Oral history experts to review first deputy FM memoirs

OHWM – Hussein Ruhani Sadr’s book “Where Is Our Grand Deputy” (Sheikh-ul-Moaavenin-e Ma Kojast) is going to be reviewed by oral history experts, writers and researchers at the Writers House (Saray-e Ahl-e Qalam) in Tehran on June 25, 2012 (Tir 5, 1391S.H).

Ruhani Sadr’s book features oral memories of Mohammad Arab who served as the first deputy of Ali Akbar Velayati, the Islamic Republic Foreign Affairs Minister after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The book review meeting will be attended by Sa’eed Fakhrzadeh, director of the Oral History Department at the Office for the Islamic Revolution Literature, researchers Mohsen Kazemi and Mahmoud Sadat-Bidgoly, Javad Mansouri, Foreign Ministry Cultural and Consular Deputy and the Islamic Republic Ambassador to Pakistan who is a survivor of June 28, 1981 bombing of the Islamic Republic Party headquarters and the writer himself.

“Where Is My Grand Deputy?” in 10 chapters contains memoirs of Mohammad Arab from his home village Rostam-Abad in Shemiran in Northern Tehran. In his testimonies, Arab evokes memories about his village during the Second World War, the presence of the Polish occupying forces in a Saltanat-Abad camp in Northern Tehran, the conditions and livelihood of the villagers in Rostam-Abad, and Iran’s situation during the premiership of Mohammad Mossadeq, the activities of the National Front and Ayatullah Kashani.

The most important part of Arab’s memoirs is about the days he was employed by the Defense Industries Organization. He was only 15 years old when he joined the organization and had the opportunity to work at different sections. A considerable part of his memories are about his days in the Defense Industries Organization.

Arab joined the political campaign for the Islamic movement in 1961. But his political activities cost him the loss of his job at the Defense Industries.
At his home village Rostam-Abad in Shemiran he could establish good relations with Ayatullah Shah-Abadi while working as an activist at a neighborhood mosque.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Arab went to live in the holy city of Qom. Soon he joined the Islamic Republic Party and he was given the responsibility for the military training of members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in the city. Then he was appointed as the mayor of Qom. In 1980, following Ayatollah Rohollah Khomeini’s decree on the establishment of the city councils, Arab became a member of the city council in Qom. After the bombing of Islamic Republic Party headquarters on June 28, 1981, Arab was appointed as the deputy foreign minister. He was the first deputy foreign minister after the revolution, a capacity he kept until 1985.

In 1988, he was sent to Oman as the Islamic Republic first ambassador to the sultanate. An interesting chapter of the book “Where Is Our Grand Deputy” describes Arab’s activities and dealings in Oman. One of his most important achievements during his days in the sultanate was normalizing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and paving the way for the Iranians to go to the Hajj pilgrimage.

Arab was the fist deputy of Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri, head of the Islamic Cultural and Communications Organization. Later, from 1997 to 2000, Arab served as the Islamic Republic Consulate-General to Dubai. After returning from Dubai, he became head of the Ahl-ul-Bayt World Assembly in Qom and he joined the Islamic Coalition Party (Mo’talefeh).

Presently, Arab is an advisor to the Governor-General in the holy city of Qom.

The Book “Where Is Our Grand Deputy?” is printed in the octavo in 600 pages. The publisher is the Islamic Revolution Document Center.

Review session of the book will take place at the Writers House (Saray-e Ahl-e Qalam) on June 25, 2012 (Tir 5, 1391 H.Sh) at 17:00 o’clock at the following address:
Khaje Nassir Lane, Felestin Jonobi Street, Enghelab Avenue, Tehran

OHWM correspondent: Fatemeh Noorvand
Translated by: Reza Bahar