Shaban Jafari
Fatemeh Moezzi
Shaban Jafari was born in 1921 in Tehran, Sangelaj
quarter. After studying for a short time in some schools
including Onsori, Basirat and Islam, he abandoned his
education because his wickedness and was known as Shaban
Bimokh (brainless). After abandoning his education, he
proceeded to different jobs but he was not successful in
them either and for his great interests in traditional
sport (varzesh-e-Bastani), he resorted to it.
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Shaban who had gathered a group of ruffians in his quarter
around him, was imprisoned at his 15 for wickedness. In
1940 he went to serve in the army as it was obligatory and
his two years soldiering took 4 years because of repeated
escapes from the military service. After the arrival of
allies to Iran, he also brought to an end his soldiering
by escaping from garrison and after a time accompanied by
some wrestlers in Shahpoor square he set out an sport club
named Ahan Club and became a pioneer in championship
competitions of traditional sports of the country in 1943
in the field of bow-shaped iron (Kabaddeh) and spinning.
Jafari was favoured by the sovereignty in 1947 after
winding up the theatre of " people" directed by
Abdolhosein Nooshin in Ferdossi and instead of being
imprisoned for the offence of causing a disturbance and
disorder in public order, he was given money and went from
Tehran to Lahijan for a time by the order of criminal
investigation Department. He managed a zoor-khaneh (a
palaestra specially one of the old type in Persia) in
Lahijan and after one year returned to Tehran.
The decade of thirty was the golden decade for this cursed
brainless. In 1950 when he went to meet Ayattullah Kashani
who was returning from exile, it became prevalent among
the Ayattullah's advocates that he was attending the
ceremony for the purpose of killing him and the same case
caused him to be taken by the Ayattullah's advocates and
also confined to bed in the hospital for a time. Then he
rose in support of Doctor Mossadegh and the Iranian Oil
Nationalization Movement. Accompanied by his ruffian group
he made attacks to the left and Tudeh newspapaer offices
opposed to Dr. Mossadegh's government. They attacked
Chalangar, Mardom, Shuresh, Badr, etc. … and ruined them.
This disturbance led to his imprisonment in Qasr prison
for a time
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After being released, he
took up his way again. In 21 July 1952, he tried to help
Dr. Mossadegh to regain his seat of premiership but after
a short time he abstained from Mossadegh and there
happened the event of 28 February 1953. On this day,
according to Dr. Mossadegh's offer, the Shah intended to
go out of the country and traveling to Holy thresholds (Atabat-e-Aliat)
when Shaban accompanied by his ruffian group prevented
this by gathering before the Marmar palace. Through his
threatening of Bazaris the Bazar was shut down. His group
went before Dr. Mossadegh's house and broke the door of
his house. This event culminated in his imprisoned until
19 August 1953 and in the noon of 19 August 1953 he was
released from the prison by the order of Zahedi and
assumed the responsibility of controlling ruffians. He was
famed as Tajbakhsh after the 19 August Coup. After this
service, he met the Shah according to Timsar Zahedi's
offer, and there was given to him a land for founding a
sport club, also at this same meeting he asked permission
from him to form an association named as self-sacrificing
Young s' association to be used on some necessary times.
The constitution of Jafari's club took three years and
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi opened it by himself. The honorary
directorship of it was undertaken by Teimoor Bakhtiar for
a time. The club's expenses were being secured from the
court, Shah's association and SAVAK. Although he
repudiates the receipt of any money from the court, but
there exists some documents regarding his demands for
money from the court. In February 20, 1954 Doctor Hossein
Fatemi was arrested and Shaban Jafari who had an especial
enmity to him, went before the police office with his
group and when Fatemi came out, he attacked him (it is
said that he attacked him with knife) and beat him. In his
memoirs he clearly renounces it and considers it as an
impossible act from his side.
In the ceremonies of Aban 4th, Jafari would play the
traditional sports at Amjadieh Stadium every year before
the Shah. A great number of government's foreign guests
were being invited to his club and there was performed the
traditional sport.
During the events of June 5th, 1963, the Jafari club
caught fire. Jafari and his self-sacrificing young' s
associates also rushed to streets on June 6 to retaliate
and threaten people. His presence on these days was so
repulsive that the ministry of information and security of
country asked him not to appear in circles any more.
Disposing of the rowdhah (professional narrating of the
tragedies of Karbala) ceremonies during the ten days of
Moharram at Dabaghkhaneh Takiyeh was his another action,
the expenses of which was annually given to him by SAVAK.
By the rise of the Islamic Revolution, Jafari felt the
danger and flight to Israel but he returned to Iran and
simultaneous with the Shah's exit from the country, he
went to Japan. Then he went to Germany, Israel, France,
England and Turkey. In Turkey he acted against the Islamic
Republic with the group of General Ariana and now he lives
in California by receiving the American citizenship and
recently his memoirs have been published by Homa Sarshar.
There exists 209 pieces of photos and 32 documents in the
Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies
about Shaban Jafari.
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