What King, What Traitor?

When we were firs year students, we knew little about 16 of Azar [December 7, Iran’s Student Day]. We also knew some general things about Iran’s past and the blood that had been shed, which was enough to motivate us to break a few windows, chant slogans and join others in their marches. My late professor’s famous poem was ingrained in each and every one of our minds: “if you stand up, if I stand up…”

The university cafeteria’s power suddenly went out and the windows began to shatter. It was a while before I mustered enough courage to throw a glass in the dark. Perhaps no one heard the sound of that glass breaking, except for the one who threw it: me. That was enough to make me afraid. I got up, ran in the dark, climbed the stairs, and suddenly: confrontation. I was standing in front of Dr. Aligholi Ardalan, the gray-haired dean of the university – and, of course, “one of the Shah’s tools,” (as we accused every official back then). In one second I imagined myself in prison, going through interrogation… but Dr. Ardalan gently said, “Please calm down, my dear. The officers are upstairs. They will know everything if they see you like this. Calm down. Go.”

I did not believe it. But there was something in Dr. Ardalan’s friendly and fatherly voice that calmed me down. As if mechanically, I asked, “Should I go?” He shook his head quietly and gently tapped me on the back. Many others left too on that day. Dr. Ardalan was standing on the university’s entrance steps, yelling at security officers, “Stay out of it, it’s over… It is 16 of Azar for God’s sake!”

The next morning I returned to the university. The rioting was over, all because of the wisdom of a man who understood youth and passion. Perhaps there were not many like Dr. Ardalan; because if there were, those small glass breakings would not have spread onto the streets and target the government.

I recalled this event to make a reference to what is going on today. Today, Ehsan Mansouri, Abbas Hakimzadeh, Ali Saberi, Babak Zamanian, Ahmad Ghassaban, Majid Tavakoli, Pouyan Mahmoudian, Meghdad Khalilpour, Majid Sheikhpour and many others of our students are behind bars and are being tortured. Today, they drag Ehsan Mansouri out of his house and beat him so severely that the only thing they can then is to send him to the notorious Evin prison’s clinic Today, many mothers know what is being done to their children. Today’s university is run by people who only a little while ago were prepared to imprison any child of this land.

Let us ponder for a moment: there was a man like Ardalan in that system, but they still called the Shah “a traitor;” there were no “starred” students but the Shah was still called “a traitor;” security officers did not sexually harass women in universities, but the Shah was still called “a traitor;” a para-military and security organization did not operate inside the universities under the guise of a student group, but the Shah was still called “a traitor.”

Tomorrow, what will they call those who do such things today?

And a final point. In tomorrow’s Keyhan newspaper its pro-regime editor Mr. Shariatmadari will probably write that “Rooz” is advocating for monarchy. The readers must be wise, especially when someone who is not yet a king acts like one. What really matters is for Ehsan and others to know that our eyes are wet with tears. We can’t sleep because of their pain. As for those who have made us suffer this pain and are able to sleep themselves – well, they have not heard the bad news yet.