Iranian Minister Calls for Artistic Resistance to Western Media's Silence on Arbaeen

IQNA – Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mahdi Esmaeili, urged artists to use their creativity to challenge the Western media's "deliberate" censorship of the Arbaeen march, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.

Esmaeili spoke at the closing ceremony of the 9th Arbaeen International Award, an artistic festival that showcases works inspired by Arbaeen, the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam.

He said that art and culture are essential tools to express the richness and significance of the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which he described as a "civilization-building journey" and a "pathway to building a modern Islamic civilization".

He criticized the Western media for ignoring and distorting the "beautiful aspects" of Arbaeen, such as the love, passion, yearning, affection, and epic spirit of the pilgrims, who travel long distances on foot to the holy city of Karbala in Iraq, where the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located.

He noted that the “response should be to use the expressive mediums of art, culture, and media to showcase the remarkable achievement” of Arbaeen which attracts millions of Shias from Iran, Iraq, and other countries every year.

The Arbaeen International Award, organized by the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) since 2014, received 12,102 submissions from 38 countries this year in various categories, including photography, videos, travelogues, books, social media, and poetry.

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