I Never Wanted to Take Political Advantage of my Brothers

According to Fars News Agency's Epic and Resistance Service reporter, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei who himself is a devotee of the Sacred Defense Era apart from the first position in the Ministry of Education, he is the brother of martyrs as well. Last year, the cabinet Information Website published some photos from the members of the cabinet on this website and the photo of Mr. Minister was above his martyred brother and it was a very influential and stirring photo.

This issue became a reason that we interview the Minister of Education and listen to the memories of this man regarding that photo and his martyred brothers. Hamid Reza Haji Babaei got excited and emotional when he wanted to express some memories about his brothers; His eyes got full of tears and sometimes he would look down and he attempted to preserve his calmness.

• Fars: Mr. Haji Babaei, we want to talk about the photo which has been published in the Cabinet Information Website. In that photo you are above the photo of your martyred brother; can you say about that moment and your brother?
Haji Babaei: At that time my brother arrived to the brigade of Hamedan in the war zone, the enemy had advanced. The Hamedan brigade had to retreat and since the brigade of Ahmedan went to the frontiers to stand against them, the Iraqi forces bombarded the Public Friday Prayer place of Hamedan city. My brother was martyred in the battlefields. Also during the bombardment which took place against Hamedan public Friday prayer, my father and grandmother became devotees.

• Fars: Where was the other brother of you martyred?

Haji Babaei: My other brother was a commander. Abulghasem was two years younger than me; Habib was a younger man and he had been born after me. He is also a devotee too. Abulghasem was martyred after 40 days passing from his marriage, because he had come to the battlefields and he was martyred during the military operation ‘Valfajr 8’.

• Fars: How many brothers and sisters do you have? It seems that all the family members are the war veterans?

Haji Babaei: We are six brothers and siysters; and of course I have one sister, but since my aunt is younger than me and my brothers and she has been grown up with us, somehow we consider her as our sister; that is why I say we have two sisters and both of my sisters are martyrs spouses.

• Fars: Mr. Haji Babaei, let us return to that photo, who informed the martyrdom news of your brother?

Haji Babaei: My brother was a teacher. He went to the war and he became a commander in the war. At that night, it means at the night of Ramadan military operation, the battalion needed to advance, but the commander of the battalion got sick and the commander of the brigade that was my brother directed the battalion. There was no ups and downs on the ground; the war veterans would resist so much and eventually he was martyred by a heavy gun that is used against aircrafts.

It took two days that they brought his corpse. At that time I was personnel of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and I would come and go to the battlefields; Mr. Hamedani was the first person who informed me about my brother’s martyrdom.

• Fars: What was your feeling when you heard the martyrdom news of your brother?

Haji Babaei: My brother was a strange person. He had been injured several times. I was a teacher in Razen and when I came to Hamedan city, I noticed that my brother was in the hospital. I went to the hospital so immediately. He was the commander of Sare Pole Zahab war zone and each time that he would come on leave, the commander of Corps Operation Unit was in the city as well; at that time they informed him that an anti-revolutionary militant has a grenade in his hand and no one dares to get close to him.

My brother followed him and he noticed that man hid in the basement of a building; my brother followed him, but the anti-revolutionary militant throw the grenade and about 70 to 80 quivers hit the body of my brother in that place. They took him to the hospital. The anti-revolutionary militant used the opportunity that he had got unconscious for a few minutes and he attempted to use a serum needle and to insert air into his body, but fortunately since one of the comrades of my brother had arrived there, he was rescued and that anti-revolutionary militant escaped. On that day I arrived to the hospital after 30 minutes passing from that event. He was rescued for many times and eventually he was martyred during a military operation as well.

I don’t know what to say, on that day that I came over his body, still they had not taken his corpse for washing; I really did not wish this photo to be published in the Medias.

• Fars: Why?

Haji Babaei: I did not want to take the photo of my martyred brother to the world of politics. I never liked this photo to be released in the Medias; I really do not like others think that I have used the name of my brother for the political purposes. During all the years that I was a member of the Islamic Parliament, I did not hold a commemoration for them even once, because I did not wish that I’m using them in the political fields.

• Fars: Right now that you are the minister of Education, what will you do in order to make the presence of sacrifice and martyrdom in the educational books?

Haji Babaei: Paying attention to the religious and Koran percepts, sacrifice and martyrdom is the spirit of principal document of changes for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education does not only pay attention apparently, but also it pays so deeply to this issue and many steps have been taken in this field until now and more steps will be taken in the future as well.

The End
Interview by: Maryam Abedini

According to Fars News Agency's Epic and Resistance Service reporter, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei who himself is a devotee of the Sacred Defense Era apart from the first position in the Ministry of Education, he is the brother of martyrs as well. Last year, the cabinet Information Website published some photos from the members of the cabinet on this website and the photo of Mr. Minister was above his martyred brother and it was a very influential and stirring photo. This issue became a reason that we interview the Minister of Education and listen to the memories of this man regarding that photo and his martyred brothers. Hamid Reza Haji Babaei got excited and emotional when he wanted to express some memories about his brothers; His eyes got full of tears and sometimes he would look down and he attempted to preserve his calmness. • Fars: Mr. Haji Babaei, we want to talk about the photo which has been published in the Cabinet Information Website. In that photo you are above the photo of your martyred brother; can you say about that moment and your brother? Haji Babaei: At that time my brother arrived to the brigade of Hamedan in the war zone, the enemy had advanced. The Hamedan brigade had to retreat and since the brigade of Ahmedan went to the frontiers to stand against them, the Iraqi forces bombarded the Public Friday Prayer place of Hamedan city. My brother was martyred in the battlefields. Also during the bombardment which took place against Hamedan public Friday prayer, my father and grandmother became devotees. • Fars: Where was the other brother of you martyred? Haji Babaei: My other brother was a commander. Abulghasem was two years younger than me; Habib was a younger man and he had been born after me. He is also a devotee too. Abulghasem was martyred after 40 days passing from his marriage, because he had come to the battlefields and he was martyred during the military operation ‘Valfajr 8’. • Fars: How many brothers and sisters do you have? It seems that all the family members are the war veterans? Haji Babaei: We are six brothers and siysters; and of course I have one sister, but since my aunt is younger than me and my brothers and she has been grown up with us, somehow we consider her as our sister; that is why I say we have two sisters and both of my sisters are martyrs spouses. • Fars: Mr. Haji Babaei, let us return to that photo, who informed the martyrdom news of your brother? Haji Babaei: My brother was a teacher. He went to the war and he became a commander in the war. At that night, it means at the night of Ramadan military operation, the battalion needed to advance, but the commander of the battalion got sick and the commander of the brigade that was my brother directed the battalion. There was no ups and downs on the ground; the war veterans would resist so much and eventually he was martyred by a heavy gun that is used against aircrafts. It took two days that they brought his corpse. At that time I was personnel of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and I would come and go to the battlefields; Mr. Hamedani was the first person who informed me about my brother’s martyrdom. • Fars: What was your feeling when you heard the martyrdom news of your brother? Haji Babaei: My brother was a strange person. He had been injured several times. I was a teacher in Razen and when I came to Hamedan city, I noticed that my brother was in the hospital. I went to the hospital so immediately. He was the commander of Sare Pole Zahab war zone and each time that he would come on leave, the commander of Corps Operation Unit was in the city as well; at that time they informed him that an anti-revolutionary militant has a grenade in his hand and no one dares to get close to him. My brother followed him and he noticed that man hid in the basement of a building; my brother followed him, but the anti-revolutionary militant throw the grenade and about 70 to 80 quivers hit the body of my brother in that place. They took him to the hospital. The anti-revolutionary militant used the opportunity that he had got unconscious for a few minutes and he attempted to use a serum needle and to insert air into his body, but fortunately since one of the comrades of my brother had arrived there, he was rescued and that anti-revolutionary militant escaped. On that day I arrived to the hospital after 30 minutes passing from that event. He was rescued for many times and eventually he was martyred during a military operation as well. I don’t know what to say, on that day that I came over his body, still they had not taken his corpse for washing; I really did not wish this photo to be published in the Medias. • Fars: Why? Haji Babaei: I did not want to take the photo of my martyred brother to the world of politics. I never liked this photo to be released in the Medias; I really do not like others think that I have used the name of my brother for the political purposes. During all the years that I was a member of the Islamic Parliament, I did not hold a commemoration for them even once, because I did not wish that I’m using them in the political fields. • Fars: Right now that you are the minister of Education, what will you do in order to make the presence of sacrifice and martyrdom in the educational books? Haji Babaei: Paying attention to the religious and Koran percepts, sacrifice and martyrdom is the spirit of principal document of changes for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education does not only pay attention apparently, but also it pays so deeply to this issue and many steps have been taken in this field until now and more steps will be taken in the future as well. The End Interview by: Maryam Abedini