Iran (IMNA) - Johnny Bet Oshana made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the battle waged by the West-backed Saddam Hussein's Baathist administration against the Islamic Republic of Iran shortly after the Islamic Revolution. Oshana, a Tehran inhabitant, was 20 years old at the time of his martyrdom.
According to the organisation that represents Iran's minority Assyrian Christians, whose roots can be traced back to the 7th century Assyrian Empire, none of his close relatives could be located to administer his last rites.
However, several of his maternal and paternal relatives expressed excitement and relief when hearing the announcement , stating his parents died their last years ago in grevious wait for their son - even his lifeless bones.
All of the martyr's family members have died away, according to the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs (FMVA), a government organization that looks after the welfare of the families of martyrs.
As per Assyrian rituals, Oshana's ceremonial funeral will be performed on Wednesday in Tehran, followed by his burial ritual on Friday.
His boness will then be transported to Islamshahr, a suburb of Tehran, for interment following a special rite at the Church of Hazrat Yusuf in the Iranian capital.
During Operation Badr, which was named after one of the most significant wars in Islamic history, the Iranian Assyrian Christian was martyred in March 1985 to the east of the Tigris River.
According to some stories, Oshana was martyred in combat just in front of Hur al-Azim, the largest freshwater marsh on the Iran-Iraq border.
His body, like that of many other Iranian martyrs, was untraceable for over four decades. Last month, in March 2023, a DNA test resulted in determining the identity of Oshana's body.
The unexpected discovery of Oshana's bones 38 years after his martyrdom has created a tangible gaiety and grief across Iran, with people from all religious backgrounds expressing tributes to him.
In a touching gesture, the mother of one of the holy shrine guards stated her wish to replace Oshana's mother's hole at his funeral on Wednesday in an interview with state TV on Tuesday.
She additionally encouraged people, both Iranian Muslims and Christians, to flock to the Assyrian martyr's burial in enormous numbers in return for the deaths of his parents and siblings.
Mohammad Mehdi Hemmat, the son of famed Iranian military commander Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat, who was recognized for his bravery during the Iran-Iraq war, also paid laud honors to Oshana.
The cherished and martyr-loving people are asked to attend the (funeral) service of this wonderful martyr, he tweeted. "Father, mother, and brothers of this martyr have passed away," he said.
Relevantly, the eight-year battle resulted in the deaths of around 230,000 Iranian soldiers and the disablement of close to 600,000. Nearly 43,000 more people ended up as prisoners of war, and many more disappeared.
Hundreds of Iranian Christians, according to popular stories, voluntarily raced to the frontlines during the forced war in an act of exceptional patriotism and national unity.
The jubilant presence of fellow Iranian Christians and other religious minorities during the Iraqi imposed war symbolized Iranian unity. Religious minority sent out technical, medical, and engineering teams to assist the soldiers, as well as financial and non-financial gifts.
Among the notable Christian martyrs of holy defense are Zurik Moradian and Vigen Karapetyan (Armenian Christians) and Robert Lazarus (Assyrian Christian), who left a lasting impression.
In August 2017, a book named 'Iranian Christian Martyrs' was released in Tehran, detailing the lives and legacies of 20 Iranian Christian heroic defense martyrs. The first Iranian Christian (Armenian) war martyr, as stated in the book, was Zurik Moradian.
With the support of certain Arab and Western nations, Saddam Hussein authorized an attack on Iran roughly 19 months after the Islamic Revolution, and the Iraqi army invaded the country on September 22, 1980, igniting an eight-year conflict.
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