Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - July 13, 2001 - Meeting with Mohammad Mohammadi Ardehali, who Requested Hashemi's Assistance for the Release of His Brother Mehdi Mohammadi Ardehali from Prison and Complained about the Publication of Tafsir al-Mizan

Meeting with the then Mayor of Qom, who requested Hashemi's intervention to reclaim the Salariyeh garden land from Imam Sadiq University.

Meeting with Mohammad Mohammadi Ardehali, who requested Hashemi's assistance for the release of his brother Mehdi Mohammadi Ardehali from prison and complained about the publication of Tafsir al-Mizan by the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom.

Continuing efforts and negotiations by Messiah Mohajeri to restrict the press and arrest active cultural-political individuals; this time, a follow-up meeting with Hashemi and a report on his detailed meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, expressing dissatisfaction with Ayatollah’s indecisiveness towards extremist reformists, even though he himself was an advisor to President Khatami.

Interview with Sadeq Al-Hosseini regarding foreign policy.

Full Text of the Daily Entry:

Mr. [Mohammad Zand], the Mayor of Qom, came. He requested assistance in reclaiming the Salariyeh garden land from Imam Sadiq University (AS) for a public park in Qom, as well as pursuing cooperation from the Tehran Municipality in constructing the road from the shrine to the shrine (Qom – Jamkaran). He mentioned that this year, the number of Pakistani and Arab travelers to Qom has significantly increased.

Mr. [Ali] Mohammadi Ardehali, a bookseller and manager of Mohammadi Publishing, came. He criticized the arrests of the national and religious individuals, including his brother [Mehdi Mohammadi Ardehali], and sought my attention regarding this matter. He also complained about the printing and publication of Tafsir al-Mizan by the Society of Seminary Teachers [of Qom] and the Islamic Propaganda Organization, stating that the publishing rights were granted to him by the author.

Mr. Messiah Mohajeri, [social advisor to the president and editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Jomhouri Eslami], came. He mentioned having a detailed meeting with the leadership and criticized his indecisiveness in confronting the extremist Second Khordadi individuals and their encroachment on the values of the revolution. He proposed that I take charge of managing the defense of the revolution. I explained the problems and obstacles related to this matter. In the afternoon, I had an interview with Mr. Sadeq Al-Hosseini, mainly discussing foreign policy in relation to Arab and Islamic countries.

The strikes and protests by unemployed workers or those whose wages have been delayed are numerous, and today two groups clashed with the police in front of the parliament. A large number of parliament representatives today issued a statement calling for the trial of [Ariel] Sharon, [the Prime Minister of Israel], in a war crimes tribunal.

Today, the U.S. successfully conducted its fourth anti-missile test, which drew severe criticism from Russia. General [Pervez] Musharraf, [the President of Pakistan], entered India yesterday, and it was announced that their negotiations were positive; he was born in Delhi and later migrated to Pakistan, with the Kashmir issue being the main obstacle to their rapprochement. Russia has announced that creatures from celestial bodies have landed in Russian territory and collected samples from the Earth's surface.