Review of Mullah Saleh Qaris Memoirs

The Story of Organizing Arabic Radio Programs

Faezeh Sasanikhah
Translated by Zahra Hosseinian

2021-1-5

The fragrance of freedom could be smelled everywhere. No matter it was day or night, I worked with all my might. I [Mullah Saleh] was also a member of the Abadan Revolutionary Council, which was governed by Haj Agha Jami.

I had sat next to Sheikh Isa Tarafi. With a pen and paper in his hand, he turned to me and said:

- Do you know what your most important job is now?

I said:

- I don’t. You tell me, please.

Sheikh smiled and said:

- Your most important duty is to guide the people of the region through radio. Accompanied by other members, do it. Go to radio station and get start.

The next morning, I headed to the broadcasting center along with Sheikh Ali, the son of Sheikh Isa Tarafi, Sheikh Ibrahim Deirawi and Ali Fallahian, and a number of student and clergies who were fluent in Arabic. We got there and soon took over the Arab studio, which was active before the revolution and whose main program was news against the Ba'athist regime.

The group's new responsibility was to organize Arabic radio programs, mainly broadcast news of the revolution, religious programs, and local theater and anthems. Over time, the radio's programs had a great impact on introducing the goals of the revolution in neighboring Arab countries, but these did not seem to be enough, and it looked necessary to create a cultural center which could make an impression on the Arab youth in the city, especially the rural youth. Following this idea, I set up a department called the "Marakz Althaqafy" in a building near the broadcasting center in the southern Bevardeh, with the help of my friends, and then we contacted Arabic language instructors in the Qom seminary and invited them to cooperate.

After announcing through the Arabic studio of Radio Abadan, young people from many Arab towns and villages around the city came to the center to register and attend training courses. The building was filled with rural and urban Arab and non-Arab youth. Everyone had come to register at this cultural center.

I persuaded the young people with diploma degree and lower grades to attend seminary classes. Instructors were also invited from Qom for this purpose, and accommodation and salaries had been also provided for them.

In addition to this activity, with the help of my friend, Ali Fallahian, and students of the Petroleum Faculty, and Saeid Sayyah Taheri, we formed a committee called the "Islamic Revolutionary Committee", in where the poor and needy families were identified and cared.

The private contributions came from Tehran. The trucks packed with stuff were parked next to the committee and unloaded. Active and passionate young people carried the boxes into the building. I was happy and thanked God for the happiness I had in serving along the path of the revolution goals.

For a while, cultural items and private contributions and food for the poor have been provided by the Kangarlou brothers, activists of the ‘Islamic Fajr Group’, with whom I met in prison and they had a close friendship with Ayatollah Beheshti. These items came to Abadan from Tehran almost once a month and were distributed among families and cultural centers. However, the gap between the poor and the rich class was so great that it could not be filled with these aids. At nights, when the alleys of the slums plunged into darkness, people lived in their homes relieved, because there was no more clashes and fear of SAVAK police officers and their agents. At nights, the door of the poor houses were kindly knocked, and the food donation packs were lovingly donated to the expectant families.

People came to the support headquarters every day, and the rooms were always crowded. Everyone came for a request, and Ali and I and my other friends helped them according to the priority of needs; like the construction materials, a field, labor force, or even the marriage allowance. We did whatever we could.

Until Imam Khomeini issued an order to establish "The Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled and The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation". By establishing this foundations, the procedures carried out in administrative way and coherently. After the revolution, and in addition to these activities, I ran in the elections of the first term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which was postponed to the second round, and I withdrew in favor of a friend. At the same time, I was elected to a position, but resigned in protest of the policies of Bazargan government.[1]