In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First, I wish to thank the dear brothers in the meeting and also Mr. Jalili who really endeavored to be creative on this issue. It will really be regrettable if the Goharshad Mosque incident – which is a very big and significant event – is not reflected in our history, our literature and our novels in any way. Well, you thankfully did this. The things that I saw at this exhibition– of course, within the scope of my understanding – seemed fascinating to me. The drawings, graphic works, the reports and narratives were very good. Now, I wish to discuss two, three points:
First of all, I wish to speak about the Goharshad Mosque. There are other books as well in addition to the book which Mr. Jalili mentioned. There is a book in the form of a novel or a narrative. It elaborates on the history of the incident. I have read this book and it corresponds with the information that I have in my memory. It talks about the story of the Goharshad Mosque in a detailed manner and it contains the names of all the personalities involved. This book has narrated the events correctly and I have this book at my disposal. So, this is one of the books. Another is a book which I read two, three years ago. This book also narrates the events of the year 1314 in a detailed and comprehensive way. For example, it narrates the meetings held in the house of the late Aqazadeh, the events which took place in the Old Courtyard of the mosque – the Revolution Courtyard in the present time. It also mentions the incidents related to Bohlul [Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Bohlul] and the subsequent incidents. All these incidents have been mentioned in the book.
The events are narrated in Bohlul's memoirs as well. I have not read Bohlul's memoirs, but he described the events orally to me and therefore, I know that the things that I have heard exist in the book. I had the book for a while because he gave it to me before being published. Most probably, he has mentioned the details about the two, three days when he stayed at the Goharshad Mosque and his minbars – first the incidents related to the Goharshad Mosque, after that the incidents related to the events in the Old and New Courtyards and then the Goharshad Mosque again until he had to escape from Mashhad – in the introduction of the book. Therefore, there are other books as well.
As I mentioned, there is a book that mentions the history of the incident in the form of a report. Part of that book contains the writings of the late Shaykh Ahmad Bahar. Shaykh Ahmad Bahar was a well-known novelist in Mashhad who was present in all events. He was the publisher of a newspaper but he closed it in those days due to certain reasons. The story mentions the core of the event. Part of the book that I mentioned contains his memoirs. You should go and find these books.
The second point is that you should see why the issue of the Goharshad Mosque came into being in the first place. We should not forget this. The most important person was Hajj Aqa Hussein Qomi. When the issue of “kashf-e hijab” [the compulsory banning of hijab by Reza Khan] arose, the late Hajj Aqa Hussein Qomi mentioned that he would speak to Reza Shah, forcing him to listen. So, he went to Tehran with this intention in mind.
When he arrived in Tehran, he was taken to Abdul-Azim by government agents and he was kept there for some time and the Shah did not grant him an audience. Of course, he had said, "I will go there and I will speak to him. If he listens, so much the better, but if he does not, I will strangle him myself.” He had gone there with that intention, but he was not granted an audience and he was then exiled to Iraq. When he was in Tehran, the ulama of Mashhad gathered together to demand that Hajj Aqa Hussein be returned to Mashhad. They also insisted that his demands should be satisfied. That was why the ulama gathered in the guardhouse of the Goharshad Mosque which subsequently led to the gathering of the people. What I want to say is that the late Hajj Aqa Hussein Qomi should not be forgotten in that incident. He was a sincere mujahid in the way of God. He was courageous and prepared to take all risks. He did not have any fears at all. When he went to Tehran, he was all alone. He did not have companions and servants accompanying him. Apparently only two of his sons accompanied him. This is a very significant point.
The next point is that the late Aqazadeh should not be forgotten either. Aqazadeh was not directly involved in the Goharshad incident, but he was accused by the judiciary apparatus. Later on, he was arrested because of the same accusation. No one would have thought that government agents would dare go to Aqazadeh's house because he was a very honorable personality in Mashhad. Nonetheless, the agents went to his house and pushed him out. They did not even let him dress properly. He was first taken to Yazd and subsequently to Tehran. One, two years after that, he was poisoned and martyred. These are the important personalities related to the Goharshad Mosque incident.
Another point is looking at the Goharshad Mosque Massacre as a historic catastrophe. This is the viewpoint with the portrayals that exist today. In other words, some religious people gathered at a holy place with a specific goal, but government agents attacked the place and murdered those people. Of course, the killings did not only occur at the mosque. There were also other killings outside the mosque – in the Old Square which no longer exists – as well. Down the street – the so-called Tehran Street or Imam Ridha Street – a great number of people were killed. At the southern gate of the Goharshad Mosque – the southern gate is closed in the present time and they have replaced it with the Quds Courtyard – there was a corridor which would lead to the Goharshad gate. Inside the corridor, many people were killed.
I do not remember exactly where I read the events related to this. I do not really remember reading this, but I know that many people were killed there. There are a number of people who have narrated the story, “We were looking from upstairs. We saw that the people were being pushed inside the trucks while they were half-dead. They were taken to Alamdasht to be buried there.” These are the incidents which are well-known. So, this is one of the viewpoints: looking at the event as a catastrophe which took place in Mashhad because of the issue of hijab.
One issue which I believe is much wider in scope and much more significant is the issue of hijab itself. I noticed that the friends in the meeting pointed to the issue of banning roz-e khani, but the issue of banning hijab is a very important issue. The memoirs that you narrated in this meeting were mostly about the issue of hijab. Of course, I should mention that there were not very important points in the two, three memoirs that I read here. Many things can be found on this issue. There are many such stories in our minds, and those who are the same age as us have heard numerous stories from their older relatives – from their mothers and sisters who were directly involved in those incidents. There are many individuals living who were involved. The issue of hijab was not particular to Mashhad and the Goharshad Mosque. It is an issue which is wide in scope and which existed at a nationwide level.
It is about a policy which Reza Shah adopted and the confrontation which he faced. You can find many stories and memories about the issue of hijab. When you collect all these stories, it will be a superb collection. You mentioned that one of the gentlemen – I do not remember which gentleman – has decided to write a novel on this issue. In my opinion, this is a very important issue. Again, this is one of the issues which has not been worked on in a proper way.
Another issue is about the individuals who played a role in this regard. Notice that well-known cultural individuals during the time of Reza Shah – for example Ali Asqar Hekmat, these are the well-known individuals – played a part on the issue of “kashf-e hijb”. They played a colonialist role. They were the real personalities behind Reza Shah. Reza Shah was a gun-friendly person, but they were the individuals who produced thoughts and who taught him where to use his gun. In my opinion, these cultural individuals were very influential and they should be introduced.
Reza Khan had only one foreign trip: a trip to Turkey during the time of Ataturk. There, they showed him women who did not wear hijab. They instilled the idea of eliminating hijab in him and then his close companions said to him that the way to civilization was what Ataturk had done. From then on, he would think about it and he would lay the groundwork. Then, in the year 1314, it became mandatory, but there were other incidents before that.
Another point is about the personalities who worked on this and who should be mentioned. Imam (may God bestow paradise on him) once said to us that he had seen no one more courageous on this issue than the late Ayatullah Kashani. Imam had seen Modarres as well, but he mentioned Kashani as the most courageous personality. After that, he mentioned three narrations about the late Kashani. Two of those narrations are related to Pahlavi, but unfortunately I do not remember the third one.
The narration which is specifically related to the issue of hijab is this: the late Kashani used to live in Pamenar. Once, a policeman went to him and said, “My commander sends his regards. He said that you and your family should be present in a ceremony on Tuesday.” At that time, it was common to invite personalities to attend such and such ceremonies with their wives not wearing hijab. That policeman had come to invite Mr. Kashani, but he shouted and yelled at the policeman. The policeman said that that was his commander's order. Mr. Kashani says something like, “The hell your commander said such a thing!" [Audience laugh]. Then the policeman became agitated and said, “My superiors have said this.” Again, Mr. Kashani says something like, “The hell your superiors have said this! Get up and get lost!" The policeman discusses the incident with his boss. He said, “Do not get close to this Sayyid. He is dangerous.” What I want to say is that there are many such narrations and events related to the issue of hijab.
One of the ulama in the list of those who were arrested was the late Shaykh Hashem Qazwini. He was my teacher. He was a first-tier teacher in Mashhad whose classes we would attend for many years. Once he said, “When the issue of ‘kashf-e hijab’ came up, all of us were very upset, but one of the gentlemen was happy. We said, ‘Why are you so happy?’ He said, ‘This is a very good course of action. Let the people see with whom I have been living for the past 40 years!'" [Supreme Leader and audience laugh]. So, there are many stories, narrations and events related to the issue of hijab.
Of course, the year when kashf-e hijab arose, I was not born yet. I was born in 1318 – four years after kashf-e hijab – but my mother and others would later tell us what happened. They used to stay at home and they would not go out for long periods of time. They would endure many difficulties in order to go out in cases of emergency. I heard this from my mother and from other women as well.
These are very painful incidents that occurred at that time. All these incidents should be portrayed. When it comes to the issue of hijab, all these incidents should be portrayed. So, the issue of hijab was not confined to the issue of Goharshad Mosque. In other words, it was a very important issue at a country-wide level. In any case, I thank you gentlemen for the efforts that you have made. I hope that God will help you succeed, God willing.
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