The 299th session of Memory Night -3

To be confronted with Pahlavi and Baath Officials

Maryam Rajabi
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2019-2-26

According to Iranian oral history website, 299th session of Memory Night of sacred defense was held in the Sura hall of Art Center on Thursday, January 24, 2019. In this program, Ali Danesh Monfared, Ibrahim Etesam and Hojatoleslam Mohammad Jamshidi spoke about his memories of struggle for the victory of Islamic Revolution and captivity in the prisons of Iraqi Ba'ath regime. In the first part of this report, you read the narration of Ali Danesh Monfared about his memories from the 1st to 22th February in 1979. In the second part, Ibrahim Etesam told his history about the years before the victory of Islamic Revolution and the influence of revolutionary struggles on his own presence on sacred defense fronts and the period of captivity in the camps of Saddam’s army.

The third narrator of the 299th session of Memory Night of sacred defense was Hojatoleslamal Mohammad Jamshidi. He was born in Kohsar Kandeh village from the city of Neka in Mazandaran[1] province. In 1960, he moved from Neka to Qom and he settled at the Feyziyya School[2] of Qom in chamber 62, in 1962. At that same time, he became familiar with Rouhollah Khomeini and strengthened his revolutionary spirit by reading book "Kashf al-Asrar[3]", which was not possible for printing it at that time, and there was just one volume in the school.

The memory of his presence at the Feyziyya School of Qom, especially in the second incident of the March 2th of 1963, which was accompanied by the invasion of Pahlavi officials, is audible. He was captured in the cities of Mosul and Tikrit for 9 years, and he was known with his scatting speeches in three periods of Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Hojatoleslam Jamshidi said: "Imam Khomeini had millions of supporters. In February 1962, the King went to Qom and Imam ordered that Qomis people should not go out of house, Students were not allowed to attend in king's speech. A very gloomy and lonely speech was held by the king; the king's prestige was defeated. The king was angry at that meeting and said that we had troublemaker in country that we wouldn’t led our country go ahead. He made a lot of dares and left Qom. Everyone realized that he had made another decision for Hawza[4] the clergy. Three days later, Imam Khomeini Spoke against Shah in the Azam Mosque and said: "they believe that we have troublemaking in the country, who are the troublemaker of this country? Are we? We say that the people of southern Tehran do not have water to think. You should solve their problem something for them. Whatever we say is quoted by Imam Sadeq (AS), Imam Baqir (AS) and Mohammad Prophet (PBUH). The important point Imam mentioned at that meeting was: "who are these people (American advisers) living in the country. If they servants and crew, why did you raise them higher than your masters? If this country occupied by foreign country, why do you (King) howled?"

It was so important in those days that Imam ordered the clerics to read the homily of Feyziyya since the seventh of Muharram. What was happened in Feyziyya? We've seen people come to Qom who were not look like the people of Qom. A meeting was held at Imam Hasan Asgari (AS) mosque. I went with my friends to use a preacher from men. We saw that very strong young people were sitting around pulpit. I simply said to my friend: "it's lucky; young people are trending to Islam." He said with fear that these are army commandos, and it is unclear what they have come for. Muezzin[5] announced that an assembly is going to be held at Feyziyya School on the occasion of martyrdom of Imam Sadiq (AS) at 4:00 pm. Until Muezzin said this, all those around the pulpit went. The second command came to carry out operations in Feyziyya. We went to our cellar on the top floor of the school. Our chamber was overlooking Feyziyya courtyard. A large crowd of great clerics and students came. Mr. Aletaha went on pulpit and came down. Mr. Ansari went on pulpit, and at the same time Ayatollah Golpayegani was also came. The pulpit was at next to a stair leading to Azam Mosque. Ayatollah Golpayegani sat next to it. As soon as Mr. Ansari started his career, two men fought under the pulpit, and these persons were gradually increased. Mr. Ansari said: "there is problem, and smoke of Cigar has offended the men, sit down." Suddenly one of them shouted and said, "Sit yourselves!" Mr. Ansari descended from the pulpit and people led him along with Ayatollah Golpayegani out of the stairs leading to Azam Mosque. After that, the ones who had fought egan chanting slogans:" long live the king, long live the king". One went on the top of pulpit and said: "Say peace upon to rebellious soul of the late Reza Shah[6]!" We suddenly found the situation collapsed. One rumbled and said: "The story of Goharshad Mosque will be repeated." The crowd suddenly left the mosque and we just stayed alone."

God bless Meshkini, that I went Qom to attend his ethical sessions. In Hojjatieh Mosque, he said: "cleric should eat a little and walk slowly." I said to them:" "I do not follows this words. I eat well and exercise well! "I had a swimming board and dumbbell at Feyziyya School. I did 300 push-ups to have a strong body. Now the forces of King were in school. Those commandos began to shake. They searched around Feyziyya and found my chamber. There were bricks at the front of my chamber. We beat them with the bricks, but they came from the roof and dominated us. I went inside the chamber. I saw that about 20 to 25 people were sitting inside the chamber. I had an old blanket. I wrapped it in my left hand, took the board with my right hand and sat next to me. They kicked door, which was old, in the middle of the chamber. The officer stopped for a moment and then went inside and went to Mr. Abtahi, who was a great Sid[7]from Isfahan. He took his collar and said: "say long live the king! Say heartily long live the king!" Then he hit on his head with a wood; His turban opened and fell on the ground. When this was happened there, I stood up and hit his spinal cord with a swim board. He sat down and I came out. I saw a crowd like him were gathered around him. I attacked them to the same board and went to stairs quickly. I pushed those who were chasing me and went downstairs together. I coped with them. I got into the yard. As the courtyard was open and wide, we were involved in punch-up. We stood for about half an hour, and suddenly a man came and injured my right hand. The hand that should held the board did not work. I realized that I was no longer able to stand. I left blanket and the board, and ran. They shot me behind. I got to the front of school. I was against Pahlavi regime genetically; my father was a mullah, and whenever he named of Reza Shah, he would say that Goddamn him to hell. We grew up with that gene. I went to a militant, I thought he was general Nasiri, but one of clerics from Qom, whom I forgot his name, said that he was not a Nisiri, he is Colonel Moulavi. I complained him and said: "goat shouldn’t be killed with a stick, if you want to capture me, I me ready, if you want to kill me, I am ready too!" What kind of an operation are you running here?" He said: "Shut up!" and he used also some swearwords. Then he said: "say long live the king!" I replied: " should I worship Satan!?" As soon as I said this, it was as if the sky had broken down on my head. He gave so hard slap me that I shoved on the wall. I gave another slap to the other side of my face that I shove on the other side of the wall. He commanded: "capture him …!" Briefly, I was taken to a car that hereafter the story is detailed. "

The third narrator of the 299th session of Memory Night of sacred defense continued his captivity in the camps of Saddam's army and said: "One day during the captivity, Mr. Hashemi came and said," Our bread quota has halved. This bread is not enough for us. "I said to him: "Tell the captives to be patient and wait. We are captive and we have to be adjusted to the conditions; God will solve our problem. As an honor to me, he retold my words to the captives. Other days he came and said water is also lowered, etc. At that time, he was sympathetic to all captives. One day, he came and said a poster was brought to insult the Imam. I told him that the captives would not go inside and sit down in line, and everyone would say that we wanted to speak with Amer (the Iraqi officer in the camp). The same thing happened. The prisoners sat in the line, and Amer came and asked Mr. Hashemi what was going on? Mr. Hashemi said: "Apparently the poster that you brought had upset the captives." Amer said: "Tell them me to go inside, I will come back and solve the problem." I have told Mr. Hashemi that if Amer said to the captives to go inside, they should go inside. I saw that two soldiers came to me and took me to Amer. He asked: "Why did you disturb the condition of camp?" I said: "I am innocent. If you order me to eat, I will eat, if you order me to sleep, I will sleep, if you order not to go, I won't go, I'm captive and I have to adapt myself to you!" He said: "We know you!" I said: "I am one of the followers of Khomeini's and one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran." He said: "whoever you were, you were in your own country, here you are a prisoner." I said: "I do not know how I can speak with you. I also agree with you and believe that I am a dependent captive. "He said: "Sit down and drink tea and go  somehow to solve this problem and do not let them cause a riot." I said: "Let me talk a bit?" you came to reduce the bread of these people, were you successful? You came to reduce the air? Was there anyone to complain? You insulted Imam Khomeini! Here everyone is ready to kill himself for Imam Khomeini. "

The 299th session of Memory Night of sacred defense was held under the efforts of Center for Cultural Research and Studies of Culture and Literature Stability, and Office of Literature and Art of Resistance at Art Center's Sura hall on Thursday, January 24, 2019.

299th session of Memory Night -1: One Nation, One Leader and A Great Movement

299th session of Memory Night -2: From Hamon camp to Tikrit camp