Speech on the Anniversary of the Nineteenth of Dey Uprising in Meeting with Scholars, Students, and Various People of Qom

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We honor from the depths of our hearts the historic day of the nineteenth of Dey, which marks the beginning of the bloody presence of our dear people in the scenes of the Islamic movement, and we pray to Almighty God for eternal and abundant reward for the martyrs, the injured, and the afflicted of that event.

The face of Qom, as a bright and instructive point throughout the movement, remains for our nation and other nations, and God willing, due to the strong presence of you dear people, dear youth, and the esteemed and high-ranking seminary in the most sensitive scenes of our Islamic movement and great Islamic revolution, it will remain. The memory of all those struggles will not be forgotten. Not in the sense that we want to praise individuals or a specific group of people solely for their sacrifices—of course, this exists and is preserved in its place—the important aspect is the symbolic nature of this issue; the indications hidden in this blessed day and in the blessed people of Qom—who were the initiators of the movement—are important.

Both at the beginning of the movement, when that radiant sun of knowledge and piety rose from the horizon of Qom and illuminated Iran and then the entire Islamic world; and on the day when that unparalleled Imam and that righteous successor of the prophets and saints, with your support, the people of Qom, stood firm against disbelief and global arrogance and voiced the heart's cry of this nation from his divine throat; and on the day when Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) made Qom a center for radiance and sent his teachings and message from there everywhere; during the victory of the revolution, during the imposed war, and in the dangerous political turns of the revolution, everywhere the people of Qom—these faithful and truly Party of God people—and in most events, the seminary of Qom and the great scholars and enthusiastic young students and the circles of study and schools mixed with knowledge and struggle, came to the aid of the revolution and became the arm of the Imam and led the revolution through the most dangerous passages. This is a sign that the movement is popular and religious; reliant on the people and guided by religion and moving towards divine goals; which is also the good and happiness of the people. The secret of Qom—both its people and its seminary—for our movement is this. And in this way, this revolution has progressed and will continue to progress. The brave people and scene-makers of Qom have rendered many services, and today, thanks be to God, these services, in addition to what the various segments of people have done everywhere in this country, are manifested in the form of this divine and Islamic system.

What is important for us today and related to the future—which the past must always serve the future—is several points:

One point is that whatever this movement and this nation, and as a result of the blessings of this nation, other Islamic nations have, is from attention to God and reliance on God and reviving the remembrance of God in hearts; this should not be neglected for a moment. If it were not for attention to God and seeking help from the inexhaustible source of divine power, it would be difficult to imagine that this revolution and this nation and this movement could have achieved these successes; it will be the same in the future.

The foundation of the Islamic revolution is also on human development; and human development in the first rank is repairing the heart and cultivating the soul. A world in which there is gold and adornment and blessing, but man has not benefited from humanity and morality and religiosity, this world will not give pleasure even to the people of the world; it will not provide comfort to humanity. Human comfort arises from that spirit and morality that must be sought from religion and originate from it. A world in which there is no morality and spirituality and religion becomes what you see today, where under the disgraceful and heavy shadow of the power of superpowers and aggressors of the world, what they have done and are doing to nations.

Each of us, wherever we are, our first effort should be on self-completion and self-purification and building the inner self and adorning oneself with the adornment of divine and spiritual ethics. In this month of Rajab—this year the nineteenth of Dey falls in the month of Rajab, and this is an additional opportunity—observe what effort is made in the supplications of this month and other supplications, so that a person transforms inwardly and in his heart and finds the adornment of divine and human ethics; this is human development; this is the main purpose and goal of all divine revolutions and the missions of the prophets. 'O Allah, I ask You for the patience of those who are grateful to You, the action of those who fear You, and the certainty of those who worship You'; this is the essence of supplications. Within ourselves, we must kindle and illuminate that light of spirituality, that gratitude, that patience, that certainty, that worship, that remembrance, so that this nation can become a model for other nations; so that it can bring happiness for itself and other nations; so that it can remain safe and apart from the calamities that humans suffer due to spiritual and psychological impurities—these egotisms and selfishnesses and self-worships.

I ask the dear youth—who, thanks be to God, have pure hearts and ready spirits and clear consciences and more readiness and fewer impurities—to strive and endeavor with remembrance and attention and supplication and especially sincerity, in their inner transformation. This new generation is one that, under the blessed shadow of Islam and the Islamic government, has this opportunity and this chance to Islamize their inner self; in the past, this was not possible.

The second point, which is also very important, is the issue of the popular nature of this revolution and this sacred system. Whatever was done and whatever happened, the people did it. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) also relied on these individuals and the faithful souls of the people. The country's officials—the servants who have been and are—derive their power, courage, spiritual and mental ability to confront the threats and challenges of global arrogance and satanic powers, from the support and backing of this nation. The connection of the system, the government, the state, and the officials with the people is one of those miraculous divine blessings. If it were not for the people and these unparalleled and astonishing sacrifices—which one is truly amazed by the extent of sacrifice observed in the individuals of the people—the revolution would not have succeeded, the war would not have reached victory, there would not have been victory in the political arenas, and the ability to resist the economic siege of the enemy would not have remained; otherwise, do you think that the devils are willing to tolerate an Islamic government and an Islamic flag raised in the world like this?

If in one part of the world—like Algeria or Sudan or some countries where Islamic tendencies and signs appear—there is a voice from Islam, see what the propaganda apparatuses do; what propaganda, what political games, what pressures they exhibit and how they writhe in anger and cannot tolerate it! You saw what satanic arms and satanic hands did worldwide against the Islamic revolution and the Islamic Republic in these thirteen years; they cannot tolerate it. What has frustrated them until today, preventing them from realizing their sinister goals, is this bond and connection and relationship with the people and the presence of the people in the scene.

Anyone who opens their eyes and ears properly today will observe something obvious, and that is that all the propaganda and political and planning apparatuses of the world, as far as it concerns global arrogance and especially the Great Satan—America—are trying to separate this nation from their revolution, from their system, from their government, and from their officials. They spread false propaganda, recite verses of despair, apply pressures, make accusations, show false and hollow appearances from afar, hoping to create a separation between the people and the officials and the system and the government—which are the embodiment of the revolution.

This very pressure and economic siege that still exists today should not be assumed to have been completely lifted from around the Islamic Republic; no, there is economic pressure from various ways, there is an economic siege; it is very complex. The fact that they apply these pressures, the fact that today there is extensive and widespread and very malicious propaganda against the Islamic Republic worldwide, is because they hope to separate this nation that has proven its worth from the Islamic Republic.

I say, whoever wants to stand against global arrogance and strike the mouth of the enemy of the Islamic Republic and make the hearts of God's servants happy and the hearts of God's enemies sorrowful, must strive to strengthen and deepen the bond of love and trust between this nation and the officials of the system more and more every day. Whoever acts contrary to this is working in the direction of global arrogance.

Now we have the election period ahead of us. Of course, there are things to be said about the elections that, God willing, must be presented to the Iranian nation in due time; but what I am saying now is that from now on, everyone who can influence—even one person—should work to ensure that this election of the Islamic Consultative Assembly—which is the first parliamentary election after the passing of Imam (may God's mercy be upon him)—is conducted with more enthusiasm and strength and with greater public participation than previous elections; let no one act contrary to this. Let no one speak in newspapers or media—in any way—or in propaganda in a way that makes people doubtful about the elections. Of course, these people do not become doubtful. These people have shown that they act vigilantly in the face of the enemy's conspiracies; the opponents of the Islamic revolution also know this; but in the end, they carry out their propaganda and efforts. Let no one within the Islamic system be found who helps this enemy's desire; due to a disagreement with Zayd and Amr and Bakr, for the sake of a minor, insignificant, and possibly personal or group matter, they come and make people doubtful and discouraged about this great truth—which shows their presence in the scene.

Anything in our country that indicates the presence of the people, the enemy tries to conceal it in global propaganda. Millions of people gather in various cities and in Tehran, in the ceremonies of Quds Day and in massive gatherings on various occasions; they do not reflect these in their propaganda; because it indicates the bond of the people with the Islamic Republic system; they do not want this to be established in the world; they do not want this belief to be created in the public mind of the Iranian nation; rather, they try to show them as small as possible. A million people are said to be tens of thousands! This is how it is in global propaganda! They do not even think about what judgment the people who have seen this massive gathering will make about them! They shoot an arrow, hoping it hits the target.

Things that indicate the presence and bond of the people with the apparatuses and with the government and with the system, they try to diminish these; insiders should not do this; pens should not do this; they should not reflect words that falsely indicate discouragement, hoping that this discouragement will affect someone who reads these things and also make them discouraged; these actions benefit the enemy.

Brothers and sisters! We are in the middle of the road. We, the Iranian nation, have revolted for a great goal. We are fed up with the domination of the bloody claws of global arrogance over nations. The nations of the world—and in the first rank, the Muslim nations—must awaken. The hellish domination of global arrogance over nations must end, and nations must be able to breathe a sigh of relief and make their own decisions. These things do not exist in the world today; they must happen, and they will happen. There was a time when these things were considered unlikely. Today, the events of the world have become a lesson for nations. Until a few days ago, who would have imagined that one of the two great superpowers of the world would disintegrate and collapse like this? But it happened. Until a few days ago, who would have imagined that the Eastern Bloc—that is, the bloc of opposition to God—would be completely destroyed openly and officially and their nations would return to religiosity? But it happened. Today, some people look at the power of America; they think it is indestructible; no, it is destructible. Until these hellish powers and this hellish power are destroyed, nations will not breathe a sigh of relief.

You see what they do in the world. The American regime thinks it is the master of the world and that the guardianship of the world belongs to it! They do not consider nations at all; they do not even consider their own nation. If an analyst analyzes correctly, it will be clear that they do not value human souls at all. For them, the name of human rights is a shop and a weapon. Wherever they oppose a government and want to go to war with it and put it under pressure, they raise the issue of human rights. There are so many governments and countries in the world that do not believe in human rights at all; they live and breathe under the shadow of the American regime; no one questions whether you have anything called human rights in your country at all? Do you consider any vote for individuals at all? Because they are with them. Where nations and governments oppose them, they put them under pressure and make all kinds of accusations against them. Of course, this has been the case with the Islamic Republic since the beginning of the revolution. Since the beginning of the revolution, the issue of human rights and prisons and these laughable and ridiculous words for the wise of the world have been used as demagoguery, they have made a fuss and constantly said: the prisons of Iran. Those who are informed and judge and rule know that the prisons of these countries are much worse than the prisons of backward countries; what is not raised is human rights; what is not raised is human dignity.

As a weapon, they make false appearances. They do not consider rights for humans; then they send people to African and Latin American countries to oversee the elections there! What is it to you to go and oversee the elections of a certain country? Who are you?! Are you the guardian of that nation?! If you are in favor of elections, go to those countries where under your ominous shadow, governments have come to power that, if the choice were in the hands of their people, they would not allow those governments to remain for a moment. These governments are not few; now we do not want to name them; everyone knows which governments we are talking about; they themselves know better than anyone. In those countries, there is no mention of elections; but where they want to put pressure and have a motive, they send people from America to go and oversee whether the elections in a certain country were conducted correctly or not! What is it to you; are you the guardian of nations?! What an insult to nations these people are making?! Then they say the rights of nations and human rights! They themselves are making the greatest insult and do not even blush! Relying on nuclear weapons—now they no longer have a rival—relying on the right of veto, relying on wealth and money, relying on a widespread espionage apparatus everywhere, they interfere in all matters. No sir, the Iranian nation does not accept this false and fabricated leadership and guardianship over nations for America or anyone else.

They spread rumors that a certain country is acquiring weapons for itself; Iran is acquiring weapons. If acquiring weapons is a crime, why do you take and sell billions of dollars of weapons to countries under your influence and give loans and help?! Basically, what is it to you whether a country acquires weapons or not?! Do they have to get permission from you to acquire weapons?! Of course, more than half of the issue is a lie; it is only for propaganda and pressure; which of course the Iranian nation does not feel any pressure from this propaganda; because they do not value it.

All the anger and rage of the superpowers is from this presence of you people in the scenes. If they could spend billions of dollars and create a distance between the nation and this government that is working and striving for the people with all its being—this government and this president and these officials truly have no concern other than serving the people—they would not hesitate.

We are grateful to Almighty God who has granted you people that awareness and insight; and this is one of the blessings of the revolution and the blessings of your religiosity. Wherever there is religion, this awareness and steadfastness exist; you must preserve this. Of course, without a doubt, the attentions of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and his pure supplications are directed towards you, the nation, and this country. This is the country of the Imam of the Age. We hope that, God willing, you will always be under the pure supplications of that great one and that your work and efforts will satisfy the sacred spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) from all of us and that God grants us the success to recognize His pleasure and to step with all our being in the path of it.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings