Syeda Sana Batool in this article pays a rich tribute to the murdered Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
“Bad guy" for the west and hero for a large number of middle-eastern Shiites, people who don’t know this man in white beard and humble-looking face are confused whether to mourn his demise or cheer it.
On Friday morning, the news of General Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in US-led airstrikes in Baghdad hit the internet, breaking millions of hearts. The news was immediately followed by the grief-stricken followers storming twitter and other social media with rage-filled tweets and posts, paying tribute to this martyred commander who they considered as the “Malik Al Ashtar” of times – The Commander of the Army of Imam Ali.
In this critical time, two things were noticed: one, the shutting of social media accounts which shared posts or had pictures of Qassem Soleimani (including mine) and the other one was the silence of fellow Pakistanis. The latter can never be forgotten.
The Soleimani You Don't Know About
General Qassem Soleimani, was the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander (IRGC). Since 1998, he was heading the Elite Quds Force of Iran.
Highly respected in the middle-east region and beyond, Soleimani was a figure larger than life for many. The Shiite in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq called him “The living martyr” – a title given to him by Ayatullah Khamenei. In his reign, which lasted for two decades, he escaped a number of assassination attempts. For people in Iraq, he was the man who led counter-terrorism campaigns that defeated ISIS and Al-Qaeda and liberated their country from the Jihadist takeover. For Iranians, he is the Superman – who prevented the ISIS black flags from fluttering on the streets of Iran.
I came to know about him in 2011. Qassem Soleimani, a charismatic personality, whose loss felt like a loss of someone very close to heart.
There are videos on the internet where he can be seen embracing the children of martyrs, receiving flowers from toddlers in the mosques while praying, smiling while hugging his parents, joking and teasing around with his friends and learning Iraqi slang from an Iraqi soldier, crying at the holy shrines while paying visit to the Imam. This shows how lighthearted and joyous a person the General was and that is only how I would always remember this man, and not as a terrorist.
For me he is not the "Che Guvera" as many are labeling him. I would rather call him Malik Al Ashtar, a loyal servant of Imam Ali as he remained loyal to his soil and his leader. He was the one whose eloquence was unmatched, whose integrity and bravery were unsurpassed and whose persona was exemplary. He was one of the very few soldiers in the middle-east who was able to send chills down the spines of the ISIS warriors. Not only in his life, which was the true manifestation of humbleness and simplicity, but Soleimani was also humble in his death.
For his burial, he didn’t choose any grandeur, or asked to be buried in any grand mosque or in the shrine near his Imam. All he asked for is a small place in his hometown Kerman, and his gravestone engraved with no illustrious titles but just
For Shiites in different parts of the world, it was Soleimani who barred ISIS from entering the shrines in Karbala, Najaf, and Syria. It naturally made him a divine figure fighting against the authoritarian and violent forces in the world.
The Persona Of Soleimani:
Dexter Filkins writes in “The shadow of a commander”:
“He is so short, but he has this presence,” a former senior Iraqi official told me.
According to a survey published by IranPoll and the University of Maryland in 2018, Solemani had a popularity rating of 83%, more than the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Soleimani For ISIS:
Haj Qassem was largely recognized as the “Lion of Middle-East” among Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese Shiites mainly for his role in protecting the Shiite shrines in Iraq and Syria that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi had vowed to demolish to dust.
In 2014 while talking to Iranian News Agency he said “This is the vow of Qassem Soleimani, operations are still ongoing until each and every Daesh militant is ‘hunted down’”.
He called out Israel on many occasions and proclaimed that ISIS is a fitnah “dipped in the poison of Zionism” several times.
In 2017 General Soleimani declared the end of the dominance of the malignant Daesh entity and congratulated Ayatollah Khamenei – Iran’s Supreme Leader and the world of Islam on the great victory against ISIS. In his letter, he clearly indicated the intentions of the US in Iraq regarding the patronizing and funding of ISIS.
He writes,
“According to the most senior US official, who is now the president of this country, all of these crimes were plotted and carried out by the leaders and organizations tied to the US and this approach is still being pursued and implemented by the current US officials”.
Escalations & Revenge
The deliberate attempt of murdering General Soleimani on US President's direct instructions, as reported by the Pentagon, will change the entire dynamics of the Middle-East and might lead to severe retaliation from Iran.
Ayatollah Khamenei in his speech following the killing of Soleimani says ‘vigorous revenge is waiting for the criminals’; whereas President Abadi of Iraq mourns the death of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, the deputy commander of Al Hashd Brigade. Iraq on Sunday voted to expel American troops from their soil.
Syria, on one hand, responded harshly by calling it “treacherous criminal American aggression”. Lebanon’s Pro-Hezbollah Newspaper Al-Akhbar declared, “It is war”.
Thousands in Iraq and Iran came out of their houses and paid tribute to General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis on Saturday. In the streets of Iran, people are out chanting slogans against the US and Israel and are clearly asking for the revenge for the killing of Haj Qassem Soleimani, their national hero.
Syed Zafar Mehdi, a journalist from Tehran said that ‘the blood of Haj Qassem has to be avenged. The tears of the Leader (Ayatollah Khamenei) are precious. Those who brought tears to his eyes have to pay its heavy cost. That is the war-cry loud and clear’.
“Bad guy" for the west and hero for a large number of middle-eastern Shiites, people who don’t know this man in white beard and humble-looking face are confused whether to mourn his demise or cheer it.
On Friday morning, the news of General Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in US-led airstrikes in Baghdad hit the internet, breaking millions of hearts. The news was immediately followed by the grief-stricken followers storming twitter and other social media with rage-filled tweets and posts, paying tribute to this martyred commander who they considered as the “Malik Al Ashtar” of times – The Commander of the Army of Imam Ali.
In this critical time, two things were noticed: one, the shutting of social media accounts which shared posts or had pictures of Qassem Soleimani (including mine) and the other one was the silence of fellow Pakistanis. The latter can never be forgotten.
The Soleimani You Don't Know About
General Qassem Soleimani, was the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander (IRGC). Since 1998, he was heading the Elite Quds Force of Iran.
Highly respected in the middle-east region and beyond, Soleimani was a figure larger than life for many. The Shiite in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq called him “The living martyr” – a title given to him by Ayatullah Khamenei. In his reign, which lasted for two decades, he escaped a number of assassination attempts. For people in Iraq, he was the man who led counter-terrorism campaigns that defeated ISIS and Al-Qaeda and liberated their country from the Jihadist takeover. For Iranians, he is the Superman – who prevented the ISIS black flags from fluttering on the streets of Iran.
I came to know about him in 2011. Qassem Soleimani, a charismatic personality, whose loss felt like a loss of someone very close to heart.
There are videos on the internet where he can be seen embracing the children of martyrs, receiving flowers from toddlers in the mosques while praying, smiling while hugging his parents, joking and teasing around with his friends and learning Iraqi slang from an Iraqi soldier, crying at the holy shrines while paying visit to the Imam. This shows how lighthearted and joyous a person the General was and that is only how I would always remember this man, and not as a terrorist.
For me he is not the "Che Guvera" as many are labeling him. I would rather call him Malik Al Ashtar, a loyal servant of Imam Ali as he remained loyal to his soil and his leader. He was the one whose eloquence was unmatched, whose integrity and bravery were unsurpassed and whose persona was exemplary. He was one of the very few soldiers in the middle-east who was able to send chills down the spines of the ISIS warriors. Not only in his life, which was the true manifestation of humbleness and simplicity, but Soleimani was also humble in his death.
For his burial, he didn’t choose any grandeur, or asked to be buried in any grand mosque or in the shrine near his Imam. All he asked for is a small place in his hometown Kerman, and his gravestone engraved with no illustrious titles but just
"Qassem Solmeimani, a Soldier"
For Shiites in different parts of the world, it was Soleimani who barred ISIS from entering the shrines in Karbala, Najaf, and Syria. It naturally made him a divine figure fighting against the authoritarian and violent forces in the world.
The Persona Of Soleimani:
Dexter Filkins writes in “The shadow of a commander”:
“He is so short, but he has this presence,” a former senior Iraqi official told me.
“There will be ten people in a room, and when Soleimani walks in he doesn’t come and sit with you. He sits over there on the other side of the room, by himself, in a very quiet way. Doesn’t speak, doesn’t comment, just sits and listens. And so, of course, everyone is thinking only about him.”
According to a survey published by IranPoll and the University of Maryland in 2018, Solemani had a popularity rating of 83%, more than the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Soleimani For ISIS:
Haj Qassem was largely recognized as the “Lion of Middle-East” among Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese Shiites mainly for his role in protecting the Shiite shrines in Iraq and Syria that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi had vowed to demolish to dust.
In 2014 while talking to Iranian News Agency he said “This is the vow of Qassem Soleimani, operations are still ongoing until each and every Daesh militant is ‘hunted down’”.
He called out Israel on many occasions and proclaimed that ISIS is a fitnah “dipped in the poison of Zionism” several times.
In 2017 General Soleimani declared the end of the dominance of the malignant Daesh entity and congratulated Ayatollah Khamenei – Iran’s Supreme Leader and the world of Islam on the great victory against ISIS. In his letter, he clearly indicated the intentions of the US in Iraq regarding the patronizing and funding of ISIS.
He writes,
“According to the most senior US official, who is now the president of this country, all of these crimes were plotted and carried out by the leaders and organizations tied to the US and this approach is still being pursued and implemented by the current US officials”.
Escalations & Revenge
The deliberate attempt of murdering General Soleimani on US President's direct instructions, as reported by the Pentagon, will change the entire dynamics of the Middle-East and might lead to severe retaliation from Iran.
Ayatollah Khamenei in his speech following the killing of Soleimani says ‘vigorous revenge is waiting for the criminals’; whereas President Abadi of Iraq mourns the death of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, the deputy commander of Al Hashd Brigade. Iraq on Sunday voted to expel American troops from their soil.
Syria, on one hand, responded harshly by calling it “treacherous criminal American aggression”. Lebanon’s Pro-Hezbollah Newspaper Al-Akhbar declared, “It is war”.
Thousands in Iraq and Iran came out of their houses and paid tribute to General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis on Saturday. In the streets of Iran, people are out chanting slogans against the US and Israel and are clearly asking for the revenge for the killing of Haj Qassem Soleimani, their national hero.
Syed Zafar Mehdi, a journalist from Tehran said that ‘the blood of Haj Qassem has to be avenged. The tears of the Leader (Ayatollah Khamenei) are precious. Those who brought tears to his eyes have to pay its heavy cost. That is the war-cry loud and clear’.