“The Zaria Story” Published; Eyewitness Account of a Massacre

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), the book “The Zaria Story,” a documentary account of the 2015 massacre of Muslims in Nigeria, translated by Maryam Afshar, was published by Rahyar Publishers.

This book, previously compiled by Ibrahim Musa based on the testimonies and narratives of 24 eyewitnesses and published in English, has now been translated into Persian with the aim of familiarizing Iranian audiences with this overlooked event.

The Zaria massacre, as well as the personality and role of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, have received less attention in the media and public sphere in Iran. This is despite the fact that in the 2015 crime, a large number of Sheikh Zakzaky’s followers were martyred, and three of his children also died. Sheikh Zakzaky himself was arrested during this period and spent several years in prison.

The Persian translation of “The Zaria Story” aims to familiarize Iranian audiences not only with the human dimensions of this tragedy but also with the personality and popularity of Sheikh Zakzaky; a figure who, according to researchers, was deeply influenced in his thought and spirit by Imam Khomeini (RA), and this intellectual connection played an important role in the formation and expansion of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.

This book can open a new window to understanding the intellectual ties between the Islamic Revolution of Iran and religious movements in Africa, and present a less narrated part of the contemporary history of Muslims to Persian-speaking audiences.