The Second Kawthar Al-Isma International Cultural Festival kicks off in Karbala with the participation of 23 Arab and foreign countries
The activities of the Second Kawthar Al-Isma International Cultural Festival kicked off at the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), on Friday, January 13, 2023, in the presence of the representative of the Supreme Religious Authority, Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi Al-Karbalaey, and religious and academic personalities from inside and outside Iraq.
Ali Kadhim Sultan, head of the festival's preparatory committee, said, "The General Secretariat of the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine is holding the Kawthar Al-Isma Festival on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lady Fatima Al-Zahraa (peace be upon her).”
He added, "Within the festival’s activities are the research sessions, which witnessed the submission of more than 130 research papers from various Arab countries, 89 of which were accepted and will be entered in the competition. The festival also witnessed an exhibition of Arabic calligraphy and a book fair including publications related to Al-Zahraa (peace be upon her), as well as Quranic recitations.”
Sheikh Bilal Al-Abdali Al-Hassani, an imam and preacher of a mosque in Fallujah, said, “We came to participate with our brothers at the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine in commemorating the birth anniversary of Lady Fatima Al-Zahraa (peace be upon her), in a peaceful gathering with all religious denominations,” pointing out that “attending this place is a message to those who seek division, and we affirm the unity of Iraq's land and people, and the holy shrines remain a meeting place for brothers, hearts and souls."
Jordanian researcher and writer, Marwan Khleifat, touched on his research at the festival, saying, "Based on the invitation sent by the Holy Shrine to participate in this great festival, I set out to write a research related to Fatima Al-Zahraa (peace be upon her), and the matter was in my heart for a long time, but today the opportunity came to write this research and it is related to actually happened to Lady Al-Zahraa (peace be upon her), as the issue is not limited to Shias only.”
Khleifat added, “there is evidence of the attack on Al-Zahraa, peace be upon her, in the books of the general public, as well as in the books of the Zaidis and Imamiyyah, and there are other sects affiliated with Muslims who also have evidence of this issue. In conclusion, I found that what happened to the Pure Lady is true, and we hope that this research will be printed in order to reach the largest number of people.”
Amir Al-Mousawi