A Look at the Book "Hajj Hamza"

Memories of Hajj Hamza Ghorbani

Fereydoon Heidari Molk-Mian
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2021-10-26

The interview and compilation of the book "Hajj Hamza" was conducted by Ruhollah Sharifi and its first edition was published and released in 2015 by the Foundation for Preservation of Sacred Defense Values, the Organization for Documents and Papers of Holy Defense in 344 pages and 2,000 copies with hardcover.

What is interesting in first look at Hajj Hamza is desired design of cover and eye-catching layout of its text. For example, part of background of acknowledgement page is decorated with image of Keffiyeh and pages of heading of chapters also with plaques and chains of warriors.

After the content, a page is dedicated to handwriting of Hajj Hamza Ghorbani in which he briefly and intimately mentions why he made his decision to recount what has remained in his mind since the Holy Defense.

After that introduction of the Organization for Papers and Documents of Holy Defense is presented, and then we will read the interviewer and compiler’s notes on how to conduct talks and provide text of the book in seven pages.

"Hajj Hamza" is composed of thirty chapters based on questions and answers.

In the first chapter, the narrator refers to his childhood, youth and military service between 1954 and 1975. At first, by introducing himself and his populous family, he gives an illustrative image of his early years in a village in southwestern Qazvin. He tells about his parents that were lambs, believers and religious people, and that they raised him with the same rural and religious temperament, and sent him to school and Maktab, but when he becomes a teenager and feels his family is financially in difficulty, he prefers to go to night school and work in Qazvin bazaar in the morning. However, after a while, he drops completely out of school and he should go to military service as he ages.

The second chapter deals with a time when he works in Alborz Industrial City, which gradually coincides with the first sparks and voices of the revolution, the movements, demonstrations, rallies, and finally victory and establishment of foundations of the revolution (1975-1980).

Chapter 3 narrates formation of Qazvin’s IRGC at the beginning of the revolution and specifically in 1980, which was still governed by a council not more than thirty members that all were based in a dilapidated building on Sa'di Street. Hajj Hamza goes to the IRGC's office in April/May of that year and joins it. He has been active in pedestrian and car patrols in the city for some time, which lasts until 1982.

In the fourth chapter, there is a talk of conflict with MKO between 1980 and 1982. Most of the organization's members in Qazvin entered the city from other provinces and were stationed in team houses. With the information provided by people, IRGC was able to surround the team houses and arrest members of the organization during clashes. Thus, their activities in the city became gradually limited and more limited.

Chapters 5-11 continue to date back to the same years of Chapter 4 (1980-1982) when they were departed simultaneously from Qazvin on various missions to stand against the counter-revolution in different regions; such as the Takab mission, the mission to establish the Abyek’s IRGC, the Qasr-e-Shirin mission, the mission of Sarpol-e Zahab, the mission of Meimak, the mission of Ghezel Hesar Prison, the Mahabad mission.

Chapters 12-16 describe operations of Beit ol-Moqaddas, IRGC of District 1, and 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Brigade, defense of Zayd Garrison in operations of Ramadan and Muharram, mainly in 1982. We read about the beginning of Operation Muharram: "On the night of the operation, when we moved our forces, the moment the forces had not yet reached the point of liberation, heavy wind and rain began. The guy said, "What do we do?" We said: “Inshallah, it is an assistance from Al-Ghaib.”

The enemy was very ready before the rain began. After that, it feels that nothing will happen there; they decrease guards and they go to have a rest. The guy attack, and when they conquered some of these trenches, the Iraqis had had no time to put on their clothes..."

Then, he talks about the Lebanese mission, formation of Al-Hadi Brigade, Operation Before the Dawn, the Labaik O’ Khomeini Project, and Operation Khyber and Operation Valfajr-10, which include chapters of 17 to 29.

But the last chapter of the book, the 30th, deals with the Resolution and postwar issues, exclusively related to 1988: "The resolution was accepted anyway, and UN forces came and deployed, and they came to visit the front lines periodically. Then, when the issue of resolution raised, when the message of Imam was read, everyone was crying and could not convince themselves about it.

Because the lines had become permanent, we started building bases above every height, and made indoor trenches to rest and guard."

In the following, the index is presented includes individuals, places, organizations, and other indexes. After resources, documents and photographs form contents of final pages of the book.