Small souvenir

Simultaneous but meaningful coincidence, or as Carl Gustav Jung puts it, an interesting synchronicity, is that the time of writing this article coincides with November 9th, the anniversary of the “Kristallnacht” or the Night of Broken Glass. On this day in 1938 in Germany, the Nazis, with the help of pressure groups and the support of the police and government forces, attacked the homes and businesses of Jews and, in addition to physically harming them, looted their belongings and destroyed their places of residence and work. In one night, 7,500 businesses, 1,400 synagogues and prayer halls, and countless homes and places of residence were looted and destroyed; according to some reports, 1,300 people were killed and many others were arrested. This event marked the beginning of the systematic massacre of Jews in Europe, known as the Holocaust. As a result, November 9th is declared as the International Day for the

History of German-Iranian Friendship

Iranians are still found in abundance who believe in the Nazi propaganda about the common Aryan roots of Iranians and Germans, and therefore hold a special place for them and believe that if Hitler had won World War II, he would have turned the capital of this Aryan country into another Paris. This raw greed is enough to create regret and sorrow for this simple-minded group, due to the defeat of Nazism during World War II and the regret that if only the Germans had won the war, we would have also received this cloak of glory.

Germany’s attractiveness to a significant number of Iranians reached its peak after the rise of Nazism, but even before that, there were a group of intellectuals in Iran who had their hopes set on other powers such as Germany (and later America) in opposition to Russian and British colonialism, viewing it as a “third force” that could be used against them. For example, writers of the Kaveh magazine such as Taghizadeh, Mohammad Ghazvini, Jamalzadeh, Hossein Kazemzadeh Iran Shahr, and others belonged to this group. It should be noted that Kaveh magazine was published in Berlin during the first World War and its policy was mostly in support of Germany and the allied forces against its enemies, especially England and Russia. The expenses of this magazine were always covered by the German government, which provided political and cultural subsidies.

It can be understood from this that advertising and policies to attract the attention of Iranians to Germany existed even before the Nazis and their Aryan slogans. This policy began during the formation of the Kaiser government in Germany and in an effort to compete with other European powers.

“With the unification of Germany and the emergence of its new empire, this country soon found itself in competition with the great powers of Europe, especially Britain. The German Kaiser believed that the best way to weaken the British Empire was to keep it occupied with colonial conflicts. Wilhelm II had the idea that Islamic countries would rise up against British colonization, causing this rival to be so preoccupied with these uprisings that it could not pose a threat to Germany. He pursued this idea by traveling to the Middle East and declaring, “I assure the 300 million Muslims of the world that the German Kaiser will forever be a friend to the followers of Muhammad.”

Wilhelm II, who had discovered the effectiveness of using religion as a weapon against his enemies, encouraged the Muslim colonies of Britain and France to engage in “Islamic Jihad against the infidels”. In 1898, he appealed to the “proud Islamic nation” in a message and visited the tomb of Salah ad-Din Ayyubi, the great commander of Islam in the fight against Europeans, in Damascus and praised his jihad against the invading infidels. He also proposed to the Ottoman Sultan on the eve of the First World War to issue a global jihad against the infidels (Britain). Some Shia scholars also welcomed this call to jihad. They called the German Emperor the “savior of Islam” and gave him the title of “Haji Wilhelm Muhammad”. Many sincere Muslims believe that God has sent Wilhelm to liberate Islam from the hands of the infidel Russians and British.

With the outbreak of the First World War, just like what happened during the Second World War, many Iranians wished for Germany and its allies to be victorious in the war so that Iran could be saved from foreign domination. This wish, however, remained unfulfilled as Germany’s defeat in the war left them disappointed, but they sympathized with the defeated and showed more support.

From friendship with Germany to Nazism among Iranians.

The defeat of Germany in the First World War, the feeling of humiliation among Germans for this defeat, and especially the excessive demands of the winning powers in the war, which included heavy reparations on Germany, are considered among the roots of the rise of Nazism in Germany. Hitler, with his nationalist slogans and promises of reviving the power and greatness of Germany, succeeded in exploiting the wounded sentiments of Germans to gain power. The exhaustion of the people from the chaotic economic situation, crises, and social unrest, and the lack of security, led the Germans to turn to Hitler.

Interestingly, during this time, similarities can also be seen in the reasons for the success of Reza Shah in Iran. Reza Shah, relying on the ideology of ancient Iran, attempted to free the country from the domination of England and Russia, modernize the country, and bring it out of chaos and social turmoil. This was met with enthusiasm by some intellectuals and people. It was Reza Shah who tried to replace the word “Iran” with “Pars” (Persia in European languages) both within the country and in the world, in order to emphasize the Aryan origin and kinship of this country with the Aryans of Europe. It is not surprising that Reza Shah also looked to Nazi Germany as an ally in his efforts to reduce the influence of Russia and England in Iranian affairs, especially since the Nazis were also eager to gain influence in Iran through attractive offers and promises. They had various plans to penetrate the Islamic world, especially the Middle East, in order to compete

One of the bribes that the Nazi government gave to Reza Shah to gain his support was exempting “Iranians as pure and untainted Aryans” from the Nuremberg racial laws. This decree led to a large number of Jews in Europe receiving Iranian passports and being saved from death by the help of Iranian embassy employees on this continent during World War II. In some cases, this assistance was given in exchange for money, and sometimes simply out of human kindness by some Iranian diplomats. However, sadly, except for a few cases such as a TV series in Iran called “Zero Degree Orbit” or a brief mention by Abbas Milani in his book “The Shah’s Look”, few have spoken about this chapter in the history of Iranian relations with Jews and praised Iranian Schindlers.

The efforts of the Nazis to gain the support of Iranians were met with welcome from groups of intellectuals and ordinary people in Iran. If the publication of Kaveh magazine in its first period showed a friendly inclination towards Germany, it was the ancient Iran magazine that took a more extreme approach during the Nazi era. This magazine, which began publishing around the time of the Nazis’ rise to power in 1933, gradually took on a stronger scent of racism and Nazism and defended Nazi theories. Although this magazine was only published for one year, it was able to spread racist discourse and strengthen it. After World War II, the ancient Iran magazine was published again. On the other hand, Nazi sympathies among the common people in Iran became even more intense. The strange and sometimes superstitious beliefs that some of the Iranian masses had about Nazism and Hitler were mostly seen as jokes, and it was difficult for rational people to believe that these jokes were actually based on reality. But sadly and fortunately

A new book titled “Germans and Iranians” by Matthias Kuntzel has recently been published in Berlin, which has interesting references to our topic. The author of this book provides evidence that some clerics in Qom considered Hitler as an enemy of the Prophet of Islam and a group of scholars went so far as to say that Hitler was the “Imam of the Time” who has appeared to revive the religion of Muhammad.

Another interesting document is a report sent by Erwin Ettel, the German ambassador to Tehran, to authorities in Berlin in February 1941. He writes: “Our embassy has been informed for several months now from various sources that some of the clergy throughout the country are speaking about a new phenomenon; indicating that God has sent the Imam of the Time to Earth in the form of Adolf Hitler. Throughout the country, and without any intervention from our embassy, it has been rumored that the leader of Germany has come to save this country… In Tehran, a publisher has printed pictures of the leader (Hitler) and Imam Ali, the first Imam of the Shiites. These large pictures were hung on the right and left sides of the entrance to the printing house for several months. These pictures had a clear message: Ali is the first Imam and the leader is the last Imam.” He also writes: “If we can combine the clergy of the country with German propaganda, there is no doubt

The author of the book describes the Germans and Iranians that before the occupation of Iran by the Allies, strange rumors were circulating about Hitler. Some preachers were claiming that Hitler was an enemy of the Prophet of Islam and had a picture of Imam Ali under his shirt. On the other hand, some believed that Hitler was not originally a Muslim, but had become interested in studying and researching Islam. Some also said that the broken cross symbol that Hitler and the Nazis wore on their arms was actually the name of Ali written in a new calligraphy. Sadegh Hedayat mentions this ridiculous belief in his book “Haji Agha”.

Nazabad neighborhood in Tehran was founded during the period of Hitler’s popularity in Iran and its name was also derived from the word Nazism. This should be seen as a meaningful metaphor, as one of the areas of our capital that had a hand in igniting the flames of the Islamic Revolution, still carries such a shameful name and our ignorance of the origins and history of this naming remains the same as our ignorance of the hidden roots of Nazi ideology in society.

From Nazi friends to Iranian Nazis and the Third Party.

Unfortunately, it must be said that Nazism among Iranians did not only remain in the realm of ideology, but also manifested in action. Iranian Nazis were found who strived to achieve their racist and totalitarian beliefs. One of the most well-known of these Nazis was Davood Monshizadeh, the founder of SUMKA (the abbreviated name for the National Socialist Workers Party of Iran).

He, who was studying in Germany in his youth, first tried to promote the unity of Iran and Afghanistan in Munich and was active in the Iranian and Afghan Association. From 1939, he collaborated with Bahram Shahrokh (son of the lord Keykhosrow), a famous presenter of the Persian section of German radio. Interestingly, Bahram Shahrokh often accompanied his ideological interpretations with verses from the Quran. Like other Nazis, these two preached that the root of all evils is British colonialism and that this country is being led by Jews.

Behram Shahrokh and some other Nazis justified Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies by comparing them to Muhammad’s conquests against Jewish tribes. During these years, Manuchehr Monshi-Zadeh had become a member of the Nazi party and was trusted by its leaders. He began working with the Nazi propaganda organization and wrote for “Das Reich,” the Nazi party newspaper. Monshi-Zadeh was so enamored with Hitler that he styled his hair and mustache in the same way and displayed a strange enthusiasm during his speeches, just like Hitler. He played a significant role in the relationship between Nazi Germany and Iran. His Nazi sympathies were so strong that, despite being a literature professor at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, he was severely injured while collaborating with the SS forces a few days before the fall of Berlin, when Soviet forces were at the gates of the city. He spent two years recovering in hospitals in Potsdam, Berlin, and Munich. Monshi-Zadeh returned

The ideology of the Third Way was based on the same slogans as the Nazis. The party in Iran initially worked against the occupying allies, but its main goal was to fight against communist ideology and it made great efforts to oppose the mass party. Eventually, this party clashed with the Pahlavi government and its leadership was transferred abroad. After some fundamental changes within the party, the remaining members joined forces with the forces of Bahram Aryana. Hatred towards Arabs and communists and the attraction of intellectuals were characteristics of the Third Way party. It is said that the forces of the Third Way later became active in the form of Pan-Iranian parties and attracted these groups; however, Pan-Iranians have always rejected their solidarity with Nazi racists.

The end result.

Perhaps Nazism in Iran can be considered a tendency towards the past that has now become apparent to everyone. Today, not only the Aryan identity of Iranians, but also the possibility of racial purity among any other nation, including Germans, has come into question. Not only now, but even during the time of the Nazis, they did not believe in the Aryan identity of Iranians or their racial connection with Germans. Nazi theorists, such as Alfred Rosenberg, believed that modern Iranians had no connection to the “Aryan race,” but still saw the use of Iranian emotions for their own advancement. He followed the teachings of Count de Gobineau, which heavily influenced the Nazis’ ideas about racial inequality, and looked down on Iranians and Easterners in general. It is easy to imagine that figures like Hitler and Goebbels considered Iranians to be their equals. The only thing that is missing from this picture is the political necessity behind the Nazi propaganda. This political necessity led Hitler to ally with the

Despite all of this, human rights activists in Iran always follow the activities of neo-Nazi groups with concern and caution. Just as our ancestors’ superstitious beliefs about Hitler and the Nazis were once thought to be jokes, the reality is that there are Iranian neo-Nazi parties, although they may seem like jokes, unfortunately they still exist. This is where we must remember the words of Griboyedov, who once wrote: “I will tell you truths that are more unbelievable than any lie.” The point is that due to the prohibition of such organizations, neo-Nazis have underground activities and as a result, it is impossible to accurately estimate the overall size of this iceberg that we only see a piece of on the surface. However, because it is possible to remain anonymous in the virtual world, Nazi sympathizers can freely express their views in that space. Therefore, exploring and investigating the virtual world is an appropriate method for guessing the seriousness of the racist movement in Iran. Browsing the virtual

Sources:

Amini Najafi, Ali, Germany and Iran Relations, “Aryan Race Unity”, BBC Persian Website, 15 December 2009.

2- The BBC Persian website, 6 Bahman 1384.