Ceremony held to celebrate Hadhrat Fatema’s birth anniversary, 25th TIBF event

1391/02/21-08:30

A major celebration was staged Tuesday in Tehran to celebrate the auspicious birth anniversary of Hadhrat Fatema (S.A.), the revered daughter of the noblest messenger of Allah, Hadhrat Muhammad (S.A.) as well a 25th edition of Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF).

Next Saturday is the 1399th birth anniversary of Hadhrat Fatema Zahra (S.A) in lunar calendar and the date this year has fallen on the month of May in solar calendar when the landmark annual cultural event is regularly held every year.

The celebration was held on the vast premises of Imam Khomeini Mosalla (grand mosque) north of Tehran, the venue of the major international event, according to Iran Book News Agency (IBNA).

Held under the banner of ‘a quarter of century of cultural Jihad (campaign),’ in reference to the 25th consecutive edition of the internationally acclaimed book fair, the ceremony was joined by a number of senior authorities, namely Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Sayyed Muhammad Husseini, Minister of Justice, Morteza Bakhtiyari, and the TIBF President Bahman Dorri.

Guests and participants stood in respect as the IRI national anthem was played to start the ceremony. They then took their chairs and kept silence as a few verses of the Holy Koran were recited.

Next, Mr. Husseini took the floor and honored the sublime position of Hazrat Fatema (S.A.). He then delivered a short speech on the status of national publishing industry, saying that the IRI was ranking first and tenth in the Middle East and the world respectively in terms of indicators of publication industry. The minister said the accomplishment was largely got through the landmark cultural event.

The minister said Iran’s book-related campaigns were by no means limited to the TIBF fair, adding that besides the Tehran-based event, a range of other book exhibitions were held annually in different provinces across the country.

Citing latest national figures at hand, Mr. Husseini said over 2 million copies of book were sold in the past Iranian year (ending March 20) nationwide through the provincial book fairs.

The minister then mentioned several other book related programs, including an annual Book Week ceremony, 19 editions of which already staged, as well several annual book awards, namely Seasonal Book Award, Jalal Award, Parvin Award, and First Stride Award.

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mr. Husseini went on to say, had been honoring eminent Iranian personalities in culture and literature in special ceremonies with a view to motivate budding Iranian authors and set the stage for the creation of top quality works.

In another regard, the minister marked the next Saturday birth anniversary of Hadhrat Fatema (S.A.), adding that the revered woman has provided a model for Muslim and even non-Muslim women in the course of history so that even after centuries, her lifestyle continues to inspire and motivate women worldwide.

A special pavilion has been dedicated in the 25th TIBF event to Hadhrat Fatema (S.A.) where over 700 titles are on stands broaching the sublime personality and lifestyle of the immaculate individual.