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Art & Culture
This Day in History
(June 14)
Today is Sunday; 24th of the Iranian month of Khordad 1394 solar hijri; corresponding to 26th of the
Islamic month of Sha’ban 1436 lunar hijri; and June 14, 2015, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.
1248 solar years ago, on this day in 767 AD, the Iranian Sunni Muslim Jurisprudent, Noman ibn
Sabet ibn Zuta ibn Marzuban, known as Abu Hanifa, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 68 in
the prison of the 2nd self-styled Abbasid caliph, Mansour Dawaniqi. Born in Kufa in a family of
Zoroastrian origin from Kabul, he learned the holy Qur’an and hadith, and after only two years
of incomplete study under Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the 6th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad
(SAWA), he founded a jurisprudential school of his own, known as Hanafi. In contrary to the clear
definition of Ijtihad, based on the holy Qur’an and the genuine hadith of the Prophet, Abu Hanifa
resorted to “qiyas” or analogy regarding legal issues, despite warnings from Imam Sadeq (AS) that
the first one to indulge in “qiyas” was Iblis the Satan.
681 lunar years ago, on this day in 755 AH, Ibn Fasih, the jurisprudent and poet, passed away in
Damascus. He versified several works of jurisprudents which shows his mastery of Arabic.
279 solar years ago, on this day in 1736 AD, the French physicist, Charles-Augustin de Coulomb,
was born. He wrote mainly on the electric and magnetism fields. In addition to teaching, he
conducted research and drafted laws in Physics which were named after him.
239 solar years ago, on this day in 1775 AD, rebels of the 13 New England colonies set up the
Continental Army to fight the British, marking the birth of the United States Army.
204 solar years ago, on this day in 1811 AD, American author and activist, Harriet Beecher Stowe,
was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in a religious family. She is best known for her novel “Uncle
Tom’s Cabin” depicting the harsh life for black African enslaved in the US. It reached millions as a
novel and play. It energized anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread
anger in the South. She wrote 30 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of
articles and letters. She died in 1896.
195 solar years ago, on this day in 1820 AD, Egyptian troops attacked Sudan and occupied its
northern regions, while the British invaded Sudan from the south. The next year on this same day
Badi VII, the King of Sennar, surrendered his throne and realm to Isma’il Pasha, the Egyptian
general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom. The Muslim people
of Sudan resented foreign domination and in 1881, led by al-Mahdi, they started their struggles for
independence. In 1885, al-Mahdi defeated a joint Anglo-Egyptian army and liberated a vast region
of their country. In 1898, however, al-Mahdi was defeated. It was not until January 1956 that Sudan
gained full independence.
185 solar years ago, on this day in 1830 AD, the French forces landed at Sidi Fredj, 27 km west of
Algiers, marking the start of military operations for seizure of Algeria, at a time when the rapidly
declining Ottoman Empire had lost control of North Africa. The resistance was led by Amir Seyyed
Abdul-Qader Jazayeri al-Hassani, who was finally subjugated in 1847. In 1910, Algeria was
declared as an extension of France. The struggles of Algerians against colonial rule reached their
peak after the end of World War II. In 1962, French president, General Charles de Gaulle, was forced
to grant Algeria full independence, but not until France had killed more than a million Algerian
Muslim people.
159 solar years ago, on this day in 1856 AD, the reformer Ahmad Raza Khan was born to the scholar
Naqi Ali Khani in Bareilly, India, in what is now Uttar Pradesh State in a Pashtun family originally
from Qandahar, Afghanistan. He founded the Barelvi School of Hanafi theology in order to counter
the deviations among fellow Sunni groups, especially the Deobandis, whose beliefs had drifted
away from the concept of Celestial Light possessed by Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon
him and his progeny), predating creation. He wrote on numerous topics, including jurisprudence,
religion, philosophy and the sciences. Ahmed Raza Khan compiled rational refutations of the beliefs
of the Qadianis, the Deobandis, and Wahhabis, whom he regarded as heretics. Today, large number
of Sunni Muslims in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, adhere to the Barelvi School.
149 solar years ago, on this day in 1864 AD German psychiatric, Alois Alzheimer, who recognized
the disease that was subsequently named after him, was born in Marktbreit, Bavaria. In November
1901, a 51-year old female patient with signs of dementia had been admitted to the Frankfurt
hospital where Dr. Alzheimer was working. At a meeting of German psychiatrists in November
1906 he reported on this patient. The title of his lecture was “On a Peculiar Disorder of the Cerebral
Cortex”. Later at the suggestion of Emil Kraepelin, presenile dementia was designated “Alzheimer’s
disease.” This disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that affects the brain. The first
symptoms are loss of memory, inability to think and understand and gradual behaviour changes that
may last as long as 20 years.
132 solar years ago, on this day in 1883 AD, English author and poet, Edward Fitzgerald, died at
the age of 74. He specialized in eastern languages, especially Persian, and translated into English the
quatrains of the renowned Iranian scientist-poet, Khayyam Naishapuri.
106 solar years ago, on this day in 1909 AD, the Constitutionalists marched upon Tehran from
two different directions to take control of the capital, forcing Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar to flee the
palace and seek refuge in the Russian embassy, thus ending a turbulent two-and-a-half year rule of
terror. The victors of Tehran held a parliamentary session to formally depose Mohammad Ali Shah
on July 16 and replace him with his 12-year old minor son, Ahmad Shah.
91 solar years ago, on this day in 1924 AD, French geologist, archeologist, and orientalist, JeanJacques de Morgan, who carried out extensive excavation works in Egypt, Iran and other lands, died
at the age of 67. He was appointed to head a survey expedition to Scandinavia and subsequently
conducted surveys in Stonehenge (Britain), Germany, Austria, Turkey, India, and as far away as the
kingdom of Perak in what is now West Malaysia. He next went to the Caucasus, visiting Armenia
and Georgia, and his interest in the eastern origins of civilization eventually led him to Iran (Persia),
where he focused on the significance of Shush (ancient Susa), the capital of the Elamite Empire,
to retrace the routes of the Assyrian campaigns. Entrusted by France with his first official mission
to Iran, he came to Tehran, whence he paid visits to Mazandaran, Gilan, and Talesh, in order to
study dialects. He then traveled south across Kurdistan and Luristan, combining both geological and
archeological investigations. He was the first to recognize at Qasr-e Shirin the presence of oil in the
vast fold system of the Zagros mountain chain, but neither France nor Iran showed any interest in this
important discovery. From 1892 to 1897, he was assigned to Egypt, where he saved the temple of
Kom Ombo; set up the museum of Greco-Roman antiquities at Alexandria; undertook publication of
a general catalogue of the monuments and inscriptions of ancient Egypt; and, laid the cornerstone for
the Cairo Museum of Ancient Egyptian Antiquities. His exploration of the pyramids of Memhis and
Dashur brought to light the royal treasures. He was back again in Shush and his finds included the
famous Stele of Naram-Sin, brought as war booty by the Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte, as well as
masterpieces of Babylonian civilization, captured by the Elamites, intermingled with masterpieces
of Elamite metalwork and sculpture. The discoveries were crowned by the appearance of the stele
bearing the law code of Hammurabi. Unfortunately, in 1900, the inefficient Iranian king, Mozaffar
od-Din Shah Qajar, signed a treaty granting to France all the antiquities discovered at Shush. In 1902
De Morgan declared: “In the Nile valley I developed the conviction that the first civilizations, from
which the Egyptian empire arose, came from Chaldea (in Iraq) and that the Mesopotamian plains
had therefore been the cradle of human progress.”
87 solar years ago, on this day in 1928 AD, the Argentinian physician, author, military theorist
and prominent Latin American guerrilla leader, Ernesto Che Guevara, was born of Basque and
Irish descent in a well-to-do household. His favorite subjects in school included philosophy,
mathematics, engineering, political science, sociology, history and archaeology. As a medical
student he traveled throughout South America and was shocked by the poverty, hunger, and
disease he witnessed. His desire to help overturn the capitalist exploitation of Latin America
by the United States prompted his involvement in Guatemala’s social reforms under President
Jacobo Arbenz, whose eventual CIA-assisted overthrow solidified his political ideology.
Following his meeting in Mexico with Cuban leader, Fidel Castro in the 1950s, the two
teamed up to lead the Cuban revolution to victory in 1959 by overthrowing US-backed dictator
Fulgencio Batista. He was a prolific writer and diarist, composing a seminal manual on guerrilla
warfare, along with a best-selling memoir about his youthful continental motorcycle journey.
His experiences and studying of Marxism–Leninism led him to posit that the Third World’s
underdevelopment and dependence was an intrinsic result of imperialism, neocolonialism, and
monopoly capitalism. 1959, Castro sent Guevara on a three-month tour of 14 mostly Bandung
Pact countries (Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,
Indonesia, Japan, Yugoslavia, Greece) and the cities of Singapore and Hong Kong. He also
visited China, the Soviet Union, and Palestine. In 1965, Guevara left Cuba to plan revolution
abroad, first in Congo-Kinshasa and later in Bolivia to form a guerrilla group to bring down
US-installed regime. He was cornered by the CIA, imprisoned and executed in 1967 at the age
of 39.
35 solar years ago, on this day in 1980 AD, Ayatollah Gholam-Hussain Tabrizi Abd-Khodai,
passed away at the age of 97 in holy Mashhad. A product of the Islamic seminary of holy Najaf
in Iraq, where he studied under Ayatollah Mohammad Kazem Yazdi, on return to his hometown
Tabriz, he published a religious magazine, which because of its political tones against the
tyrannical regime of Reza Khan Pahlavi, forced him into hiding. In 1931, he shifted to holy
Mashhad where he stayed until the end of his life, witnessing victory of the Islamic Revolution.
15 lunar years ago, on this day in 1421 AH, Ayatollah Seyyed Mahdi Rouhani passed away at
the age of 78 in his hometown Qom and was laid to rest in the holy shrine of Hazrat Ma’soumah
(SA). At the age of 20 he had left for Iraq for higher studies at the famous Islamic seminary
of holy Najaf, and on return to Iran, attended the classes of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain
Boroujerdi, before becoming an accomplished teacher on higher levels of Islamic sciences. He
focused on the commonalities in the previously revealed heavenly scriptures like the Torah
and Evangel, with the Holy Qur’an – God’s final and universal revelation for all mankind. He
became the first scholar to start discussions at the Qom seminary on a critique of Marxism and
dialectical principles. On victory of the Islamic Revolution, he served for three terms as the
elected representative of the people of Qom at the Assembly of Experts.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://english.irib.ir)
JUNE 14, 2015
3
Iran Opens First Herb
Museum
TEHRAN (IRIB) - Iran has inaugurated its first herb museum, also
known as herbarium, containing
more than 1,700 samples of various
herbs.
According to Iranian media, the
herbarium was inaugurated at the
Shahid Beheshti University in capital city, Tehran, on Wednesday.
The opening ceremony was attended by top officials of the Shahid Beheshti University as well as
deputy head of Iran’s Tourism Bank
for marketing.
According to the report, the herbarium which is affiliated to the
Shahid Beheshti University’s Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research
Institute contains a valuable trove
Herbal shop
Television and Radio
Launched in Nigeria
to Spread Islam
ABUJA (IQNA) - In a bid to spread
Islamic teachings, new radio and television channels have been launched
by a leading Nigerian Islamic group.
Sheikh Bala Lau, chairman of Jama’atu Izalatul Bidah Wa Iqamatis
Sunnah (JIBWIS), said the initiative
was launched because “We want to
change the entire Muslim Ummah’s
lives through Manara, in area of
preaching to them to do the right
thing and always avoid anything capable of breaching the peace.”
Adressing guests at the inauguration in Abuja, Lau said the new
channels would be known as Manara
Radio and Television stations.
Along with serving Islam, the
project was expected to create job
opportunities for youth and women.
“We are thinking of generating funds through various Jumaát
Mosques using Manara stations to
assist the less privileged in the society,” Lau said.
According to Lau, the JIBWIS
has been working media field for a
long period by running a television
satellite called Sunnah satellite television which was transmitting from
outside the country “by our brothers
and sisters who had the license”.
The new channel is expected to benefit both Muslims and
non-Muslims by helping them to
understand the teachings of Islam,
he added.
The new Manara channels won
applaud from Nigerian officials
and religious leaders alike.
Gov. Abdulazeez Yari of Zamfara
said the launching of Manara Radio and Television stations would
create an opportunity for the Muslim Ummah to communicate more
with one another.
“We are happy that Manara Radio and Television stations and
many others have come on board,”
Yari said.
The Sultan of Sokoto, represented by Alhaji Ahmed Oga, the Andoma of Doma, urged the organization to employ quality staff for
quality service delivery.
“I have no doubt in my mind that
the stations will compete favorably
with their foreign counterparts.
“I can assure the Muslims and
Nigerians that another innovation
in the area of radio communication and television has come on
board,’’ he said.
The Sultan, however, urged the
Muslim Ummah to cooperate with
the stations in order to achieve the
aims and objectives for setting
them up.
of over 1,700 herb samples.
The herbarium is internationally
registered and specializes in Iran’s
medicinal plants. It will also develop a comprehensive bank of plant
essences, extracts, and seeds in the
near future.
Medicinal plant samples of the
herbarium have been collected by a
team of Iranian specialists and their
extracts have been obtained using
various solvents and different processes.
Iran has made great advances in
various fields of medicine during
the past three decades despite illegal sanctions imposed against the
country on account of its peaceful
nuclear program.
Countries With
Most Engineering
Graduates
NEW JERSEY (Forbes) - Which
countries churn out the most engineering graduates every year?
When it comes to engineering degrees, the United States, Japan and
other developed nations produced
the majority of the world’s graduates over past few decades. However, things have started to change
and a significant number of new engineering, manufacturing and construction graduates now come from
developing and emerging countries.
According to research conducted by the World Econom-
ic Forum (which excludes China
and India due to lack of data),
Russia leads the way, producing an annual total of 454,000
graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction.
The United States is in second
position with 237,826 while
Iran rounds off the top three with
233,695. Developing economies
including Indonesia and Vietnam
have also made it into the top 10,
producing 140,000 and 100,000
engineering graduates each year
respectively.
Bazar of Imam Reza (A.S.) Shrine - Razavi Khorasan Province – Iran
Courtesy: IRNA