Bakravan dragged his mind off Turlak. “No, never, and he w - ” “Did he lend money at interest?”
Bakravan’s stomach churned. He saw the cold black eyes and tried hard to get his brain working. “Yes, but in a modern society int - ”
“Isn’t it written clearly in the Holy Koran that lending money at interest is usury and against the laws of God?”
“Yes. Usury is against the laws of God but in modern soc - ” “The Holy Koran is blemishless. The Word is clear and forever. Usury is usury. The law is the law.” The mullah’s eyes flattened. “Do you uphold the law?”
“Yes, yes, Excellency, of course, of course I do.”
“Do you practice the Five Pillars of Islam?” These were obligatory to all Muslims: the saying of the Shahada; ritual prayer five times a day; the voluntary giving of Zakat, a year tax, a tenth part; fasting from dawn to dusk during the Holy Month of Ramadan; and last, making the Hajj, the ritual journey to Mecca once in a lifetime.
“Yes, yes, I do, except - except the last. I - I haven’t yet made the pilgrimage to Mecca - not yet.”
“Why not?” the young man with spots on his face asked. “You have more money than a dung heap has flies. With your money you could go in any air machine, any! Why not?”
“It’s - it’s my health,” Bakravan said, keeping his eyes down and praying the lie sounded convincing. “My - my heart is weak.”
“When were you last in the mosque?” the mullah said.
“On Friday, last Friday, at the mosque in the bazaar,” he said. It was true that he was there, though not to pray but to have a business conference. “This Paknouri, he practiced the Five Pillars as a true Believer?” one of the youths asked.
“I - I believe so.”
“It’s well known he didn’t, well known he was a Shah supporter. Eh?” “He was a patriot, a patriot who financially supported the revolution and supported Ayatollah Khomeini, the Blessings of God upon him, financially supported the mullahs over the years an - ”
“But he spoke American and worked for Americans and the Shah, helping them exploit and steal our wealth from the soil, didn’t he?”
“He, he was a patriot who worked with the foreigners for the good of Iran.” “When the Satan Shah illegally formed a party, Paknouri joined it, served the Shah in the Majlis, didn’t he?” the mullah asked. “He was a deputy, yes,” Bakravan replied. “But he worked for the rev - ” “And he voted for the Shah’s so-called White Revolution that took away land from the mosques, decreed equality of women, implanted civil courts and state education against the dictates of the Holy Koran…” Of course he voted for it, Bakravan wanted to scream, the sweat trickling down his face and back. Of course we all voted for it! Didn’t the people vote for it overwhelmingly and even many ayatollahs and mullahs? Didn’t the Shah control the government, the police, the gendarmerie, SAVAK, the armed forces and own most of the land? The Shah was ultimate power! Curse the Shah, he thought, beside himself with rage, curse him and his White Revolution of ‘63 that started the rot, sent the mullahs mad, and continues to plague us, all his “modem reforms” that were directly responsible for the rise of the then obscure Ayatollah Khomeini to prominence. Didn’t we bazaaris warn the Shah’s advisers a thousand times! As if any of the reforms mattered. As if any of the reforms w - “Yes or no?”
He was startled out of his reverie and cursed himself. Concentrate! he thought in panic. This vile son of a leprous dog is trying to trap you! What did he ask? Be careful - for your own life be careful! Ah, yes, the White Revolution! “Emir Pak - ”
“In the Name of God, yes or no!” the mullah overrode him harshly. “He - yes - yes, he voted for the, the White Revolution when he was a deputy in the Majlis. Yes, yes, he did.”
The mullah sighed and the youths shifted in their seats. One yawned and scratched his groin, absently playing with himself.
“You are a deputy?”
“No - no, I resigned when Ayatollah Khomeini ordered it. The - ” “You mean when Imam Khomeini, the Imam ordered it?”
“Yes, yes,” Bakravan said flustered. “I resigned, the, er, the moment the Imam ordered it, I - I resigned at once,” he said, and did not add, We all resigned at Paknouri’s suggestion when it was safe and certain the Shah had decided to leave and to pass over power to the moderate and rational Prime Minister Bakhtiar, but not for power to be usurped by Khomeini, he wanted to shriek, that was never the plan! God curse the Americans who sold us out, the generals who sold us out, the Shah who’s responsible! “Everyone knows - knows how I supported the Imam, may he live forever.”
“Yes, the Blessings of God on him,” the mullah echoed with the others. “But you, Jared Bakravan of the bazaar. Have you ever practiced usury?” “Never,” Bakravan said at once, believing it, though fear racked him. I’ve loaned money all of my life but the interest’s always been fair and reasonable, never usury, he thought, never. And all the times I acted as adviser to various people and ministers, arranging loans, private and public, transferring funds out of Iran, private and public, making money, a great deal of money, that was good business and not against the law. “I opposed the - I opposed the White Revolution and the Shah, wherever I could - it was well known that I opp - ”
“The Shah committed crimes against God, against Islam, against the Holy Koran, against the Imam - God protect him - against the Shi’a faith. All those who helped him are equally guilty.” The mullah’s eyes were relentless. “What crimes have you committed against God and the Word of God?” “None,” he cried out, almost at the limit. “In God’s name I swear, none!” The door swung open. Yusuf came into the room with Paknouri. Bakravan almost fainted again. Paknouri’s hands were manacled behind him. Muck and urine stained his trousers and vomit was on the front of his coat. His head was twitching uncontrollably, his hair matted and filthy, his mind gone. When he saw Bakravan, his face twisted into a grimace. “Ah, Jared, Jared, old friend and colleague, Excellency, have you come to join us all in hell?” He shrieked with laughter for a moment. “It’s not like I imagined, the devils haven’t arrived yet, nor the boiling oil or flames but there’s no air and just stink and you press against others and you can’t lie down or sit so you stand and and then the screaming begins again and the firing and, all the time you’re on an egg, packed like a caviar egg but but but - ” The half-incoherent raving stopped as he saw the mullah. Terror swamped him. “Are you … are you God?”
“Paknouri,” the mullah said gently, “you are charged with crimes against God. This witness against you says y - ”
“Yes, yes, I’ve crimed against God, I’m guilty,” Paknouri screamed. “Why else am I in hell?” He fell on his knees in a flood of tears, raving. “There is no God but God is no God there is no God and Mohammed is his Prophet of no God and…” Abruptly he stopped. His face was even more twisted when he looked up. “I’m God - you’re Satan!”
One of the youths broke the shocked silence. “He’s a blasphemer. He’s possessed by Satan. He declared himself guilty. As God wants.” All the others nodded agreement. The mullah said, “As God wants.” He motioned to a Green Band who pulled Paknouri to his feet and took him out and looked at Bakravan who stared after his friend, horrified how fast - just overnight - he had been destroyed. “Now, Bakravan, you w - ” “I’ve got this Turlak waiting outside,” Yusuf said, interrupting him. “Good,” the mullah said. Then he turned his eyes back onto Bakravan and Bakravan knew he was as lost as his friend Paknouri was lost and that the sentence would be the same. The blood was rushing in his ears. He saw the lips of the mullah moving, then they stopped and everyone was looking at him. “Please?” he asked numbly. “I - I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you - what you said.”