Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - April 1, 2001 - Concern About Extended Holidays in the Country, for Which No Policy Has Been Adopted So Far

Study of the book Trial by Hassan Hedayat and revision of guide interpretation indexes and historical studies of Khorasan and Torbat Heydarieh.

Hashemi emphasizes to his guards the need to remove an owl from among the trees that has been disturbing his sleep.

Full Entry:

I was at home. I utilized the mourning programs broadcasted by the state television. I read part of the book Trial, written by Mr. [Hassan] Hedayat. It is a series scenario that was previously aired by the television; it depicts the situation at the end of Reza Shah's reign, September 1941, and the early years of Mohammad Reza Shah's reign. I also spent some time revising the guide interpretation indexes and studying the history of Khorasan and Torbat Heydarieh.

Yesterday, the Yugoslav government arrested Mr. [Slobodan] Milošević, the former president. The United States had given the Yugoslav government an ultimatum that if they did not hand him over to the International Criminal Court, they would cut off their aid. His supporters prevented his arrest. There were clashes, but apparently, the government claims he will be tried in domestic courts. In Bangladesh, clashes between government supporters and opponents have intensified, resulting in hundreds of injuries today and resembling the situation of past governments, suggesting that the fall of the government may continue.

For several nights, an owl has been hooting in the nearby trees until morning, causing disturbances; it had been a problem in previous years as well. I told the guards to come up with a solution for it. [BBC] Radio read an inflammatory article against the Islamic system of Iran, presenting it as contradictory to the republic.

In the evening, Iffat, [her sister] Ashraf, and Sara, [Faezeh’s daughter], went for mourning ceremonies during Muharram; they had also gone yesterday and the day before.

The holidays of Nowruz and Muharram have coincided, leading to a continuous closure of the country and stagnation of work for more than three weeks; in general, there are too many holidays in the country, and the overlap of solar and lunar holidays sometimes causes issues.