Job, Marriage
In the early days after my freedom, my relatives and friends came to visit me to get the news. I was happy with that because of my worries about SAVAK’s monitoring who come to our house. Some days passed this way. I had to find a job. Because of my political background, it was not easy to find a good job. I talked to many people and it was useless. Finally, I visited the late Haj Mohammad Sadegh Eslami and told the matter to him. He employed me in Qa’em Glaze Company[1] where he was the directing manager. SAVAK’s monitoring continued. They would follow me everywhere and all the time.
After finding a job I thought of getting married. I talked about this matter with a close friend. They welcomed my suggestion and introduced some people. One day I was guest at Mr. Abbass Douzdouzani[2]. His wife and he told me: “Ahmad! If you are thinking of getting married, don’t look for someone. We know someone suitable for you. We talked to her when you were in prison and she was positive generally. She has waited these days for your freedom.” I asked: “Who is she?” Abbass said: “She is my wife’s cousin from Rineh[3]. We talked about the matter more in details.
The next days I gathered more information about Fartoukzadeh family; about their morals, Islamic behavior, obeying Hijab and their social status. They lived in Sar-Asiyab Doulab, a Tehran south-east quarter who would go to their village, Rineh, in summers. Fatima Fartoukzadeh was a good Muslim believer who had grown up in a very religious family. She had participated in religious circles from early teenage years and had a good relation with her cousin, Mrs. Douzdouzani. She had become interested in political affairs through this relation too. Mr. Douzdouzani had also affected on Mr. Fartoukzadeh (Fatima’s father) and his daughter and son, Mohammad Reza[4] who was a medicine student in Shiraz, and could make them interested in political affairs and the fight against the Pahlavi regime.
Haj Yousef Rashidi who had accepted to introduce us to each other for marriage, arranged a meeting between Mohammad Reza and me in Nazi Abad Park. In this meeting I explained my conditions for marriage and heard what he said about theirs and particularly his sister’s conditions. I explained that I had political imprisonment background because of political activities. And I would continue this way in future. I said there were many dangers in this way and each moment I might face SAVAK. I might be pursued, arrested, imprisoned and even executed in this way. My life partner should know all these matters.
Mohammad Reza was a very understanding young man. He said: “… I had heard about you before and today after talking with you I am relaxed. My sister and I have no problem with this marriage. However, you should know my parents do not agree with this regime, but not to the level of giving their daughter to a political activist. But I cannot guarantee that I agree with this marriage 100%.”
Since it was summer, Fartoukzadehs were in Rineh. Haj Yousef Rashidi arranged a visit for me in their house in Rineh. From the very early encounter I could see their satisfaction with this marriage. After the general talks, I talked in full details with Fatima herself. I told her: “My criterion for choosing the woman for my life is her believes and knowledge of the dangerous kind of life she is beginning. She must consider the fight, exile, escape and pursue as Jihad in the God’s way and tolerate them all.” I told her the fight against the regime was my responsibility and I might not hesitate when and where I should do my responsibility. She also said: “I expect my man to be a man of God; a good and clean believer. If he was like this, whatever hardship he has, is mine either.” We founded our life in this meeting. I had also one or two meetings with her father and then we get married.
So, our life began on the 1st day of fall in 1973. We had a small party because of the insistence of the family. We rented two rooms in my father’s house to decrease our costs.
[1] Qa’em Glaze Company was located in Rey and managed by some Bazaar businessmen. They would employ political prisoners after their freedom to meet their ends meet.
[2] Abbass Douzdouzani was born in 1942 in Tabriz in a religious family. He immigrated to Tehran in 1950 and after finishing elementary school he continued his studies at high school and received his diploma in Natural Science 1954. He was employed in Education Ministry in 1960. In 1961 he entered university to study Arab Language. In university he began his religious-political activities. In 1964 he joined INP and after its revelation in 1965, he was arrested. He was freed in 1966. However, because of political background he could not continue his studies at university and began working as an accountant in Bazaar. He was arrested in 1967 being accused of participating in the Shah’s assassination plot and imprisoned in Qezel Qal’eh for 40 days. In 1970 he joined Hezbollah and in 1972 was imprisoned for the 3rd time. This time he passed five years in prison. After Islamic Revolution victory in 1979, he began organizing Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) along with some other of his friends and played big role in this process and became a member of the IRGC commanding council. In the spring of 1980 he was appointed as The Supreme Commander of IRGC. But later he resigned from this post by the request of Banisadr, the president. In the cabinet of the late president Rajaee, he was the Islamic Guidance Minister. He was elected as representative of Tabriz and Tehran in Majlis for three terms. Councilor to High Education Ministry, Membership in the Central Council of Teachers Islamic Society and Member of Tehran City Council are other posts that he has had.
[3] Rineh is a country village in Haraz Road near Ab Ask district.
[4] Dr. Mohammad Reza Fartoukzadeh was born in 1950 in a religious family. He finished his studies in Marvi High School. Then he entered Shiraz University in medicine. There, he got acquainted with political activities along with engineering students. He tells in his memories: “… in medicine faculty, most of the people were conservative and would rarely take part in political activities. So I got closer to engineering students. I got acquainted with people such as Ahmad Tavakoli, Eng. Ahmad Jalali, Eng. Saberi, and Eng. Wajihollahi and began political activities.” Mohammad Reza Fartoukzadeh was arrested three times during his years of political activity and experienced Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz and Evin Prison in Tehran. He was graduated in medicine in 1979 and in 1982 after passing PhD courses became the dean of Shiraz University. He also could get ophthalmology specialty from Shahid Beheshti University and fellowship in corneal transplantation from Tehran University.
About his sister’s marriage with Mr. Ahmad he said: “My sister would hold Koran classes in Rineh and also Sar Asiyab Doulab before her marriage. When I was medicine student in Shiraz, my sister had some suitors that she had not accepted any of them. She was looking for a religiously political man. Finally Mr. Ahmad was introduced through Mr. Douzdouzani. My sister asked my idea about him and my viewpoint was so important to her. I talked to Mr. Ahmad and found him suitable for my sister’s marriage and accepted him; my sister also accepted. The reasons behind accepting, despite religious and political believes of him, were his brother, Haj Mahdi Ahmad who was an active and knowledgeable religious activist, and his introducer, Mr. Douzdouzani who was really respected by us.
Oral History Unit at the Bureau for the Islamic Revolution Literature
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