Today is Wednesday; 11th of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 25th of the Islamic month of Sha’ban 1440 lunar hijri; and May 1, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

1335 lunar years ago, on this day in 105 AH, Yazid II, the 9th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime, died of tuberculosis at the age of 37 after a 4-year reign, a fortnight after the death of his paramour, the slave girl Hayyaba, in whose debauched love he had neglected state affairs in pursuit of drinking and other wanton pleasures. His father was Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan while his mother Atika was daughter of the Godless tyrant Yazid ibn Mu’waiyya – perpetrator of the heartrending tragedy of Karbala. On the suspicious death of Omar ibn Abdul-Aziz, he was installed as caliphs and immediately reversed the latter’s positive policies by seizing the large orchard of Fadak in Medina from the Prophet’s noble progeny. Oblivious of the civil wars in Spain and North Africa as well as in Khorasan, where the Abbasids were building a power base for toppling the Omayyads, he was so infatuated with Hayyaba that when she died, he kept her corpse in his palace unburied, indulging in lewd acts, until the stench made the courtiers to press him to bury her. When Hayyaba’s corpse was lowered in the grave, Yazid II, who had clearly lost his mind, ordered it to be brought up and indulged in senseless behaviour, until forcibly separated. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the bloodthirsty Hisham.

1303 lunar years ago, on this day in 137 AH, Iranian agent of the usurper Abbasid regime, Abu-Muslim Khorasani, whose string of military victories against the Omayyads, starting from Khorasan and continuing all the way up to Syria, resulted in regime change, was killed by his own masters, who feared his growing power might pose a danger to their newfound caliphate. The Abbasids and their agents had deceived the masses, especially Iranian Muslims, through their slogan of restoring power of the Islamic state to its rightful owners, the Prophet’s progeny, but after exterminating the Omayyad usurpers, digging up their graves and burning the bones of the dead caliphs, including those of Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, they usurped the power themselves. As part of the elaborate propaganda to mislead the masses, Abu Muslim, who launched his uprising against the Omayyads in Balkh, actually on behalf of Abu’l-Abbas as-Saffah (the blood-shedder), shortly after the martyrdom in Jowzajan of Yahya ibn Zayd ibn Imam Zayn al-Abedin (AS), ordered his followers to wear black, brought down from the gallows the headless corpse of the young martyr, buried it, and instructed the naming of boys born that year in Khorasan as Yahya. This led to the mass popularity of the uprising and decisive victories against the hated Omayyads. In the meantime, the Prophet’s 6th Infallible Heir, Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), on being offered the caliphate by one of the victorious generals of the uprising, coolly burned the letter without opening it, thereby implying that such dubious political authority that depends upon the whims and inclinations of unprincipled elements, is definitely not the God-given “wilaya” which he already possessed. Thus, Mansour Dawaniqi, on succeeding his brother Abu’l-Abbas as-Saffah as the second caliph of the usurper Abbasid dynasty, had Abu-Muslim Khorasani murdered.

691 solar years ago, on this day in 1328 AD, wars of Scottish Independence ended, and by the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton the Kingdom of England recognized the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.

497 lunar years ago, on this day in 942 AH, Ottoman Prime Minister “Damaad” Ibrahim Pasha, who was the Sultan’s son-in-law, inked a treaty with France for lease of the French Port of Toulon to set up a Turkish naval base for checking Spain’s ambitions. During the lease period, the French permitted the Ottomans to build mosques and use Toulon as a safe haven to raid Spanish coasts and dominate the Mediterranean Sea.

476 solar years ago, on this day in 1544 AD, Hungary was conquered by Ottoman Turks and for over some two centuries remained under their rule as the province of Majarestan.

447 lunar years ago, on this day in 993 AH, the Ottomans, taking advantage of the power vacuum in Iran, breached the peace treaty with the Safavids to occupy Tabriz. The occupation lasted 18 years until Shah Abbas, after assuming power, inflicted a shattering defeat on the Ottomans to liberate Tabriz, the Caucasus, and eventually Iraq, where he reconstructed the holy shrines in Najaf, Karbala, and Kazemain on a grand scale.

319 solar years ago, on this day in 1700 AD, British poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright, John Dryden, who was made Poet Laureate in 1668, died at the age of 68 in London. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden. His major works include "Astraea Redux", "The Wild Gallant" – a comedy composed in 1663, "The Indian Emperor" – a tragedy written in 1665 on the Spanish conquest of America and oppression of the native Amerindians, and "Aurganzeb" written in 1675. The last one is based loosely on the figures of Aurangzeb, the then-reigning Mughal Emperor of India; his brother, Murad Baksh; and their father, Shah Jahan (Emperor). The piece is the last drama that Dryden wrote in rhymed verse. It is considered his best heroic work.

312 solar years ago, on this day in 1707 AD, the Act of Union joined the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, although the union of the Scottish and English crowns had practically occurred on 24 March 1603, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the accession to the throne of England by Scotland’s James VI, as James I of the United Kingdom.

250 solar years ago, on this day in 1769 AD, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish-English field marshal and politician, and Prime Minister of Britain, famous for his defeat of France's Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1814, was born in Dublin. He joined the British Army in 1787. A colonel by 1796, he saw action in the Netherlands and in India, where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam which the British treacherously imposed on Fath Ali Khan Tipu Sultan to depose and kill him in violation of the treaty with the Muslim kingdom of Mysore. Promoted Major-General, he won a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Assaye in 1803, mainly because of the support provided to the British by the premier Muslim ruler of India, Nizam ul-Mulk Asef Jah of Haiderabad-Deccan. Later in his memoirs, he would recall the Battle of Assaye as more crucial, strategic and deadly than Waterloo. A blot on his career is the senseless destruction of the palaces of the Nizam-Shahi rulers inside the Ahmadnagar Fort. Wellesley rose to prominence as a general during the Napoleonic Wars, and was promoted to the rank of field marshal after leading the allied forces to victory against the French at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. Following Napoleon's exile in 1814, he served as the ambassador to France and was granted a dukedom, with the title Duke of Wellington. His battle record is exemplary; he ultimately participated in some 60 battles. After ending his active military career, he turned to politics and was twice British prime minister from 1828 to 1830 and for a little less than a month in 1834. He continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement and remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army till his death at the age of 83 at Walmer Castle, Kent.

130 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, upon the decision of The International Labour Congress, this day was named as the International Workers’ Day in commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, when the US police fired on 40,000 peaceful workers during a general strike for the 8-hour workday, killing several demonstrators and resulting in the deaths of several police officers, largely from the so-called ‘friendly’ fire. Later in 1889, a meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution, called for international demonstrations in May 1890 on the 1st anniversary of the Chicago massacre. This was followed by the May Day Riots of 1894. A decade later in 1904, the International Socialist Conference in Amsterdam called on Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions worldwide to demonstrate on May 1 for legal establishment of the 8-hour work day, for the demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace. Thus, May Day is marked officially in 80 countries and unofficially in many others, except for the US and Canada, which as the capitalist societies, are afraid of the workers’ demand for their natural rights. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, every year ceremonies are held on this day to appreciate the efforts of workers and hard-working labourers. Following the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Iranian officials have taken into consideration the honour and dignity of labourers in Islam and have paid special attention to this stratum of the society.

104 solar years ago, on this day in 1915 AD, during World War I, German forces defeated Russian forces in Poland. The Czarist army’s failure in World War I, coupled with economic poverty and the totalitarian monarchial system, were the prime reasons behind the Russian Revolution and its hijacking by the communists in October 1917.

49 solar years ago, on this day in 1970 AD, Iranian poet, author, and painter, Ismail Ashtiani, passed away. After completing his studies at Tehran’s Dar ol-Fonoun Academy, he learned painting under the acclaimed Iranian painter, Kamal ol-Mulk. Later he became a teacher at Dar al-Fonoun and in 1928 its principal. He soon established the academy’s library and introduced new courses such as history of arts and mathematics in the curriculum. He has left behind numerous paintings. Among his literary works, mention can be made of his Diwan of poetry, and European Travelogue. Given his relentless and untiring efforts in teaching, Ismail Ashtiani was awarded an honorary PhD in 1946.

41 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, the Soviet Union's Armenian music composer and conductor, Araam Khachaturian, died at the age of 75 in Moscow and was buried in Yerevan, capital of the Republic of Armenia. Considered one of the leading musicians of the erstwhile USSR, he was born to parents who from near Ordubad in the former Iranian Khanate of Nakhichevan, and raised in Tbilisi, the multicultural capital of Georgia, which was for centuries part of Iran. He moved to Moscow in 1921 following the Sovietization of the Caucasus.  His first major work "Piano Concerto" (in 1936), popularized his name within and outside the Soviet Union. It was followed by "Violin Concerto" (in 1940) and "Cello Concerto" (in 1946). His other significant compositions include the "Masquerade Suite" (in 1941), the Anthem of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (in 1944), three symphonies and around 25 film scores. Khachaturian is best known for his ballet music "Gayane" (in 1942) and "Spartacus" (in 1954). His most popular piece, the "Sabre Dance" from "Gayane", has been used extensively in popular culture and has been covered by a number of musicians worldwide.

39 lunar years ago, on this day in 1401 AH, Chief Justice Ayatollah Dr. Seyyed Mohammad Husseini Beheshti, along with 72 officials of the Islamic Revolution, including ministers and MPs, was martyred in a terrorist bomb blast by the MKO hypocrites at the headquarters of the Islamic Republic Party in Tehran, a few days before start of the blessed fasting month of Ramadhan. Born in Isfahan, he studied religious sciences in Qom, and at the same time continued his academic studies at the university in Tehran, obtaining PhD in philosophy. He was active in political and cultural spheres, and as a loyal follower of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), was involved in the 15^th of Khordad uprising of June 5, 1963 against the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime. Following the Imam's exile to Iraq, he spent several years at the Islamic Centre in Hamburg, Germany. His fluency in German, English, and Arabic helped him promote Islam in Europe. He returned to Iran in 1971 and continued his struggles against the despotic Shah. Following victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he was assigned key posts. He played a major role in drafting the constitution of the Islamic Republic, establishing the Islamic Judicial system, foiling plots of anti-revolutionaries, and standing firm against US conspiracies. He wrote several books, including "God in View of Islam"; "Banking and Islam’s Financial Laws"; and "Role of Faith in Mankind’s Life". According to the late Imam, Ayatollah Beheshti was like a nation and his martyrdom exposed the ominous nature of the MKO terrorists.

37 solar years ago, on this day in 1982 AD, the Bayt al-Moqaddas operations were launched by Iran’s Muslim combatants in the southwestern war zone to drive out the Ba’thist occupation forces from Iran’s soil. Twenty-five days later, Iran liberated the whole areas including the port city of Khorramshahr, resulting in the death of 16,000 enemy troops, the capture of 19,000 others, and the downing of scores of warplanes.

17 solar years ago, on this day in in 2002 AD, the multilingual Bahraini-Indian writer and poet, Ibrahim al-Arrayedh (إبراهيم العريّض‎) passed away in Manama in the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain at the age of 94. Generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and a leader of the Bahraini literary movement in the 20^th century, he was born in Bombay, India. His father was a Bahraini pearl trader and his mother was an Iraqi, who died when he was only two months old. His first visit to Bahrain was in 1922, at the age of fourteen. He pursued his studies in India until the completion of secondary school, specializing in Persian and English languages, alongside Urdu. He later studied Urdu literature at the Aligarh Muslim University. On settling in Bahrain as an English teacher, he began to study Arabic and immersed himself in the works of prominent Arab poets. During World War 2, he returned to India and worked at the radio station. Ibrahim al-Arrayedh began writing poetry at the age of 18, and his first set of poems was published in Baghdad in 1931, when he was 23. Since he was multilingual, he translated the works of poets between Persian, Hindi, Urdu, English, and Arabic. His poems were popular in Iraq, Syria and Egypt. Ibrahim al-Arrayedh was elected as Chairman of the Constituent Assembly in 1972 to draft Bahrain’s first constitution after independence from Britain. He was appointed as Ambassador at large in 1974 and later as ambassador extraordinary plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until the time of his death in 2002. Among his works are two poetic dramas, four critical studies of Arabic poetry, one poetry collection in Urdu and another in English. He also translated the famous Iranian astronomer-poet, Oman Khayyam’s “rubaiyyaat” (quatrains), from Persian into Arabic in 1966. Throughout his life, al-Arrayedh lectured widely and travelled extensively to participate in conferences and debates in the field of poetry.

15 solar years ago, on this day in 2004 AD, Iranian author, Kiyoumars Saberi Foumani, passed away at the age of 63. His opposition to Pahlavi dictatorial rule led him to write political satirical poems. Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he wrote articles on political and social topics, under the penname “Gol Aqa”, which later took the form of a highly popular satirical magazine. He has left behind a number of books.

15 solar years ago, on this day in 2004 AD, with membership of ten more countries, the European Union turned into a 25-member commercial bloc. The new member states are from Central and Eastern Europe, namely: Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Slovakia, as well as the two Mediterranean Sea island states of Malta, and Cyprus. There are, however, deep political, economic, and social disparities among the EU’s old and new member states. In 2007, Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, whose member states now number 27.

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