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Iran’s Leader Praises Firefighters’ Sacrifice in Plasco Incident

January 30, 2017

The Leader issued a message on Sunday ahead of the funeral procession, which was held in Tehran early on Monday for the “brave and faithful” firefighters.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the firefighters ventured into the burning building in order to save the lives and property of their fellow countrymen and sacrificed their lives for this purpose.

Ayatollah Khamenei added that the firefighters once again revived the memories of the sacrifices made by Iranian soldiers during the period of the Sacred Defense, which is a reference to the eight-year Iraqi imposed war on Iran in the 1980s, Press TV reported.

Here is the full text of Ayatollah Khamenei’s message released by the Leader’s official website:

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Now, after many bitter nights and days of concern and exploration, it is time to record and revere the memory of the glorious and heart-wrenching sacrifice made by faithful and courageous firefighters of the Iranian nation and (it is time for) everybody to know these men, who must be truly called low-profile and devoted heroes, and keep their lesson in their minds.

These chivalrous men entered the fire and rubble with amazing bravery in order to save the lives and property of their fellow countrymen and risked their (own) lives and sacrificed themselves. They once again revived the memories of sacrifices made in the period of the Sacred Defense (eight-year Iraqi imposed war against Iran in the 1980s) and proved that when it comes to taking risks to fulfill one’s obligation, the faithful Iranian embodies the firm determination and exemplary courage and offers on the path of God the commodity of his life without asking any questions.

The bereaved families and the entire Iranian nation must be proud of this determination and valor that arise from faith, and scholars must take into account this phenomenon in their analyses and assessments of Iran and faithful Iranians.

This incident was sorrowful, on the one hand, while being pride-inspiring, on the other hand. These (firefighters) are martyrs on the path of a difficult service. They fulfilled a risky duty and, God willing, will never be forgotten.

I mourn these loved ones and others, who lost their lives in Plasco incident, sharing the grief with their families and survivors, and ask the Almighty God divine mercy for them (firefighters) and patience and (spiritual) reward for these (their survivors).

I also thank all organs and people, who shouldered a heavy mountain of work and effort, perseverance and concern during these ten bitter days and nights with all their power to save the lives of the firefighters and other people trapped (under the rubble) and pulled off a big task through cooperation and empathy, and (I) pray for them the divine reward.

6 Killed, 8 Wounded in Terrorist Attack on Mosque in Quebec

IFP Editorial Staff

January 30, 2017

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the shooting a “terrorist attack on Muslims,” and offered his condolences.

“While authorities are still investigating and details continue to be confirmed, it is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau called the attack “cowardly” in a tweet earlier in the night, ABC News reported.

Iranian Filmmaker Boycotts Academy Awards after Trump’s Visa Ban

IFP Editorial Staff

January 30, 2017

In a statement, Farhadi said he had planned to attend the Feb. 26 ceremony in Los Angeles and while there bring attention to a decision he called “unjust.” But the executive order signed by President Trump on Friday presented “ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip.”

Trump’s executive order blocked entry into the United States for 90 days for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It also suspended entry of all refugees for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Taraneh Alidousti, the leading actress of Farhadi’s The Salesman, had earlier boycotted the Oscars ceremony, describing the ban introduced by Trump as a “racist” one.

Here is Mr. Farhadi’s statement, published in New York Times:

I regret to announce via this statement that I have decided to not attend the Academy Awards Ceremony alongside my fellow members of the cinematic community.

Over the course of the past few days and despite the unjust circumstances which have risen for the immigrants and travelers of several countries to the United States, my decision had remained the same: to attend this ceremony and to express my opinions about these circumstances in the press surrounding the event. I neither had the intention to not attend nor did I want to boycott the event as a show of objection, for I know that many in the American film industry and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are opposed to the fanaticism and extremism which are today taking place more than ever. Just as I had stated to my distributor in the United States on the day the nominees were announced, that I would be attending this ceremony along with my cinematographer, I continued to believe that I would be present at this great cultural event.

However, it now seems that the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip. I would therefore like to convey via this statement what I would have expressed to the press were I to travel to the United States. Hard-liners, despite their nationalities, political arguments and wars, regard and understand the world in very much the same way. In order to understand the world, they have no choice but to regard it via an “us and them” mentality, which they use to create a fearful image of “them” and inflict fear in the people of their own countries.

This is not just limited to the United States; in my country hardliners are the same. For years on both sides of the ocean, groups of hardliners have tried to present to their people unrealistic and fearful images of various nations and cultures in order to turn their differences into disagreements, their disagreements into enmities and their enmities into fears. Instilling fear in the people is an important tool used to justify extremist and fanatic behavior by narrow-minded individuals.

However, I believe that the similarities among the human beings on this earth and its various lands, and among its cultures and its faiths, far outweigh their differences. I believe that the root cause of many of the hostilities among nations in the world today must be searched for in their reciprocal humiliation carried out in its past and no doubt the current humiliation of other nations are the seeds of tomorrow’s hostilities. To humiliate one nation with the pretext of guarding the security of another is not a new phenomenon in history and has always laid the groundwork for the creation of future divide and enmity. I hereby express my condemnation of the unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots and the citizens of the other six countries trying to legally enter the United States of America and hope that the current situation will not give rise to further divide between nations.

Asghar Farhadi, Iran

IRGC Is a Popular, Knowledge-Based, and Revolutionary Institution: Commander

IFP Editorial Staff

January 29, 2017

Addressing a ceremony in Tehran, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined the IRGC has two striking features: It is both revolutionary and popular.

According to a Farsi report by Mizan, he said the IRGC is facing the threat of bureaucratization, and noted that a prompt needs analysis coupled with a plan to detect and settle issues can help remove such threats.

The top general said, “We really need to take Islamic and religious precepts on board in all affairs.”

“After the [1979 Islamic] Revolution, we didn’t move on the path that we should have. Rather, we went for other sciences with non-revolutionary principles,” said the top commander.

As a case in point, the general noted, the same sciences were taught in Iranian universities after the Revolution that had been taught during the former Pahlavi regime.

Elsewhere in his remarks, General Jafari said the IRGC has based its activities on four principles: Religion, piety, revolutionary understanding and revolutionary action.

The senior commander further highlighted that the IRGC is a science-based institution in all arenas, especially when it comes to humanities and military sciences.

“For instance, the military science falls into different categories, including the classical war science also known as the classical military science,” he noted.

“This is a wide-ranging science and the result of experience gained from different war techniques; this science was used in the Iranian Army before the Islamic Revolution,” the high-ranking commander said.

The general noted that the classical military science was based on non-revolutionary principles, and thus could help the Iranian military only during the first three months of the Iraqi attack on Iran in the 1980s.

He said the very same science was the reason behind the failure of a major operation code-named Howayzeh. In the wake of that failure, then Iranian President Abolhassan Banisadr, who was a traitor and later fled the country, spoke of holding talks with then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hossein, said the general.

It was then when it became clear that the classical military science was a nonstarter, he said.

After that, the general said, Iran used military techniques based on revolutionary principles, which enabled the Iranian military to defend the country against the Iraqi army and emerge victorious.

He concluded by saying that the IRGC is in dire need of think tanks, and added the IRGC should serve as a role model for the people and society.

Americans Flock to Airports in Protest at Trump’s Muslim Ban (+Photos)

IFP Editorial Staff

January 29, 2017

Donald Trump’s executive order to close America’s borders to travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries caused chaos on Saturday and Sunday, as multiple people who had flown to the US were held at major airports while others were barred from boarding flights.

Many Americans flocked to airports to protest at the decision. Here are IRNA’s photos of nationwide protests held across the United States in protest at Trump’s ban on entry of citizens from seven Muslim states to the US:

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