ID :
211299
Wed, 10/05/2011 - 12:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/211299
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Rare Interview Surfaces with Iranian Supreme Leader's Wife
TEHRAN (FNA)- Several Iranian websites have posted an interview with the wife of Iranian Supreme Leader in which she discusses, among other things, her life with Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, whom she portrays as a caring husband, and talks about her favorite form of Islamic hijab.
Mrs. Khojasteh was hospitalized some time ago for several days without anyone knowing that she was the wife of the man who has the last say in religious and political affairs in the Islamic Republic. Hospital officials found out who she was only after the Supreme Leader visited her at the hospital.
So the rare interview -- perhaps the only one of its kind -- has garnered lots of attention.
The interview is said to have been first published in English in 1993 in an Iranian magazine for distribution abroad.
Here are some excerpts:
How did you meet your husband?
I married him in 1964. The wedding took place as it was customary in religious families of those days; his mother came to our house to ask for my hand.
How many children do you have?
We have four sons and two daughters. Our sons were born before the (1979 revolution) and our daughters after.
How did you help your husband in his struggle (against the Shah's regime)?
I think my biggest role was to preserve a calm atmosphere in our home so that he could do his work in peace. I would sometimes visit him in prison without telling him about our problems. In response to his questions about us, I would only give him good news.
Of course I was also active in distributing pamphlets, carrying messages and hiding documents, but I think (these actions) are not worth mentioning.
Does your husband help you at home?
He neither currently has time (to help) nor do I expect him to do so. One admirable trait he has which could be as an example for others, is that even, though he often comes home tired from work, he does his best to keep work-related problems away from home.
Are you a government employee?
As a Muslim woman in the Islamic Republic, like all the other Muslim sisters, I have some responsibilities which I perform with full force. But I don't have any official responsibility.
What does your husband expect from you?
He doesn't expect anything but a happy, calm, and healthy family environment.
Please tell your view about the Islamic Hijab for our readers.
I think chador is the best cover for outside the home. But, according to religious rules, wearing other sorts of clothing is allowed if it covers all the body and if it is not skintight.
For inside the home, it's very different. Of course clothing should always be according to Islamic chastity.
How is your living style?
It is now years that we have not allowed luxurious objects into our home. Beauty is good, but we should not be stuck with luxury and luxuriousness. We do not have decoration - in the common sense of the word - in our house. That is to say, we do not have expensive carpets, curtains, furniture and the like. We saved ourselves from this kind of things years ago. Mr. Khamenei's parents were our role model and his mother criticized luxurious things and items and I do hold the same belief. We always advise our children to act and behave the same in their personal life and manner, because luxurious items are unnecessary.
Mrs. Khojasteh was hospitalized some time ago for several days without anyone knowing that she was the wife of the man who has the last say in religious and political affairs in the Islamic Republic. Hospital officials found out who she was only after the Supreme Leader visited her at the hospital.
So the rare interview -- perhaps the only one of its kind -- has garnered lots of attention.
The interview is said to have been first published in English in 1993 in an Iranian magazine for distribution abroad.
Here are some excerpts:
How did you meet your husband?
I married him in 1964. The wedding took place as it was customary in religious families of those days; his mother came to our house to ask for my hand.
How many children do you have?
We have four sons and two daughters. Our sons were born before the (1979 revolution) and our daughters after.
How did you help your husband in his struggle (against the Shah's regime)?
I think my biggest role was to preserve a calm atmosphere in our home so that he could do his work in peace. I would sometimes visit him in prison without telling him about our problems. In response to his questions about us, I would only give him good news.
Of course I was also active in distributing pamphlets, carrying messages and hiding documents, but I think (these actions) are not worth mentioning.
Does your husband help you at home?
He neither currently has time (to help) nor do I expect him to do so. One admirable trait he has which could be as an example for others, is that even, though he often comes home tired from work, he does his best to keep work-related problems away from home.
Are you a government employee?
As a Muslim woman in the Islamic Republic, like all the other Muslim sisters, I have some responsibilities which I perform with full force. But I don't have any official responsibility.
What does your husband expect from you?
He doesn't expect anything but a happy, calm, and healthy family environment.
Please tell your view about the Islamic Hijab for our readers.
I think chador is the best cover for outside the home. But, according to religious rules, wearing other sorts of clothing is allowed if it covers all the body and if it is not skintight.
For inside the home, it's very different. Of course clothing should always be according to Islamic chastity.
How is your living style?
It is now years that we have not allowed luxurious objects into our home. Beauty is good, but we should not be stuck with luxury and luxuriousness. We do not have decoration - in the common sense of the word - in our house. That is to say, we do not have expensive carpets, curtains, furniture and the like. We saved ourselves from this kind of things years ago. Mr. Khamenei's parents were our role model and his mother criticized luxurious things and items and I do hold the same belief. We always advise our children to act and behave the same in their personal life and manner, because luxurious items are unnecessary.
