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Shahid dr. Mohammad Javad Bahonar was one the thoughtful and combatant clergies and the first prime minister in the Islamic republic of Iran. He was born in 1312 in a big but low-income family in Kerman. He started his education in an old style school and by the age of 11 he went to the masumiyeh seminary school and simultaneously he started his education in modern schools. In 1332 in order to continue his seminary lessons he went to Qom and after he studied the level of basics he attended the classes of ayatollah Broujerdi’s extra jurisprudence for six years and for six years he also studied philosophy (Asfar) in the classes of Allameh Mohammad Hussein tabatabaiee’ and for awhile he went to Nadjaf and studied in the classes of masters there.
In Qom he continued his education in high school and got his diploma. Then in 1337 he went to the University of Theology in Tehran. He got B.A and continued his study to get his PhD. He also got his M.A in “training sciences” from the University of Tehran.
Bahonar not only was interested in lessons discussions and issues of seminary schools but also he believed that seminary students should be educated in high schools and universities simultaneously and he him self became a symbol of the collaboration between university and the seminary school. He tried to know the religious questions of the students who studied out side the seminaries in high schools, colleges and universities to express this questions and the way to solve them inside the seminaries. He was successful in finding a proper language for explaining the religious issues for youngsters who were not aware the official expressions and speeches of a seminary. Consequently much of his activities were cultural and were mainly focused on publishing books and essays and delivering lectures. In all of his moves and activities he was an opposition of the Pahlavi kingdom, political arrogance and colonialism. In 1342 when the Islamic uprising began under the leader ship of Imam Khomeini, he spread its propaganda and participated in revolts. It was in those years when his profound and long lasting friendship with Hashemi Rafsanjani began, a friendship that lasted until the martyrdom of Bahonar and this great martyr of the revolution by becoming close to the organization of the Islamic allied groups played an important role in training the young rebels and spreading the thoughts of the movement among all people. Since 1341 to 1357 besides his culture based activities and propagandas, he established some institutes, schools, publication centers, mosques and propaganda centers with his clergy or non clergy colleagues in Tehran. Especially he when he became in charge of writing schools books of Islamic thoughts with the helps of ayatollah Beheshti, he used this opportunity to spread revolutionary thoughts in the format of the school books of the elementary schools and high schools. These books were also taught in teacher training courses and were important sources for the young people to know the religion better.
Bahonar was under the observation for many years before the revolution and was arrested many times by was imprisoned for awhile. When the revolts became hot in 1357 he was one of the bases of the revolution and when the council of the revolution established became a member of that since it began its work. After the revolution with the imam’s command he became a member of the committee of the strikes and with some others like Mohammad Ali Rajaee was in charge of reopening the schools and fitting the schooling materials with the needs of the new period. Moreover he collaborated with Beheshti and other clergies in establishing the Islamic republic party. And he was a member of this party from its first day to the last day of his own life. After the assassination of Tir the 7th in 1360, he became the secretary general of the party.
After the triumph of the revolution Bahonar was very active in different fields of the Islamic revolution. In Ordibehesht of 1359 he became a member of the head quarter of the Cultural Revolution and the deputy of the council of the experts from the province of Kerman and also had a leading role in the literacy campaign and educational issues (cooperating with Rajaee). In the first parliament of Islamic republic he became the parliament deputy of Tehran. In Mehr of 1359 was appointed as the minister of education when Rajaee was the prime minister and the Rajaee was elected as the president he was appointed as the prime minister and on 8th of Shahrivar when he was in the council of security, the enemies of the revolution exploded the council and martyred him and Rajaee and some others.
Bahonar was a thoughtful, honest and hardworking man who did not use to boast about himself. His printed works are enormous and they are mainly written with the help of some of his colleagues like Shahid Beheshti, Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri and Seyyed Reza Borghaee containing school books of religious thought for the first, second and the third grades of the junior high schools and high schools. Get to know Islam, lessons of Koran with translation and interpretation for the third to 6th grades of high schools. Lessons of Korean for the first, second and third grades of junior high school, Religious education and teaching and methods of teaching Koran and religious issues for one year courses of teacher training colleges and rural and tribal training colleges, religious lessons and its method of teaching for correspondence schools, theology with assistance of Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri and Seyyed Reza Borghaee. An essay named “the world by the time of the appoint,ent of the holy prophet” with assistance of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a book named “Mohammad the last prophet”
After his martyrdom most of his essays and lectures were published in Tehran under the names of “the man and self-construct”, “educational issues”, “the culture of Islamic republic”, “islam for teenagers”, “our position in the case of political dominance of the supreme leader” and “the pathways of blasphemy”.
What comes next are just some of the hundreds of the narrations of the fellowship and cooperation of two old friends “mohammad javad bahonar” and “akbar hashemi Rafsanjani”: |
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Hashemi, Khamenei, Bahonar and Beheshti distribute works
“We had distributed responsibilities among us, for sure not officially but in our activities Bahonar and Beheshti were interested in cultural issues but Hashemi and khamenei in operational ones. Therefore we were always together and completed each other”
Publishing the “Maktabe Tashayo” as the source of propaganda for Imam Khomeini
“When we decided to publish “Maktabe Tashayo” all our colleagues were the followers of Imam Khomeini. Because of the imam’s character, we all were interested in him…. In the other magazine “Maktabe Islam” we had a feeling that the base was Mr. Shariatmadari which right…. The businessmen who financially supported “Maktabe Islam” were followers of Mr. Shariatmadari… we wanted “Maktabe Tashayo” to be the center for imams propaganda. Imam persuaded us and asked for the names of the editorial board… in fact we established our magazine in my chamber… of course those guys who published “Maktabe Islam” were upper than us according to their level in the seminary but they were all with mr. shariatmadari… under the cover of “Maktabe Tashayo” we successfully made a comprehensive cultural-political network… inside the country we had a very good relation ship with the religious members of “Jibheye Melli”… when imam rejected the reformations in the election law of the provincial and local congresses, we distributed his manifesto via the network of “Maktabe Tashayo”.
Cooperation of khamenei, bahonar and hashemi in organizing the hidden meetings in 1344
“in 1344 or 1345 there were some hidden meetings in Tehran that I was responsible for the arrangement and the order of the meetings and I even taught in one of those meetings, in some of them Mr.Khamenei and in some others Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani was the teacher. This cooperation lasted until 1348 and 1349”.
With Hashemi in the primary core of the council of the revolution
Shahid Meheshti narrated that: “as I said imam appointed every one. The process started with an order of imam to a group consisted of five clergy men to find people who are capable and we need them for the future of the country. The members of that group were ayatollah Motahhari, hashemi Rafsanjani, Mousavi Ardabili Dr. Bahonar amd me then we talked to mr. mahdavi kani and informed imam about that and he participated in sessions from then. Therefore the primary core of the council of the revolution was this six-member group later on two other clergies, ayatollah Taleghani and ayatollah Khamenei, joined the group…. And we began researching for personnel.
The refuge in Tehran University
When they declared that imam is going to come back to iran bakhtiar ordered that all the air ports should be closed not to let the plane of imam land. We gathered in Refah School which was close to Alavi School and decided to go to the university to manifest our objection and protest and refuge there all together. We took a mini-bus and went to the university and entered from the western door. Among us were: ayatollah Montazeri, ayatollah Rabbani shirazi, ayatollah Motahari, Mr. Beheshti, Mr. Hashemi, Mr. Mahdavi Kani, sheikh Fazlollah Mahallati, Rabbani Amlashi, Azari Ghomi, Bagheri Kani, Jalali Khomeini, karrubi, anvari and me, the refuge was officially declared by ayatollah Khalkhali. In the second day of refuge Gharebaghi and Badreyi ordered army to show us a master-stroke so a group of soldiers with armed trucks drove from Baghe shah to university they were armed up to teeth but some of people came in the university to protect the refugees and didn’t leave us even when the soldiers opened fired. They just took the dead bodies inside and stayed inside of the university. In the night the refugees decided to appoint some bodies as the officers to be in charge of security. In short I can say days after days every thing became more and more in our interest and advantage. People sent money and food for us to the university. For some days we stayed in the university in one of those days the commander of a nearby police station was killed and his gun was taken by people… when the government announced that that Mr. Khomeini can come back to Iran we ended the refuge and came back to Refah School.
