KARACHI: A book of Urdu poems on Palestine by Firasat Rizvi titled Salam Falasteen was launched at the Khana-i-Farhang on Wednesday evening.

Consul General of Iran Ahmed Muhammadi presided over the event. He lauded Mr Rizvi’s effort in remembering and keeping the name of Palestine ‘alive’. He said it’s necessary not to forget the name. There are forces in the world that are trying to remove the name of Palestine from Islamic communities. They created crises and wars between Muslim countries, and their main target is the removal of the name of Palestine. But there are people, for example Imam Khomeini and the poet, who try to keep that name alive.

Poetry book on Palestine launched

Mr Muhammadi said Mr Rizvi has a deep view of the subject. The book being launched is not just a book of poems but it’s a chronicle of Palestine as the poet has mentioned important names and events such as intifada, Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, Hamas, Ummat-i-Muslima, Baitul Ankaboot etc. InshaAllah the future belongs to the oppressed Muslim people of Palestine, Yemen, Iraq and Kashmir, he added.

Prof Sahar Ansari was the chief guest on the occasion. He said he has known Mr Rizvi for a long time. He is a prolific poet and the passion that he has for his culture, for the Muslim ummah and humanity is exemplary. These days, poets focus more on their selves but since Mr Rizvi has spent a considerable time with great individuals such as Josh, Raees Amrohvi and Raghib Muradabadi, he has a solid literary background.

Prof Ansari said the situation in Palestine has grabbed the attention of the world. From Allama Iqbal to Faiz a lot has been written on it in prose and poetry. Apart from them, Ibn-i-Insha, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi and Ada Jaffery have also penned poems on the topic; Jaffery’s poem ‘Masjid-i-Aqsa’ merits a special mention.

Shedding light on the salient features of the book, Prof Ansari said those who are familiar with the tradition of Urdu literature after reading Mr Rizvi’s poems will say that this is the first book in which all nazms (73 of them) are [solely] about Palestine and the resistance movement that’s going on there. They have been written with a great deal of depth and creative intelligence.

The scholar pointed out that the Arab poets who have written on Palestine include Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al Qasim, Nazikul Malaika etc. Mr Rizvi has also included poems on personalities such as Mahmoud Darwish in his book. Prof Ansari stressed that we need to raise awareness in our circles about the fact that the issue of Palestine doesn’t belong to one region alone; the entire humanity is being affected by it. Imperialist powers have devised ways to suppress nations. Economic deprivation is one of them. It is the biggest agendum of the New World Order.

Prof Dr Shakil Farooqui said he feels that the target audience of Mr Rizvi’s book is the younger generation. He is a courageous writer. The book should be made part of school syllabus.

Shahid Zameer said in terms of international apathy (alami behissi ke aitbaar se) the issues of Kashmir and Palestine are the same.

Firasat Rizvi read out his speech in Persian, after which he recited two poems from the book, one of which was about Rachel Corrie. Both were appreciated by the audience.

Director of Khana-i-Farhang Bahram Kian welcomed the guests and Syed Najmuddin Mousavi anchored the event.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2019