Draft:Edoardo Agnelli
| Name | Edoardo Agnelli |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 CE |
| Place of Birth | New York |
| Father's Name | Giovanni Agnelli |
| Education | Student of Philosophy of Religions at Princeton University, New York |
Edoardo Agnelli was born on June 9, 1954, in New York. He was the only son and heir of the renowned Italian multi-billionaire Senator Giovanni Agnelli; his mother was Marla Caracciolo, a Jewish princess. After completing his studies at Atlantic College, Edoardo attended Princeton University to pursue further studies in modern literature and Eastern philosophy. Upon finishing his university education, he traveled to India and Iran to study Eastern mysticism and religions. During his visit to Iran, he met Ayatollah Khomeini and converted to Islam and Shia Islam.
Biography
Edoardo Agnelli was the son of Senator Gianni Agnelli, a wealthy Italian who owned automobile manufacturing plants including Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth, and Iveco, along with several industrial parts factories, private banks, fashion and clothing design companies, high-circulation newspapers such as La Stampa and Corriere della Sera, the Ferrari racing team, and the Juventus football club[1].
Family Background
Giovanni Agnelli, Edoardo's Catholic father, was one of the wealthiest and most influential individuals in Italy. Edoardo's mother was a Jewish princess. The Agnelli family's annual income is estimated to exceed 60 billion dollars. Many of Edoardo's associates believe that the marriage of a Jewish woman into the Agnelli family was not coincidental.
Following this marriage, one of Edoardo's uncles passed away. Another notable point is that Edoardo's sister also married a Jewish journalist named "Elkan" and had four children with him. Thus, it appears that this family's ties with Zionists became increasingly solidified.
Edoardo's Conversion to Islam
Edoardo was a student of the philosophy of religions at the renowned Princeton University in New York, where he was also born. He had read the Bible and the Torah, but they had not convinced him.
At the age of 20, he accidentally came across the Quran in a library, read a few verses, and felt that it could not be the word of man. After reading the entire Quran, he decided to convert to Islam without feeling the need to consult anyone.
He went to an Islamic center in New York, stated his desire to become Muslim, recited the Shahada, and was given the name "Hisham Aziz" there.
Edoardo became a Shia Muslim after traveling to Iran and managed to meet Imam Khomeini (RA).
Dr. Ghodiri Abiyaneh, regarding Edoardo's conversion to Shia Islam and his first trip to Iran, states: "After his conversion to Shiism and recitation of the Shahada before Mr. Fakhruddin Hejazi, we gave him the name 'Mahdi'."
During his first visit to Iran, he met with Imam Khomeini (RA). Present at that meeting were Ayatollah Khamenei, Mr. Hashemi, Sayyid Ahmad Khomeini, and Fakhruddin Hejazi. An Iranian friend of ours, who currently resides in Mashhad and prefers to remain unnamed, who was also a friend of Edoardo, served as the translator.
This mutual friend later recounted that after the meeting with the Imam, they attended Friday prayers, where Edoardo stood in the first row. On this trip, he also visited Mashhad to perform pilgrimage at the shrine of Imam Reza (peace be upon him). There, he was profoundly moved by the visit, stating that he could sense the presence of Imam Reza (peace be upon him). When asked what he had requested from Imam Reza (peace be upon him), he replied: "I asked him to pray to God to make my father's heart kinder toward me."
Activities in Italy
Using his influence, Edoardo persuaded Channel One of Italy to produce a documentary about Islamic countries, and he personally undertook its production.
In this regard, he also traveled to Iran and later aired the documentary on television. Following the broadcast of the final episode, he engaged in a debate on Islam with "Igor Man," a journalist from the newspaper La Stampa. Furthermore, when the book by Salman Rushdie was published, an Italian publisher decided to release it. Upon hearing this news, Edoardo visited the publisher to protest the publication of the book.
Dr. Ghodiri Abiyaneh, regarding his activities, said: "He stated that he could not remain silent while seeing insults directed toward my sacred beliefs. He also could not tolerate Israel's crimes in Palestine and would call the Prime Minister, the President, and even leaders of other countries, demanding that these actions be halted. I told him, 'Through these actions, you are hastening your martyrdom. The Zionists will not leave you alone; refrain from such deeds.'"
Pressure to Return to Christianity
Hossein Abdollahi and Mohammad Eshaq Abdollahi, Eduardo's closest Iranian friends, describe the pressures exerted on Eduardo by his family as unbelievable.
Hossein Abdollahi states: "Eduardo was under immense economic pressure. The Agnelli family had completely imposed an economic boycott on him, to the extent that he did not even have money to take a taxi." Hossein adds: "One day, we went with Eduardo to the Iran Air airline agency in Italy to purchase a ticket for his travel to Iran. The Italian agent of Iran Air said he could not buy a ticket for Eduardo. After a lengthy dispute, it became clear that Eduardo's father's secretary had contacted that employee and instructed him not to issue a ticket for Eduardo."
In order to disinherit Eduardo, the Agnelli family made considerable efforts to portray him as insane. To this end, they admitted him to a psychiatric hospital, which, according to Eduardo himself, was entirely staffed by Jews. Eduardo feared that he would be subjected to brainwashing treatments in that asylum and had even attempted to escape from it once.
Martyrdom or Suicide?
In November 2000, the body of Edoardo Agnelli was found on the Turin-Savona highway in northern Italy, near the city of Turin. His car, a gray Fiat Croma, was abandoned on the Romano Bridge with its hazard lights on and its doors open. The Italian police ruled Edoardo's death a suicide, attributing it to excessive drug use.
However, there are clear indications pointing to Edoardo's murder:
First, Edoardo was by no means a drug addict; on the contrary, he was observed on several occasions engaging in hours-long conversations with friends and acquaintances who used drugs, attempting to dissuade them from such behavior.
Second, suicide is strictly forbidden in Islam. Edoardo was an extremely idealistic individual who was not even willing to pragmatically declare that he had renounced Islam in order to alleviate the pressures and threats against him. His goal was to introduce Islam to the people of Italy and the West. How could such a person commit suicide? Suicide is an act committed by irreligious individuals or those who have reached the end of the line. In contrast, Edoardo had become a deeply devout person, was still at the beginning of his path, and had many tasks yet to accomplish.
Third reason: Edoardo's chef stated that on the morning of the day he was killed, Edoardo had specified his lunch menu. This raises the question: why would someone intending to commit suicide order food for two or three hours later? Furthermore, on the morning of the incident, Edoardo had a telephone conversation with his uncle. According to his uncle, nothing suspicious was evident in their conversation, and Edoardo spoke entirely normally. Additionally, Edoardo left no suicide note indicating any intention to take his own life.
Fourth reason: Referring to Edoardo's long-term plans, Hossein Abdollahi says: "Edoardo said he wanted to go to Iran, seek political asylum, and continue his studies in Qom." Mohammad Abdollahi also states: "One week before Edoardo's death, we sat together and recited Surah Al-Isra in Italian. Edoardo told me he wanted to learn Arabic to better understand the Quran." Obviously, a person who has long-term life plans and pursues lofty goals would never commit suicide.
Fifth reason: Another suspicious aspect regarding Edoardo's martyrdom is that no thorough investigation was conducted into the circumstances of his death. His body was not autopsied, and his death was immediately presented as a suicide. Even before the police officially declared his death a suicide, some newspapers published news of the Fiat factory owner's son committing suicide, thereby steering public opinion entirely toward the suicide narrative. Moreover, his body was buried by noon the following day, leaving no opportunity for any further investigation.
And there are other reasons as well...
Eduardo's Introduction to Iran
Eduardo's first encounter with the Islamic Revolution of Iran occurred on 20 April 1980; one week after Dr. Ghodiri Abiyaneh's televised debate with American, Iraqi, and Italian journalists, which was broadcast live on Italian television (on 13 April 1980); segments of this debate were also included in the documentary film about Eduardo.
Being only six months younger than Ghodiri, he decided to become acquainted and befriend him, visiting his residence anonymously.
Regarding this meeting, Dr. Ghodiri Abiyaneh stated: "One week after participating in the television roundtable that Eduardo had watched, on a Sunday while I was at the embassy residence, the embassy guard informed me that a young Italian man had arrived and wished to see me. I told him to ask the young man to come for a meeting the following day. However, moments later, the embassy guard called again, saying that the young man stated, 'God opens every closed door.' I immediately instructed them to open the gate and went personally to welcome him. He was a tall, slender young man who had arrived on an old motorbike and introduced himself as Eduardo Agnelli. Without expecting a positive response, I asked him whether he was related to the famous Agnelli family, to which he replied, 'I am his son!'"
Eduardo visited Iran several times. During his first trip to Iran, he met Imam Khomeini (RA), who kissed his forehead.
During his visit to Iran on Friday, 3 April 1981, Eduardo participated in the front row of the Tehran Friday Prayer led by Ayatollah Khamenei. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, without mentioning his name in his memoirs, wrote that the son of the Fiat president, who had converted to Islam, met with the Imam.
Ayatollah Khamenei was also present at this meeting.
The meeting with Imam Khomeini (RA), which took place on 30 August 1981, occurred in the presence of Ayatollah Khamenei, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the late Haj Ahmad Khomeini, and Mr. Fakhruddin Hejazi[2].