AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hojat al-Islam Abolfazl Sabouri, the director of the Islamic Center of Namibia, in a detailed interview with ABNA correspondent, spoke about his latest fictional work, the novel "Sayyid Ali," based on the life, struggles, and leadership of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, the martyred leader of the Ummah, and elaborated on the details of its writing, structural features, international publishing challenges, and global feedback on the Islamic Republic of Iran in the post-war era.
At the beginning of this interview, explaining the latest technical and executive status of this work, he stated, "The overall writing stages of the novel 'Sayyid Ali' have been completed, and we are currently in the phase of review, final study, and applying final edits before handing the work over for publication."
The Writing Path; A Book Written Based on the Questions of a Converted Wahhabi
Hojat al-Islam Sabouri, referring to his writing background and the writing of more than 20 books based on field needs assessment and audience needs, stated, "The writing of each of my previous works has been based on a specific story, dialogue, and real need. For example, after consecutive dialogues with a Christian priest, I wrote a book about Jesus (a.s.) to present the true image and teachings of him in Islam to a non-Muslim audience."
He further added, "In another case, after the imam of a Wahhabi mosque became Shiite through scholarly discussions, based on his questions and needs, I wrote the valuable book 'Al-Muraja'at,' which is one of the strongest theological sources for proving Shiism, with changes, simplification, and summarization, in the form of a book titled 'Choose the Best Path.'"
Turning to Fictional Literature; From Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi to the Life of Lady Fatimah (a.s.)
The director of the Islamic Center of Namibia, explaining the reason for the shift in his writing approach toward fictional literature over the past two years, emphasized, "International and non-Iranian audiences have a much greater inclination to read novels and stories; therefore, two years ago I decided to present Islamic teachings in the form of fictional literature, the first step being the writing of the romantic novel 'Story of Love' based on the story of the king and the slave girl in Rumi's Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi to convey divine teachings."
Hojat al-Islam Sabouri, recalling his previous work in the field of the AhlulBayt (a.s.), stated, "During last year's Fatimiyya days, I also wrote a novel about the life of Lady Fatimah Zahra (a.s.) titled 'Daughter of Light,' which was completed in February. After a period of rest and study, with the incident of the martyrdom of the Leader, the initial idea of writing a novel based on his life took shape in early this year, and its writing was finalized last Friday."
The 6-Chapter Structure of the Novel "Sayyid Ali"; From Childhood to the Battle with the Zionist Regime
This seminary author, explaining the point of view and story structure of the novel "Sayyid Ali," stated, "The text of the book is written in the third person; the first part of the book covers the period from childhood to 19 years of age, which, due to limited historical data, is based on existing memories of the religious family, father, mother's familiarity with the Quran, and the atmosphere of that era, and has a more fictional aspect."
He further noted, "But from the age of 19 and entering Qom, acquaintance with Imam Khomeini (r.a.), the period of struggle, imprisonment, exile, the victory of the Revolution, and the challenges of the leadership era, the story is completely aligned with the historical period and objective realities, and the novel takes on a historical-realistic character, organized in 6 chapters, with its climax manifested in the fifth and sixth chapters."
Hojat al-Islam Sabouri, explaining the content of the final chapters of the work, stated, "The fifth chapter begins with the start of the leadership era, and the sixth chapter begins with the martyrdom of Commander Haj Qasem Soleimani and continues up to recent events, including the war and direct confrontation with the Zionist regime; this work shows how the leadership has always faced a continuous chain of internal and external crises (from the ISIS file to the Amini riots) and has turned threats into opportunities with wisdom, patience, silence, or decisive positions."
He also added, "Throughout the story, the assassination attempt on him at the Abu Dharr Mosque is repeatedly mentioned; an incident that raised the question of why he survived, and the answer is that God had preserved him for a greater mission and leadership in the future."
The Challenge of Western Audience Targeting and Concern Over Domestic Reactions
The author of the novel "Sayyid Ali," explaining his challenges in writing the work for Western audiences, stated, "My main concern was writing the work for a Western and non-Muslim audience that had only heard the name of Sayyid Ali Khamenei in war news and had no correct perception of the position of the deputy of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) or religious literature; therefore, a step-by-step and fair approach had to be adopted so that even the doubts and slander of the enemies could be seen, and the audience would gradually come to understand his oppression and authority."
Criticizing the international publishing environment in the country, he added, "Sometimes our international works are not audience-oriented and seem to be written only for Shiites inside the country; of course, during the writing, due to the reaction of the religious and pro-Hezbollah currents inside the country about why some behaviors of opponents were reflected, I was forced to downplay some aspects and steer the work more toward resistance literature."
Highlighting Action Based on Duty, Courage, and Love for Iran Without Sloganeering
The director of the Islamic Center of Namibia, referring to the personality traits depicted of the Revolution's leader in this novel, stated, "In this story, his lack of desire for power and ambition, courage, patriotism, wisdom, and above all, 'action based on duty' are emphasized; a young man who was only seeking to fulfill his duty, resisted in prison and exile, had a patient and supportive wife and family, and ultimately, against his inner will and solely based on duty, accepted the heavy burden of leadership."
Regarding the sources used in writing the work, he stated, "In addition to historical memory, interviews, the book 'The Blood of the Heart That Became Ruby,' the official website of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Leader's Works, and solid historical data were used, and more than 70 percent of the content is based on objective and historical teachings."
The Shift in Public Opinion After the War; From Following Iran's News to Western Tourists Expressing Pride in the Islamic Republic
Referring to the surge of anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist sentiments following recent developments and the Gaza war, he stated that introducing oneself as an Iranian in Africa has been accompanied by extraordinary respect and even "sanctity." Citing concrete examples, he said, "At the beginning of the war, both Shiite and Sunni Muslims would shake his hand in appreciation, as if he himself had attacked Israel. Also, Western tourists from Belgium, France, Germany, and even American tourists, when visiting the Iranian booth, would explicitly express their disgust with the arrogant Western governments and state, 'We are unhappy with our government and we are proud of Iran.'"
In another part of the interview, Hojat al-Islam Sabouri elaborated on the social atmosphere of Namibia and the view of international tourists, saying, "In Namibia, Shiites are present, and the Arbaeen ceremonies, commemorations of martyrdom and births, and the 40th day of the martyrdom of the martyred leader were warmly held; but among the general public and foreign tourists, developments in Iran are also followed, and the issue of the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its economic consequences are among their daily concerns."
Referring to the expression of pride by Western tourists in Iran's authoritative positions, he stated, "Many times, tourists from the United States, Belgium, France, and Germany have visited our cultural booths, where we display the Iranian flag, and while expressing special respect for Iran, they have expressed disgust at the arrogant and aggressive policies of their own governments; for example, an American tourist explicitly stated that he is disgusted by the warmongering actions of the U.S. government and is proud of Iran's resilience."
Sabouri stated that this type of attitude and respect in the post-war period has been a strong incentive for completing this work.
Criticism of Cultural Institutions' Neglect of International Authors
This seminary researcher, criticizing the performance of cultural and international institutions in the country, emphasized, "The field of supporting independent international authors is closed and zero; large cultural institutions have officials who have no understanding of the Western audience and spend their budgets on showcase projects and domestic conferences."
Revealing an example of the unprofessional behavior of international officials, he recounted a memory, saying, "Years ago, I wrote a book titled 'A Brief History of Muhammad' to introduce the Prophet of Islam to Western tourists, but the official of one of the international institutions claimed that mentioning the name 'Muhammad' without titles in the book's title was an insult! This lack of understanding of the taste of a non-Muslim audience, which is under the fire of Islamophobic Western propaganda, is the biggest obstacle in our religious diplomacy; ultimately, this book was published at my own expense and was welcomed by foreign tourists in Gambia."
The Novel "Sayyid Ali" to Be Released on Amazon Due to Bureaucracy and Lack of Domestic Support
Hojat al-Islam Sabouri, referring to the difficulties of printing and distributing international books by domestic publishers, added, "The late Hojat al-Islam Ahmad Ansarian in the Ansarian International Publications in Qom supported our first books years ago, but now due to sanctions, heavy postal costs, and lack of budgetary support from government institutions, domestic publishers are unable to send and distribute books abroad."
In conclusion, regarding the publication of the novel "Sayyid Ali," he stated, "Due to the complex bureaucracy of domestic websites and the lack of institutional support, the only option is to publish the book on the global platform 'Amazon,' which will be done within the next week to make it available to international and English-speaking audiences."
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