Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - May 25, 2000 - Meeting with Hassan Rouhani and Electoral Consultation for Hashemi’s Decision

Electoral consultation meeting with Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, Seyed Hossein Marashi, Ali Hashemi, Mohsen Hashemi, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi (later the First Vice President under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), Ali Aghamohammadi, and Asghar Afshari regarding Hashemi’s decision on whether to participate in the Sixth Parliament.

Electoral complaints from Hossein Roshan Cheragh, a member of the Fifth Parliament.

Meeting with Ahmad Pishbin, a member of the Parliament at the time.

Electoral meeting with Hashem Hejazi.

Electoral meeting with Hatem Narouyi, a newly elected member of the Sixth Parliament.

Meeting with Anvar Hashemi, the head of the Qaderi and Naqshbandi dervishes, and Hashemi’s account of their remarkable activities.

Consultation meeting with Mohammad Hashemi, encouraging Hashemi to join the Parliament.

Electoral meeting with Reza Pour and Rahmani, elected members of the Sixth Parliament from Naqadeh and Sardasht.

Meeting with Abdolkhodayi, Iran’s Cultural Counselor in Madrid.

Meeting with Hassan Rouhani and electoral consultation for Hashemi’s decision.

Consultation meeting with Bijan Namdar Zanganeh.

The main news today revolved around the disorganized and hasty withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, which resulted in casualties due to their rush and the abandonment of a large amount of military equipment and supplies. Over 6,500 personnel and family members of the South Lebanon Army (under Antoine Lahad) fled to Israel, which poses a significant problem for Israel. They even retreated from the Shebaa Farms, which Israel claims belongs to Syria, not Lebanon, although they previously stated that the matter would be resolved through negotiations with Syria. All organizations and prominent figures issued congratulatory statements, and people chanted “Allahu Akbar” from their rooftops, reminiscent of the liberation of Khorramshahr.

In Israel, the media portrays the retreat as a courageous move to reduce Israel’s responsibility while threatening to retaliate if the borders are destabilized. Today, they carried out airstrikes in the newly liberated area, resulting in several martyrs. However, the prevailing sentiment in global media is one of Israel’s humiliation, which is deserved.

There is talk of Lebanon's Islamic resistance serving as a lesson and message for the liberation of all of Palestine, especially since this is the first time since 1948 that such a situation has occurred for Israel and the Arabs, potentially marking the beginning of a reverse trend. The United States has warned that non-Lebanese forces should leave southern Lebanon, likely referring to Russia and possibly Iran, though we have no forces there.

Messrs. [Mohammad-Reza] Bahonar, [Hossein] Marashi, Ali [Hashemi], Mohsen [Hashemi], [Mohammad-Reza] Rahimi, [Ali] Aghamohammadi, and [Asghar] Afshari came. We discussed whether I should continue or withdraw from running for Parliament. They suggested that if the majority of Parliament members invite me to run for the Speaker, I should stay; otherwise, I should withdraw. Some believe I should remain as a regular member.

Mr. [Hossein] Roshan Cheragh, the current representative of Shahin Shahr in Esfahan, came. He is the father of two martyrs and lost in the Sixth Parliament elections. He claims the Second of Khordad faction wronged him by using government tools and municipal councils to support his rival. He is a retired education worker and asked for a position at the Expediency Discernment Council.

Mr. [Ahmad] Pishbin, the representative from Baft, came, insisting I go to Parliament and expressing concern about its condition if I do not attend. He mentioned that his certificate of election has not yet been signed by the governor and asked for assistance. Mr. Hashem Hejazi, a candidate from Khoy, also came. He is trailing Mr. [Kamel] Abedin Zadeh in the second round but has evidence of his opponent's fraud and expects the Guardian Council to restore his rights. He brought samples of election violations and improper propaganda by the left.

Mr. [Hatem] Narouyi, a newly elected representative from [Bam], also came. He insisted that I not withdraw, having lost two brothers and suffering from illness himself.

Mr. Anvar Hashemi, the leader of the Qaderi and Naqshbandi dervishes in Kurdistan, visited. He is a Seyed, and his views are very close to Shiism, although he is a Shafi’i. He said he has built many mosques in the name of the Imams and Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and married his daughter to a Shia man. His grandson prays with bound hands and uses a clay tablet (mohr) for prostration. Jokingly, I told him, “You sly one! The tablet is for the father, and the bound hands are for the mother!”

I asked him about the astonishing and physically unexplainable acts common among the Qaderi dervishes, which I had witnessed during the war in the city of Baneh. He said that through recitation and constant remembrance of God and seeking aid from Imam Ali (peace be upon him), they gain control over their souls, and the body is separated from the soul. Under the command of the soul, the body cannot resist external forces. He mentioned that a medical researcher once visited and, in front of him, gave a dervish several razor blades, all of which he swallowed. The doctor said this would tear his stomach and kill him, but the dervish cut open his own stomach with a knife and removed the blades. He then covered the wound with a towel, and after half an hour, it was healed. He mentioned that his followers have many khanqahs (spiritual retreats) in Iraq and Turkey and that for the first time this year, they mourned for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) during Muharram and wore black, whereas they used to celebrate Muharram in the past. He expressed great reverence for me and said he had come only for a visit, without any other requests. He also criticized government policies, saying they had strengthened the Wahhabis in Kurdistan while weakening the committed people and scholars. I treated him kindly, gave him a complete set of my works, and told him I would visit him if I traveled to Kurdistan. He lives in the village of Zanbil, near Saqqez, and supports himself through farming.

My brother Mohammad [Hashemi] came and said it would be best if I accepted the invitation from the representatives and joined Parliament. In the evening, Messrs. Rezapour and Rahmani, newly elected representatives from Naqadeh and Sardasht, came to express their gratitude and requested a reminder to the Guardian Council to expedite its final decision on the Naqadeh elections.

Mr. Mohammad Abdolkhodayi, Iran’s Cultural Counselor in Spain, came. He said that due to historical events, public opinion in Spain is not favorable toward Islam and Arabs, but they do not harbor ill will towards Iran.

Dr. [Hassan] Rouhani, [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council], came. We consulted on whether I should go to Parliament. It was agreed that if the majority of Parliament members invited me, I should attend; otherwise, I should withdraw. He expressed surprise at the Supreme Leader’s decision to override the Guardian Council’s ruling. Mr. [Bijan Namdar] Zanganeh, [Minister of Petroleum], came, reported on the oil sector's activities, and urged me to stay in Parliament to foster unity, solve future problems, and guide Iran’s reconstruction and development policies.