A Cut from Daily Notes of Ashraf al-Sadat Sistani
Friday, 6th of Khordad 1363 (May 27, 1984)
Selected by Faezeh Sasanikhah
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan
2022-6-14
I have been sitting in a corner and am listening to the prayer sermon when a German journalist approaches me; along with a translator who is an Iranian student. The reporter asks me: "Are you the mother of a martyr?"
-Yes
-Do you have any photo of your martyr?
-I have a poster from him.
When I showed him the poster, he took a photo from me without getting a permission. I became upset; but I said nothing. He asks, "Aren't you upset that your child has been martyred?
-Thanks God that I have a share in this great work, because a great work needs a great price. We want to save our religion, our honor from the plunderers, and it will not be possible without sacrifice.
-Do you have any more children?
-6, I am ready to be sacrificed with them.
-Do you have any other child who is now at front?
-Yes I have a son who is both a member of IRGC and a student. He studies in Electricity in Sharif Industrial University. He is sometimes in the war zone and sometimes in the university.
-What if he is martyred?
-I have answered to this question?
I tell the translator:
I have a brother who lives in Austria. He originally resides in Austria and his family is also there. He came to Iran last summer. His way of thinking is different from mine. He told me, "I will send a letter of invitation. Send your children one by one to me and deliver doctors and engineers."
I thanked him and said, " I do not change the logo on the chest of "Mahdi" with any title. They can study here, but you can also ask themselves; If they came, I have nothing to say."
Afsaneh Said, "Dear uncle, we have been born here, we have grown up here and we will die here."
When my words finished, I see that the student was translating my words while crying.
After a while, a foreign magazine on its back cover prints my photo and the magazine is delivered to my nephew – Babak – in Austria.[1]
[1] Mosavat (Sistani), Ashraf al-Sadat, Beside Khayyen River, Daily Notes of a Mother, Tehran, The Art Center Publications, 1373 (1994), P. 96.
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Oral History of 40 Years
One of the main hypotheses regarding the reason for the growth and expansion of oral history in the modern era relates to the fact that oral history is the best tool for addressing lesser-known topics of contemporary history. Topics that, particularly because little information is available about them, have received less attention.Omissions in the Editing of Oral History
After the completion of interview sessions, the original recordings are archived, the interviews are transcribed, proofread, and re-listened to. If the material possesses the qualities required for publication in the form of an article or a book, the editing process must begin. In general, understanding a verbatim transcription of an interview is often not straightforward and requires editing so that it may be transformed into a fluent, well-documented text that is easy to comprehend.100 Questions/8
We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.The Role of Objects in Oral Narrative
Philosophers refer to anything that exists—or possesses the potential to exist—as an object. This concept may manifest in material forms, abstract notions, and even human emotions and lived experiences. In other words, an object encompasses a vast spectrum of beings and phenomena, each endowed with particular attributes and characteristics, and apprehensible in diverse modalities.
