TEHRAN-The books about the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani presented in Iran pavilion at the 24th Baghdad International Book Fair have been welcomed by the audience.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s autobiography and memoirs “Cell No. 14” is one of the popular books offered at Iran pavilion at the fair, Mehr reported on Saturday.

The autobiography covers the first half of the life of the Leader, from his early childhood all the way to the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the monarchical regime to an end in Iran. It provides a gripping account of a life full of struggle and fighting for justice and establishing an Islamic order in his country.

It is a remarkable saga of a young cleric blessed with an indomitable spirit who fights a dictatorial regime with his sermons and speeches as well as with his organizational abilities. He never loses hope despite being sent to prison and exile, and finally emerged victorious against all odds.

The book serves as a source of inspiration to all activists around the globe who are trying to bring about social and political change.

“A 250 Years Old Person” is another book by Ayatollah Khamenei, which is a collection of his lectures on the political combats and struggles of Shia Imams.

Consisting of 17 chapters, the book starts with the life of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and ends with Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), the 11th Imam of Shia Muslims. The first three chapters are about the social and political situation of the Islamic Community, from the Day of Ashura to the spiritual leadership of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS).

The main concepts of the book are the lifestyle of the Infallible Imams and their aims in life. The period of 250 years is applied to the tenth lunar Hijri year (631 CE) until the Minor Occultation (874 CE), a period of nearly seventy years during which Imam Mahdi (AS), the 12th Imam of Sha Muslims, is believed to have communicated regularly with his followers through four successive agents while he was hidden from the public.

According to this book, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the twelve Imams (AS) apparently had various methodologies in their lifestyles, but in whole they tried to reach one aim.

“Jihad of Explanation” is another book presented at the fair, which is centered on the statements of the Supreme Leader about the importance of the topic of Jihad of Explanation, compiled by Saeed Solh Mirzaei and published by Islamic Revolution Publications.

Ayatollah Khamenei has referred to Jihad of Explanation in his speeches at different occasions several times. On the importance of the issue, the leader has clarified that the way to overcome the false publicity and propaganda of the enemy is “Explanation.”

The Supreme Leader believes that clarifying the truth must be done by different people, with different voices, different interpretations, and using new forms. In his words, Jihad of Explanation must be taken seriously, by everyone, in the seminaries, in the universities, on radio and television, in the printed media, and in all the places; wherever people can have an effect, they need to give correct and accurate explanations.

Lieutenant General Soleimani’s autobiography
The martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani's autobiography titled “I Feared Nothing” has also been presented at the Iran pavilion at the Baghdad International Book Fair, where it has been received well by the visitors.

Qassem Soleimani was a towering figure in the Iranian resistance and revolutionary movement. He was the commander of the Quds Force; an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations.

Lieutenant General Soleimani is viewed primarily as a military leader; however, the book gives a first-hand look into the humble beginnings of a man who would end up shaking the world to its core and overs his memories until 1978.

Hajj Qassem (1957-2020) initially worked in construction before joining the IRGC during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He assembled and led a company of soldiers when the Iran–Iraq War began in September 1980, eventually rising through the ranks to become the commander of the 41st Tharallah Division in his 20s.

Soleimani was later involved in extraterritorial operations, and in the late 1990s became commander of the IRGC Quds Force. He was amongst the most popular personalities in Iran, viewed by many as a “selfless hero fighting Iran's enemies”. He was assassinated in a targeted American drone strike in January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq, on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Iranian Book and Literature House represents Iran for the third time at the Iraqi book fair in a 60-squre-meter pavilion, presenting 1,100 titles in various fields.

The books on display at the Iran pavilion have been chosen from 18 publishers and cultural institutes on the subjects of Islam, children and adult literature, Persian language education, the Sacred Defense, and Holy Quran.

In addition to Iran, publishers from Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and the U.S. are present at the event.

Having kicked off on September 18 in Baghdad, the book far will conclude on September 27.

SS/SAB