An index of memories of Mohammad Javad Bahonar

An index of memories of Mohammad Javad Bahonar

Biography of the martyr from his own words

The martyr's combats

The goals of teachings from his point of view are as follows

Cultural Revolution from the lips of martyr Dr.Bahonar 

Thoughts and memories from friends and followers

Leadership of martyr Bahonar

After The Islamic Revolution to the time of death 

Biography of the martyr from his own words:

I Mohammad Javad Bahonar was born in 1933 in the city of Kerman. The neighborhood was an old and broken down area of town, I am the second child in a family of 8 brothers and sisters other than me. My father was a simple craftsman and lived poorly; he had a little shop that ran our lives. He is now 76 years old, an old man who is not able to work anymore, my mother passed away about 10 years ago, from the 5 age I was given to a book store near our house. Because in those days there were not many schools, even when there were families like ours could not afford to send their children, therefore leaving me at the book store was not such a bad idea because there was a lady there who thought me to read the Koran. She had a child who for those times was very educated his daily lessons pretty much filled the day. We get accepted to the Hojat Islam Haghighi School and from that day the lessons we studied were Talhegi. The Masoomieh School had just been opened after years of being closed; the new education took place voluntarily. Until the year1953 when I was twenty years old, I managed to get to 5th grade in religious studies; it was the beginning part of the year 1953 when I moved to Qom. The families financial situation was in a way that it was impossible for them to pay for my education, so in Qom I lived on the 23 Tomans that the late Ayatollah Boroujerdi used to give me; after a while an extra 50 Tomans used to be sent from Kerman education fund.

Our best memories from the education days were the 9 years in Qom. OF course that was my first year of entering Qom, in the year 1954 which I spent studying in university, except because all the lessons were in religious studies it was new to us, we continued our lessons in Qom, only when it was necessary to be present in other classes, we would go to Tehran.

Therefore it was around year 1958 when I completed my degree, after getting busy in Qom for a while I managed to continue to be decorated, I also continued the religious studies in Tehran; and took a masters degree in education which the literature university had available, I managed to finish it in 2 years. In Qom I wanted more action in research and studies in the field of mind and philosophy, fortunately this course had started the year before by the Imam from one side and Alameh Tabatabaee from the other side.

 The martyr's Combats:

The year 1963 which was the peak for combat in that period, 5 June that same year was when in happened; we were some of the spiritualists in Qom who got called to different cities.

I was summoned to Hamedan so I went. I remember well, the orders were that from the sixth of Moharam the speeches would house more depth and combats would be more serious, the reason they said this was, do not let the gatherings get over populated unless you like to start from the beginning, if it became a society you would be arrested. From the sixth day when everything got more serious, I think it was the seventh day we were arrested but it was not the June 5th incident. People gathered and freed us and we continued with our speeches to the 12th day of Moharam when the situation heightened and we were pursued seriously, our friends were secretly taken to Tehran so we did not get arrested there. But at the end of the mouth of March that same year which was concurrent with the first year of Faizieh school, because it was that year, 1963 April which was the attack of the regime on the school, naturally 11th of March was equivalent to the death of Imam Jafar Sadegh and the incident at the school, meaning it was towards the end of March that for this reason in Jame mosque in the Bazaar in Tehran the speeches took place and there was a huge turn out. That year was very interesting in own way and it was the third night that a lot of police along with Colonel Taheri who was destroyed was in charge of arresting us who then transferred us to Ghezel Ghale prison. This was my first official prison term which took 4 months and ended up in my conviction. Our problems continued in Tehran in different ways, it was the university education I mentioned before and the other problem was cultural, that friends insisted on a lot.

The goals of education from the martyr's point of view are as follows:

1-Educate our children in way to getting their knighthood.

2-With consideration to politics either western or Eastern our children have to operate self sufficiently and free of influence.

3-Teach our children not to turn their backs on their own people.

4-How to learn to be creative

5-Be educated the Islamic way so they serve their revolution whole heartedly.

TELL THE ARTLESS THAT THE TREASURE OF ART IS OURS ALTHOGH FROM THE LAND OF ART AN ARTIST WILL PASS. In the year 50 our speeches had become illegal at the same time that I was writing school books and getting invited to speeches, which would be stopped then I would have to act as a teacher who just teaches so we would be in teacher surroundings.

Before our speeches became illegal meaning before year 50, we would purposely hold them at Islamic Engineers and Doctors center.

The Hedayat mosque which was the late Ayatollah Taleghani's mosque was our hang out, and for three years we had our speeches there, Friday nights we would have longer sessions. The Aljavad mosque was opened with our cooperation and we were in touch with everything, for getting it started they would talk to us and finally Hosseinieh Ershad which we would have programs there.

In the beginning when we came to Tehran we got to know the Motlagheh group which you know had bitter contacts with the system, they were actually the outcome of the Islamic Revolution which later with our contact with Mansoor we would teach some of them, I remember we used to use subjects that the late martyr Motahari would prepare for the secret meetings, and we would prepare some other speeches, so we had that co-operation with the brothers there.

In the years 1978 and 1979 I got arrested three more times once in Shiraz during the martial law, when the speeches were stopped but we would go to the university, even the next day the speeches were held there. At returning time the roads would be closed, so I would go to the university in Benhavi clothes and do my speech there for students and faculty it was on the way back that I got arrested on the plane which a few days later I got transferred to Tehran and got arrested twice more there. But those days were really not long, one turn was interesting because it was in the month of Ramazan, this was the last of the public year and there were some activist professors there who would hold programs for the demonstrations, walks and such, who got found and surrounded, there was about 30 of us, some got arrested outside and some inside the house they got me and Ayatollah Mousavi in the street and took us but it was not for long. This was some of the incidents we had before the victory of The Islamic Revolution, of course I should point out there was 2 groups, the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionaries, we were active in 1979 too we started the demonstration committee on the Imam's orders, the goal of the committee was not to give in so we could arrange the necessities of their lives, it was very memorable.

Before winning the revolution just about everywhere demonstration would be disturbed, but we were in touch. Then the revolution was won and we had another note from the Imam, we were supposed to start the schools committee because now the schools had to be opened, we were wondering weather this could be done, we followed the Imam's orders. Quickly we managed to gather about a 1000 brothers and sisters to be present at the opening day and help organize, they did very well, brother Rajaee was one of us and a member of the leadership, this was when the government chose Dr.Shokoohi temporarily. Mr. Rajaee and a few others served in this district and played an important role in the present education board.

 The martyr's words specially people's political co-operation:

It was Islam that taught our people in this country politics and constant watch on the situation and how to be positive.

 The leadership of ImamAyatolloh Khamenei:

Martyr's Rajaee and Bahonar always have to be remembered as servants of this society.

 Cultural revolution from the lips of martyr Dr. Bahonar:

The Cultural Revolution is following different goals, these are the Islamic values in the cultural areas of the Iranian society.

The other goals of the revolution are to raise the educational standards to a level so that we would be free of affiliations.

Thoughts and memories from the followers:

After Mr.Khamenei got injured martyr Bahonar was very upset, that same evening he went to the hospital to find out about his situation, and with all the goings on he was willing to go there at anytime and see to him and his needs.

The day he became the minister of education, when he came home I congratulated him, in reply he said: "I feel I don't just have 4 children anymore but 10 million and I feel responsibility towards each and every of them".

From his special and valuable points that attracted every ones attention was his relentlessness, he had said I will never meet tiredness" and he really was like that, a few weeks before his death his eye had problems from overworking but he whole heartedly continued to try even in that situation.

 Guidance's of martyr Bahonar:

We can not always use the same formula for everything. Different tastes need different ways of handling them. It is not an exaggeration to say, millions have different visions of uprising, and millions of hidden ideas behind them and millions of ways to get to a final decision with them all.

Do not do something that later you would regret as a Moslem.

At least say your prayers in a mosque.

In social relationships we have to be so patient as to prove your intention is kindness.

 After the revolution till martyrdom:

In 1979 on the order of the Imam he became responsible for demonstrations, along with Dr.Beheshti and other colleagues he started out to begin the ideology of the Islamic forces and the organization of them, that same year on Imam Khomeini's congress.

A martyr in the cabinet of martyr Rajaee became the minister of education and one of his most important tasks was standing the training operations within the ministry of education. After the terrible incident of explosives in the Islamic Republic office and the death of Dr.Beheshti he was chosen as the head of the Islamic Republic in the organization and later was introduced for the office of presidency in which he got his cabinet on the vote of the members. Martyr Bahonar after years of service in cultural and social fields in 1981 died of a bomb that had been placed in the ministry of defense, may he rest in peace.