Speech by Maryam Rajavi at the Memorial Ceremony for Dr. Mohammad Ali Sheikhi, Chairman of the Universities Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

With deep regret, on December 15, Dr. Mohammad Ali Sheikhi, Chairman of the Universities Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, passed away, and the National Council of Resistance of Iran lost one of its most valued members.
The funeral procession and burial were held on December 22, followed by a memorial ceremony at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, attended by his family, friends, and members of the NCRI.
At this ceremony, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi delivered a speech honoring the memory of this departed companion of the Resistance and paying tribute to this distinguished personality, both a combatant and a man of science, in which she said:

Friends of the Resistance, distinguished members of the National Council of Resistance,
Dear sisters and brothers, my dear daughters, Maryam, Sara, and dear Amitis,
The sorrow of losing Dr. Sheikhi weighs heavily on all of us. Just hours ago, we laid him to rest and bade farewell to this long-standing companion of the Resistance.
I once again extend my heartfelt condolences for his loss, truly one of our great scientific and political assets, to the community of professors and academics; to his comrades in the National Council of Resistance of Iran; to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran; and to his beloved family.
My condolences also go to the NCRI President, who has lost a devoted, compassionate, and long-time colleague. Dr. Sheikhi was among those whose place cannot easily be filled.
For me personally, this loss is just as profound. Dr. Sheikhi was a steadfast pillar of support, in all circumstances, and especially in the most difficult times.
I recall that in every NCRI meeting, his boundless kindness would invariably leave me humbled. I would often tell him how much of a source of pride he was for all of us, for the National Council of Resistance, and for the Mojahedin.
Dr. Sheikhi’s firmness in upholding the NCRI’s principles and clear boundaries, combined with his warmth and sense of humor, shaped a truly distinctive character, one who will remain forever alive in our memories.

A Rare Gem

Dr. Sheikhi remained a fighter and a rebel until his very last day, until the final hour when his heart was still beating. In my view, a person who can spend an entire lifetime in struggle and resistance is, in our time and in today’s world, a rare gem. Dr. Sheikhi was one of those rare souls.
From the height of his youth until the moment he departed this world for eternity, he longed for the renewal of the world. He was one who rose up, constantly striving for freedom. He rebelled against every form of surrender and stagnation.
His life was spent in struggle and resistance; from the years of pursuit and clandestine life in Tehran, to the harsh days of exile in Gabon, and the hunger strikes he undertook alongside his comrades; from the difficult days of June 17, 2003, with all their trials and tribulations, to all these long years of steadfastness and resistance.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran is recognized as the democratic alternative to religious dictatorship, known for its unrelenting struggle against the most hostile enemy of the Iranian people. It is known for its unwavering commitment to the principles of Iran’s independence and freedom. As a member of the NCRI, Dr. Sheikhi was the embodiment of all this perseverance and steadfast resolve.
Here, I wish once again to repeat Massoud’s words in describing Dr. Sheikhi:
“A devoted and noble Mojahed scholar; a teacher and a living example of integrity and loyalty; among the most distinguished pioneers and standard-bearers of the anti-monarchical revolution within the universities and among the academic community, a pathfinder and a guide. The crimson name of the Mojahedin was always the deepest and most radiant part of his being. He joins the martyrs and the righteous. He has become eternal and redeemed.”

A Standard-Bearer in Defense of the Mojahedin

Despite his extensive academic, scholarly, and revolutionary record, Dr. Sheikhi was humble, unpretentious, and free of any self-importance. In his relations with members of the NCRI, as well as with supporters of this Resistance, he was always open, warm, and approachable.
In the 1970s, he supported the Mojahedin and the revolutionary movement. But it was in the very first months after the revolution that he truly “found” Massoud, found in the sense of discovering an answer, a guide, and a clear point of reference amid the turmoil, complexity, and ordeals of that turbulent time.
In the early years of Khomeini’s deceptive rule, he made some of the most decisive and consequential choices of his life, charting his path with full awareness that choosing one’s course under those conditions came at a very high price. From that point on, he became one of the leading standard-bearers in defending Massoud (Rajavi) and the Mojahedin.
He was the initiator of inviting Massoud to speak at the Faculty of Literature (at the University of Tehran) and later at the National (Melli) University. Because of these acts of support, he entirely relinquished his position and status in the university, even though, under the new ruling establishment, he could have rapidly risen to the highest academic posts. Instead, he chose to stand against this regime and to resist for freedom.
Dr. Mohammad Ali Sheikhi was among the very first to join the National Council of Resistance of Iran. When one looks at his positions over the past forty-four years within the NCRI, a single, consistent, and unwavering line stands out: the defense of the Resistance against the regime and its allies and mercenaries.
In the face of those who turned their backs on the struggle and failed to withstand pressure and conspiracies, Dr. Sheikhi rose without hesitation, with the utmost integrity and courage, to defend the positions of the National Council of Resistance. Truly, he was the outspoken and unsheathed voice of the NCRI and of the Iranian Resistance.
His sincere bonds and heartfelt affection for Mojahedin were a constant throughout his rich and productive life.
From the very early years, he placed his home on Amirabad-e Shomali Street in Tehran at the disposal of the Muslim Students’ Association supporting the Mojahedin, so that they, and Mojahedin cadres, could use it as a base for their activities. In close, daily contact with the Mojahedin’s student section, he helped advance the work of the Association of Committed Professors within the universities.
You may recall that after arriving in Paris, he chose the name Amir for himself.
But why Amir? For Dr. Sheikhi, the name Amir evoked the memory of Amir Mo’in-Far, a student at the Polytechnic University and one of the creative and fearless supporters of the Mojahedin in Tehran. After June 20, Amir was captured by the regime and was subsequently executed by firing squads in Evin Prison on September 16, 1981.
For two years prior to that date, within the organization of the Muslim Students’ Associations, Amir had been responsible for relations with university professors who supported the Mojahedin, as well as with political groups and parties.
Mr. Sheikhi deeply admired Amir’s revolutionary spirit, his lightness of being, warmth, and generosity of heart. After his martyrdom, he always kept Amir’s memory alive.
His affection and close, fraternal relationship with his Mojahedin sisters and brothers were striking. During the years when the Mojahedin in Ashraf and Liberty were under siege and subjected to rocket attacks, he was constantly anxious for them, following the news of their situation moment by moment.
He had deep faith in the Mojahedin sisters and in their advancing role in the revolutionary process, shouldering ever greater responsibilities, with their ranks growing longer day by day.
I remember one day—about four years ago, I believe—when Zahra (Merrikhi) was introducing the peers and deputies of the Secretary-General from the new generation of the Mojahedin. He was overjoyed and said to me repeatedly, “What a beautiful, courageous, and forward-looking step the Secretary-General of the Mojahedin has taken.” He said, “I feel that the future of the Mojahedin Organization has been secured.”

Fidelity to One’s Pledge and Self-Sacrifice

The story of Dr. Sheikhi is the story of every honorable and conscious human being who steps into the battlefield to overthrow religious despotism and offers all his capital and his life; who embraces the path of fidelity to one’s pledge and self-sacrifice; whose humanity reaches fulfillment, and whose compassion and civic virtues rise to their highest expression.
At this moment, my thoughts turn to my dear Massoumeh. The late Massoumeh Joshqani was among the steadfast prisoners who endured torture in Khomeini’s dungeons. The regime imprisoned her to capture her husband, Dr. Sheikhi, and subjected her to torture in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
In her memoirs, Massoumeh recounts, citing one of the imprisoned professors from Sharif University, that interrogators would place before him a list of academics, headed by the name of Dr. Sheikhi, and question him about them.
Like so many political prisoners, Massoumeh endured immense suffering. Yet prison only strengthened her resolve. As she herself wrote, she thanked God and said how fortunate she felt to share confinement with such steadfast and self-sacrificing women. She was deeply influenced by the women of the Mojahedin and always spoke of women such as Dr. Shourangiz Karimian, to whom her book is dedicated, as well as Fazilat Allameh, Akram Bahadori, Elaheh Orooji, Zohreh Ghaemi, and many others.
In the early years of this regime’s rule, Dr. Sheikhi stood firmly against the Mongol-like onslaught of Khomeini’s clique on the universities, carried out under the banner of the so-called “Cultural Revolution.”
He founded the Association of Committed University Professors. Khomeini’s anti-cultural coup in the universities was the first step in a broader plan to repress and purge academics and to carry out the mass killing of students during that period. Throughout all these years, Dr. Sheikhi sought justice for all those victims. He was the voice of their protest, and the representative of their progressive demands.
His aspiration and his lifelong struggle were for the freedom of Iran, and for the establishment of universities governed by councils of students and academics, places where knowledge and freedom could truly flourish.
Today, Dr. Sheikhi’s place is painfully empty. Yet the values he created through a lifetime of struggle, steadfastness, and self-sacrifice will remain alive within the ranks of this Resistance and within his esteemed family, as members of the greater family of the Iranian Resistance. Every single member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran will, with renewed determination, remain bound by the same covenant with him and carry forward the struggle for the freedom of the Iranian people.
So too will you, the companions and supporters of the Resistance, and the brave members of the Resistance Units, for whom Dr. Sheikhi felt such deep affection; and the rising students, who will undoubtedly follow his path.
Salutations to Dr. Mohammad Sheikhi.
Salutations to all the righteous and the martyrs.
“O serene soul, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him. Enter among My servants and enter My Paradise.” (Quran 89:27–30, Al-Fajr)