Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (26)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (26)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Going to Military Service- Karaj Garrison My father was under my tutelage and I was exempted from military service for seven years. This time was going to finish. I referred to the Military Service Administration and asked to prolong my exemption from military service. They examined my case and referred it to the court. There, they wrote "soldier" with red pen on my file and said: "Go and serve your country!" I argued: "My father is seven years older, and my exemption of military service should be forever or at least prolonged at the right moment." But they did not accept and said: "We cannot do anything!" Now, what for? I do not know! But I guess they had some...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (25)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (25)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Being Trained in Hezbollah We needed some training to ready to fight against the regime consciously. So we scheduled program for the needed trainings such as martial arts, shooting and ideological discussions somewhere around brick kilns near Khavaran Road. We (Abu Sharif, Sepasi Ashtiani and I) would go to places far behind the public eyes in order to save any human or animal from the possible hurts of our shooting and also not to make any suspicion.In another program, Abba Agha Zamani conducted Arabic Language classes first in Haj Amjad Mosque (1) and then in Amir-al-Mu’menin Mosque (2). These classes were free and in a new style and beside the call Agha Zamani...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (24)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (24)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Rain in Dessert Hezbollah On 6th of Ramadan 1387 SH (Dec 8th 1967), Abbas Agha Zamani (1) a friend of mine in INP came to my home and after the greetings asked me to go with him somewhere in Tehran suburbs to tell some important to me. When I came out of the house I could see that Ali Reza Sepasi Ashtiani was also in the car. Abbas had a Benz-170. I did greetings with him too and we went. Where? They did not tell me at first.On the way Abbas Agha Zamani talked about what we were and what had to do. He said: “Ahmad! We did not go to prison to get familiar with some friends or fast or worship and then return back to normal life and consider the story of fight a...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (23)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (23)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Islamic Community and the Marxists Commune in Prison What we had in Prison No. 3 was a picture of an Islamic Community. Whatever that someone would like for himself would like it for others and what he would not like for himself would not like it for the others as well. Brotherhood and unity were seen in all levels. We had no financial dependency in the prison. If someone had something it belonged to all the brothers.  And if somebody needed something the others would give him. It was the utopia we were looking for. Prison was a chance to test Islamic ideas practically. Islamic Community was an ideal goal and prison was a chance to experience it.55 INP members...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (22)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (22)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Prison No. 3After about 4 months, they sent me to Prison No. 3 where the other INP members were held as political prisoners. There, we had fewer problems because of being beside other friends who were all political. Something that I should narrate here are the stories of honoring resistance of our palls.Days and nights at prison were the same. In order to flee from this condition we had scheduled our time. I dare to say that we had no misused time. From dawn to sunset we had filled our time by worship, prayers, classes, discussions, news analysis, cleaning and … Mr. Anvari had two kinds of classes; a public one and a professional one. And Mr. Hojjati Kermani had...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (21)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (21)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Prison No. 2, Row No. 4Our deadline was going to be over and we were ready to go on hunger strike. Major Teymouri came and said: “Don not think that we are frightened of your threat; since there some room is being freed, we are taking you to Prison No. 3. However, 3 people should go to Prison No. 2. Thus, two people and I went to row No. 4 in Prison No. 2 and the rest were taken to Prison No.3.They had transferred the INP leader and some central committee members to this row. Ayatollah Mohiyeddin Anvari, Sheik Fazlollah Mahalati and Haj Ali Noori were among other prisoners in this row who were completely aware of our resistance in Prison No. 1. When we entered they...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (20)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (20)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Qasr PrisonWhen the trail was over they transferred us to Qasr Prison (1) on Thursday. There, they separated 15 of us whose verdicts were  death, life or long imprisonment sentences and sent them first to a newly constructed school and then to a big but dirty room where coal was kept. This room was the old visiting room of the 1st row. They wanted to move us to Prison No. 1 during the next days. Since I was familiar with that prison because of my brother’s presence there, I told the pals that Prison No.1 is for ordinary prisoners and the atmosphere there is immoral. Some others approved what I told. So, we decided to confront in case if being sent there. They...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (19)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (19)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi         INP Members TrialIn late January, after a hundred days of silent in the press, the regime broadcasted the news about INP members arrest along with great propaganda. My picture was printed on the first page of Ettela’at and Keyhan newspapers (Documents no.1 & 2)     By the propaganda in the press, our pals found out the trials were so near. So, they gathered together and consulted each other about their defense in the court. It became almost clear for each of us how begin, rise and finish our defense.  All of us agreed that each person should only defend himself and do not accept the deeds by others. So, the...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (18)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (18)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Jamshidiyeh PrisonOn early days of January, all INP members were transferred to the prison of Jamshidiyeh Garrison. This prison had better equipment such as a big hall, double or triple stairs beds, blankets and heater.There were two prisons, one for the officers and one for the soldiers. We were prisoned in soldiers’. The central cadres were in a separated cell. That winter is a memorable one for all of us. Because of cold weather the heaters were on. They would burn coal and this matter had its own troubles. I remember that we had to open heater’s door to feed it with coal and whenever we would open it, there was a lot of black smoke coming out. Then we had to...

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (17)

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (17)Edited by Mohsen KazemiSoureh Mehr Publishing Company(Original Text in Persian, 2000)Translated by Mohammad Karimi Temporary Custody of the Police The Police Custody had a round courtyard and a three-storey building around that yard. They had put a group in each cell, but the ones who had resisted, including me, had put in solitary confinement. My cell had a window opening to the courtyard. The guards were so rude and bad-tempered. They behave with us as we were wild animals. For example when they wanted to give our food, first they would look inside the cell and wait until the prisoner would go far from the door and then he would open the door slowly and put this of food behind the door and close it fast.The trousers that I had were not easy to wear. One day, the guard that my...
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Part of memoirs of Haojjatol Eslam Sheikh Esmaeel Dayani

Saudi attack on Iranian pilgrims

My most memorable trip happened in 1366 solar hijri (1987) during which I accidentally was the head of the caravan. On that trip, the brutal massacre of the Iranian haj pilgrims by the Saudi agents happened. That horrible tragedy occurred on Friday which was later known as "Black Friday"… Almost everybody had prepared to take part in the rally on the day of the "Disavowal of Polytheists".

Nurse of Fav Hospital

“I didn’t see this event in Ayoubi Hospital, but I did in Fav Hospital exactly. At least once a day, we witnessed the flight of Iraqi jets from that area which came to strike the hospital. Of course, our forces poured so much dirt and sand on the concrete roof of the hospital that it became like a hill, and the guys could hardly understand the sound of the bomb and...

Report on the Fourteenth Conference of Oral History- 3rd and final part

Connecting oral history to the body of power is traumatic
According to the Iranian Oral History Website, the 14th Oral History Conference titled “Oral History on Scale” was held by the History Department of the University of Isfahan and the Oral History Association of Iran on Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024; professors, experts, and ...
A review of twenty years of oral history in Iran

Scientific and professional authority; perspective of Iranian Oral History Association

If a person has a personal library in his or her house, one or more oral history books are seen among them. In recent decades, the wave of book lovers has turned towards the field of oral history, and all this rising trend is owed to the activists in this field.