海角大神

The commander of Iran鈥檚 enigmatic Qods Force did not speak.

But the mere presence of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani at a memorial last night 鈥� gray-haired and scarred after decades of battling American and Israeli foes and building up Iran鈥檚 influence in the region 鈥� speaks volumes about Iran鈥檚 continued commitment to the time-worn theme of martyrdom and its lessons in war.听

Maj. Gen. Soleimani joined clerics, martyr families, and fellow officers of the Qods Force, the Revolutionary Guard branch that handles overseas operations聽鈥� from supplying missiles for Hezbollah to alleged bomb plots 鈥撀爐o mark a year since the death of one of their own in Syria.听

Hardliners may no longer dominate Iranian politics聽after the surprise election victory of centrist President Hassan Rouhani last year, but the official language of martyrdom has not changed for Iran鈥檚 "True Believers." 聽聽

鈥淭oday, if we can stand firm against the US and the excessive demands of the US, it is because of the culture of martyrdom and culture of jihad,鈥� said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Tehran mayor and two-time conservative presidential candidate, from the podium.听鈥淚f we, God forbid, forget this culture, we will lose our dignity鈥�. We will never give our dignity to the enemy.鈥�

Soleimani buried his face in his right hand and some in the audience wept as a religious storyteller recounted the 7th-century death of Imam Hossein, the 鈥淟ord of the Martyrs.鈥� For Shiites, this death signifies resistance armed with faith against overwhelming odds.听That history of self-sacrifice, bound to a minority branch of Islam defined by centuries of persecution, was the ideological and political bedrock of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, which marks its 35th anniversary on聽Feb. 11.听

Soleimani is credited with turning Lebanon鈥檚 Shiite militant organization Hezbollah into one of the most potent fighting forces in the Middle East; wielding low-profile but effective pressure for years on US forces in Iraq; and coming to the rescue of Syrian ally President Bashar al-Assad in that country's civil war.听

Last night, wearing a聽dark聽gray suit聽jacket聽instead of his usual Guard uniform, Soleimani reluctantly took to the stage after being asked three times to help present an award to聽family members of Hassan Shateri, a Qods Force general killed in Syria last year.

Though Soleimani kept his silence, speaker after speaker used Mr. Shateri鈥檚 nickname and praised 鈥淓ngineer Hessam鈥� or 鈥淗ajj Hessam鈥� as a fighter of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, as a road builder in Afghanistan, and as the man tasked with commanding Iranian efforts to help Hezbollah rebuild southern Lebanon after its 2006 war with Israel.听He was killed when his car was shot up on a highway in Syria. 聽

Iran鈥檚 martyrs 鈥渂rought our freedom and humanity under the shadow of Islam,鈥澛燤r. Qalibaf told the audience, and its revolution had shaken 鈥渁ll countries in the world鈥� because its far-reaching impact had invigorated 鈥減olitical Islam.鈥澛�

The eulogy was delivered at an auditorium inside a sprawling new complex called the Museum of Holy Defense and Spreading the Culture of Resistance. Inside, the columns were decorated with shiny tin-plated AK-47 assault rifles, with yellow plastic tulips stuck in each barrel.听

Outside, life-size replicas of each of Iran鈥檚 ballistic missile designs are lined up on a hillside and old tanks and military vehicles line the roads. Also on display are several wrecked vehicles in which four of Iran鈥檚 nuclear scientists were assassinated in recent years, often with so-called 鈥渟ticky bombs鈥� attached while stuck in traffic in Tehran.

It is against this backdrop of a years-long covert war between the US, Israel, and Persian Gulf allies on one side, and Iran, Hezbollah, and their 鈥渁xis of resistance鈥� on the other, that Iran marks the regime鈥檚 35th聽anniversary, highlighting scientific achievements despite sanctions and outside 鈥減ressure." Officials often attribute the triumph to martyr ideology.听

While many across Iran's political divide respect the martyrs 鈥� the "nuclear martyrs" especially resonate 鈥� the number of True Believers who adhere most closely to this ideology remain a minority, albeit a powerful one.听President Rouhani won more votes than all of his conservative and hardline challengers combined with a campaign promise to "end extremism" and embrace moderation.听

Shateri鈥檚 sacrifice and commitment to resistance should serve as a warning to those who 鈥渢hreaten鈥� Iran and its nuclear program, speakers聽said at Thursday's ceremony. 鈥淚f the enemy understands people like Hajj Hesam [Shateri] in the right way, it can affect the decisions of the US and Israel,鈥� said Ahmed-Reza Radan, Iran鈥檚 deputy police chief. 聽

Such statements resonated with the women seated in the audience; most wore聽black chadors that leave just聽more than聽a triangle of the face visible. Although Iranian women are rarely martyrs themselves, many appear to have internalized the ideology.听

鈥淲hen Obama says that 鈥榓ll options are on the table,鈥� he should know that we have options too: [the example of] our martyrs,鈥� says Afrouz Rahmani, one of the women in attendance.听

Were they impressed that such high-level officials as Soleimani and Qalibaf were on hand? 聽鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the first time they came. They are always amongst us,鈥澛爏ays another, who gave her family name as Sedghi.