monday September 27, 2021) in Colombia. The book has been published in Mexico and Colombia. The book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish will be available in various Latin American countries until “Arbaeen” next year, “he continued.

“There is an annual march in the Lufan region, Argentina. In this area, a priest was killed for justice to be done. Therefore, people come to Lufan region every year to honor him. We need to link the local walks to the Arbaeen World Walk. Imam Hussain (as) was a figure who was martyred to preserve human dignity, ”said Institute director Nasim Rahmat.

After the ceremony, referring to the importance of photographing Arbaeen’s ceremony, Ebrahim Soleimani, head of the Qom Photographers Association, said: “All over the world, those who see photos of Arbaeen may have a good idea of ​​this event “.

“The art of photography was born in the 18th century, and today the most powerful media owe it to the art of photography. Wherever words fail, the image comes to the fore. The photo reaches perfection when the public sees it, ”he continued.

“The Arbaeen march is similar to the Hajj ceremony in terms of the presence of millions of people. Thinkers from different countries participated in and observed the Arbaeen Walk pilgrimage. They consider the Arbaeen ceremony to be the biggest event in the world, ”added the head of the Qom Photographers Association.

“Those who wrote the book ‘Arbaeen Photo Album’ in Spanish tried to inform the Spanish speaking public of an event attended by tens of millions of people. This work is more valuable than many virtual activities of institutions in Qom and Iran. Today, the peoples of the world need spirituality, ”Soleimani said, deeming it necessary to carry Arbaeen’s message to the world.

“About half of the photographers whose works appear in this book are from Qom. Qom has a lot of ability in this area, ”he said.

At the ceremony, Ahmad Zahrabi, who compiled the book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish, said: “About three years ago it was suggested to collect photos of Arbaeen Walk for exhibitions in the countries. Spanish speakers. 6000 photos were collected and finally 110 photos were selected. But due to Qovid-19, a permanent virtual exhibition of these images has been prepared on the Internet. ”

“The 700 million Spanish speakers in 20 countries are a major issue for photographers. In the book “Arbaeen Photo Album” in Spanish, photos of 21 photographers are included. We hope that these images related to Arbaeen are a spread for Imam Hussain (as) ”, he continued.

After the ceremony, referring to the importance of picture books, Hojat al-Islam Alireza Sobhani Nasab, head of the Association of Publishers for Children and Adolescents of Qom Province, said: “The Arbaeen photo album in Spanish is one of the books that are spontaneously international. Even though there is no translation and there is no caption for the photo, the photo itself is an international language for conveying meaning.

“Most of the transfer of meaning takes place through images. Picture books allow the audience to create meaning and reflection so that he or she can create a story for the picture in the mind, ”he continued.

“There are difficulties in publishing books internationally. Therefore, the activities in this environment must be of high quality and such activities are expensive, ”added the head of the Association of Publishers for Children and Adolescents of Qom Province.

“The international edition needs synergy, and all concerned should participate,” he said.

Referring to the importance of books, Mehdi Tavakolian, Director General of Public Relations and International Affairs of the Public Libraries Foundation, said: “Books are not one-dimensional cultural products. On the contrary, audio books and picture books have an influence on communication with the public.

“All those who propagate Shiite teachings through art recite lamentations in the form of illustrations. Today, Arbaeen is considered a global ritual, ”he continued.

“The moral and behavioral examples observed in Arbaeen are of interest to all religions and all human beings. This includes respecting children and the elderly and sacrificing property to serve pilgrims, ”added the Director General of Public Relations and International Affairs of the Public Libraries Foundation.

“The enemy uses various techniques to spread Islamophobia, Shiite and Iranophobia. We must take advantage of the same techniques to counter these actions of the enemy, ”he said.

In another part of the ceremony, referring to his presence at the Arbaeen Walk ceremony, Pedro J. Saavedra, the famous Spanish photographer, said: “For me, Arbaeen has been a great experience which has an influence in terms of of spirit and human communication. Arbaeen must be presented to the whole world. He has good subjects for photographers.

“I wasn’t afraid to go to Iraq (despite Western media propaganda). Because I was comfortable in this country and everyone helped me take better photos, ”he continued.

“I participated in the Arbaeen Walk pilgrimage through the road ‘Tariq al-Ulama’ (or ‘Tariq al-Euphrates’, is the name of the ancient pilgrimage route from Koufa to Karbala, which crosses the Euphrates and the grove.) Because it was a traditional route. Along the way, I saw a man who always saves his income during the year to serve the pilgrims on the Arbaeen Walk, ”noted Saavedra.

Referring to the importance of art, Soheil Asad, head of Arbaeen’s headquarters in Latin America, said at the ceremony: “Art must be used as a sacred tool to carry the message of Islam . Benefiting from art is a great opportunity for us. Because in the past it was not easy to talk about the tools of art in the transmission of Islamic knowledge, and if someone had spoken on this issue, it would not have been acceptable.

“We have seen big changes over the years and now is the age of media. The philosophy of Arbaeen’s first pilgrimage was to convey the message of Imam Hussein (as). Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of the revolution, considers Imam Sajjad (as) and Hazrat Zainab (as) as media figures of the Imam Hussain (as) movement. In Arbaeen, we must convey the message of Imam Hussein (pbuh), ”he continued.

“The Ashura event came to us originally through artists. The artists conveyed the Ashura message to others in the form of reciting Noha (eulogies) and other arts, ”he added.

“Art has such a high status that God also used art in his revelations in the Quran. There are 1800 verses in the Quran in the form of stories. One of the important tools for imparting Islamic knowledge is the tool of art, ”said Asad, considering that art has a high status.

“Using the art of photography, Arbaeen’s message can be transmitted to other nations. The photo reflects reality. He shouldn’t be just posting a Spanish photo book on Arbaeen, and that book should be the start of a long journey. When covering the Arbaeen pilgrimage, photographers should pay attention to the divine and worthy aspects of Arbaeen, ”he said.

Stating that Arbaeen has multiple dimensions, Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary General of the World Assembly of AhlulBayt (as), as the final speaker at the ceremony, said: “Arbaeen has media, cultural and social dimensions . Arbaeen should not be viewed from just one dimension. Arbaeen can be viewed from different angles. So far, photographers have exhibited some of Arbaeen’s facts through their works, and some of Arbaeen’s photographs have become extremely durable.

“Arbaeen is a global movement and artist photographers are capturing a part of Arbaeen,” he said, referring to Arbaeen’s characteristics.

“Arbaeen is a divine phenomenon whose main management is in the hands of God and no one can claim to manage Arbaeen. Everyone who visits Arbaeen is in awe of his spirituality. God took over the management of Arbaeen with his saints ”, underlined the secretary general of the World Assembly of AhlulBayt (as).

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