Oral history of Islamic Revolution in Bushehr (2)

Campaign centers

Mohammad Jamiri
Translated by Mohammad Bagher Khoshnevisan

2015-10-17

Note: In the following article, we will review the process of campaigns against the Pahlavi regime as well as the current of the Islamic revolution in Bushehr Province and in particular, the city of Bushehr. It also reviews the Islamic movement of the people of Bushehr in following the leader of the revolution Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul). Another goal of the following writing is to introduce the clergies and campaigners of Bushehr. Interviews have been conducted for collection of information. Last week, the first part was presented to you and now here is the second part.

The guidance of revolutionary sessions and promotion of the content of the campaign naturally needed the materials which like food for body were regarded as necessary. On the other hand such content was not found in Bushehr so it was necessary that these firsthand materials such as audio tapes, books, and the epistle of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul) or the tapes and books of other anti-regime activists and campaigners were transferred from Qom or Tehran to Bushehr. These individuals were the members of one of the above mentioned centers and in some cases were acting individually, but eventually they became connected to one of the members of these centers. For instance, some cases are referred to below:

Sheikh Salman Bahrani who was a young clergy at that time and had a family relation with martyr Ashouri says in this regard, “I had gone to the holy city of Qom since 1972 in order to continue my education. There, I had relations with Hosseinieh Ershad as well as the late Mohammad Ali Kamkari and Haj Reza Mohammadi Bagh Mallaei and through these relations, we transferred the tapes and books of misters Mohammad Reza Hakimi, Bazargan, Taleqani, Shariati and Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul) to Bushehr. After the passing away of Mustafa Khomeini (God bless his soul), I brought the tapes of Hojjat al-Eslam Ma’adikhah along with the photos of the Imam and other prominent revolutionary clergies from Qom to Bushehr by a Peykan automobile. The method was that we took out the bumper and embedded the materials inside it and then we put it in its place and nobody was found out.”

In this regard, a campaigner and a member of Hosseinieh Ershad, Reza Qaderian refers to a good point, “Martyr Haj Qassem Hendizadeh was an employee of Social Security Office. Therefore, he was sent to different areas for buying materials for the office. Once he had gone to Tehran in 1977 to deliver an automobile for Bushehr’s Social Security Office. When he wanted to come back to Bushehr, he had filled the car with Imam Khomeini’s communiques and returned to Bushehr from Ahvaz.”

Abduallh Fatehi had also been active in this regard and had relations with the campaigners of Bushehr while studying in Tehran, “When I was studying in Tehran between the years 1974 to 1977 and before I was arrested again in 1977, I was coming to Bushehr during holidays and some other times, and brought tapes of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul), Dr. Shariati and some other prominent revolutionary figures for my revolutionary friends.”

With regard to the distribution of tapes and photos, many people were also involved. Reza Qaderian says, “About the distribution of communiques and tapes, a tape recorder which recorded three tapes simultaneously and a mimeograph machine had been bought by martyr Bagher Meigoli Nejad and the late Mohammad Ali Kamkari respectively at their own expenses. Mohammad Ali Kamkari who was among the most ideological campaigners of Bushehr, printed and published the communiques at his own expense. He was among the most important elements between Bushehri activists and the centers like Qom and Tehran. While coming back from Qom to Bushehr and while his car was full of communiques, he lost his life in a suspicious collision. The police said that he died as a result of a collision but his family and friends believed strongly that he was martyred by SAVAK (Shah’s secret police).

About the death of Kamkari, Mashallah Aali Hosseini says, “The martyrdom of martyr Mohammad Ali Kamkari an active member of Hosseinieh Ershad and a group called Me’raj dealt a heavy blow to Me’raj coherent and united group. At any rate, SAVAK in this way managed to get one of the key figures out of the outward scene.”

In this regard, Muzaffari Zadeh also says, “In the beginning, we had no device for printing the Imam’s communiques and used papers or carbons or the typing machine of Mohammad Qanbar Pour which was in his house. We brought the printed communiqués in Bushehr to Kazeroun and those of Kazeroun to Bushehr so that nobody suspected us. Regarding the epistle of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul), we wrote the name of another Source of Emulation in the first page so that nobody suspected.”

The tapes and statements of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul) were distributed in the same way. At this time, some of the members of Fada’iyan Eslam or Devotees of Islam including Ahmad Verdiyani, Khosravian and Seyed Hossein Safavi were involved actively in the campaign scene.

At this time, something happened which led to the familiarization of martyr Ashouri with the prominent revolutionary clergies settled in Qom and that is the story of collection of money for the Cultural Center in Qom. Hojjat al-Eslam Slaman Bahrani says in this regard, “I went to Qom in 1972 to continue my education. Concurrently, in a protest measure, the clergies gathered in Feizieh Seminary during which the forces of the Shah’s regime attacked the protesters and the seminary was closed for a while. I also participated in the demonstrations. At the same time, I had relation with martyr Ashouri from Qom. During this time, the revolutionaries set on fire a cinema in Qom, and while collecting money, Ayatollah Mar’ashi Najafi ordered a religious center to be built in the place of the cinema. I informed martyr Ashouri and since prominent clergies in Qom like Meshkini, Rasti Kashani, Azari Qomi and others knew martyr Ashouri well, he sent some money for the construction of the religious center. The people of Bushehr had given him the money.”

Concurrent with the activities of revolutionary forces across the country, forces with different ideologies were also involved as the uprising against the Pahlavi regime intensified.in addition to religious forces, other forces like nationalists, semi-religious and semi-nationalist to extreme left and non-religious forces were also active. Naturally Bushehr was no exception although the number of individuals with non-religious ideology were few. At this time, a number of Fada’iyan Khalq (devotees of people) and Tudeh Party elements who were categorized as Marxist left were active in Bushehr. A number of nationalist activists were also present at the scene very strongly. Even after the victory of the Islamic revolution, some of the leftists had set up offices in the city and had guns with themselves. But after warning and intense clashes with revolutionary forces, they evacuated the offices and vanished from the scene of Bushehr after a while.”  

Reza Qaderian also says, “Most of our teachers in schools either did not like to campaign or had leftists leanings, and those who were active were among left forces. On the other hand, individuals like Gholam Reza Hagh Shenas and Mashallah Pazhang continued their activities with communist viewpoint. They had started their activities since 1975.”

We find interesting points in reviewing the events related to the Islamic revolution in Bushehr and even all over the country and the people’s familiarization with the Pahlavi regime and their understanding of the regime’s deep incompetence. Some of the Bushehr’s revolutionaries are among this classification. For instance what made Reza Qaderian along with martyrs Meigoli Nejad and Hendizaedh to become resolute to continue their campaign against the Shah was a tour to different parts of the country and seeing the oppressions. In this regard, Qaderian says, “What affected more than everything in reiteration of our revolutionary stand was a 20-day trip to different parts of Iran. I along with the revolutionary friends travelled to Isfahan and Qom and then to Tehran and from there to the north and finally to the west. The trip was very important in creation of a revolutionary development inside us because we eye witnessed the country’s developments, thus very helpful in creation of revolutionary morale.  In our way to the north, we picked up a clergy. He promised us the victory of the revolution and the leadership of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul). After the victory of the Islamic revolution we found out that most probably that clergy had been martyr Mohammad Montazeri.”

Muzaffari Zadeh and Fatehi made also such trips and learned a lot about the country’s political and social conditions. Muzaffari Zadeh says, “I along with Jamshidi (Rasti) and Abdullah Fatehi in a 20-day trip went to Kazeroun and visited our revolutionary friends and then we went to Isfahan and then to Qom. In Qom, we asked religious questions from Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi the tape of which was destroyed during SAVAK’s inspection of my house. Then, we went to Tehran and took part in speech sessions of martyrs Seyed Abdolkarim Hashemi Nejad and Motahari. Then we travelled to the holy city of Mashhad and met with Ayatollah Milani. After returning to Bushehr, the activity of our group became more coherent and we found more courage to speak about political issues at that time i.e. 1972 when few people dared to talk about the country’s current issues.”

Another issue which had important effect in expediting the campaigns of the Islamic revolution in Bushehr was the presence of non-local campaigners and clergies who came to Bushehr and after delivering speeches and creating revolutionary fervor on people, left the city. Sheikh Mohammad Sedaqat and Reza Qaderian have memoirs in this regard.

Sedaqat says, “Among the interesting points concerning the course of campaigns in Bushehr was the presence of non-local people who attracted many people with their fiery speeches or broke the current stifling atmosphere of the province. One of such clergies was Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Akbar Rezvan who continued his campaign with the nickname Makarem. He had travelled the whole country. He had gone from Ahvaz to Abadan. Then Makarem went to Khorramshahr but was not allowed to deliver speeches. Thus he came to Bushehr. His wife and a driver accompanied him.”

“In Bushehr, he had asked several people to let him talk but nobody had cooperated with him. I was informed and in the absence of Ayatollah Hosseini who had gone to Mecca for haj pilgrimage, I had Attar Jame Mosque. Thus, I used the opportunity and asked to be in the mosque after the noon prayer. I shared this with martyr Ashouri. After the noon prayer, the speech was not held due to security reasons because I felt that it was likely he would be arrested because of the presence of police forces in the mosque. I informed my friends that the speech would be held after the evening prayer.”

“The plan went ahead as scheduled and Makrem delivered a very powerful speech. Immediately after coming down from the Minbar or pulpit, the revolutionary guys circled around him. He put off his special clothes and left the mosque with normal clothes and finally martyrs Abbas and Hossein Kamkari took him out of the city.”

With regard to non-local clergies, Gholam Ali Qaderian says, “Sheikh Aboutorab told us that he had brought a clergy named Hojja al-Eslam Rezavni. In Bushehr, SAVAK did not allow him to deliver a speech but he was willing to have a meeting. We decided to bring him to the town of Borazjan. So I along with a number of friends and Mr. Rezvani went to Borazjan. We had also hidden a number of communiques under our clothes. When the speech started in the mosque, Rezvani chanted “Death to Shah” along with the people. Concurrently we threw up the communiques. After the speech, the people started clashing with the police. Rezvani could escape the scene with the help of people by a bike.”

Another necessary point is the holding of ideological and moral classes which were carried out by revolutionary forces. It was already explained about the classes of Anti-Bahaie Association in Bushehr. One of other classes held under the leadership of clergies was the exegesis classes taught by Hojjat al-Eslam Nabavi in Imam Hossein Mosque. In these classes, the exegesis book of Ayatollah Taleqani was taught. The forces of Hosseinieh Ershad also held morality classes with the help of professor Ali Hagh Shenas in this Hosseinieh. But after a while, SAVAK closed them. Later they held these classes in the house of Reza Qaderian. The consistency of the groups and revolutionary people was the best achievement of such sessions.