Hana always respected her mother's point of view concerning either religion or other issues in life; nevertheless, watching the Revolution's strange twist and turn to religion intimidated her enough to question her mother's belief.
"If God watches over us, why Van is dead and the people who killed him are alive? Why dad has to die at such a young age with a large family he was supporting? Why these new people are stealing the revolution from us, the educators, and I am sure they won't be any better than the Shah? They'll be only after money and power! they'll be as corrupt as others! Don't you think when Khomeini comes to Iran, he will be worse than the Shah?"
Of course Gol did not have any answer for her educated, angry, and hopeless daughter. However by knowing Hana's point of view, she understood the danger which was surrounding her daughter from two sides- she was against the Shah regime as well as the new regime when they would take the power. She was targeted by both. Knowing that frightened Gol to a degree of becoming ill. She could neither function nor think straight anymore. Her adamant daughter would not listen to her or anyone else.
Hana's fervid effort to prove her ability, dignity, and equality that had taken away from her long ago, enthused her to work harder than before by educating her students about the corruption and dishonesty of the existing regime and the newer one to come. To answer her students' intelligent questions of what she believed then, she would vehemently say:
"We need a system by the people and for the people. We need the freedom to criticize government when they don't do the jobs we hired them to do. We need an ethical, virtuous, and incorruptible system which considers Iranian's need not their own need. And above all we need to keep religion away from government since their baseness has been much worse than any politics for so many years. They have tried to sabotage people's mind by what had been told and ruled fourteen hundred years ago; therefore, they can continue permissible prostitution by marrying four legal wives and many other temporary or limited ones (Seighe) and put women in a vulnerable position of being used or abused and treat them like dirt and second hand citizen and call them imprudent sex and watch over them as though they are not capable of doing so for themselves."
Smarter students then asked her:
"What do you call or name such non- existing government?"
Hana impetuously answered:
"I don't understand why you call it non- existing; because it does exist. I call it Democracy. In such regime, people are treated equally because they're people not man and woman. Gender, race, and color of skin won't be an issue in such regime. If a woman is smart and knowledgeable enough, she can be a leader. Do you know we had women kings in ancient Persia, do you? In such regime, people can get what they really deserve and work for not what government think what they should get because they are related to a politician or descendants of the aristocrats."
Then another student asked:
"So you're against the Shah and against the newcomers!"
"Yes, I am. Because the Shah pretended we have democracy and the newcomers want to have theocracy. Neither one is a good way of running an ancient, beautiful country like ours. Do you know that Iranian people are one of the smartest race in the world? We're drowning. We're going deep to an abyss of a terrible cataclysm."
Hana's impassioned speech gave a glow to her cheeks.
"Do you know of any leader who can deliver an ideal system, according to you?" A male student asked.
"I don't personally. But remember we have many political prisoners; and I am certain we can find one among them."
"Then how do you know they won't become unscrupulous when they take control, like others?"
"They can't, because we write a new constitution; and if they don't act as what it says, the representative of people can impeach them and then we choose, by voting, others who don't rule unethically; and we do repeat this process as many times as it requires until the leaders know they are chosen by the people and must govern by being faithful to our new written constitution."
What made that big hearted teacher, yet so little in her own personal affairs, very special for many of her students was her indefatigable energy, penetrating eyes, and ardent personality. However, those qualities antagonized small numbers of the students, who were under the influence of either religious regime or the Shah's rule. Soon the students against her point of view reported her to unorganized authorities of the revolutionaries or chaotic the Shah's Savak. Nevertheless, since the life of the Shah's regime was about to end, it was the newcomers who came after her.
Dallas-
To Be Continued
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