The thinker who helped overthrow the Iranian Shah was destroyed by the very revolutionaries he had once worked alongside. In 1979, a young officer in Tehran, standing beside Khomeini in Parisian exile, was planning a revolution against the Shah, writing articles, and gathering international support. His ideas inspired millions, and he became the intellectual face of the revolution after the Shah’s fall. This man won the presidential election by a landslide and dreamed of a moderate, democratic Iran. At one point, he came close to realizing his dream.
However, the extremist clerics wanted absolute control and considered him too moderate. They launched a coordinated campaign to undermine his authority and accused him of treason in the newspapers. Protesters filled the streets, chanting against him until he was ousted. During this period, his life was in danger, so he went into hiding for several days. On July 10, 1981, he donned the uniform of the Iranian Air Force and shaved his mustache as a disguise. He secretly boarded a Boeing 707 piloted by his loyal pilot, Colonel Behzad Mo’azzi. He fled to France, where he remained, never to return to the country he had helped liberate. He was Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president betrayed by the revolution he had supported.
However, the extremist clerics wanted absolute control and considered him too moderate. They launched a coordinated campaign to undermine his authority and accused him of treason in the newspapers. Protesters filled the streets, chanting against him until he was ousted. During this period, his life was in danger, so he went into hiding for several days. On July 10, 1981, he donned the uniform of the Iranian Air Force and shaved his mustache as a disguise. He secretly boarded a Boeing 707 piloted by his loyal pilot, Colonel Behzad Mo’azzi. He fled to France, where he remained, never to return to the country he had helped liberate. He was Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president betrayed by the revolution he had supported.
---
The experienced, the widow, and her daughter’s marriage
A widow placed a sign on her door that read, “My daughter’s dowry is $50,000.” Her daughter was exceptionally beautiful, and suitors constantly came to her door. But most of them left as soon as they saw the dowry amount. As time passed, people began accusing the widow of greed and madness. Some said she was not looking for a husband for her daughter, but simply a wealthy man. However, a young man was deeply in love with the girl and could not stop thinking about her. He decided to raise the money, no matter what it took. He worked tirelessly, day and night, but only managed to collect $30,000. The young man told his father about the girl and said, “I’ve done everything I can, but I still can’t reach the amount they want.” His father smiled and said, “Give me the money you have, and come with me to the woman tomorrow.” The next day, they went to the widow’s house.
The father sat before her and asked her not to interrupt him until he had finished speaking. He then took out the money and said, “My son wants to marry your daughter, and here is ten thousand dollars as her dowry.” The mother looked at him angrily and wanted to object, but he quickly said, “I told you not to interrupt me until I finish speaking.” Then he said, “And here is another ten thousand as your dowry, so I can marry you.” Immediately, the widow’s expression changed, and she smiled shyly and happily, saying, “Congratulations to us both! Bring the son, my daughter.” After the news spread, the neighbors asked her in astonishment how she had so quickly changed her condition. She smiled and said, “The wholesale price is different from the retail price.” The young man asked his father about the remaining ten thousand, and the father laughed and said, “Help your mother so she will agree to my marriage.”
A widow placed a sign on her door that read, “My daughter’s dowry is $50,000.” Her daughter was exceptionally beautiful, and suitors constantly came to her door. But most of them left as soon as they saw the dowry amount. As time passed, people began accusing the widow of greed and madness. Some said she was not looking for a husband for her daughter, but simply a wealthy man. However, a young man was deeply in love with the girl and could not stop thinking about her. He decided to raise the money, no matter what it took. He worked tirelessly, day and night, but only managed to collect $30,000. The young man told his father about the girl and said, “I’ve done everything I can, but I still can’t reach the amount they want.” His father smiled and said, “Give me the money you have, and come with me to the woman tomorrow.” The next day, they went to the widow’s house.
The father sat before her and asked her not to interrupt him until he had finished speaking. He then took out the money and said, “My son wants to marry your daughter, and here is ten thousand dollars as her dowry.” The mother looked at him angrily and wanted to object, but he quickly said, “I told you not to interrupt me until I finish speaking.” Then he said, “And here is another ten thousand as your dowry, so I can marry you.” Immediately, the widow’s expression changed, and she smiled shyly and happily, saying, “Congratulations to us both! Bring the son, my daughter.” After the news spread, the neighbors asked her in astonishment how she had so quickly changed her condition. She smiled and said, “The wholesale price is different from the retail price.” The young man asked his father about the remaining ten thousand, and the father laughed and said, “Help your mother so she will agree to my marriage.”
---
The hoopoe, the crow, and the owl
A hoopoe and a crow were arguing over a water-filled hole. Each claimed ownership, so they took their case to the owl, the judge of the birds. The owl asked each of them to provide proof of the hole’s construction. When neither could provide proof, the owl ruled in favor of the hoopoe. The hoopoe asked the owl why she had ruled, and she replied, “Because the hoopoe is known for his honesty.” Then the hoopoe said, “If what is known about me is true, then I should not act contrary to what I am known for. This hole belongs to the crow. Maintaining my good reputation is better than having a thousand holes.” Are there any humans like this hoopoe?
A hoopoe and a crow were arguing over a water-filled hole. Each claimed ownership, so they took their case to the owl, the judge of the birds. The owl asked each of them to provide proof of the hole’s construction. When neither could provide proof, the owl ruled in favor of the hoopoe. The hoopoe asked the owl why she had ruled, and she replied, “Because the hoopoe is known for his honesty.” Then the hoopoe said, “If what is known about me is true, then I should not act contrary to what I am known for. This hole belongs to the crow. Maintaining my good reputation is better than having a thousand holes.” Are there any humans like this hoopoe?
