Hojatoleslam Muhammad-Javad Bahonar was the third Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was martyred by Mujahideen-e Khalq (Munafiqeen) on August 30, 1981.

Muhammad-Javad Bahonar was born in 1934 in Kerman. His father was a simple tradesman.⁠[1] As a child, he was taught the Quran at the local Maktab-Khaneh (traditional school), where he also learned to read and write in Persian.⁠[2] In 1944, he attended the Masumiyeh seminary in Kerman, where he studied both the formal school curriculum and religious subjects.⁠[3] In 1953, he moved to Qom and, after obtaining his high diploma, he was admitted to the Faculty of Theology at the University of Tehran while continuing his seminary studies in Qom. He earned his bachelor’ s degree in 1958.⁠[4] In 1957, Bahonar, together with Hojatoleslam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a few others, published the journal Maktab-e Tashayyoe. The journal sought to foster intellectual and cultural transformation within the Qom seminary. However, its expanding influence within the seminary community and the concerns it raised for the Pahlavi regime led to its shutdown after seven issues.⁠[5] During these years, he also made speeches against the Pahlavi regime in various cities.⁠[6] In 1962, Bahonar moved to Tehran.⁠[7] Next year, he completed a master’ s degree in educational affairs and later received a PhD in theology.⁠[8] Before June 1963, he traveled to Hamedan. His speeches led to his arrest, though he was later released. In the aftermath of the 5th June 1963 Uprising, wanted by the authorities, he secretly returned to Tehran. On March 9, 1964, on the anniversary of the Feyziyeh School incident, Bahonar spoke out at Tehran’ s Grand Mosque against the Pahlavi regime. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to four months of disciplinary imprisonment, during which he was transferred to Qezel-Hesar Prison.⁠[9]

In 1964, on the suggestion of Hojatoleslam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and with the help of Muhammad-Ali Rajaei, members of the Islamic Coalition Party, and a group of devout merchants, Muhammad-Javad Bahonar founded the “ Refah va Taavon” (Welfare and Cooperation) Charity. The initiative was a social and service-oriented cover for a secret network of anti-Pahlavi activists.⁠[10]

In 1966, Bahonar married Zahra Eynakian. They had two daughters and two sons.⁠[11] In 1968, he joined the Ministry of Education and began working on the writing and compilation of religious education textbooks for schools.⁠[12] In 1969, Bahonar was banned from preaching because of his criticism of the Pahlavi regime’ s 2,500‑year celebration. In 1973, he established the Office for the Publication of Islamic Culture, one of his key cultural initiatives, which focused on printing and distributing books on Islam and Islamic culture.⁠[13]

In 1975, the Ministry of Education sent him to an ethics and education conference in Japan, where he spent a month.⁠[14]

In 1977, the Combatant Clergy Association was formed in Tehran, and he was among its core members.⁠[15]

In December 1978, following Imam Khomeini’ s directive to form the Revolutionary Council, Bahonar served as its secretary and joined the Strikes Committee⁠[16]— one of the council’ s subcommittees responsible for organizing strikes against the Pahlavi regime.

In 1978, during the oil workers’ strike that caused nationwide fuel shortages, a delegation was sent to the south on Imam Khomeini’ s orders, and Bahonar was among its members.⁠[17]

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, as the Revolutionary Council’ s representative in the Ministry of Education, Bahonar worked on planning, teacher training, and revising school textbooks. One week after the victory of the Revolution, and with the formation of the Islamic Republic Party, he became one of its members.⁠[18] When the Literacy Movement was started in late 1979,⁠[19] Bahonar was appointed to lead it.⁠[20] With the formation of the Assembly of Experts for the Final Review of the Constitution in 1979,⁠[21] Bahonar was elected as the representative of Kerman to this body.⁠[22]

In 1980, he entered the first term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly as a representative from Tehran and served on its Education Commission.⁠[23] When the Iran-Iraq War broke out and Abadan and Khorramshahr came under siege, he refused to accept the post of Minister of Education in Banisadr’ s government.⁠[24] In late 1980, Bahonar became Minister of Education in Muhammad-Ali Rajaei’ s cabinet.⁠[25] Following the bombing of the Islamic Republic Party headquarters on June 28, 1981, and the martyrdom of Ayatollah Beheshti, Bahonar was elected Secretary-General of the Islamic Republic Party and remained in that position until his martyrdom.⁠[26] On August 5, 1981, he was appointed Prime Minister during Muhammad-Ali Rajaei’ s presidency.⁠[27]

For Bahonar, Iraq’ s invasion of Iran stemmed from fear of the spread of Islamic awakening among the Iraqi people.⁠[28] He believed the imposed war resulted from collusion between imperialism, the Iraqi Baathist regime, and internal conspiracies.⁠[29] Regarding the continuation of the war, he said: “ Our position is to continue the war, and we reject any attempt to impose peace. At the very least, our condition is the complete Iraqi withdrawal from all our borders”.⁠[30]

Muhammad-Javad Bahonar was martyred on August 30, 1981 (28 days after becoming Prime Minister) at the age of 48 in a bomb explosion at the Prime Minister’ s office, along with President Muhammad-Ali Rajaei and several other officials. The terrorist act was carried out by the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization.⁠[31] When news of the bombing and the martyrdom of the President and Prime Minister spread, people took to the streets in cities across Iran, chanting “ Death to America”.⁠[32]

On August 31, a large funeral ceremony for Muhammad‑Javad Bahonar began in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. After speeches by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Hojatoleslam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and several members of parliament and cabinet ministers,⁠[33] his body was carried in procession and laid to rest in Behesht‑e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran.⁠[34] The country marked a period of national mourning until September 4.⁠[35]

Leaders of several countries condemned the bombing; for example, India’ s flag was flown at half-mast.⁠[36]

The day marking the martyrdom of Muhammad‑Ali Rajaei and Muhammad‑Javad Bahonar is designated in Iran’ s official calendar as the Day of Struggle Against Terrorism.⁠[37] Also, the week that ends with the anniversary of their martyrdom is named Government Week.⁠[38]

The University of Kerman was renamed Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.⁠[39] In September 2001, the Shahid Bahonar Museum of Kerman, an old building housing his clothing, personal items, writings, and books, was inaugurated.⁠[40]

The book Golestan dar Atash (The Garden in Flames) presents a dramatized retelling of Martyr Bahonar’ s life,⁠[41] and the series Raz-e Natamam (The Unfinished Secret) focuses on his biography.⁠[42] Muhammad‑Javad Bahonar has authored books such as Din‑shenasi‑ye Tatbiqi (Comparative Study of Religion), Din va Danesh (Religion and Knowledge), Shenakht‑e Eslam (Understanding Islam), and Rabete‑ye Elm va Din (The Relationship between Science and Religion).⁠[43]