The Personal Life of Imam Khomeini

The late Khadija Sagafi, wife of Imam Khomeini, who died on Saturday at the age of 93, was laid to rest beside him in his Shrine in Beheshte Zahra. She was the daughter of a wealthy religious family not interested in politics. She had attended elementary school and had a Jewish tutor who taught her French. That would have been in 1925. Imam was a theological student at that time and was introduced a few years later to their family through a relative. She was reluctant to marry him since she thought some clergy were strict, and some did not treat women properly. The suitor had to ask five times before receiving a positive response, to the surprise of the family. Khadija later said in an interview a few years ago that she had experienced a very demanding and challenging life with Imam, but that he had given her all the respect and love that a woman could imagine. He had always spoken to her with respect, he left her free in her personal decisions, what to wear, where to go. She, in return, created an atmosphere of calm and compassion for him during the tumultuous years of struggle for freedom, the years of exile and the fierce years of combat. As the love story went on, Imam always felt indebted to her patience and dedication. Before the Revolution, Imam wrote in a letter to her from Lebanon,:"My most dearest,during these days that I am away from you I have kept the memory of your beautiful face in the mirror of my heart......" .
Although , as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam was instantly recognized throughout the world and renown for his courage and determination in the face of superpowers however, the multiple dimensions of the life and personality of Imam and his family are still not properly known today.
The stigma and stereotyping created by western media against Imam during the Revolution prevented many from observing the light and greatness in his prudent personality. His eloquent poetry and personal writings were published only after he passed away. Many were surprised to learn that he had written beautiful poems. Two decades later, his legacy lives and inspires, not only in Iran, but throughout the world. The sun never remains behind the clouds for long.

Speaking to Young Iranian Students

At the heart of political resistance and struggle against despotism and imperialism , the Islamic Students Association (ISA) is a six to seven decade long student movement in Iran. I was invited to speak for an audience of 500 freshmen students newly enrolled and members of the ISA from Tehran University on Thursday. I had to address a very lively and youthful audience on the history and features of the student movement in Iran.

During the Shah's regime, alongside communist activists the ISA formed the major focal points of dissent and resistance. The culmination of their protests and strikes in the universities led to the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Many from the ISA were imprisoned and tortured by the dictatorial regime of the Shah.

After the Revolution, the ISA continued on an independent path to promote a progressive democratic and revolutionary interpretation of the Revolution and Islamic tenants. They faced many pressures from governments which did not approve of their critical and independent positions. The culmination of these pressures led to the 18 th of Tir event in which students faced both physical and psychological trauma.

I spoke about these developments and criticized the current government for some of its policies in curbing the freedom of speech in society and particularly in universities. I also spoke about the generational gap and the need to understand our history and culture and to deal with the globalizing world while preserving our identity and heritage.

The students were constantly responding to my political references to the criticisms of the current government and also to my references to the former President Khatami. They repeated their applause for the political views I was elaborating and seemed very excited about the possibility that Khatami would nominate himself for the upcoming elections.

I am not sure that everybody here in the political spheres of Iran would welcome the idea.

Negotiations with the US

Etemad a daily newspaper of the reformist camp published an interview last week with John Limbert one of the political officers of the American Embassy who was held hostage by the revolutionary students in 1979 a few months after the Islamic Revolution. Limbert stressed that he believed relations between the two countries were unhealthy after the 1953 Coup d'etat against the nationalist priminister Dr. Mohammad Mosadegh.

He said he believed that in addition to the foreign factor there were other elements that provided support for the Shah's dictatorial regime but circumstances were such that everyone thought the regime relied only on the US for its existence. He pointed to a reality and an image and said that in the takeover of the American embassy the Iranians saw the image. He acknowledged that granting entrance to the US for the deposed Shah was a strategic mistake.

Paul Newsom a former deputy Secretary of State also had mentioned the fact that he and even President Carter initially opposed the idea but gave in to the pressures by David Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger (More about this at New York Times).

Limbert regrets the fact that relations between the two countries have been in a deadlock and attempts to improve them were always thwarted by parties who do not want to see this happening.He said he believed there were many reasons for the two countries to work together on the basis of their mutual interests.

I think this was a noteworthy interview and being published by a reformist newspaper I think it is an indication of the sensitive times we have ahead of us. Inspite of the harsh rhetoric that the neoconservative administration is using against Iran , I think there are many people within the system who believe in changing the approach. The neocons are not ready to relinquish their arrogant tone and policy vis a vis Iran. Bilateral negotiations for the future of Iraq, cooperation on issues like terrorism and narcotics , increased exchanges at the non governmental level are issues that should be promoted.

Constant threats and pressure for sanctions and regime change and adopting 75 million dollar bills to weaken Iran are futile tactics that only serve to increase security pressures leading to more difficult times for the civil society, independent social and political activists and independent media. In short it serves as a major impediment for democracy in Iran.

Deliberations in Delhi

Yesterday was a busy day by all means. The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit is a very eventful meeting; there are alot of interesting speeches, panels and debates. DSDS provides a forum for views from the developing world and allows for a discourse critical to the conventional to be presented and debated. Being situated in Delhi, the capital of a country- 25% of which is still grappling with abject poverty -, but which claims also to be the fourth economic power of the world, makes this event even more attractive. But it was attractive for other reasons as well.
This year Dr.Pachauri, the President of Teri and DSDS, had won the Nobel Prize, along with Al Gore, for his efforts in IPCC in giving a sound scientific vision for the world on global warming.
Delhi was cold ,not as cold as Tehran, but cold enough to make it difficult to sit in the Habitat Center courtyard during receptions and dinner meetings. The meetings and spicy Indian food was however hot and therefore helped us tolerate the cold weather.
I had a 15 minute Keynote speech yesterday. It was entitled: Climate Change a Mirror of Our Actions: The Inner Journey.
In my speech I mentioned the crucial stage we face on global warming and the fact that new reports all indicate that the pace of warming is quicker than what scientists initially thought. I spoke about the need to see why our words and the commitments of our global leaders have not been properly translated into action. I mentioned the inability of global leaders to make correct decisions. I spoke about the peace of mind and heart as a quality that leaders need before they could promote peace with nature and with other human beings. I explained that many philosophers and thinkers had spoken about this inner peace but I found the Four Journeys of Mulla Sadra to be the most apropriate for our cause . I discussed the four stages of the inner journey and with that note I brought my speech to a closing. Along with my talk I had a power point with pictures from Iran's spectacular nature scenes. Some of them were trully breath-taking.
Many people came to thank me after the speech, they had somehow liked it. Many asked for a electronic copy although some paper copies of the text was also available . I think it was interesting for them since it was different from the techno-economy flavor that most other speeches and debates had followed.
Later in the afternoon there was a roundtable on media with the UNFCCC executive director and Nik Gowing from BBC , I would like to reserve a separate post for that. I had meetings with, IPCC officials, TERI experts, Dr Klaus Toepfer the former UNEP Director, Mr Borge Brende who was a former Minister for Norway and some others who I met on the sidelines of the meetings.
Our embassy in Delhi had a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution last night. I was invited by our Ambassador to speak for the Iranian employees and their families. I spoke about the DSDS and the importance of strong international diplomacy and commitment in the field of the environment and about our experiences and success stories in this regard. I also mentioned the importance of preserving the spirit and essence of the Islamic Revolution , now almost three decades later. Independence , freedom , Islamic Republic were the themes people called for. Each theme still holds its essential status. One cannot be sacrificed for the other. We cannot sacrifice freedom for independence or vice versa; nor can Islam be sacrificed for the Republic or vice versa. The religious democracy of Iran is a unique trial or comeback for religion into politics. We all hope it still works out as a viable example for all.

The Dawn of A New Trial

The ten days leading to the dawn of the Islamic Revolution in Iran are commmemorated each year. The period begins with the return of Imam Khomeini to Iran after years of exile in Iraq and later in France. From the day he came back events gained momentum until ten days later the Shah's apparatus collapsed and the monarcy practically fell apart. The Revolution was not a violent or armed struggle, on the contrary ,it came naturally through the will power and resilience of the nation. The Iranians stood up united against oppression and tyranny. In millions, they marched and chanted slogans demonstrating the strength of the masses when they move united and faithful. I can never forget those majestic scenes of collective strength and heroic resistance.

They called for independence , freedom and an Islamic Republic. Their message was sometimes improperly conveyed and misunderstood by an outer world overshadowed by the cold war era. On the other side, an idealistic approach and biased support for the Revolution from within did not allow for an objective assessment of the events. As time passes, we can see things in a more realistic light today. Can we learn from the gains and the losses of this important trial of Islam and democracy ?

Twenty-nine years later Iran has passed the test of time, pressures and sanctions. It is today a major player in regional development , a reliable partner in trade and investment and a sucessful example for developing countries particularly on indicators of human development.

That, not implying that we do not face challenges and unfinished work ahead. In fact, in spite of the great strides, Iran still has a long way ahead. The experiment of creating a religious democracy is one of the kind. Today 29 years later, the aspirations of the people should not be overlooked nor should one objective overshadow the others. The slogan Freedom ,Independence and Islamic Republic cannot be minimalized today. Freedom cannot be sacrificed for independence, and vice versa. Also democracy and Islam are delicately interwined in a sophisticated political system. Today there is a concern that certain factons may see their success in the weakness of democracy and the democratic process in Iran. The reformist discourse is still at the core of the debate.

The Dawn has arrived but there is still a long tedious day ahead of us . There is no going back, we need to move ahead.