TEHRAN – Twelve Iranian Quran activists were honored on Thursday during the closing ceremony of the 29th edition of the International Holy Quran Exhibition in Tehran.

The honorees received their awards from President Ebrahim Raisi at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran.

In his short speech, the president said, “Humanity is established under the influence of the Holy Quran.”

“Today, humanity needs the Quranic teachings and guidelines more than ever; society needs the Quranic guidelines in the areas of culture and economics at all levels,” he added.

Calligrapher Mohammad Kashani-Azad, actor Amir-Abbas Qelichlu and filmmaker Jamal Shurjeh were among the honorees.

Kashani-Azad was selected for his focus on the Holy Quran in his artistic career spanning almost 30 years.

Qelichlu was honored for his acting career in movies portraying stories from the Holy Quran.

He has appeared in several TV series including, “The Men of Angelos” and “Prophet Joseph (AS)”, both by Farajollah Salahshur.

He also played a role in “Women of Sabra and Men of Shatila”, a play that was staged by director and writer Qotbeddin Sadeqi in 1998 at Tehran’s City Theater Complex. 

The drama was about the Sabra and Shatila massacre, which took place between the 16th and the 18th of September 1982 in Lebanon by the Phalangists, a Lebanese Christian militia that was under the political and military control of the State of Israel.

“God Calls John in Jalil” is another play, in which he starred. The play directed by Saeid Shapuri at the City Theater Complex in 2005 was about the life story of St. John the Baptist.

Qelichlu also has played roles in “The Kingdom of Solomon”, director Shahriar Bahrani’s 2010 movie about the life story of Prophet Solomon (AS), which was written based on the Holy Quran.

He has also penned several plays, including “An Empty Frame”, based on stories from the Holy Quran.

Shurjeh is most famous for his movies on the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, however, he was selected for his collaboration as an assistant director in “The Men of Angelos” and “Prophet Joseph (AS)”.

He is also the director of “33 Days”, a film on the Israeli 33-Day War of 2006 against Lebanon, and “Ahmed Bey” about the last Ottoman Bey who ruled Algiers during the 19th century.

The honorees also include the Quran scholars Ayatollah Mahmud Rajabi, Hojjatoleslam Ali-Akbar Rashad, Ahmad Mehrmashhadi-Afkhami, Mehdi Adeli and Abbas Emamjomeh, Quran reciter Hashem Soltannejd, Quran memorizer Ghasun Moslemi, Quran teacher Abdorreza Sediq, and Seyyed Abbas Anjam, a manager from a Quranic center.   

Photo: Actor Amir-Abbas Qelichlu receives his award from President Ebrahim Raisi after being selected as a Quran activist at the 29th International Holy Quran Exhibition at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran on April 28, 2022. (Hawzeh)

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