Speech [The crimes of the Pahlavi regime]

«۱»- In Sahifeh-ye Nour, vol.۱, p.۲۶۷, the present speech is said to have been delivered on January ۹ [Dey ۱۹], but in view of Imam's remarks this is a definite mistake, the said speech having been made at least several days following the event which occurred on January ۹. «۲»- It refers to the killings of January ۹ [Dey ۱۹] which took place following the printing of the defamatory article entitled:" The Red and Black Reaction in Iran" which appeared in the Ittila`at newspaper of January ۷,۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۱۷,۱۳۵۶ AHS]. The said article which openly insulted both Imam Khomeini and the other maraji`, carried the fictitious author's name" Ahmad Rashidi Mutlaq"; and after its publication, the people were so enraged that they immediately collected all of the newspapers in question, set them ablaze, and then began to shout out anti-Shah slogans in the streets. Two days later, on January ۹, the theological teaching centers closed down and the general public, including those from the bazaar, headed for the homes of the maraji` to demonstrate their support for the clergy. On their way however, they were suddenly attacked by armed troops who immediately opened fire on them. «۳»- The Hawd-e Sultan (Qum Lake) is situated on the lowest stretches of the plain which lies between the cities of Tehran, Qum and Saveh; and it is a well-known fact that the corpses of the victims of Khordad ۱۵ were deposited into this lake by government agents. «۴»- Those who came to claim the corpses of either the people killed during the demonstration or those who had been executed following a predetermined trial, were asked by the Shah's agents to make a payment which would cover what they termed `bullet costs'. «۵»- Avicenna. «۶»- World War One, which broke out in ۱۹۱۴ and came to an end in ۱۹۱۸, was initially sparked off by an Austrian attack against Serbia, other countries, including the Soviet Union, Germany, France, Belgium, Britain, Japan, America, Finland, Bulgaria, Italy and Hungary also later becoming involved in the battle. This war left almost ۱۳,۵۰۰,۰۰۰ people dead and numerous cities razed to the ground. «۷»- World War Two broke out in ۱۹۳۹ with a German attack on Poland; and in support of the latter, the French and British governments subsequently declared war on Germany. Italy, Somalia, India, Libya, Yugoslavia, Greece, the Soviet Union, Iran, America, Japan, Algeria, Morocco, Romania, and several other countries were all involved in this war. On August ۶,۱۹۴۵ [Mordad ۱۵,۱۳۲۴ AHS], America dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and this, together with a second attack on Nagasaki three days later, led directly to Japan's surrender and to the end of the Second World War- a war which claimed the lives of ۳۹,۰۰۰,۰۰۰ people. «۸»- Vietnam was occupied by the French in ۱۸۸۰, but in ۱۹۴۰, following the defeat of France in Europe, the reins of the government in this country were seized by the Japanese. In ۱۹۴۵, the year of Japan's surrender to the Allies, France yet again set its sights on Vietnam but this time it experienced a defeat at the hands of the latter. In ۱۹۵۴, as a result of the agreements concluded at the Geneva Conference, the temporary partition of Vietnam into two areas of North Vietnam and South Vietnam came about. An American-backed government was installed in South Vietnam which, in its attempts to consolidate the regime's position, came down hard on all dissidents who were thus sent to labor camps. Between the years ۱۹۵۶ and ۱۹۶۰, as much as one billion dollars was given by America to the South Vietnamese government by way of military and economic aid, in addition to military equipment which was also dispatched by the US to support the regime there. In ۱۹۶۰ a guerrilla campaign was launched against the Vietnamese regime by South Vietnamese guerrilla forces known as the `Vietcong'. Thousands of Vietcong members were either arrested or killed by both government and American forces throughout the following four years, until in ۱۹۶۴, America officially waged war with both North Vietnam and the Vietcong of South Vietnam. During the period which stretched from ۱۹۶۲ until ۱۹۶۸, more than ۴۰۰,۰۰۰ Vietcong members and North Vietnamese combatants were killed in war and conflict. From February ۱۹۶۵ until January ۱۹۶۸ alone, ۲,۵۸۲,۰۰۰ bombs were dropped on the defenseless people of this country during ۱۰۷,۷۰۰ air raids which were carried out by US aircraft on North Vietnam; and in ۱۹۶۹, hundreds of the inhabitants of Mylai, a small village situated in South Vietnam, were killed in a general massacre which was carried out by American troops there. On August ۱۰,۱۹۶۹, approximately ۵۰۰,۰۰۰ young people from North Vietnam were reported to have been killed in the war. From ۱۹۷۱ until ۱۹۷۳ the Vietcong managed to topple down the South Vietnamese regime with several severe blows; and eventually in ۱۹۷۵, a defeated America was forced to withdraw from Vietnam. This withdrawal was concurrent with an all-out attack on South Vietnam which was staged by both the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese forces, and which resulted in the collapse of the South Vietnamese regime, the liberation of South Vietnam, and the latter's unification with North Vietnam. According to Western sources, the killing of each Vietcong member cost America as much as ۳۵۰,۰۰۰ dollars, let alone the moral, social and psychological damages inflicted upon the American nation- damages which were in fact far greater than any economic losses it sustained. «۹»- Rida Khan Mirpanj, who held military command over a Cossack unit in Qazvin, occupied Tehran in ۱۹۲۰ [۱۲۹۹ AHS] in accordance with a plan devised by the British government, and by carrying out a coup d'etat he forced Ahmad Shah to appoint Sayyid Diya'uddin Tabataba'i as the Prime Minister. Rida Khan gradually consolidated his position and took steps to establish a unified national army. In ۱۹۲۳, Ahmad Shah appointed Rida Khan to act as Ministerial Chairman after which he then left Iran to visit Europe. Eventually, in ۱۹۲۵ [۱۳۰۴ AHS], parliamentary representatives were pressurized by Rida Khan into presenting a single article to the Majlis by virtue of which Ahmad Shah was ousted from the throne and Rida Khan became elected as monarch. This article was ratified by the Majlis in spite of opposition voiced by the clergy and certain crusaders such as Mudarris. «۱۰»- In ۱۹۲۰ (۱۲۹۹ AHS- the year of Rida Khan's coup d'etat), having received an education in Khomein, Imam Khomeini went to the theological center of Arak where he continued his studies. «۱۱»- On November ۵,۱۹۴۱ [Aban ۱۴,۱۳۲۰ AHS], two months after Rida Khan had fled Iran, British Radio, in one of its political commentaries, openly spoke of Britain's tendentious friendship with Iran and of having brought Rida Khan to power. In this regard it stated:" British political policy in Iran is one based upon friendship: both a friendship with an underlying purpose and a friendship without an underlying purpose. As for the friendship which has no underlying purpose, this is enjoyed by the learned men only, for other than this the friendship held between the British government and Iran or any other country for that matter is not and cannot be void of personal motives Once we saw how suspicious the Iranian nation was towards the treaty concluded in ۱۹۱۹, believing it to be based upon ulterior motives, we annulled the treaty and instead gave the Iranian government help and encouragement to establish order in its own country. The underlying reason why we gave help and encouragement to Rida Khan was that our opponents used to accuse us of controlling Rida Shah's actions and claim that whatever he did was in compliance with our instructions. But this was not in fact the case! When we realized however that Germany's evil designs and the Shah's negligence were endangering our interests, then we were forced to reluctantly take this course of action (i.e. the sending of Rida Khan into exile)". Refer also to Tarikh-e Siyasi-ye Mu`asir-e Iran, vol.۱, pp. ۱۲۷-۱۲۸. «۱۲»- When Rida Khan returned to Iran having visited Turkey and talking with Ataturk, he began to speak of modernization. Ataturk had taught him that the greatest barrier preventing the Westernization of a nation was the `ulama' and the clergy, and that only by foreshortening the arms of the latter was he himself able to persuade the men to wear a neck- or bow-tie and a hat and to prohibit the women from wearing the Islamic covering! Hence, in following Ataturk's example, and after consulting with Britain, Rida Khan also embarked upon a new program of" reforms". In a personally-issued writ, Rida Khan banned the donning of religious dress for all clergymen save a few who had been made an exception. Other steps taken by him in bringing about uniformity of social dress included the compulsory wearing of the Pahlavi hat (semi-brimmed), and later the Chapeau hat (full-brimmed), frock-coat and jacket. Regulations concerning the compulsory wearing of a hat, and the color and type of shoes and clothing which were to be worn, were conveyed via the governors of the various provinces in the form of official notices which were handed down to the latter from the Ministry of the Interior! But even this did not satisfy Rida Khan, who then began to consider further measures which could be taken to crush Islam and the Muslims in Iran. However, having been discharged from this mission, he did not actually get the chance to implement these measures but instead left his son to carry out the rest of his proposed plans. «۱۳»- In ۱۹۳۵ [۱۳۱۴ AHS], Rida Khan forced the people of Iran to abandon the national and traditional form of dress for a foreign one. The writ which was issued in this regard was called the" Uniformity of Appearance Writ" and it applied to everyone including even the clergy. The people, who were truly angered by these measures, turned to the clergy for guidance and the latter thus commanded them to rise up in opposition. In the struggle which ensued, Ayatullah Husayn Qummi was sent into exile in Iraq (the home of the holy shrines of some of the noblest figures of Islam); and Younus Ardebili, Muhaqqiq Khorasani and the latter's son were tried in court and sentenced to imprisonment, Ayatullah Khorasani's son actually dying shortly after having been forcibly divested of his religious garb. Furthermore, about one hundred of the country's most distinguished clergymen and preachers were also arrested and imprisoned during the course of this protest. «۱۴»- On December ۲, ۱۹۳۵ [Azar ۱۱,۱۳۱۴ AHS], Mahmoud Jam, who had been appointed by Rida Khan to form a Cabinet, was asked by the latter:" How can we get rid of this chador (a full-length veil worn by women)? Ever since I went to Turkey and saw how the women there have discarded the black veil and the Islamic form of covering, I have come to despise any woman who wears the chador. Indeed, the chador is the enemy of progress and development. It has assumed the exact properties of a boil, in that it must be lanced with great care." On January ۷, ۱۹۳۶ [Dey ۱۷,۱۳۱۴ AHS], after having consulted with Jam, Rida Khan escorted his wife (Taj al-Muluk) and daughters (Shams and Ashraf) to a Teachers' Training College ceremony, the latter having discarded their Islamic covering. Consequently, the wives of both ministers and certain figures of high national standing also attended this official function alongside their husbands, while lacking any form of Islamic covering. Once the occasion had drawn to a close, Rida Khan ordered Jam (the Prime Minister) to arrange for other such gatherings so that the women of Iran could get used to the new state of things in the country and could become accustomed to fraternization between the sexes! Hence, from that time onwards, many such social functions were organized to this end, and government officials received strict orders to treat those women who appeared in public wearing Islamic dress with the utmost harshness. «۱۵»- The law which was established to bring about uniformity of social dress applied to everyone except those muftis who were Sunni and a limited number of clergymen who, prior to this law, had obtained government permission to don the religious dress. Other than these exceptions, no one had the right to wear religious garb unless they possessed a certain certificate which was issued by the Ministry of Education. Subsequent to the announcement of this law, disciplinary officers and gendarmes would interrogate any clergyman on sight, and should the latter not possess the aforementioned certificate, then they would remove his turban from his head in full view of the public and summon him to the police station. Moreover, the officers at police headquarters would sometimes disregard the certificate in question and would take those wearing turbans into custody anyway and force them to shave off their beards. These measures became so strict that the clergy could rarely be seen in the streets, only venturing out from their homes after nightfall and only using those alleyways which were less crowded and busy; and following the quelling of the popular and clerical uprising in the Gauhar Shad Mosque in Mashhad, even more pressure was brought to bear by Rida Khan on those who belonged to society's clerical class. «۱۶»- Sunqur is situated ۹۷ kilometers north-east of Bakhtaran and lies ۵۸ kilometers away from the historical monuments of Bistoun. «۱۷»- In ۱۹۳۴ [۱۳۱۳ AHS], Rida Shah's Minister of Education, `Ali Asghar Hikmat, was at a ceremony in Shiraz when, to the surprise of most of those present, a group of girls began to dance before the audience. As a consequence, those guests who had not expected to witness such a spectacle left the ceremony and since the public had also become aware of what had taken place, they arranged for a protest demonstration to be held. Sayyid Hisamuddin Fali, an influential cleric and `alim of Shiraz, voiced strong objection to the Iranian government concerning the behavior witnessed at the ceremony, and he was then arrested and sent to prison. The news of events in Shiraz and the arrest of Sayyid Hisamuddin reached the `ulama' in the theological centers of Qum, Mashhad and Tabriz. In Tabriz two distinguished `ulama', their eminences Sayyid Abou'l-Hasan Angaji and Aqa Mirza Sadiq Aqa, remonstrated with the government and as a result were also arrested and banished, firstly to Kurdistan (Sanandaj) and several days later to Qum. After a while Ayatullah Angaji eventually returned to Tabriz, but Ayatullah Aqa Mirza Sadiq Aqa actually passed away while still in exile in Qum. «۱۸»- The Shah. «۱۹»- Imam sarcastically calls those people of Iran who had risen up to demand justice" an army of foreigners" in scoffing at the government's claims. «۲۰»- It is said that on Khordad ۱۵ and ۱۶,۱۳۴۲ AHS [June ۵ and ۶,۱۹۶۳], the Shah had given his military commanders the permission to" shoot as they saw fit", and he had stressed that soldiers were not to waste their bullets, nor to fire into the air, but instead, they were ordered to target the upper-part of the body when firing. Furthermore, it is also said that on Khordad ۱۵ the Shah actually flew above the city of Tehran in a helicopter from where he personally took it upon himself to command the operations in progress. In his memoirs (p ۵۱), General Fardoust writes:" On the morning of Khordad ۱۵, ۱۳۴۲ AHS (Pakravan) spoke with Muhammad Rida (Shah) over the telephone, and the latter gave orders for Oveissi to assume responsibility for the operation to exterminate and suppress the people who had risen up in revolt and for him to maintain direct and frequent contact with the Shah in this regard At twelve noon on that same day, Oveissi telephoned me and said: `I have been put in a helpless situation! I don't even have one military company fully under my command; and should a group of demonstrators attack me or my company, then they will all be destroyed outright! ... ' I must add that up until midday of Khordad ۱۵, both Muhammad Rida, the Americans and the British, had perceived the demonstrations as a grandiose, well-thought-out plan to topple the Shah and thus they were extremely nervous about the whole affair. It is also interesting to note that at that time there was an American adviser who worked in Headquarters No.۳, as a member of SAVAK, and who was the most intelligent and pre-eminent person within America's advisory body there." «۲۱»- James Earl ("Jimmy") Carter was the thirty-ninth President of the United States. He won his way into the White House (۱۹۷۷) by advocating" the defense of human rights"! His diplomatic record tells of many ventures undertaken by him including his role in the establishment of political relations with China; his efforts towards the drawing up of the scandalous Camp David Accord between Egypt and Israel; his role in concluding the Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact with the Soviet Union; his hard-line stance in opposition to the Islamic Revolution; and his involvement in the failed military attack on Tabas. «۲۲»- In order to check the escalation of the Iranian nation's struggle, an escalation which in fact began in ۱۹۶۲ [۱۳۴۱ AHS], the Shah's regime intended to create an atmosphere of terror and to kill the people en masse; and hence, it was in accordance with this plan that the dreadful crime which took place on Khordad ۱۵ (June ۵) was actually perpetrated by the regime. In a speech delivered on June ۸, ۱۹۶۳ [Khordad ۱۸,۱۳۴۲ AHS] in Hamedan, the Shah invents lies and makes false accusations in a bid to gain the people's support, whereby he explains:" When I spelt out the six tenets of our very own national revolution to the peasants and the people of Iran, I pointed out that there were two forces which would not remain silent: the Black Reaction and the Red Reaction. That which we witnessed in Tehran on Wednesday, Khordad ۱۵, was a manifestation of one of these two forces- the Black Reaction. On that day, the Black Reaction set fire to the library in city Park as well as a sports arena, various vehicles of transport and bus-ticket kiosks. Members of this Black Reaction attacked buses carrying school girls and it assaulted defenseless women in the streets of Tehran It argues that you peasants who have been given freedom must once more become bondsmen. The reason why the Black Reaction attacked the power station was to halt production in Iran"! «۲۳»- It refers to the tragedy which occurred on Dey ۱۹ [January ۹] which has been mentioned earlier. «۲۴»- In ۱۹۷۶ [۱۳۵۵ AHS] the Shah spent enormous sums of money to support the Republican Party candidate in the run-up to the American elections. However, the Democratic Party actually won the election and the newly-elected President, Jimmy Carter, entered the White House from where he announced:" We do not supply arms to just anybody irrespective of who they may be, nor do we offer our support to just anybody". The Shah, who could not maintain his rule even for one day without American support, repeatedly sent congratulatory messages to Carter and voiced his support for Carter's ideas and policies for fear of what might happen otherwise. But in spite of this, Carter paid no attention to the Shah until the time when, on the advice of Kissinger, America's Foreign Minister at that time, Farah (the Shah's wife) made a trip to America. Following a sixteen-day stay in Washington, during which Farah held talks with Carter, differences were settled, and the latter even extended an invitation to the Shah to visit the US. Subsequently, in the hope of gaining Carter's support, the Shah signed various agreements worth billions of dollars with America; and with the same end in mind, he also guaranteed a price freeze on oil in OPEC and granted large concessions to American companies. Eventually these" gestures" made by the Shah paid off whereby Carter consented to visit Iran and to declare his support for the Iranian monarch! «۲۵»- With regard to the" patriotism" shown by the Iranian people during the events of September, ۱۹۴۱, the Shah had said:" The Iranian people's patriotism was plain to see when I attended the Majlis to take the oath of sovereignty. On that day, the people carried their young sovereign on their shoulders both to and from the Majlis. This was the greatest reassurance that I have ever been given". Furthermore, with relation to events which occurred in ۱۹۵۳ [۱۳۳۲ AHS] concerning his return to Iran, the Shah said:" The people once again asked for their Shah, the affection and support they showed to me being so great that I again felt that I shouldered an added responsibility- a responsibility other than that stipulated in the Constitution and other than that of a constitutional monarch. I was made to feel that I am a monarch which the people had again asked for to determine the country's fate and to safeguard its interests". Concerning the `White Revolution' he said:" In order to unfold the secret which lies behind the revolution and the harmonic relationship which exists between the Shah and the people, one needs to examine the ancient history of Iran, its royal history, and the sense of attachment felt by the Iranian people towards the monarchy in this country"; and in another speech he claimed:" No matter which part of this country I visit, I receive a warm welcome from the people and I encounter the enthusiastic support of the nation. The people feel attached to me and this gives me a sense of pride". This was said however, at a time when the Shah was afraid to go among the people without protection from the most highly-trained security guards! During the last days of his reign, when the country of Iran resounded with the slogan" Death to the Shah", a correspondent for Der Spiegel asks Farah (the Shah's wife):" Did you expect to see such hatred from the people?", to which she replies:" Not at all; I am absolutely astonished". And when the Shah is asked by a correspondent what he felt about the situation, he says:" I feel a great sense of sorrow". See Bistopanj Sal Hakimiyyat-e Amrika dar Iran, pp. ۱۰۳-۱۰۶; and Nutqha va Payamha-ye Shah, p.۳۲۳۳. «۲۶»- On January ۹, ۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۱۹,۱۳۵۶ AHS], the day of the tragedy in Qum, Kurt Waldheim, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, visited Iran, supposedly to examine the situation there with regard to human rights. After attending several receptions and holding talks with the Shah, Farah and Ashraf (the Shah's wife and sister, respectively) however, Waldheim concluded his `investigation' and left Iran! See the press from January ۹-۲۰,۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۱۹-۳۰,۱۳۵۶ AHS]. «۲۷»- While World War Two was still being fought, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, the leaders of America, Britain and the Soviet Union, gathered in Tehran to hold a conference. This conference lasted from September ۲ until September ۷,۱۹۴۳, and once it had ended two declarations were issued. The first declaration announced the unanimous agreement reached by the three governments concerning the future strategy to be adopted in the war; and the other declaration announced the promise of economic aid to Iran both during and after the war. At the time, northern Iran was under Soviet occupation, southern Iran was under British control, and Iran's communication routes were controlled by American forces. «۲۸»- Joseph Vissarionovich (۱۸۷۹-۱۹۵۳), known as Stalin (the Iron Man), became the leader of the Soviet Union following Lenin. «۲۹»- The Shah constantly played with the words `justice' and `social justice' as can be seen in the following example:" Despite the urgency of military matters and the pressing nature of issues relating to the war, I began to discuss the need to establish social justice in my country How can one accept a situation where some become ill from overeating while others fall into such a sorry state due to a lack of food I have not relaxed my efforts for even one moment in achieving my aim, that being, the establishment of social justice in my country. Each and every one of the proposals that I have made concerning the establishment of social justice, has, thanks be to God, been put into operation"! The kind of justice which had been put into operation however, was one whereby desperate poverty had forced a certain section of the population to send their children to work in carpet-weaving factories where they earned less than ۱۵ rials per day for their efforts; or again one where an entire family had to survive from one year to the next on the produce obtained from a single walnut tree or from a goat. Indeed, justice had been put into operation to such an extent that those in both the north and the south and in the east and west of Iran were suffering from poverty and destitution, from pain and sickness. There was neither water nor any signs of development; neither electricity nor health care. Meanwhile however, the Shah and his loyal followers owned ۵۰ of the shares in private banks! On one occasion alone (according to a petition made by the government of the Islamic Republic), Muhammad Rida and his wife stole ۳۵ billion dollars of the people's money! Iran's foreign trade (according to statements made by the provisional government's Trade Minister) more or less lay in the hands of only ۶۰ people; major company shares were held by a mere ۵۰ families; and tens or perhaps hundreds of checks, each worth so many millions of dollars, were cashed daily for members of the royal family and for the Shah's courtiers and attendants, from a joint account numbered: ۲۱۴۸۹۵-۲۰ (the account number of the Pahlavi Foundation) in a Swiss bank in Geneva! Refer to Nutqha va Payamha-ye Shah, pp.۲۷۹۳-۲۹۶۶; Raz-e Biliyoun Dular, p.۷; Dawlat va Hukoumat dar Iran,pp.۲۵۱,۲۶۶ and ۲۸۱. «۳۰»- The Kayhan newspaper of June ۵, ۱۹۶۳ [Khordad ۱۵,۱۳۴۲ AHS] read:" Only two members of the `ulama' of Qum and Mashhad have voiced opposition, the rest of the `ulama' are in complete agreement with the government"- the two members in fact having been Imam Khomeini and Ayatullah Hasan Qummi. «۳۱»- The Capitulation Bill. «۳۲»- The bilateral agreement signed in ۱۹۵۹ [۱۳۳۸ AHS] between Iran and the US left Iran lying firmly in America's clutches. Following this agreement, America gained a free hand to interfere in all of Iran's affairs and an influx of foreign specialists flooded into the country. Moreover, the country's system of defense, the organization of its armed forces, and in short, all of the army's administrative and executive affairs were supervised by American military advisers. In addition, the army's supreme commanders were in a subordinate position to that of the American advisers; and the opportunity for America to make inroads into the country became so great that in ۱۹۷۶ and ' ۷۷ [۱۳۵۵ and ۱۳۵۶ AHS] weapons purchased by Iran from America amounted to ۱۲ billion dollars compared to a former figure of ۴ billion dollars! Refer to Bistopanj Sal Hakimiyyat-e Amrika dar Iran, p.۶۳. «۳۳»- Prior to the Islamic Revolution approximately ۳۰, ۰۰۰ American military advisers were working in Iran and the US Senate had announced in a report that by the year ۱۹۸۰, there would be ۵۰- ۶۰,۰۰۰ American residents there. Those foreign residents who already resided in Iran lived in modern apartments and grand, luxurious villas in the north of Tehran, and the salaries and fringe benefits they received were many times greater than those received by their Iranian counterparts, amounting to more than ۱,۰۰۰,۰۰۰ rials per month. The consumer items they required were supplied to them via stores which were exclusively for their use. In Tehran there was a large American school, a hospital, a psychiatric clinic and a general support center in addition to special clubs for American citizens only. One of Iran's radio stations and at certain times one of its television channels were given over to the broadcasting of certain programs in English for foreigners and especially for Americans. America's overwhelming presence in Iran can be explained not only by military issues and Iran's employment of American arms and equipment in her army, but also by the development of mutual ties between the CIA and SAVAK; the installation of surveillance equipment to procure Russian intelligence in various places throughout Iran; and the industrial and commercial activities undertaken by American companies and individuals there. See Dawlat va Hukoumat dar Iran, p.۲۳۱; Mission to Iran, pp. ۱۵-۴۲; I`tirafat-e Shah, p.۷۸; Siyohaft Rouz Pas Az Siyohaft Sal, p.۱۱۰. «۳۴»- It refers to the event which occurred in Qum on Dey ۱۹,۱۳۵۷ [January ۹,۱۹۷۸], when agents of the regime attacked the religious students and the people killing and wounding many of them. «۳۵»- On January ۱۷,۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۲۷,۱۳۵۶ AHS], merchants and tradesmen of the bazaar in Tehran issued a statement in which they declared Thursday, January ۱۹,۱۹۷۸ to be a day of a general shutdown and called on all of those in the bazaar to refrain from opening up their shops and stalls for business on this day. This statement was made in protest to and condemnation of the regime's killing of defenseless people, and in support of the popular and clerical uprising in Qum; and the proposed day for a general shutdown coincided both with the final day of a week-long period of mourning and protest by the clergy and with the day when memorial ceremonies were to be held for the martyrs of Qum. Refer to Nihdat-e Rouhaniyyoun-e Iran, vol.۷, p.۳۸. «۳۶»- The statement made by the Iranian Laborers' Party on January ۱۸,۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۲۸,۱۳۵۶ AHS], serves as an example of the revulsion which was expressed by certain political parties against the regime's activities. This statement, which was addressed to the country's Attorney-General, accused the government's executive body of felony and stressed the party's support for the people of Iran and the faith it had both in the Shi`ah maraji` and the religious and clerical orders in Iran. Another such example was the statement issued on January ۳۰,۱۹۷۸ [Bahman ۱۰,۱۳۵۶ AHS] by Ittihad-e Nirouha-ye Jebhe-ye Melli-ye Iran, which again underlined this party's support for the various popular fronts and endorsed the action taken by those in the bazaar. This statement also spoke of the shutdown proposed for Thursday, January ۱۹, ۱۹۷۸ [Dey ۲۹,۱۳۵۶ AHS] which was to be observed by the merchants and tradesmen in the bazaar of Tehran- a shutdown which, it stated, was to be a demonstration of the disgust felt towards the killing of a defenseless group of people in Qum, and was to be a show of support for the country's progressive clergy. In addition to the aforementioned parties, other groups also issued statements which expressed support for the proposed shutdown- groups such as the `ulama' and preachers of Tehran and its suburbs; the natives of Shiraz in the bazaar of Tehran; the merchants and tradesmen who were natives of Isfahan but who resided in the country's capital; the natives of Azerbaijan in the bazaar of Tehran; the lecturers and scholars from the theological centre of Qum; and the Muslim Movement both at home and abroad. Refer to Nihdat-e Rouhaniyyoun-e Iran, vol.۷, p.۵۵ onwards; and Do Sal-e Akhar, the section concerning Dey and Bahman ۱۳۵۶ AHS.