WHAT HAD MAJOR GENERAL FIRUZABADI SAID, ANYWAY?
by Khosrow Mo’tazed
Siyasat-e Ruz
Aug 20 2011
Iran
These days, the greedy and ambitious chauvinistic circles of Baku
are apparently angry about the expression of a series of reasoned and
rational statements and guidance offered compassionately by an Iranian
military official, and they have engaged in making noise and shouting
about why Major General Firuzabadi has said “the officials of the
Republic of Arran (Albania) should leave the religious and Islamic
sentiments of the people of that country alone, should not attack
and harass the military people for performing prayers and religious
ceremonies, should know that Iranian blood flows in the veins of the
people of Arran (Albania), and should know that the Iranians love
and respect those people and that common interests do exist.”
As everyone knows, Haj Ali Akram Aliev is acknowledged as one of the
best-known personalities in most of the Islamic world and countries of
the world. He is the founder of the Azerbaijan Islamic Party (AIP). He
and hundreds like him played a distinguishing role in overthrowing the
domination of the Soviet Union over the country of Arran (Albania). He
was in prison at least until 1389 [ 21 March 2010-20 March 2011]. He
was also in prison from 1996 to 1999 as well as 2002 to 2003. One of
his cardinal sins was protesting the imposed war of Saddam’s regime
on Iran, in addition to his frequent protests against the crimes of
the Zionist regime in occupied Palestine. Should such actions and
statements be the cause of someone becoming incarcerated and harassed?
His travels on pilgrimage to the holy sites in Iraq as well as his
pilgrimages to the shrines of his holiness Imam Reza in Mashhad and
her holiness Ma’sumeh in Qom are also considered among his crimes.
Indeed, such cardinal sins! After the incident of the earthquake
in Gilan in 1369 [ 21 March 1990-20 March 1991], Haj Ali Akram came
to Iran as one of the representatives of the former Soviet Union to
bring aid. He donated a beautiful wooden, coded Koran book rack that
is several centuries old to the shrine of Imam Khomeyni, and this
precious artistic work is placed on the tomb of the imam.
One of the major accusations lodged against Haj Ali Akram is
his protest against the active presence of the United States and
Israel in Baku. His Islamic party is banned, and Haj Ali Alram [as
transliterated from Persian], the secretary general of the party,
Haj Aqa Nuri, and Haj Vaqef were arrested in 1996 and given long-term
jail sentences. Vaqef died in prison. Firuzabadi briefly mentioned
that Arran (Albania) is a country with Muslim and Shiite people. This
country until about 200 years ago was a part of Iran and was like the
crown on the head and the eyes and heart of Iran. The bloodthirsty
imperialism of czarist Russia separated that land from the motherland.
The blood of more than 500,000 Iranians and more than 500,000 of the
people of Albania (Arran), whose hearts beat for the great homeland,
colored the plains and mountains of the Caucasus crimson. Neither does
Commander Firuzabadi want the return of these usurped lands nor did he
say anything against the independence and sovereignty of the Republic
of Arran (Albania). Having access to vast amounts of information, most
respectfully and politely, he asked the officials of Baku to put an end
to their anti-religious policies as well as their anti-Iranian ways.
Commander Firuzabadi, who usually does not express an opinion regarding
foreign policy issues, might know that in the Republic of Arran
(Albania), children are brainwashed from childhood. The Ministry of
Education of that country distributes textbooks about the provinces
of East and West Azerbayjan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and Hamadan to the
simple-hearted and innocent students, claiming that Caucasian Arran
(Albania) is the northern part of the Azerbayjan provinces and that
the northern part was occupied by the Russians and the southern part by
the Persians. He most likely knows that the cultural officials of Iran
are misrepresented as those of North Azerbaijan, and the minds of the
teenagers, young people, and our student brothers in Arran(Albania)
are confused [in thinking] that Iran, that is, the great homeland
and the true rooftop of the Iranian Plateau, is pursuing the path of
enmity toward the people of Arran(Albania).
The impudence of those who occupy high places in Baku has reached
the point that they have started a disgusting organization in Canada
for the publication of lies, using the Stalin and Mir Ja’far Baghrufi
style of lies and flirting with the same corrupt imagination of the
Cold War years, which engages in propaganda against the independence
and unity of Iran, calling on the brave and honorable people of true
Azerbaijan to engage in riots and unrest. Similar to the years of
the era of the Safavids, the era of the military influence of czarist
Russia, and the era of the insane power of Stalin, they encourage a
few hand-trained individuals to engage in riots, psychological warfare,
and provocation of the people and try to plant the seeds of discord.
They themselves have taken credit for the great, famed, Iran-loving
Safavid dynasty and have installed a statue of Shah Esmai’l, the
defender of Shiite Iran and protector of Iran against the attack of
the bloodthirsty soldiers of Sultan Selim, as the symbol of their
imaginary country. They have installed a statue of Iran’s national
hero who fought the supremacist chauvinists of Al-e ‘Abbasin Baku
and mention the great Nezami, who was born in one of the villages of
Tafresh, as their own great poet.
They treat the Iranians who enthusiastically travel to the neighboring
country to visit the ancient city of Badkubeh [Baku] with disrespect
and humiliate them. Under various pretexts, they extort money from
the Iranians. Until sometime ago, the Albanian border guards under
different pretexts would demand money from Iranians. In response to
the humane and brotherly attitude of the government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, which has withdrawn the use of visas for the citizens
of that country and does not collect the slightest fees from them, they
collect between 50,000 tumans and 60,000 tumans in visa fees by force.
While the only public passageway for the entry of the agents and
citizens of the Republic of Arran (Albania) to Nakhchivan is through
Iranian soil, and the government of Iran, by giving electricity to that
country that still has the scent of the sweat of the body of ‘Abbas
Mirza [the Qajar crown prince] and his soldiers, the mercenary gangs,
after placing bouquets of flowers on the grave of Abu FazlIlchi,
who during his life was never paid attention to by or even of any
interest to the present rulers in Baku, set out for the border of
the Republic of Arran (Albania). By taking advantage of the silence,
politeness, and natural courtesy of the people of Iran and the strange
and ambiguous policy of our country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Vezarat-e Omur-e Kharejeh), they reach Aras, howling and singing,
and they demand the virginity [namus] of the Iranian people, that
is, the true Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and recently Hamadan and
Gilan. Their shamelessness has reached the point that they consider
the courageous and proud Qashqa’i tribe, who speak an idiosyncratic
form of the Turkish language, to be among the future conquests of
their Lilliput, that is, the great Republic of Azerbaijan.
When Firuzabadi, most insightfully, rationally, amiably, and
delicately, speaks about the historical, geographical, and geopolitical
facts, the authorities in Baku start getting nervous.
Instead of feeling indebted, they act as if they are owed; they
summon the ambassador of Iran; and the Iranian ambassador (indeed,
one must weep for this country) denies the statements of Major General
Firuzabadi. What has Firuzabadi said, anyway, that this Mr. Ambassador
has denied?
Has Mr. Ambassador of Iran ever watched the television of occupied
South Azerbaijan? Has he seen the anti-Iranian, anti-Islamic programs
of that grey television that has been established for that think
tank by a few traitors who are known for moral corruption and are
pseudo-Iranian fugitives; or does he have time to do research about
the terrorist activities of the retaliatory authorities of Baku,
who are still dreaming about returning to the years of 1945, 1946,
and 1947 and the Azerbaijan disturbances?
Compare the behavior of the Iranian ambassador in Baku, who passively
denies the statements of the highest ranking military authorities
of the country, with the behavior of Simon Gass, the former British
ambassador to Iran, who even repeated his statements against Iran on
the Internet site of the Embassy and left Iran in order to not have
to take back what he said! After all, at what price should friendly
relations between Iran and Baku be maintained? The government of Iran
has not yet deviated from respect, politeness, and humane behavior.
After all, what is the meaning of showing a few dilapidated ancient
Russian tanks on a televised film along with a number of soldiers
running southward?
What is the meaning of bringing a number of decrepit old people or a
simpleminded teenager and an air-headed girl offensively dressed in
trousers to the shore of the Aras River, showing them the territory
of the neighboring country, and shouting and demanding the return
of the proud provinces of Iran? What return? What is the meaning of
provoking the young people and shouting the slogan of “Azerbaijan
birolsun, Tabriz olsun”[There should be one Azerbaijan, with Tabriz
as its capital (as translated from Azeri Turkish)]? A number of
honorable young people from Azerbaijan, in contacting this writer,
strongly criticized the inhumane and non-Islamic behavior of the Baku
authorities. When was Tabriz ever separated from Iran, for this to be
the second time? The Ottoman government, with all its grandeur and
military might and with those religious decrees by the monarchical
muftis obedient to the Ottoman sultan?whether during the early part
of the Safavids or during the time of Shah ‘Abbas, when for 18 years
Tabriz and Azerbaijan were occupied by the Cheyr [as transliterated]
and Ajam [as transliterated] soldiers of the Turkish Olan [translated
from Azeri Turkish]?could not do a damn thing. History must remind the
rulers in Baku that the Ottomans and the Russians, even during the
decadence and disintegration of the Safavid dynasty, when Isfahan
had fallen into the hands of those hooligans Mahmud and Ashraf
[Afghan], were not able to separate Azerbaijan from Iran. Stalin,
with his million-large army and sending several tank divisions under
the command of the Armenian Marshal Bagramian in 1944, was not able to
divide Azerbaijan, which was rich with oil wells. Even the occupation
of Azerbaijan for one year by the mercenaries of [Allahverdi] Bagirov
did not achieve anything.
Now, what has happened to cause Aliev and his colleagues and the
marshals and generals of his military to display their tanks and
make songs against the integrity of the Iranian people?that is,
Azerbayjan–and begin to think foolishly that the name of Zoroaster,
the Azargoshasb Fire Temple, and the cradle of Safavid Shi’ism can
be separated from Iran, and most shamelessly demand the richest of
the provinces of great and powerful Iran?
A young person from Azerbaijan has sent this writer a message [stating
that], after all, we should have one Azerbaijan, with Tabriz as its
capital. At one time, Azerbaijan and the Caucasus were both a part
of Iran, and the bayonets and the artillery and crimes of Gudovich,
Termusov [as transliterated], and Paskovich separated this rich
territory from Iran. Now that the sinister shadow of the Soviet Union
has been erased from history, the 17 northwestern provinces of Iran,
which make up 283,000 square km, should be returned to Iran. The
(imaginary) Republic of Hokuba [as transliterated] of Baku should come
to an end, and Tabriz should be the capital of the true Azerbaijan
(ZirRudars [as transliterated]) and ancient Qafqazia (Caucasian)Arran
(Albania). The people of the Caucasus at the end of World War I
insistently and lovingly hoped to return to their origin and homeland,
Iran. If the leaders in Baku overly insist, this wish can be fulfilled,
in order for the property to be returned to its owner.