After the interrogation, I was sent back to my cell, which contained only an iron bed with a torn and stained mattress, a toilet and a sink. I wasn’t given any lunch, and when dinner time arrived, I began to call through the cell for the guard to bring me food as I was hungry. The guard came and said, “No food for you.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Because you waste food.” I said, “What do you mean by waste food? I ate the entire potato.” He said, “No, you were supposed to eat the entire potato including its skin! This food is bought using the money of the Islamic government. This is the money of God which you are wasting.” I turned my back towards him and sat on the bed. After 21 hours had passed, I was released. In Qum, Mr. HW tried to avoid me in every way possible, as he didn’t think that I would be released so soon, or at all!
Mr. HW had fabricated a case against me of treason and plots against the Iranian regime, which could have constituted the offence of “rising against the government” – an offence punishable by death. Luckily in this case, the regime officials either forgot or did not realize that I was born in Iran, otherwise they could have granted me Iranian citizenship solely for the sake of imprisoning or hanging me. I was relieved that, due to my Australian citizenship, I was saved from such an ordeal. Years later, Mr. HW found himself unable to live in America because his Iranian wife was not able to gain residency in the US. Therefore, he relocated to Sydney, Australia.
After I had developed diplomatic and government relationships in Australia, I sent Mr. HW a message through another imam, informing him that I was going to inform the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation about Mr. HW and his close ties with the Iranian intelligence services, what he did to me, his close friendship with Hizbullah and his affiliation with Sheikh Mansour Leghaei. This sent an alarming message to Mr. HW as he never expected me to become the person I am today. He then sent me a message on Facebook requesting that I get in touch with him. I responded saying that I could only meet with him in person, but he never responded because he wasn’t prepared to do so. Until today, Mr. HW has not even apologized to me for what he did, and neither will I be able to ever forgive him for the torture I endured, especially when he knew that I was innocent.
The university exams were two weeks away, and I decided to continue my studies as well as my work at Ayatollah Makarem’s office. I extended my visa one more time, which gave me an extra year to live in Iran. I completed my exams, but the university refused to give me my certificates; they still lie in my student portfolio under the number 41145. Therefore, knowing that my visa was valid for another year, I decided to withdraw from the Al-Mustafa University. After all, it was merely an establishment set up to radicalize and jihadize Muslim men and groom them into being missionaries, and is not recognized as an educational institution by any reputable university outside of Iran. I saw it for what it really stood for and withdrew honorably. I demanded documents upon my withdrawal in order that none of the extremist supporters of the Iranian regime could accuse me in the future of being expelled by either Al-Mahdi Institute or Aalul-Bayt University, which were both administered by Al Mustafa International University.
My Final Year in Iran
After withdrawing from the regime-run university by the end of 2012, I found myself free, and with a visa ending in December 2013. I resigned from the office of Grand Ayatollah Makarem after informing them of what Mr. HW had done to me, and my disappointment that they were not prepared to question the intelligence services about why this had happened. I no longer subscribed to the faith taught by the Iranian regime and its Islamic universities, and I found myself unable to co-exist with groups that supported the Iranian regime, even though they dominated the entire city. As a matter of fact, many casual students in Al-Mustafa University were and still are actual Hizbullah militants.
Without a place to turn to, or a dormitory to reside in, I found myself homeless. I could not inform my immediate family of my situation as they would be deeply worried, and I did not want to leave Iran either. Therefore, I began to eat what I could afford until I was completely broke. I began to visit mosques and Islamic centers that offered meals after their events, and would request to take more home. I spent four months sleeping on cardboard in the vicinity of the Holy Shrine in Qum. Despite the fact that I was homeless, I maintained my outer appearance and was very cautious to conceal my situation, as supporters of the Iranian regime could take advantage of any sign of weakness or instability. During this time, one Pakistani cleric, Shaikh Ahmad, residing in Iran and who was also a friend of mine, knew of my situation as I had told him. He also administrated an Islamic center and would invite me regularly for meals and offer me other forms of hospitality. One Saturday morning, Shaikh Ahmad informed me that two men from Australia had come into his center looking for me, and requested that I leave the area for my own safety.
Meanwhile, my friends at Shirazi’s office had suspected something was out of the ordinary with my situation because I had not visited them nor Grand Ayatollah Shirazi for a considerable amount of time. They initiated contact with me and inquired about how I was doing, even though I had tried to avoid them. News had reached them that I was in trouble, homeless, and broke. The office of Shirazi offered me a private room within the dormitory of their educational institute and supported me, modestly, in every way possible. Because Shirazi was oppressed by the Iranian regime and under house arrest, he couldn’t provide me with a visa, but luckily, I had organized that already. I remained in Iran and served Shirazi’s office as a form of thank you.
By this time, I had made several public statements that supported an enlightened brand of Islam. The clerics at Shirazi’s office knew of my intentions and, even though they were not on the same page as me, they still welcomed me; after all, it was Shirazi who ordained me as an imam. I associated myself with Shirazi’s office because, out of all of the ayatollahs, he was the most moderate and peaceful one.
During my final year in Iran, I began to develop healthy relationships with the offices of numerous grand ayatollahs and Islamic authorities, and acquired a large number of licenses and certifications from them after attending their advanced lessons. Now that I was not part of a government-run institute, nobody questioned my movements, and I was free to explore the scholarly works that were foundations of the Islamic faith. I kept my reformist agenda to myself, until I was in a strong position to express my opinions. Perhaps this explains why I did not accept the position of deputy to any grand ayatollahs or marry into their families.
Relocation to Iraq
By the end of 2013, I decided to relocate to Iraq and continue my advanced studies within its Islamic seminaries. I relocated to the Holy City of Karbala, and studied under the authority of its most prominent Islamic authorities between January 2014 and December 2015. Because I am also an Iraqi citizen, I did not require a visa to stay in Iraq. It was an open environment where students were not restricted by any government laws or policies. The two cities of Najaf and Karbala contain the leading Islamic seminaries within Shia Islam. However, Qum is and will always be viewed as a place for students to gain their basics in Islamic studies, unless of course they study independently and outside the boundaries of the curriculum of the Islamic universities.
At the beginning of 2014, I assisted in the founding of Imam Hussein TV 3 in the Holy City of Karbala, Iraq, and began to coordinate its research department and present television programs in English. Out of the two main schools of thought within Shia Islam in the twenty-first century, I began to promote the non-political school of Sadiq Shirazi over the tyrannical and terrorist Iranian regime of Ali Khamenei. I was studying from 8 am to 4 pm, then working at the TV channel headquarters until bedtime, which is where my residence also was at the time.
ISIS and the Fall of Mosul