About Refugees, By Refugees

Portrait of Mohammad, holding a flag wearing shades facing the camera.

Mohammad Zabeti

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“Our people want life, peace, and freedom, but they don’t have any of these in their lives,” Mohammad Zabeti (78) says. He never wanted to leave Iran; his dream was not a life in luxury, just a simple, ordinary one without fear, he explains: “We had happiness and freedom in the past, but when the Islamic Republic came, they abused Islam and oppressed us, forcing us to leave the country.” He further elaborates: “I had to get out of Iran to create prosperity and comfort for my wife and children.” Now in London, his heart remains elsewhere: “If I am in England, this is not my country. I am a guest here.” Even from afar, he continues to speak out for his country and hopes for its freedom: “All my sorrow is my country and I want freedom for my people. Our people must live freely and be freed from the hands of the Islamic Republic.” And he holds onto his greatest dream: “I always wish for my Iran to be free and to go kiss the pure soil of my Iran. This is my last wish.”

Trigger Warning: Sexual violence/rape, violence/murder

full interview

Greetings, can you introduce yourself? I am a senior air force officer and my name is Mohammad Zabeti. I am happy that I can have an interview about the people of my country.

Can you explain what problems there were when you were in Iran and decided to come to London? During the time of the Shah, everything was possible for the people and the people of Iran were deceived by the BBC, which sent messages to the people and encouraged them to live comfortably and for free. For example, people were told by the BBC that the people of Kuwait have money deposited into their accounts every month. Why aren’t Iranian people like these? Why not free water? Why not free electricity? Why is the bus not free? The people of Iran were really deceived. In this issue, the hands of the superpowers were also involved in overthrowing the Shah because the Shah wanted Iran’s oil to be Iran’s own, and other countries should not have access to it and not auction it, and the people of Iran should not be poor. This plan was thrown by the mullahs in our country. A series of mullahs, mujahids, separatists and communists who all joined hands to make a revolution. The mullahs were the smartest of all, they repulsed and killed all the other parties. They stayed on their own and misused the laws of Islam against our people. During the time of the king, everyone lived in prosperity. Now I see what problems our people are experiencing after 44 years. As an Iranian officer, I was under pressure in my work environment. I dreamed for my people to be free, but this 7-year war caused the permanence of the regime and the destruction of the Iranian people. Therefore, a regime has come to work that does not show mercy to our people, does not show mercy to our youth. Our people want life, peace and freedom, but they don’t have any of these in their lives and they are forced to leave the country. Our elites fled the country and have won the best positions in foreign countries. This has caused our nation to be sad and has caused our nation to lag behind. We lose educated youth just because the clothes are not right and the hair is out. The mullahs did something to imprison all the people of Iran and take away their freedom. Our women cannot be equal to men. According to Islamic law, they should stay indoors and not study and only give birth to children. This is what the Islamic Republic wants from Iranian women. Women make up half of our drawer population. Why do our doctors and engineers flee the country? They run away because there is no work and they have taken over all the factories for themselves. They do not deserve to maintain and restore these factories. Every day, a number of factories shut down and a number of employees become unemployed. Life is getting harder day by day. Prices have gone up too much. Do you think that someone who earns 10 million tomans a month, how much of this money will he pay for house rent and how much will he spend on a vehicle and the expenses of his wife and children? This is while they are stealing billions of money and taking it to the foreign countries.

On which date did you leave Iran? I left Iran almost 27 years ago, and that time is not at all comparable to now. The news that reaches us from Iran shows that people cannot live. People are satisfied with the bread, but recently this bread has also been rationed. Taxis cannot operate because the price of gasoline has risen so much that it is no longer profitable for taxi drivers. The cars are not in good condition and the trains are not working properly. They ordered a series of people in the streets to disturb the girls, and the girls of my country do not have freedom. Girls are imprisoned and raped, and when this girl is released from prison, she has no dignity and feelings. All these feelings are killed in prison.

When you were in Iran and faced these problems, how did these problems make you feel? We had happiness and freedom in the past, but when the Islamic Republic came, they abused Islam and oppressed us, forcing us to leave the country. When I retired and my salary was halved and on the contrary, the prices of clothes and food went up. I could not live in Iran under these conditions. I had to leave my country. I had to get out of Iran to create prosperity and comfort for my wife and children. My life has been destroyed in these 44 years, at least the life of my wife and children should be good. The rest of the people have the same problem because they don’t have a job to earn money. They do not have freedom and the regime disturbs all families.  People are not allowed to use foreign media. You see that they destroy the satellites. They want to use 1 and 2 media of the same country like communist countries and they suffocated the people. These strictures cause our youth and elites to leave the country.

When you were in Iran and faced these problems, was there anything that gave you strength and made you stronger against these problems? What would help you? We were trying to gather our train mates and friends together and do something that was not suitable for the regime and there were many conflicts. I myself was summoned to the air force headquarters several times. I was fired for 18 months because I was dealing with them. During this period of 7 years of war, I was in a war zone and traveled back and forth. I was waiting for a revolution to take place and to be the one to help my people and my country. Unfortunately, we did not achieve this success and the situation worsened day by day until I had to leave the country and had no choice.

What did you dream for when you were in Iran? If you are going to start with the sentence that this is my dream, what would your sentence be? My dream was for my country and people to be free and people to be able to live a simple and ordinary life, not to be prosperous. They should live in such a way that there is no pressure on the people and there should be a government that understands the people. But unfortunately this government in Iran is a mercenary and puppet government of the Soviet Union and other superpower countries. The only job of the government is to put pressure on the people to bring money to their masters and to create war in the world so that the government itself will last. Iran has entered into a war with two neighboring countries. This is the only way for the survival of the Islamic Republic. Iranians are wise today.

Now that you are in London, England, I would like to know what challenges and problems do you face? This life is not difficult and I have no problems because I can live with my monthly salary. All my sorrow is my country and I want freedom for my people. Our people must live freely and be freed from the hands of the Islamic Republic. Get rid of turban-wearing mullahs. In my country, Iran, its people had faith, and these mullahs destroyed faith. Our young people have no faith anymore. Our youth wish to have a day like the era of the king. We were really powerful at that time and we were the fifth power in Asia. There was prosperity and comfort in the houses. Our children were educated for free.  There was so much food that our children crushed milk bags under their feet to make them laugh. See to what extent the king and government were thinking of the people. They always wanted people to be prosperous. Unfortunately, this group, which I don’t know what to call them, Atigha hai Asr Hajar (Stone Age People) came and destroyed our country. They destroyed Iran’s work, industry, humanity, and culture. They did not leave culture for Iranians. From the beginning, when they came, they did something to keep families apart. For example, a father gives his son to the government or a son exposes his mother to the government. These destroyed the culture of the Iranian nation.  Now our youth are stuck in such a culture. They should regain their Aryan [Indo-Iranian] culture and live a healthy life. To gain their freedom. No results will be achieved until the Iranian people themselves take action. If there is a war, nothing else will be achieved except the destruction of our country, and the Islamic Republic will take advantage of this war. Therefore, people should move and suppress the regime. Don’t let the government make the slightest move, people will take over everywhere and run a government as they say. Reza Shah is the second one who can help people. His grandfather was Reza Shah, his father was Mohammad Reza Shah, and their services are known in Iran. This person is also from the same family. If this person comes to the youth government, they should know that this person will be their savior. This person will rebuild Iran. This is a person who has gained many experiences from different countries and is now ready to implement those experiences in Iran. The people should call for the second Reza and accept the king’s rule and separate religion from the government. The constitution should be amended and some laws should be separated and eliminated. These are issues that can bring our country to prosperity and comfort.

You said that the people of Iran are in trouble and this is painful for you. I wanted to know what helps you on this path and what gives you strength? The reason for our strength is the Iranian businessmen, who are rich, and they were the ones who strengthened this government, and now they are eating the blood of the people. If they have a little conscience, they should help Reza Shah II by helping Khomeini, so that Reza Shah II can do something for the people of Iran. Iranian people should improve their lives financially because they can’t fight with a big belly. It is not possible to stand in front of Tang without a weapon. These people must be armed. People should be strengthened in terms of food. For example, you are the son of a family. You want to come out and help for the revolution. When your family is hungry, half of your jaw is involved in the family. The belly of this family must be filled until you can come and give your life and come and save the people. So these things make us strong. I am doing my duty to that country in London, informing people. I will convey the voice of the Iranian people to England and the tourists who are here, I will try to help the Iranian people and destroy the Islamic Republic.

How do you feel while doing these activities? If you name this feeling with one word, what would that word be? I feel that I am Iranian and Aryan. If I am here (England), this is not my country. I am a guest here.  I always wish for my Iran to be free and to go kiss the pure soil of my Iran. This is my last wish.

Thank you. My next question was what do you dream and you said if there is anything you want to add, if you have any other dream, you can start with saying that this is my dream. I will leave it. I hope that my voice will reach the people of Iran and that the people of Iran will listen to what we are saying while we are abroad. We try to implement things. We do things that put our lives in danger. Don’t think that our life is very easy and we only protest and then go home. No, this is not an oath. I dream that the Iranian nation will be united and destroy the Islamic Republic. So that they can get freedom.

Thanks for your kindness and your time. Thank you for your kindness. Long live the future of Iran. May the three-color flag with the lion and the sun of Iran be established.

Many 1000 Dreams interviews were not conducted in English. Their translation has not always been performed by professional translators. Despite great efforts to ensure accuracy, there may be errors.