– I am Siyamak Zand. I was born in Tehran city in 1320 S.H. My mother was Mirza Mahmoud Kashi’s granddaughter. Mirza Mahmoud was of a few people who was accompanied by Hussein Ali Nouri from Iran to Acre and was with him to the end of his lifetime. He was Hussein Ali’s trusted person and he was buried in Acre where Bahaullah was buried.
It is necessary to be explained that during this course, he was also accompanied by a young man called Reza Qannad Hoveyda’s grandfather. Of course, his surname was not Qannad. Qannad was a title which had given to him. Then, they selected the name Hoveyda. Mirza Mahmoud Kashi and Mirza Reza Qannad were husbands of two sisters; that is my mother was Mr. Amir Abbas Hoveyda’s (the prime minister) maternal aunt’s granddaughter.
– let’s go to Acre and speak about the adventures happened in Acre. Tell us about the story of receiving the sir medal by Abdul Baha and his cooperation with the British?
– After transferring the followers of Hussein Ali Nouri to Aderneh, the Ottoman government had decided to exile them from Aderneh. They were two brothers; Yahya Sobhi Azal and Hussein Ali Nouri.
Yahya Sobhi Azal had severe difference with Hussein Ali Nouri and the Ottoman government decided to exile them to two different places. It sent Hussein Ali Nouri and his followers to Acre and Yahya Sobhi Azal and his followers to Cyprus.
– The note which was interesting for us and the mere narrator of it is you that you have heard from your mother that Abdul Baha was spying in Acre and Haifa port and at that period of time of war he was signaling the ships. This is considered as a definite document whose narrator of it is you. Do you want to note?
– My mother narrated this story for me. My mother has been born in 1903 or 1904 A.D. World War I starts in 1914 A.D. and ends in 1918 A.D.; that is, my mother has been 10 or 15 years of age.
– When has this memoir happened?
After the onset of World War I, Abbas Effendi left Acre for a while. The guardian of Ottoman, Jamal Pasha searched him to arrest due to his espionage. He sought asylum to Darouzi tribes living in the south of Lebanon. They are special Muslims, too. Its documents exist in the archive of the ministry of foreign affairs of the last government of Ottoman and the King Abdul Hamid.
– Russia has the most documents about the Baha’is relationships. Which documents are exciting in Russia?
– Habib Allah, Amir Abbas Haveyda’s father said Abbas Effendi has pointed out to enter our disciples in the ministry of foreign affairs in order for such people to enter into the diplomacy If Iran.
– Has Abbas Effendi suggested the disciples to enter people to the ministry of foreign affairs?
– Mr. Habibullah Einul Molk, Amir Abbas Hoveyda’s father enters into the personnel of the ministry I foreign affairs. There is a place in which it is written that Abbas Effendi had advised his agents.
At that time, my mother narrated that the leaders prevented the Baha’is and disciples offspring to go to Europe and other places to educate at higher education level. This has been one of the policies of this creed. Just their own offspring could go to foreign universities or Acre to study. Now, how was it possible for Habibullah Einul Molk to be able to travel to Europe to educate in European universities? This was an interesting story narrated by my mother.
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