Kayhan Int'l Political Desk
     May 24 is indeed a Red Letter Day in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is the day on which the Muslim combatants liberated the southwestern Iranian port city of Khorramshahr in 1982 from the year-and-a-half occupation by forces of the repressive Ba'th minority regime of Saddam.
     In the words of the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) "God liberated Khorramshahr".
     This expression of gratitude in the Divine Court remains proof of the fact that without the Almighty's help, Saddam's war machine could not have been trounced so humiliatingly during the Bayt al-Moqaddas operations that saw 16,000 enemy soldiers killed and 19,000 captured, in addition to the destruction of over five hundred tanks, and downing of dozens of aircraft.
      Most surely, it was the firm resolve of that Sage of the Age that resulted in the grand victory of the Iranian forces, when not just the UN and big powers, along with leaders of Muslim states, were trying to pressure Iran for ceasefire despite large parts of its territory under Iraqi occupation, but there were compromising currents inside the country. Unfortunately, these retarded minds couldn't grasp the intricate plot against the Islamic Republic's territorial integrity – the same self-defeatist mentality that had forced Persia to sign the humiliating Turkmenchai and Golestan treaties for handover of its Caucasus provinces to Czarist Russia in the 19th century and the loss of Herat and eastern Khorasan to British-controlled Afghanistan.
       The Late Imam Khomeini’s famous phrase "An imposed peace is worse than an imposed war” ought to be written golden letters. It was the inspiration for the Iranians against yielding ground to the enemy that was supported by both the Capitalist West and the Communist East, while its bankrollers were the oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab regimes – that have now created the Takfiri terrorists in league with illegal Zionist entity.
      Khorramshahr thus remains an immortal saga for all committed Iranians who made the enemy plans go awry. It is worth recalling that even the occupation of Khorramshahr, after weeks of stiff resistance and house-to-house fighting, was inspirational for the nation, in view of the sacrifices made during its fall in October 1980 by such heroes as the 13-year Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Fahmideh of Karaj.
      Today, while commemorating the grand victory of the Iranian combatants 34 years ago, we ought to reflect on the rich cultural legacy Khorramshahr has bequeathed to the nation.
       Books have been written on both its liberation and its occupation. One such book is "DA”, on the memoirs of Ms. Seyeddeh Zahra Hussaini who was in Khorramshahr during its fall. Compiled in book form by Seyeddeh Azam Hussaini, "DA” is Kurdish for mother, and the writer choose this title to depict the resistance of Iranian mothers during the war years. "DA” has been reprinted a record 140 times and is considered the most popular book of the Holy Defence Era. Zahra Hussaini was only 17 years old when the war started, and felt the need of the hour was to provide relief work when Khorramshahr was besieged, by nursing the wounded, cooking for the soldiers, and learning to prepare arms and ammunition for them. Her father and brother attained martyrdom in Khorramshahr. She was injured as well. Despite these hardships, she served for years at the battlefronts and helped the war-stricken people.
      Hussaini has presented a detailed account of the cowardly enemy’s barbaric assault on the besieged civilians of Khorramshahr. She has also presented glimpses of the epics enacted by the Muslim combatants and their spirit of self-sacrifice, enthusiasm and faith. This English translator of this book, Paul Sprachman, says: "Such concepts as self-sacrifice, faith, and spiritual aspects of the imposed war, are conspicuously absent in the World War literature of Europe."
       Saddam was shocked and furious by the resounding defeat suffered by his forces in Khorramshahr. The Iranians had shown incredible determination and an iron will. The commander of the Iraqi forces in the city, Colonel Ahmad Zeidan, attempted to flee but was trapped in a minefield which was set up on his orders and killed when he stepped on a mine. An angry Saddam ordered the execution of a number of top Iraqi officers responsible for the defence of Khorramshahr, including the commander of the 9th Division.
       Iranians thus celebrate the anniversary of Liberation of Khorramshahr every year on the 3rd of Khordad. This epic has become an indispensable part of the cultural legacy of Islamic Iran.
      There's a popular song in Persian, known as "Mammad Naboodi", meaning "Mammad" the colloquial variant of the proper name Mohammad, was not present to see the memorable liberation of Khorramshahr.
       Written by Gholam Koveitipoor, it is a tribute to the bravery of Mohammad Jahanara, the IRGC commander who was one of the last Iranians to leave Khorramshahr when it fell to the Iraqis. He would go on to fight in the successful uplifting of the Siege of Abadan and lead Iranian forces to recapture Khorramshahr, but achieved martyrdom on May 24, in a plane crash incident, before observing the eventual liberation of the city.