DEPTHS
OF SHIA: MOVEMENT OF HOJJATIYEH …
What
do you know about the Hojjatiyeh Association or Society,
the name of which is frequently heard in the public in the
recent period owing to its influence on President
Ahmedinejad, the leading cadres and clergymen in the
country? Who are the members of the Hojjatiyeh ? Are these
people really that influential on the Government?.. In order
to illuminate this issue which we decided to handle in June
as the editorial staff of Our South Azerbaijan, we must
first remember the past.
Some of the
researchers express that the “Baha’i” movement, which was
always excluded by Muslims, had been influential in laying
the foundations of the Hojjatiyeh Movement. As it is known,
the history of “Baha’ism” dates back to about 100-150 years
ago. During these years when the Middle East was teemed with
colonialists, an individual called “Mirza Ali Mohammad”
claimed that he was a man sent by the “Rescuer”, i.e. the
12th Imam Mehdi. Later, he established the “Babiyyah” party
under the name of “Bab” and soon “Baha’ism” was born within
this movement. This movement which was supported by big
powers was excluded by Muslims from the very start. However,
the Government of the time saw such movements as a way to
get closer to the youth and the religious sector for
political reasons. For this reason, it started to support
Baha’ism. Thus, Baha’ism gained a very strong and systematic
structure in a very short period of time with the support
and assistance of the colonialist powers and managed to
spread its views. In the beginning, there was no power in
the opponent front that was able to compete and struggle
with the Baha’is. The real power of the Baha’is became more
apparent in the 1940s and 1950s and therefore they started
to carry out their activities more easily and openly. In the
end, the opponent front also started to take action and
“Sheykh Halebi” (Sheykh Mahmud Zakerzadeh Tulayi), known as
an expert on preaching/religious issues, established the
“Anti-Baha'ism Front”. This society, which gained the
interest and support of the religious sector, especially the
youth, Muslims and religious hodjas in a short time, proved
as soon as it was established that its main aim was
“anti-Baha’ism”. Sheykh Halebi had been very successful in
his stand against the Baha’i movement.
Some other
researches related with the issue, on the other hand,
suggest that the actual foundation of the Hojjatiyeh
Movement lies in the sending of many nationalist figures to
prison or exile after the 28 Mordad Revolution. In fact, the
Government born with revolution prevented the activities of
all the political groups which were based on pious or
religious foundations. The Hojjatiyeh Movement, on the
other hand, never drew the reaction of the Pahlavi Regime
with its “so-called non-political white flag” and what’s
more the Government started to support such movements which
were focused mainly on cultural and social activities.
Certain researchers advocate the view that colonialist
powers lie beneath the Hojjatiyeh Society. The
intellectuals supporting this view believe that the
foundation of a “party” and then of an “anti-party” has the
aim of distracting the struggling power of nations.
When we set
aside the reasons for its foundation and its development
process, the “Hojjatiyeh Mahdaviyya Solidarity Association”
Movement was established following the 28 Mordad Revolution
through Sheykh Halebi. Sheykh Halebi, who had memorized a
number of poems and whose religious knowledge was talked
about, explained the desire to establish the Hojjatiyeh
Movement by saying that “he had seen 12th Imam in his
dream, who wanted him to establish a party against the
‘Baha’i’ movement”. Also many researchers say that the
activities of the Baha’is reached its peak during the
revolutionary era as the cooperation between the then
Religious Leader Ayatollah Kashani and Prime Minister
Mohammad Mosadegh was disrupted, and therefore Sheykh Halebi
and his associates felt the need to do something in the
opponent front.
The
Hojjatiyeh Association was directed by its founder Sheykh
Halebi as well as by the members of the board of governors
consisting of Seyyed Reza Resul, Seyyed Hosein Sadjadi,
Mohammed Gholamhosein and Haj Mohammed Taghi Tajer. This
association gained a solid structure as it included
experienced members within the framework of the struggle
against Baha’ism.
There were
five committees within the Hojjatiyeh Association:
Training
Committee: The task of this institution was to draw young
and ready forces and train them. Teachers who were members
of the association visited many schools and chose those
students who were talented and had a simple life and trained
them. Many of those who worked at government services in the
Islamic Republic of Iran, like famous theoretician
“Abdolkarim Surush”, had been chosen from these schools.
Research
Committee: The tasks of this committee, which was actually a
unit of espionage and intelligence, included infiltrating
among the Baha’is and collecting information, identifying
the time/place of meetings and raiding into and interrupting
meetings.
Publication
and Editorial Committee: This committee was charged with the
duty to collect the articles rejecting Baha’ism and praising
Shia and to publish them in the form of a book.
Ershad
(Orientation) Committee: This committee, the real task of
which was “to maintain the views of the members along the
same line”, sometimes paid attention to include the Baha’i
youth and make them “go in the right direction”.
Foreign
Affairs Committee: The main task of these committees was to
carry out activities abroad especially in countries like
India, Australia, UK, USA and Austria and to speak
negatively about Baha’ism.
Hashemi
Rafsanjani, one of the leading figures of the Iranian
political life, claims that the stance of the Hojjatiyeh
Association prior to the Islamic Revolution was contrary to
their views and that they were not favoring struggle.
According to Rafsanjani, the Hojjatiyeh members state that
“an Islamic government will be established only when 12th
Imam will come to earth”, and he considers the struggle
conducted to this end as “unreasonable”. Moreover, one of
the leaders of the Hojjatiyeh Association interpreted the
policies adopted by Khomeini against the Pahlavi Government
as “playing with the blood of people” and believed that the
blood of those who had died had been wasted. This leader
said he believed that the right struggle was the one
conducted for cultural and ideological purposes…
On the
other hand, certain documents remaining from the Shah’s
Government reveal the cooperation of clergymen and certain
tradesmen with the Intelligence Organization Savak.
Especially the documents found in the Savak Office of
Saltanat Abad revealed that Savak had even established a
unit called “Clergymen”. This situation clearly shows that
the main goals of the clergymen were shaped in line with the
targets of the Shah’s regime.
One of the
religious circles cooperating with Savak was the Hojjatiyeh
Association. This cooperation in fact started in a period
when the armed struggle had peaked, and it further developed
day by day… These developments confuse the minds of
researchers, since the Shah’s regime was supporting Baha’ism
on one hand, and was providing any kind of assistance to the
Hojjatiyeh Association and was supporting this association
also together with Savak on the other. One of the activities
carried out by this association, which was in close
cooperation with Savak, was to make propaganda by
humiliating certain intellectuals and fighters in the
speeches of certain members in mosques – upon the
recommendation of the USA as shown by the documents that
were revealed. The clergymen of this circle and followers of
the association criticized those who were against the Shah’s
regime and were fighting, like Doctor Shariati and even
Khomeini. As a matter of fact, Khomeini, after many years,
examined the activity reports of these circles, remained
silent for a while and then said the following: “I had heard
that Savak had infiltrated into mosques, but I didn’t know
that the disaster was that close!...”
After the
Islamic revolution, the Hojjatiyeh Association directed its
stealthy politics towards creating tension among the
revolutionists. Moreover, the followers of this
understanding who were known as “the ones hoping for help
from darkness” and who believed that “order would come out
from chaos and not enough blood was shed for the
establishment of order and the arrival of the one who would
save the world”, got involved in many conflicts and bloody
incidents. Members of this association hid weapons, drugs
and alcoholic drinks in Islamic institutions and attacked
innocent people on behalf of them, thus creating tension
between the revolutionary leaders and people. The Hojjatiyeh
Association announced after the revolution that it would
move towards the revolution targets for the goals of the
people; however the developments showed that these
statements of the association were nothing but vain
promises. Revolutionary leader Khomeini expressed the
following in a speech he made in 1362 Hejri-Shamsi (H.S.)
year: “A certain sector advocates that sins must increase
for the arrival of 12th Imam. 12th Imam will come only when
the sins exceed the limits. So, let’s commit sins and ensure
his arrival… Enough is enough! Give an end to this
nonsense…”
After these
angry words of Khomeini, the Hojjatiyeh Association
published a statement in 1362 H.S. Mordad month announcing
that it had ceased all its meetings and activities and then
gave an end to its overt activities and chose
secrecy…Naturally, no one believed that the Hojjatiyeh
Association, having at least a 50-year history, had “given
an end to its activities in one night”…
No one
knows where this organization, which started to conduct
underground activities and is known as the “Secret Party” in
the public opinion, currently carries out its activities.
However, we can be aware of the threat that they may pose,
since sometimes state leaders make statements pointing to
their existence…
