Kouchak Khan Jangali: Wanted Dead or Alive
December 2 marked the 82nd anniversary of the death of Mirza Kouchak Khan Jangali. In commemoration of the Jungle Movement and its leader, a conference is being held in Tehran at the Cultural Complex of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on Dec. 6. The conference begins at 9 a.m., and the venue is located on Vali Asr Avenue, before Parkway Intersection.
“The jungle Movement which was established on the eve of World War I, laid the groundwork for a popular movement in the northern part of the country. The Muslim people of Iran were grappling with social unrest, anarchy, political turmoil, abject poverty, famine and numerous other problems”, Dr. Mohamad Hassan Asgharnia, the director of the Research Center for Rediscovering the Jungle Movement, told the TEHRAN TIMES in an exclusive interview from 2002, excerpts of which follow.
Asgharnia said that after Reza Khan took power, he issued a highly classified document asking high-ranking security officials to deliver Mirza Kouchak to him, dead or alive, offering a large reward to whoever did so. This secret document explicitly shows that the king of Iran was desperately seeking to suppress the Jungle Movement as soon as possible in order to crack down on the new freedom movements mobilized in different parts of Iran, Asgharnia said.
He emphasized that the Jungle Movement had to confront enemies on five fronts: the British, the Russians, Reza Khan’s forces, the landlords (khans), and their spies.
Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, numerous books, articles, and research papers have been published on various aspects of the Jungle Movement. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) even broadcast a serial based on the life of this outstanding revolutionary hero of Iran who gave his life for the sake of Islam and Iran several decades ago. The serial, which addressed the realities of his life, drew an audience of millions across the country.
Asgharnia added that in a crisis-ridden society, Mirza Kouchak Khan rose up in an armed struggle to topple the corrupt central government and replace it with a republic system based on the aspirations of the majority of the Muslim Iranian people. A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE JUNGLE NOVEMENT
The jungle movement of the early 20th century was a turning point in contemporary Iranian history .It was able to defeat central government forces in several battles, even though the central government was supported by the colonial powers, which were only seeking their own interests. The guerrilla movement loyal to Mirza consisted of pro-democracy freedom fighters who advocated the total independence of Iran. The secret behind their glorious campaign, from the inception of the movement, was the fact that they were wiling to sacrifice their lives for their Islamic homeland in order to overthrow the monarchist system in Iran.
Following the Constitutional Revolution, which took place during the reign of the Qajar King Mohammad Ali Shah, Iranians, whose rights were trampled upon by the ruling regime, enthusiastically sought to establish an independent Parliament (Majlis) and set up a civil society based on the rule of law and free of the domination of the foreign interventionists and the royal family.
Yet, against this backdrop, autocracy continued in this land. Under such circumstances, people had emerged throughout the country, particularly in the north.
The new movement wanted to establish a democratic republic based on Islamic teachings under the leadership of Mirza Kouchak Khan Jangali. Iranians, most of whom were living in dire economic circumstances, revolted again in Azarbaijan, Gilan, and other provinces to regain their legitimate rights.
In the meantime, foreign powers, including Britain, Russia, Germany and the Ottoman Empire, embanked on endless efforts to suppress the newly established liberation movement of Iran through open interference in Iran’s internal affairs.
But this time the people and their revolutionary leaders were determined to put an end to foreign domination and the puppet Qajar regime ruling our country.
The Jungle Movement passed through three crucial phases. The first phase of the uprising started before the outbreak of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. During this period, Gilan was under the domination of Tsarist Russia. The Russian government was the major enemy of the movement and it was behind all the conspiracies against the independence-seeking movement of the Muslim Iranian people.
In the second phase, following the victory of the October Revolution in Russia, counterrevolutionary Tsarist elements were still active in Gilan. The new government in Russia eventually suppressed the remaining Tsarists in the region. But once again Russia, this time under the Bolshevik government, deployed forces in Gilan and improved bilateral relations with the Iranian central government.
Meanwhile, British forces were present in the north of the country and seriously interfering in Iran’s internal affairs, even after the central government forces were repeatedly defeated by the Jungle Movement.
The third and final phase of the Jungle Movement coincided with the resumption of Moscow-London relations in 1921. At this time, Britain used its forces to bring Reza Khan Pahlavi to power in order to destroy all liberation movements throughout Iran, including the Jungle Movement.
After several clashes with the freedom fighters, Reza Khan, assisted by the British, inflicted heavy blows on the Jungle Movement. Eventually, through clever plots, the Jungle Movement was defeated and all the revolutionaries were jailed, exiled, or executed. The frozen bodies of Mirza Kouchak Khan and his German friend were found in the mountainous region close to Khalkhal. The dead body of Mirza Kouchak Khan was then beheaded, and before being dispatched to Tehran, was displayed in downtown Rasht!
Nearly six decades later, the dream of the Jungle Movement freedom fighters was realized with the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic based on Islamic values.