The late Ayatullah Sheikh Jadad Foomani was one of famous southern Tehran clergy and pioneer in political protesting movements. He had a sharp and expressive tongue and had no fear to talk about the regime’s corruption. He had been arrested for several times and called to the police intelligence administration.
He was so popular among the poor and Tehran public for his uncompromising attitudes. The regime was so careful about and fully aware of this popular clergy activity.
Finally, he passed away on 23rd of Ramadan 1384 L.H. (Jan 26th 1965), Shab-e Qadr (Night of Destiny).[1] People were sad of hearing his death news. His cortege changed to a great political meeting. Predicting the matter, the regime cut the phone lines of Bazaar and the district around Khorasan square in a security attempt.
The fasting people of Tehran wearing black suits rushed to his cortege. The cortege started in front of Nou Mosque. Mehdi and I also joined the cortege. We could see men who had put clay on their heads and women wearing thick black suits and all together had taken part in their popular clergy’s funeral without caring the regime’s possible attempts.
We rallied along with the body toward town of Rey in south of Tehran. SAVAK tried to impede the rally but was confronted with the people’s anger. When we entered Rey Street, people started to shout the slogan: “Our Hojjat-ul-eslam went away from this mortal world. Woe! Woe!”
In Shush Square, somebody went on top of an 18 Kilogram oil can and started to shout slogans and speaking to people. SAVAK reacted and tried to arrest him, but they could not and he lost himself among people cleverly. Shush square became full of people. Very soon we found out there were some agents among people wearing ordinary clothes. While I was moving along with people and shouting someone took my hand and pulled. I look at him and asked what he was doing and then he said: “Do not move! Come with me to back!” I found out he was a SAVAK agent. I said: “Go away! What are you talking about?!” we had a quarrel with each other. My brother, Mehdi who was then a bit far away from us became attentive to us. He asked: “Ahmad! What is up?” I said: “This guy is telling me that I have to go with him …!”
Then my brother and some others rushed to us. Then, the SAVAK agent was forced to free my hand. My brother, Mehdi, pushed me in the people and said: “Go…!” I lost myself among people and then the agent could not find me anymore.
In Rey town road, near to Siman Bridge, we confronted with a group of commandos who had come there from out of the road and the colonel who was commanding the suppression on June 5th 1963 was their commander.[2] Seeing him, we put the body down on the ground and started to mourn and lament. Commandos tried to stop the cortege, but people were ignorant and pushed them back and continued their way.
Finally, the body of the late Sheikh Javad Foomani[3] was buried in Abd-ul-azim Shrine and his death was useful for people as his life.
[1] Mr. Haj Ali Akbar Salehi says in his memoirs: “Mr. Foomani was carried to Firoozabadi Hospital and there, it was SAVAK agents who injected poison to his body. When he passed away, his body was taken to his home and then washed for putting in grave. When washing his body, it was found out that there were some bloody skull-caps beside him. SAVAK stole them to hide the matter …”
See: Khaterat-e 15-e Khordad, Bazaar, Daftar-e Adabiyyat-e Enghelab-e eslami (June 5th Memoirs, Bazaar, The Bureau for the Islamic Revolution Literature)
[2] Colonel Saeed Taheri had a big role in killing people on June 5th 1963. He was the police commandos’ commander. He was also effective in suppressing the protests during Iran-Israel soccer match by arresting and injuring many people. Later he became the deputy of Tehran Police as a general. Since 1971 he was in Komiteye Moshtarak-e Shahbani (the police common committee) where the so many dissidents were tortured and interrogated.
General Taheri was finally assassinated in August 1972 by Mohammad Mofidi and Mohammad Baqer Abbassi.
[3] Ayatullah Sheikh Javad Foomani Hayeri, son of the late Ayatollah Sheikh Jafar was born on June 12th 1912 in Kerbela in an old cleric family. He started his Islamic studies in the school of the late Sheikh Ali Akbar Na’iini who was famous as calligrapher. He wore cleric uniform when he was 10 years old. He continued his Islamic studies with father and other great instructors in Kerbela at Badkoobe Seminary School. He educated Fiqh and Osul in Najaf with the late grand ayatollah Haj Agha Zia-ud-din Iraqi and the late grand ayatollah Seyyed Abul-hassan Esfahani and reached Ijtihad degree when he was only 25 years old.
After his father’s death in 1938, he immigrated to Tehran at 27. He would preach to inform people about the Pahlavi regime unti-Islamic activities. He was also active in founding non-profiting institutes including: Religious Unity (a society for Islamic or cultural programs), Nou Mosque, Nou Elementary School (for girls), The 1st Islamic Kindergarten, “10 Shahis Cooperative” (where the rich members would pay 10 Shahi’s each month for the funds needed for girls’ school and kindergarten), Nou Elementary School (for boys), Nou Mosque No 2 and …
He was arrested, interrogated and tortured by SAVAK four times.
Finally, he died under hard mental and body pressures at 43 on 23rd of Ramadan (1965).
See: Setam-Setizan-e Nastouh, Markaz-e Barrasiye Asnad-e Tarikhi Vezarat-e ettela’at (The Center for Survey in Historical Documents of Intelligence Ministry)
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