Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (57)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (57)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

Taqi Shahram who was really angry of me would permanently use labels like well-off petit bourgeois, right-winged pseudo-leftist opportunist (1) and reactionary for me. He told Iraj: "This well-off petit bourgeois still cannot identify the status of workers." I said: "It's you the one who do not identify; you've used the money of these workers, Muslims and the nation, and now you are turning your back to them." He said: "This is our right and we have led the stream of struggle and this is our right to use their facilities." I asked: "What will happen to other Muslim comrades?" he said: "All have accepted the ideology change. Few are remained like you that we will let them to keep their religious believes individually only. But they should remain beside us in our struggle. Right now is not the time of division and separation and keeping the unity is a rule. You cannot understand what we say now. You should go and work like other workers for some time to understand what we say. Continuing this discussion is useless. You should continue you usual task until MKO clarifies your status…"
That day I really interacted quite harshly. Just like a person who had nothing to lose and even his hope for life. It was amazing to me that why he behaved reflexively and tried to answer my questions and justify my objections. He could not reach to his desired result. He was really angry of not getting any success when arguing with me in front of other people. I was persistently of myself what had happened to the Koran verse: "And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them in Our ways; and Allah is most surely with the doers of good"[Chapter 29, verse 69]? I was in a condition that cannot be narrated. Everything was indifferent for me. Suddenly I felt some warmness in myself. My body got hot; cold sweat came on my forehead and a light came to my mind. I was frightened if I had lost my beliefs. I shivered.
Khosrow, Parviz and I had many sessions of discussions with each other and finally we decided to stand in front of this ideology change; however my wife, Fatimah, was not coordinated with us and her behavior would worry us.

Fruitless Advice

Shahram accused of not being from the workers and not tasting their pains. He said that I could not understand their position and what they say. SO he told me: "Shapour! You should go and work in factories to understand what I say and increase your political knowledge." Then the official order from MKO was given to me.
I went to Damavand Street to look for a job. I found some factories in a side street. A lock-making factory was hiring workers. Many people were standing in row in front of that factory to be interviewed and employed. I also stood there. When it was my turn to be interviewed the interviewer asked me to show him my hands. I did. He smiled and said: "These soft hands show that you have not been a worker. Hands of a worker are hard skinned and harsh. He asked: "Where have you worked?" Looking at his meaningful smile I answered him with Semnani accent (2): "I had a grocery in Semnan. My partner swindled and I was bankrupt. Now I am in Tehran to make my ends meet." He who had become suspicious of me asked: "Do you know what the future of this job is?" I said: "Ok. All the people look for a better status in their job." He said: "Have you seen these bicycles that move around in the streets and shout: 'Locksmith, locksmith…we open any lock!'…? At most you would do this." Then he began laughing. When I saw that he was making fun of me, I came out and continued my search for a job as worker.
Nail-making company was employing workers who were somehow literate. I would fit for this job and since I had a good strong body they hired me. From the very first day I worked with pressing machine. They said we had one hour time for saying prayers and having lunch. I asked one of workers where the praying hall was. He asked surprisingly: "Praying hall?!" Then he showed the second floor in the building which was half constructed and said: "There is no praying hall but you can put a rug and say your prayers there." When I went to the second floor, I saw three other people came as well. We put a rug together and prayed. It was so interesting that among about seventy workers, we four would pray there. If somebody would ask about my past, I would tell the story of grocery and bankruptcy because of being swindled by my partner. This way nobody would become suspicious about me because I could address the streets and exact locations in Semnan. I knew there very well and nobody would think of checking the truth there in Semnan.
Anyway…MKO forced me to work as a worker in order to make me accept the new conditions. But this had a reverse affect on me. I followed my own ideals and beliefs there. I would pray on time and talk about mu political and religious thoughts with other workers. I would enjoy it.
MKO made a great mistake by forcing me to work as a simple worker. Some days after finishing my work at factory I would not go to the team-house. Instead, I would go to the houses of different people including the late Sadegh Eslami to find way out of the bog of misled MKO for myself.

1- "… The ones who turn their back to the armed revolutionary struggle, or the ones who provoke divide and collide to the benefit of the enemy instead of unity of forces; or the ones who look for an absolute unity among the forces without considering their antithesis, and follow petit capitalism and capitalism, are opportunists. This deviation and opportunism, considering the meanings of being leftist or rightist which mean forwardness or backwardness to the conditions of the time, is called left-deviation (Left opportunism) or right-deviation (Right opportunism).
The trends that only struggle politically are Right opportunists. The ones who consider the antithesis among the forces as the main factor and unity as something marginal are Left opportunists.
Opportunist is equal to deviate from the principals and violating them in action. Opportunism is sacrificing the principals and focusing on marigins."
(Trainings about Organization No.3, MKO)
2- Mr. Ahmad had been acquainted with Semnani accent at the time of his military service there.