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Among Iran's "True Believers," an Enduring Faith in Martyrdom
(Christian Science Monitor) Scott Peterson - "Today, if we can stand firm against the U.S. and the excessive demands of the U.S., it is because of the culture of martyrdom and culture of jihad," said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Tehran mayor and two-time conservative presidential candidate, at a memorial service attended by the commander of Iran's Qods Force, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani is credited with turning Lebanon's Shiite Hizbullah into one of the most potent fighting forces in the Middle East; wielding low-profile but effective pressure for years on U.S. forces in Iraq; and coming to the rescue of Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad in that country's civil war. The eulogy for Hassan Shateri, a Qods Force general killed in Syria last year, was delivered at the Museum of Holy Defense and Spreading the Culture of Resistance. Inside, the columns were decorated with shiny tin-plated AK-47 assault rifles. Outside, life-size replicas of each of Iran's ballistic missile designs are lined up on a hillside and old tanks and military vehicles line the roads.