An Analysis of Samad’s Narration of War Events; A Phenomenological Sign of Iranian Mode of Warfare

This paper will provide a phenomenological analysis of Samad’s narration of Iraqi imposed war on Iran. Samad Shafi-ee was a warrior from the city of Urumieh, Azarbiajan whose way of narrating war events attracted many academics’ attention but remained as an intact phenomenon to be studied. Here I will analyze his particular way of narrating war events that was filmed and took place in early 1980s. His narration represents one of the unique media texts and dramas regarding narration of war events. His narrating method of war events provides a very unique text and the paper will indicate that a phenomenological analysis of his media text can help to understand the specificities of the Iranian mode of warfare. This mode of warfare includes 1. believing in a single God and 2.using tolerance towards prisoners of war and the defeated enemy and keeping distance from getting engage in irregular use of violence and 3. loving Iran and 4.directing the warfare towards Iranian mode of civilization. This paper can best be located as a paper that deals with matters that interest multidisciplinary arguments regarding sociology and communication. The paper claims that this analysis can help to understand some principles of Iranian life-world as well as Iranian identity, something that has remained as a mystery to many Iranologists. Among contributions that the paper provides we can also refer to the question of how Iranian discipline of warfare does not intend to emphasize only on individuals to be war heroes. On the contrary, the Iranian mode of warfare seeks to legitimize its civilization claims. It seeks this path through insertion of believing in a single and universal God and using ethics of tolerance. Martyrdom, gains an extra-individual and extra-hero value because it represents an ultimate degree of sacrifice that a hero cannot perform.
In this sense, methodologically the paper reconstructs principles of Iranian mode of warfare using Samad’s method of narrating war events. This analysis provides knowledge on dimensions of Iranian mode of warfare that has been unknown before.
I will pay special attention to the monotheistic characteristic of the Iranian mode of warfare.