Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – May 22, 1981

Early in the morning, we came home from Damavand. I took care of the routine affairs. Ahmad Agha Khomeini suggested by telephone that the institutions should offer their congratulations on the victory to the Imam, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. If this suggestion was made at the Imam’s direction, it indicates that the Imam has made a decision regarding command of the armed forces, and this is because of Mr. Bani-Sadr’s provocative position over the past few days, especially concerning his referendum proposal and his “Mossadegh-style politics.” If, by an impossible assumption, such a thing were to happen, he would undoubtedly lose the presidency as well. Mr. Bani-Sadr is seriously mistaken.

At noon, along with Effat, Yasser, Mehdi, and the children of my sister, we were invited to a gathering at the garden of the Karaj camp. Mr. Beheshti was also there. A play entitled “The Imam’s Command,” directed by Mr. Farrokh, was performed. It was interesting. It depicted the impact of the Imam’s command, before the victory of the Revolution, on the military personnel regarding leaving the barracks. It was moving and well produced. I cried a great deal because I was deeply affected by the people’s faith and self-sacrifice.

This garden had been acquired by like-minded people and friends during the Shah’s repressive regime, as a place for gathering and carrying out activities in the struggle. It is still being used today. I, too, have a small share in it—seventy-five thousand tomans.

On the way back to Tehran, I visited the large Gohardasht Prison with Effat and the children, who were with us. This prison was built by the Shah’s regime and is still unfinished. Recently, the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office has been working on completing it. It is very large and modern. It has everything within itself; it resembles a city. Hopefully, it will always remain empty in the Islamic Republic.

That evening, Ahmad Agha Khomeini came to the house without prior notice. During our extensive conversation, he spoke about the President’s resignation. The issue of removing the title “Ayatollah” from state radio and television when referring to many prominent religious scholars had become a problem for the Imam’s office, which was considering how to address it. He criticized the policy of eliminating Muslim but non-ideological forces, especially some members of the Freedom Movement of Iran. To some extent, he is right; some of these people should be brought into the fold.