During the times when I returned to the city on leave from the front, one of the places I frequently visited was the home of the Friday prayer leader of our city. The Friday prayer leader was my uncle. Occasionally, it was my uncle’s turn among the country’s Friday prayer leaders to have a private meeting with the Imam. He could take three to four people with him for these meetings.
In these meetings, the Friday prayer leaders could directly share any viewpoints they had with His Eminence Imam. I had previously asked my uncle that whenever he went to Jamaran for a private meeting with the Imam, he should remember to take me along, and he had agreed.
I had seen His Eminence Imam before in public meetings. In the winter of 66 [1988], on a day when I happened to be on leave in the city, the Friday prayer leader, along with his driver and bodyguard, came to our house door and said they were going to Jamaran right now. “If you’re coming, get ready; otherwise, we will take someone else in your place,” he said.
Coincidentally, that day I had found an opportunity to go to the city of Qazvin, one year after the martyrdom of a dear friend who was a diver and had been martyred in Operation Karbala-4. I wanted to recite a Fatiha at his grave and meet his family in person.
Therefore, I told my uncle that I declined the meeting with the Imam and that he should take someone else in my place. The person who went for the private meeting with the Imam in my place that day would later always pray for me, thanking me for giving him that opportunity.
During those days, in line with the spirit that dominated my thoughts, if I had been honored to see the Imam, I might have said to him while shaking his blessed hand and kissing it, “Oh, Your Eminence Imam, may my life be sacrificed for you. Pray for me that I may be martyred this time when I return to the front,” and no doubt the Imam would have prayed for Islam’s victory, God willing.
If I had met the Imam that day, whatever words were exchanged would have been over and done with, but since I did not go, I always have thoughts in my imaginative world. At every point in time, a new thought comes to me, and in my thoughts, I present new discussions to the Imam and hear a reply.
For some time now, I’ve been thinking that on that day, in that private gathering, I could have said to the Imam: “Oh, dear Imam, do I have permission to also criticize your actions and behaviors in governance?” He would have said to me, “Go ahead, dear, how wonderful that you want to make constructive criticism of us!” And I would have said, “Oh dear Imam, if I criticize, do I have the safety of my life? Will my life not be at risk?”
His Eminence Imam would have said, “No dear, never, why would your life be at risk? Am I a dangerous person?”
And then I would have said to the Imam: “Your Excellency, you have implemented two policies since the beginning of the revolution that have caused trouble.”
First: The law of compulsory hijab and enforcing hijab on the people with police power and through lashings have increased the reluctance of women and men towards Islam and caused stubbornness and alienation from religion, intensifying lies, hypocrisy, and deceit, with reverse effects. If you allow, we should amend the law so that the government does not have the right to interfere in the private affairs of the people and restore lost freedom to them.
His Eminence Imam would have said, “What a great suggestion!! What is your second proposal?”
And I would say: The second issue is that since the day your Excellency ordered the closure of the “Shahr-e Now” in Tehran and some big cities, not only has the corruption situation not improved, it has worsened. This act has caused corruption and prostitution to infiltrate deeper into society, to scatter across the cities, to increase insecurity and forced crimes, and assaults on children, making nowhere safe, destroying trust, and causing some youth to turn to masturbation and more destructive pastimes like drug addiction, and to spread HIV uncontrollably.
If you allow, “Shahr-e Now” can return to its previous state with its practices becoming Islamic.
And again, His Eminence Imam would have said: “How wonderful!! This second proposal of yours is even better and more interesting than the first,” and then His Eminence Imam would have taken a sheet of paper and a pen from the shelf beside him, written something on it, enclosed it in an envelope, sealed it, and handed it to me, saying: “You yourself take this letter and give it to Mr. Mohammadi Gilani. I have written to him about what should be done regarding you and your proposals,” and I would thank him, kiss his hand again, and shed tears of joy from happiness.
Mohammad Mahdavifar
Deminer and Diver of the Sacred Defense
Sizdah Bedar, 1395 [April 1, 2016]