Acquaintance with a war martyr in "The Secret of a Crossing"

Shima Donyadar Rostami
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan

2018-9-22

"The Secret of a Crossing" is the title of a book which deals with the current oral memories of martyr Jafar Mohammdi in the form of biography.

The book's author, Maryam Bazr Afshan has not considered an introduction for the book but before the beginning of the first chapter, she had included a writing from the wife of the martyr which begins with these lines, "Jafar joined the camp of martyrs. He joined his fellows. I think of why, when we talk about martyrs or read their stories, watch their films ... we feel how similar they are. Their words, their attachments and ... "

Although the author has not written an introduction for the book or in the footnote of the book's pages, she even has not explained that each chapter, from the oral memory of which narrator, the martyr's life has been taken, the starting writing of "The Secret of a Crossing" suggests that most of the book is based on the memories of the martyr's wife.

Although we missed the brief introduction of martyr Jafar Mohammdi in the beginning of his biography, with a simple search in the cyber space, we recognize him as such, "Jafar Mohammadi was born in the village of Mishan from the city of Malayer on 22^nd of November 1958. After his elementary education, he immigrated to Tehran with his family and continued his education in Tehran until he received a diploma. In 1979, along with his family, he came to the city of Karaj and he was sent to the military service in the same year, serving in the Corps of Promotion of Knowledge of Hamedan.

He was responsible for military training of Basij (voluntary) forces in 1980 and in April 1981, was sent to the town of Gilan-e Gharb in Kermanshah. He was the commander of Karaj forces in the front known as "Tappeh Karajis" for four months.

In the Operation Preliminary Valfajr. He was the commander of Yasser Battalion from the Salma-e Farsi Brigade of the 27^th Division of Mohammad Rasoulallh (PBUH). He was injured severely in the stomach during the operation. Although he was wounded several times in other operation, he never left the front, and finally, on 13^th of April 1987 in the Operation Karbala 8 in Martyr Kalhor Headquarters, while he was performing ablution, was hit in the head by shrapnel and attained martyrdom.  

Different points of the martyr's life have been compiled in 26 short chapters in "The Secrets of a Crossing". These memories start from the time of his education in the alleys of Monirieh neighborhood.

In the first four chapters of the book, through description of atmosphere, the author has tried to narrate minor and short memoirs in a way that they portray to the audience an image from the childhood and adolescence period of Jafar Mohamamdi, the type of the religious relations and beliefs of his family and his position in the post-revolution years.

In part of the fourth chapter of the book, we read, "It was Jafar and the ideals he had defined for himself. A student with math diploma could take big steps. Wherever he was, he loved to do an activity. Once his father sat down and got Jafar's hand and said, "These people has nothing to do with religion. They do not afraid of shedding the blood of the youths."

Jafar lowered his head and just listened. He was not accustomed to challenge with his father. When his father saw that he did not say anything, asked: What do you want to say? Jafar raised his head and said, "It's the subject of religion. How can I wear black dress and mourn in the month of Muharam while they are destroying the religion of God…"?

A feature of the book is that it passes the memories very fast, as if the author has decided to makes a quick reference to every memory. Although this speeds up the study of "The Secret of a Crossing" and helps shape the image of the martyr's life in the mind of the audience, some ambiguities remain, including why they immigrated from Malayer to Tehran and from there to Karaj? Even sometimes the audience becomes confused in the places of the memories.

From the fifth chapter of the book which starts with the membership of Jafar Mohammadi in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Karaj, the memories speed up a little more and the story of his marriage happened in the sixth chapter. In the beginning of the chapter, we read, "Someone was in the room. Certainly, she was the younger sister. Jafar laughed. He wanted to go inside the room but gave up. He sat there by the garden. He whispered: Finally, Hussain did his job. His father looked at him from behind the window. He pointed with finger to him to go inside."

• Tell me who she is, my brother?
• Where did you see her?
•  How does the bride look like?

He lowered his head and said coolly: I do not know.

Everybody laughed.

• If you don't know, then who must know?
• Good luck, my brother.

His father kissed Jafar's forehead and said: Congratulations my son.

Then, Jafar and the bride were introduced to each other.

In spite this precise description of a certain moment, the audience did not understand eventually how the martyr got familiar with his wife or how they were introduced to each other. The story of Jafar's dispatch to the war front is explained from the middle of the sixth chapter.

From the seventh chapter, the writer has tried to mix the moments of the lady’s homesickness (Jafar’s wife), the short leaves of Jafar and behind-the-scene of the battle with the atmosphere of the front in order the transfer the same anxiety to the audience. It can be said that the narration of the oral memoirs of martyr Jafar Mohammadi has been successful in this regard.  

In the beginning of the 14^th chapter, we read, “Jafar had left. It was difficult days. She was waiting for the bell to ring every day. He heard the sound of the bell in the world of sleep and awakening; even she saw that the children was running toward the door and screamed: daddy came… daddy came. The days were longer than always. She decided several times to go to IRGC and asked for Jafar’s health. But every time, she gave up somehow…”

“The Secret of a Crossing” has also been successful in portraying the atmosphere of the operations. Through the narrations of the life of Jafar’s family, the writer suddenly took the audience to the scenes of the Iraqi imposed war against Islamic Republic of Iran, behind the front and the designing of the operation. In the beginning of the book’s page 95 (chapter 11), we read, “The year 1983 was something else. Mohammad was born in the same year. The lady thought the atmosphere of the house would be changed by his birth. After a while, the home’s situation became normal. Jafar went to the front again. The Operation Kheibar was going to be carried out; although the lady never found out that Jafar was in charge of the operation department of Habib Ibn-e Mazahir Brigade in the Operation Khiebar and what happened in the operation. The enemy’s tanks and personnel carriers had seized the whole area… The brigade commander, Hamid Golkar had been martyred. The guys were worried. There was no news of Jafar…” 

The book’s final chapter begins with illustration of the preparations for the ceremony of martyrdom of Jafar Mohammadi and ends with the farewell of his family and his young children. 

“The Secret of a Crossing” which is the seventh book out of the collection “Aflakian Alborz” has been released by the Office of Resistance Culture and Literature of the Provincial Centers of the Art Center and Sooreh Mehr Publications in 2016 in 207 pages.