The month of Muharram was described by Imam Khomeini in one of the proclamations that he issued from Neauphle-le Chateau, as the month of triumph of blood over the sword. This one may regard in one way as a brief description of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. But it applies most particularly to Muharram in the sense that the willingness, the eagerness even, of the Iranian people for martyrdom during the month of Muharram, was manifested on a greater scale. A greater mass of people than ever before responded to the call of martyrdom which totally discredited and destroyed the basis of the Iranian regime.
From the first day of the month of Muharram a large number of people appeared in the streets of Tehran and other cities wearing their shrouds, preparing for martyrdom, and advancing unarmed on the rows of machine guns ready to shoot them down. The number of victims is difficult to establish precisely, but probably in the first few days of Muharram a larger total of people was killed than on any other occasion, with the single exception of Black Friday, 8 September 1978, massacre in Tehran.
One of the decisive turning points in the struggle after the burning of the Cinema Rex in Abadan had been the massacre that took place on 8 September in Tehran. This came shortly after the end of Ramadan, when a number of demonstrators were gathered in what was formerly called the Maydan-i Jaleh and is now called the Martyrs' Square in Tehran. A curfew had been proclaimed before there was the possibility of those gathered in the square learning of it and abiding by it, if they had chosen so to do. No chance was given to those gathered in the square to disperse. They were closed in on all four sides and soon the Shah's troops began firing from all four directions and from the air, from military gun ships. A tape recording of this horrendous occasion or part of its has also been made.
The slaughter lasted the better part of a day. A number of incriminating photographs are also available. On that occasion it was said that Israeli troops had participated in the work of massacre. In the nature of things it is not possible at present to have any decisive proof one way or the other. This much is certain: According to certain eyewitnesses of the event, one company of troops that stood in the forefront on that day had shown a reluctance to fire and it was swiftly removed and replaced by fresh troops dressed in Iranian uniforms. These troops spoke a language other than Persian and had an unkempt look, long beards and semihippy appearance. It might be said that the Shah's troops had shown little reluctance to slaughter people throughout the better part of the year and people might wonder why it should be necessary for the regime to have recourse to Israelis on this occasion. A possible answer is that in the week preceding this, from the end of Ramadan onwards a series of huge, indeed unprecedented demonstrations had taken place in Tehran, and the Shah may have regarded this as a crucial week in his struggle for survival. It may be that he thought it best to have at his disposal troops, mercenaries virtually, whose willingness to fire, even happiness in firing when their targets were Muslim, would not be called into question.
Historical Background of Islamic Revolution: How Shia Islam Shaped the Revolutionary Mind?
