Cats Bark Too

CATS BARK TOO

Alexander the Great, considered one of the greatest, perhaps the most important, military geniuses in the world, decisively defeated the Persian emperor Darius III at Gaugamela (modern-day Erbil) in 331 BCE. He then crossed the Zagros Mountains and headed into the interior of Iran. What excited Alexander the Great was not the desire to see palaces, jewels, harems, or new territories. As an animal lover, Alexander the Great was eager to see the famous Persian cat.

When he arrived with his army in front of the palace in Persepolis, he called out to his interpreters and ordered them to bring him a Persian cat. Among the people, who were bowing in respect before the emperor, there was a stir. One of them asked for permission and ran towards the palace, returning with a cage in his hand containing a Persian cat, which he respectfully presented to Alexander the Great. Alexander dismounted from his horse, took the cat in his hands, tried to stroke it, and joyfully lifted it into the air with both hands. It was as if he had traveled all these roads and fought all these wars for this very moment.

He held the cat in the air for a while. He shook it with joy. The cat, not knowing what to do with all this attention, barked like a dog. Alexander the Great, with fear and apprehension, put the cat back in its cage:

“Don’t your cats know how to meow?”

“Sir, we lost the war. Now all the people of Persepolis are dogs at your command. The cat barked because it knew this.”

Greatly surprised by this explanation, Alexander the Great addressed the Persian people through his interpreters:

“None of you are slaves! You will be freer and more masters of yourselves than you were in the time of your king Darius III. I will not kill a single person. As revenge, I will only ceremonially burn the palace of Xerxes I. Let me take my revenge on stones, silk fabrics, and ornate thrones.”

The people rejoiced at this news. The cat in the cage meowed. Alexander the Great picked up the meowing cat again and lifted it. The people surrounded Alexander the Great with enthusiasm and joy.

***

Dear readers!

Do you know why I told this historical anecdote? I wanted to explain the recent events between Iran and America from a historical depth. The US killed Osama Bin Laden for revenge, but he was not a statesman. The US killed Al-Baghdadi for revenge, but he was not a statesman. The US killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani for revenge: But he was a statesman. He was the second most powerful man in Iran after the spiritual leader Khamenei.

The US, just like Alexander the Great, thought that the Iranian people would "bark" and obey after this act of revenge. The Iranian people heroically "meowed" and shouted to the world that they would never be slaves. They fearlessly launched their missiles. Every Iranian turned into an atomic bomb, ready to give their life willingly. One must bow in respect before the heroism and courage of the Iranian people.

WHO WAS QASEM SOLEIMANI?

Qasem Soleimani was born on March 11, 1957, in Kerman, the child of a poor peasant family. In 1979, after the Iranian Islamic Revolution, he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He served in the Iran-Iraq War. He became the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps in Kerman Province. From 1998 until his death in 2020, he was responsible for overseas operations. He served as the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was also one of the leaders of the military wing of Hezbollah in Lebanon. In one of my articles, I introduced Iran as a leading country, stating that the eyes and hearts of all the Shiite community in the world were turned towards Iran. Qasem Soleimani was the most determined advocate and harbinger of Iran, the future leading country. His martyrdom is undoubtedly a great loss for Iran.

AND ABDURRAHMAN QASIMLO

I will suddenly change the subject. I will take you to Vienna on July 13, 1989. Abdurrahman Qasimlo, one of the most important Kurdish intellectuals of the 20th century, was killed on that day in a conspiracy orchestrated by Ahmadinejad, who later became the President of Iran, and who received orders from Qasem Soleimani.

Qasimlo was born on December 22, 1930, in the city of Raziye, Iran, to Kurdish parents. At the age of 16, he witnessed the establishment of the Mahabad Kurdish Republic. His father was wealthy. He continued his education at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He married a Czech woman. He spoke eight languages: Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, Azeri, French, English, Czech, and Russian. He also had enough knowledge to understand German, Slovak, and Polish. In 1973, he became the leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. When the 1979 Iranian Revolution occurred, he thought he could obtain autonomy for the Kurds and contacted high-level Iranian officials. The Islamic Republic of Iran was not willing to grant rights to ethnic minorities. Today, neither Azeris nor Kurds can receive education in their mother tongues. Qasem Soleimani gave Ahmadinejad the task of assassinating Qasimlo, who had an influential circle in European politics. On July 13, 1989, Iranian agents martyred Qasimlo and his friends.

Looking back today, I see an interesting picture: Two individuals martyred, one striving for Shiite Iran to be a leading country, and the other trying to negotiate for the identity and autonomy rights of the Kurds.

I just want to say this much: Both will live in our hearts as idealists and people who believed in their causes, even though Qasem Soleimani gave the order for Qasimlo's assassination.