Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (63)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (63)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

Thunder

Contacts with Andarzgou

After separation from MKO and moving my furniture to Mo’ezzossoltan Street, one day I was walking aimlessly in the street. I decided to go and visit Haj Sadegh Eslami. After greetings, I reported all my visits and whatever that had happened to me during that last few days. I expressed my sorrow about the separation MKO imposed on my wife and me. He said: “The comrades in in Coalition Councils advised me to take care of you. So, call Haj Mohsen Rafiqdoost (1) tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock and tell him that I have ordered you to go there and get the luggage there. Then he would tell you what to do. Go and be relaxed.”
The next day I called him on time and told him what Haj Sadegh had told me to tell him. Mr. Rafiqdoust asked: “Where are you now?” I said: “I am not so far.” He said: “Can you come to my shop at 10?” I said: “Yes.” It was ten in the morning but he was so busy. I went to the small room in the back of the shop. It was a resting room for the workers and drivers.
When he was free of the work, he came to me and I narrated the story of “Ideology Change” in MKO and my opposition to it. He gave me a phone number and said: “Tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock call Haj Ali Heydari (2) and tell him I have introduced you to buy some goods.” I did what they advised me step by step. When I called Haj Ali Heydari (The greengrocer) I told him: “Haj Mohsen Rafiqdoost had introduced you to sell my some orange packages.” He asked: “How many packages do you want?” I said: “Five.” He said: “Come tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock and take it.”
These comings and goings at that time were really bothering but because the heavy security atmosphere of that time they were essential.
I went to Haj Ali’s shop the next morning and told him what had passed to me. He said: “Now you should cut your contacts with Haj Mohsen and keep in touch with me. Whenever you called you should say that you need fruits.” Then he gave me his home phone number too. This way, during the next few days I made several visits with him and reported the latest news that I had.
One day, Haj Ali told me that he wanted to take me to an important visit and get me acquainted with a new figure. We went together to a building in Ghiyasi Street. It was an old building and had a big yard with several rooms around. There seemed to be holding a funeral ceremony for somebody in one or two rooms. The yard was full of people. Haj Ali showed me the basement stairs in a corner and told me that we had to go there. Everything was full of ambiguity. I followed Haj Ali and we entered a room in the basement. There was a Korsi (3) in the middle of the room and a man with a black skullcap was sitting behind it. We said hello and he stood up and answered our greetings and we shook hands. Haj Ali said: “He is the so-called Ahmad.” And he said: “Ahmad, I know you; do you know me?” I said: “You look familiar to me but I do not remember where I had seen you.” He said: “You would not know even if you had seen me, because I have been hiding for a long time; have you heard Andarzgou?” I got happy a lot at once and told him happily: “Haj Agha! Is it you?!” Then we hugged each other. Visiting him calmed me in a way that I forgot lot of my pains. When he was talking it was like he was reinforcing me and feeding my soul. (4)

1- Mr. Rafiqdoust tells the story like this in his memoirs: “…I had contacts with MKO through 4 canals; one of them was the Andarzgou [and the other one] was Mr. Ahmad. [He] had been injured and imprisoned for a long time before the revolution. He has tired body now, but thank god that he is still alive. [The third canal] was the late Rajaei and [the fourth] was the late Majid Sharif Waqefi.” (Oral History Unit Archive- The Bureau for The Islamic Revolution Literature)
“Mohsen Rafiqdoust was born in 1940 in a religious financially moderate family in south of Tehran. After elementary school, he entered Behbahani High School but was expelled in the second grade because of political activities. So he joined his father in his business and continued his studies at nights. In 1957 he got his diploma in math. From his childhood he got acquainted with the late Navvab Safavi and the late Abdulhussein Vahedi from “Islam Devotees” and would take part in their speech sessions.
When Liberty Movement was established in 1960, he joined them and later cooperated with his other comrades in Coalition Councils including its military branch with the late Andarzgou. He was arrested in 1976 because these cooperation and freed in 1978. He had an effective role in Ashura and Tasu’a rallies in Tehran in 1978. Then he accepted the security and facilities affairs in the Committee of Welcoming Imam [Khomeini] in 1979. He was also the driver of the Blazer which carried Imam from the Mehrabad Airport. After the Islamic Revolution he became the administrator of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Facilities Office, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Minister, Head of Cooperation Fund of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and President of The Handicapped and Oppressed Fund.
2- Ali Akbar Heydari known as Ali Sabziforoush, born in a religious farmer family in 1937 in Doulab Quarters in south of Tehran. He passed his elementary school in traditional religious schools. He began his political and religious activities from Nayebossaltaneh Mosque and taking part in speech sessions of Haj Sheikh Mahdi Mo’ezzodoleh. He expanded his activity by presence in Mahdiye Mosque in Tehran and would take part in the late Ayatollah Saeedi speeches. He was a Coalition Councils member and was effective in shaping the rallies of Ashura and the June 5th Rise in 1963. He did a great attempt in gathering signatures to prove the Marja’iyyat, "being source of emulation", of Imam Khomeini. After the assassination of Hassan Ali Mansour he was arrested along with his other comrades and imprisoned till 1967. After the arrest of Mr. Rafiqdoust, he was also arrested and imprisoned till the spring of 1978.
3- Korsi: A square table covered with a blanket with a brazier under it to heat the legs and body.
4- Mr. Ali Heydari says in his memories: “… Mr. Ahmad was among our confirmed friends. I had told the late Andarzgou that I wanted to introduce Mr. Ahmad Ahmad to him. He told me: “Let it be for few days.” Andarzgou went to Qum for few days. When he was back, I asked him again to let Ahmad visit him. He said: “No, tell him to come tomorrow. I call you tomorrow and tell you the time and place.” Then I took Ahmad to my father’s house in the end of Ghiyasi Street. Accidentally there was a funeral ceremony of one of relative there. I took him to Mr. Andarzgou in the basement. Andarzgou was sitting under a Korsi. I introduced them to each other…” (Oral History Unit Archive- The Bureau for The Islamic Revolution Literature)