I came to know about Imam Khomeini for the first time in 1342, one year prior to his exile in Turkey.
At that time I was a student at the age of 17 or 18.
One of my friends, who had gone to Qom and seen the Imam, came to me and said:
“Ayatollah Khomeini is different from all persons I know!”
Afterwards, his name was engraved into my memory.
I remember, the Americans had established an office in Tehran to implement extra affairs in connection with their policies. They were also distributing a free scientific journal titled “New Frontiers,” to promote latest discoveries or scientific observations accomplished in America.
I had a friend who had taken out for a free subscription to the journal. He had received the issue about Gemini project as NASA’s second human spaceflight program, and made a slight change into the word Gemini on front cover, so that it could be pronounced as Khomeini in Farsi.
I didn’t tolerate it and we began to discuss on his act as a sign of scorn and disrespect. However, our friendship came into an end after this event.
Later, in the Technical School, where I had been graduated, I could be a teacher. Mr. Rajaei was also there and I became a colleague of him.
Those days, Muslim Students Association led by Mehdi Bazargan and founders of Liberation Movement was very active in the School and we were also its members. Mr. Rajaei however was arrested after a while.
In the shootings of 17 Shahrivar (8 September 1978), we were in Jaleh Square. Mr. Rajaei, who had been newly released from prison, was also among the gathering.
Although there was not a clear vision towards the future, we knew that our struggle which was for the sake of God would come into result.
I had also a hand in journalism. On the eve of the Islamic revolution’s victory newspapers wrote: break the martial law, come to the streets!
We were actually little drops in the ocean. People from all walks of life became united against the regime and achieved a historical victory under the wise leadership of Imam Khomeini.
Narrated by: Kioumars Saberi Foumani, Iranian writer