The Price Of Independence

Fereydoun was born in an irreligious and rich family with no idea about religion. Up to the time he entered high school he was not much involved in politics at all. Being a teenager and the identity conflict of that age made him more interested in human sciences as well as religion.

When he entered university to become an engineer, he used to say 5 times prayers but hidden not in front of the family members who would ridicule him for his belief. After knowing he is becoming a practising Muslim, they gave up support on him and he had to work to pay for his life and education.

At university he got familiar with what’s called political Islam. There were new waves of Muslim university students who used to be political activists against the Pahlavi regime in favour of republic Iran. He graduated with a bachelor in Electronic engineering while he was being one of those been arrested several times. Later on, he was freed and was forced to undergo the military service. He escaped with Ali one of his friends to a city far from Tehran so as not being forced to ’serve’ under the Shah’s flag.

Afterward those two escaped soldiers became best friends. They were always involved in Iran’s revolutionary scenes in rallies etc until the Islamic revolution happened. After revolution they joint Basij and started their job going to far and poor villages to teach children and youth or to build mosques and schools. Fereydoun married and had a little baby girl at the time.

After Iraq attacked Iran and started an imposed war, Fereydoun and Ali were of those who participated to defend the country, along many others against foreign assault.

At last Fereydoun was murdered as we say martyred quickly after. Samira, his baby girl was just two years old.

His family didn’t want his wife to marry any stranger man. They asked his wife to marry her brother in law, so that the child would remain in the family. They used to say Samira had the same eyes as her father’s but grew up in a different environment.

The uncle started growing beard and carrying a rosary while in his private life, he was not as religious. Attaching himself to some especial lobbies, He quickly went up the stairs of political arena and appeared to get some positions as a ‘Martyr’s brother‘. He sometimes explains ‘memories of the war‘ in which he had never participated.

Ali, Fereydoon’s friend was with him when Fereydoon died and Ali was wounded. Ali hugged Fereydoun’s body and cried awhile. They brought him back to treat him in the hospital. When he reached hospital, all his shirt was covered by Fereydoun’s blood.

He went back to the war scenes while he had Shrapnel in his back and his arm. When war ended, he remained in the area, working to rebuild the ruins. As an electronic engineer he was, he worked along with the labors, farmers, the ordinary citizens in far villages. He’s even taught in schools as he believes the Jihad against illiteracy and ignorance is much more rewarded by God.

Working hard for his country, Ali has yet the bloody shirt as the most precious treasure. All the time when he’s being offered to misuse his wartime experience for a position or in favor of someone, He remembers Fereydoun, and his blood covering the shirt and it makes him heavy hearted.

He feels to be an slave been freed 30 years ago, but for the objections and hardships of pre-post slavery, with the help of hypocrisy and corruption of post freedom, he’s gone through an identity crisis while countries in far west, beating him by nightstick first and then showing him the carrots to enslave him.
Now that they are trying to cheat some of his children with the smell of kebab to enslave them again, he wonders why his naive children don’t understand that’s not beef’s smell they are roasting, but the meat of donkey’s!

He just want to be trusted! Sure if there was any aggression and assault, Ali would be one of those defending the country without any expectation. Nothing might effect Ali and make him surrender to their objections, not hidden agendas of some corrupt Iranian politicians, nor the racist western sanctions. For he remembers many of them who sacrificed their life for the homeland.

The Bloody Shirt reminds him of the price of independence that many Iranians including him and his friend have paid and are paying.

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