Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Grand Gathering of the People of Arak

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon our master, our prophet, and the beloved of our hearts, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the infallible and honored guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth.

I express my gratitude to the Almighty God for granting me this great opportunity to be present today among you, the faithful, passionate, and zealous people filled with pure and sincere emotions. I thank God once again for allowing me to meet with you, the people of Arak and the central province, in a city that is considered a land of the growth of great personalities. I have previously traveled to this province several times during the imposed war. Today, there are no wars, military attacks, or bombings of cities and homes—one example being the martyrdom of seventy workers from Arak—but the same enthusiasm and emotions, the same zeal and faith, the same love and sincerity are clearly evident in you, dear people, both men and women, faithful and loving.

I thank you for the great gathering you have formed here. I express my gratitude to the enthusiastic brothers, sisters, and youth who have shown their kindness to this humble servant along this several-kilometer path, enduring hardship and pressure. Due to the density of the crowd, I felt a sense of danger for the people who were on the path; therefore, we changed our route and arrived here from another way that the people did not expect us. I apologize to the brothers and sisters who were waiting for us at the end of the path and whom we did not pass through.

Dear brothers and sisters! The central province is truly a land of cultural and intellectual growth and very valuable cultural and political services. The entire province possesses this characteristic. Of course, the province has ancient and old cities; however, Arak is not very old, having been founded only about two hundred years ago, and compared to many ancient cities, it is a young city; yet, in this short time, prominent personalities have emerged from it, each of whom has been a source of significant contributions. The emergence of great personalities from this region indicates a truth: that this area is distinguished and unparalleled in terms of human talent. It was from this city that the late Ayatollah Haeri, the founder of the Qom seminary, traveled to Qom and settled there. A man whose attraction to Arak brought him from Najaf and Samarra to this city, where he spread the teachings of knowledge, research, and spirituality for many years, went from Arak to Qom and established the Qom seminary. Thus, your city is the mother of the Qom seminary. The Qom seminary was recently established by a man whose attraction to your city was able to draw him from the centers of education—namely Najaf and Samarra—to here. The great figures of Arak who were in Najaf were distinguished; those who were in Qom were also prominent. The late Agha Zia al-Din Iraqi is a great scholar whose words and research in jurisprudential and principled discussions are a source of pride for anyone who can deeply understand them. The late Ayatollah Araki, who resided in Qom, was also one of the honors of your city. Among the nurtured individuals of this province and this city, there were great scholars, at the head of whom is a personality whom our great and historically rooted Iran has few equals in its history regarding his greatness, influence, and impact; and he is our esteemed Imam, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). The scientific foundation of our dear Imam was established in your city; he studied in the very school that today bears his honorable name and spent several years of his youth here. This great man was gifted from this province to the great Qom seminary, which nurtured this brilliant gem and presented him to the Iranian nation. Therefore, this divine gift was first nurtured by you, the people of Arak and the central province, and presented to the Islamic world. This is the characteristic of this great city.

In this period, your city has become an industrial hub. Today, Arak and Saveh are among the largest industrial complexes in the country. Although Arak has been able to lead in industry, it has not lagged behind in agriculture and animal husbandry either. The surplus wheat and dairy products produced by you are gifts from this province to the people of the country. Your human personalities, the outstanding talents of this province, and the natural products of this province all indicate that the Almighty God has bestowed a great deal of His grace and favors upon this human collection concentrated in this part of the country.

My primary goal for this trip is to show respect to the people of this province—men, women, and youth from various classes—whose human talents can be observed from the products of this province. We hope that if we can, during this trip, with the help of the country's officials, we can resolve some of the ongoing issues in this province and that this trip will yield greater blessings.

What I am going to tell you today is particularly addressed to the youth. You, the youth of Arak and the central province, have gathered here; however, this message is directed to all the youth of the country who form a large population in our nation. The message is that today anyone who looks at the political and cultural geography of the world observes a reality. That reality is that today the world is composed of centers of domination; groups that, unfortunately, have created a global system of domination in this era. What is the system of domination? The system of domination is that some countries in the world are dominators and some are dominated. It is customary today to divide the countries of the world into North and South. The Northern countries are the wealthy countries, and the Southern countries are the so-called poor or developing countries. In previous eras, other divisions were made. I mentioned this when the former Soviet Union still existed and the world was divided into three parts; I said this in an international assembly; today, even though the Soviet Union no longer exists and the dual poles of power in the world are not as they were, I still hold the same opinion. As time goes on, this statement is increasingly confirmed; and that statement is that the world has two sections: one is the dominators, and the other is the dominated. The dominator section does not necessarily consist of countries that possess natural resources; the dominated section does not necessarily consist of countries that are all poor. African countries live on seas of natural resources that are very necessary for their people. There are diamonds there, and many minerals that humanity needs or desires. This natural wealth belongs to them; therefore, they are not poor; however, the tools of domination can turn a poor nation into a wealthy one; yet, nations that possess great natural wealth can be turned into countries that are in need of their daily bread! Today, in Africa, in many areas of Asia, in many areas of Latin America, and even in Europe, there are such nations. This is the dual division; one section consists of the dominating powers that govern in countries; the other section consists of the dominated. I do not mean to say that all those who are not dominators are dominated; no, there are countries that strive not to be dominated and do not accept the domination of the dominators; however, if they can, they escape from foreign economic domination; or if they can, they flee from the political domination of foreigners; but in the cultural aspect, they have accepted the domination of the dominators. This is a reality that one must understand correctly. No one can reach a conclusion by denying realities.

Let me tell you: cultural domination is more dangerous than economic and political domination. Why? Because when one nation gains cultural domination over another, the identity of the dominated nation disappears. Imagine a noble, pure-blooded person from a respectable family who has very honorable ancestors. If someone wants to take him as a servant, he cannot easily do so; because he relies on his family honor and is unwilling to engage in degrading tasks. The way to compel him to do degrading tasks and to take him as a servant without pay is to erase his personality, his family, his history, and his identity from his memory so that he forgets who he is and what personality he has. Then they can manipulate him in every way; they can reach out to him in every manner. A nation is the same. If a nation is separated from its history, its past, its culture, its identity, its scientific, religious, and cultural glories, and is made to forget them—if its language is taken from it, its alphabet is taken from it, its books are taken from it, its cultural history is taken from it—this nation will be prepared for whatever they want to impose upon it. This nation will not regain its spirit unless prominent personalities emerge within it. This calamity has befallen many countries. The axis of domination in the world today consists of very dangerous and ruthless apparatuses that form a collection of cartels and trusts—namely economic companies and corporations—across the globe, and these have the greatest control over the U.S. government. The reason we consider the U.S. a dominating power; the reason that when we say global arrogance, the U.S. government comes to mind; this is because the control of the greedy, power-seeking, and money-driven apparatuses over that government is greater than anywhere else, and all the scientific, military, and political tools of that government are used for the exploitation of nations.

The main point I want to make is this: dear brothers and sisters! Especially dear youth! Be aware that today, in the world, the government that stands alongside its nation against the economic, political, and cultural domination of arrogance and resists it is the government and nation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today, all the hostility and disputes that you observe against Iran in global power centers are due to this very fact. The rest of the statements are excuses; human rights are an excuse; the claims they propagate within their own media are an excuse; the desire for democracy and the promotion of popular governance—which they claim—is a lie and an excuse. The essence of the matter is this; the apparatus of domination in the world cannot tolerate a government that stands alongside its nation against the political, cultural, and economic domination of arrogance.

Of course, nations everywhere in the world have similar feelings to yours, to a greater or lesser extent. Nations that are aware have these feelings; unless they are unaware or deeply immersed in corruption; otherwise, these feelings exist in many nations. Some governments also want to cooperate with their own nations; however, they cannot and do not dare. Governments that lack the support of their people are threatened by this global apparatus of domination. They are told that they will be subjected to propaganda against them, and they will be overthrown. They, in order to maintain their power—since they do not rely on their nations—submit to the demands of arrogance. Today, the characteristic of Islamic Iran is that the nation, the government, and the officials, and all segments of the country move in one direction together. The Islamic Republic system, being based on the people, has no fear of the U.S. or any other arrogant power.

The first question is why we resist and stand against the dominators? Why do we not submit to them? Of course, the answer to this question is simple. The answer is that if arrogance and the apparatus of domination manage to gain control over a country and infiltrate it, the interests of that nation will no longer be considered. Material interests, economic interests, spiritual desires, and cultural growth will be obliterated, and the situation will revert to that of the pre-revolution era when a puppet government ruled here. Therefore, the Iranian nation is compelled to resist and stand against the dominating enemy for its future and for its happiness, and to powerfully tread the path toward its perfection and happiness.

The next question is whether the Iranian nation has this power or not? Can the Iranian nation stand against the pressures of the global centers of domination, relying on its identity and capabilities, and tread the path of its material and spiritual perfection? This is an important question. The answer to this question is very certain and definite from our perspective, and we have no doubt about it. The answer is yes, it can. Despite the propaganda that the enemy conducts through dozens of written, auditory, and visual media across the globe, insisting that the Iranian nation and no nation can stand against us; the Iranian nation can. Why? For two reasons: first, the inherent capabilities and internal talents of this nation are very great, which I will briefly refer to some of them. The second reason is that the enemy, despite all its displays of power, is weak; I will also explain this and refer to examples of the enemy's weakness.

First of all, the Iranian nation is strong and capable; why? Because it is a nation endowed with intelligence, talent, and a large generation of youth in this contemporary era; this itself is a very great asset. In addition to these, it possesses natural talents throughout the country. Today, the Iranian nation lives in a country that is one of the largest in the world in terms of natural resources. Our gas resources are the second largest in the world. Our oil resources in this region are among the largest oil resources, and new resources are still being discovered, just as a very rich new source was discovered recently. Our metal resources are abundant. There are vast agricultural lands in our country. Just look at your own central province; similar plains and fertile soil exist in many parts of this country. Although we have a shortage of water, with scientific methods, persistence, and conservation, the current rainfall in our country, by God's grace, is sufficient to make four times the current population of Iran self-sufficient in terms of food.

A country with such natural talents, with such human talents, with this enthusiastic and intelligent young generation, in addition to these, has a very strong spiritual motivation as well. This last point is very important. If a nation has everything but lacks internal and spiritual motivation, it cannot properly utilize its resources. This is why in some countries, to provide motivation to the people—there is no faith motivation, no thought-provoking motivation—they are forced to strengthen feelings of nationalism, ethnic pride, and patriotism in them to perhaps fill the void of that spiritual motivation. Of course, our nation loves its homeland and its historical past; it loves its language dearly; but in addition to these, it has a genuine spiritual motivation—not fabricated or contractual—and that is faith.

Our nation is a faithful nation. Some wish to accuse the youth of this country of being careless. I do not agree; I do not accept this. It may be that in some corner, one youth, two youths, or a hundred youths have actions that may indicate some kind of wrongdoing; however, the wrongdoing of our youths should not be exaggerated to the extent that the entire faithful and responsible youth of this country are accused of being irreligious. Some accuse our youths of having weak religious faith and regret this. Others are happy that they accuse them of weak religious faith! Both groups are mistaken. If you look at the places where religious faith is to be demonstrated and where love for spirituality is to be expressed; you will see that the most numerous and most passionate individuals are formed by the enthusiastic youth generation.

I believe that in judging the youth, one should neither be excessive nor deficient. Some accuse the youth of being careless; I do not agree. Some try to say that our youth have no faults; I do not agree with this either. One must speak sincerely and honestly with the youth. Our youths are faithful, interested, and possess pure hearts; of course, they may also have mistakes and errors. What should be said about the youth will be discussed in detail during our meeting with the youths themselves, but here I just wanted to make a brief reference.

The existence of the youth generation among our country is a divine blessing. This youth is ours; those are our human talents; those are our natural reserves and our geopolitical situation. Our geographical position among countries—the place we hold in terms of connecting East and West—this is also a characteristic. Today, all these facilities are gathered for the Iranian nation; therefore, we have the ability and we can. If a precise, persistent, and compassionate planning—just as is observed in some sectors—is seriously and diligently implemented by the country's managers, God willing, there is great hope that this nation can tread the path that asserts its true identity and character and advance toward its perfection.

Today, the most important aspect of reform in this country is the struggle against poverty, corruption, and discrimination, which I spoke about a few months ago, and the officials have gathered to study these three issues. Recently, the proposed bill from the government regarding the fight against poverty has been sent to us so that work can proceed based on this bill. There are positive and good points in this bill. I hope that the continuation of this fight against poverty will be pursued comprehensively—not one-dimensional—and that the factors creating poverty in the country will be identified; they should see what things prevent us from utilizing our natural resources in this country for the advancement of the country. This is the expectation we have from the managers, and God willing, our managers will show that they are serious in this regard.

A government based on the people, a people filled with spiritual motivation, a very large youth population, a land rich in natural resources—both mineral and agricultural, as well as industrial potentials; a very good geographical position—our country is still a crossroads between East and West, and both Asian and Western powers need to pass through here to access various points—gives the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic system the opportunity and possibility to have complete confidence in its future, its progress, and its ability to resist against the pressures of domination. Therefore, we are powerful and we can; this is the first reason.

The second reason is the weakness of the enemy. The enemy, meaning the center of global arrogance and domination, which today is primarily represented by the U.S. Of course, when we say the U.S., we have nothing against the American people. The American people, like the rest of the people of the world, possess the same characteristics and the same positive and negative points. We have no enmity with them. Our target is the regime ruling over America, whose intention for global domination determines its policies. Our goal in using the term "American domination" refers to the American regime.

This regime, which today is the center of global domination and strives to show its powerful and interventionist presence in all corners of the world, despite these displays, is fundamentally afflicted with essential weaknesses. One can see these fundamental weaknesses in both moral and social and political aspects. Today, you observe one of the signs of this structural weakness of that regime in the ongoing disputes over the presidential elections in the United States. They want to be a model for the world! They want to teach democracy to the people of the world in their own deluded way; democracy based on false and deceptive propaganda! This has recently become evident; although it was already known to many.

What is now clearly understood is that this democracy that the leaders of the American regime boast about is nothing more than a myth; it is not a real thing; its sign is that this democracy faces such obstacles along its path; that is, it encounters major and decisive frauds for which there is no solution or remedy. Of course, they will arrange the matter in such a way that the realities will not be revealed; but the truth of the matter is a pervasive and internal corruption at various levels. The American nation participates weakly in elections; and even when they do participate, the results of the elections turn out this way! These are structural weaknesses.

For several years now, the American regime has exerted all its efforts against the Islamic Republic of Iran to impose economic sanctions and to pressure the commercial companies of other countries; but no one listens to it! At first, they succeeded in getting Europe or some Asian countries to accompany them; but now, for several years, this American ploy has lost its color!

Another example is the issue of occupied Palestine. The American regime has spent a great deal—both financially and politically, as well as in terms of reputation—over the past fifty years, especially in recent decades, to ensure the survival and safety of the usurping Zionist regime in Palestine! Today, you see that this exorbitant cost has faced a very significant obstacle; what is that obstacle? That obstacle is the Palestinian nation; the same nation that they wanted to deny its existence; they wanted to say that there is no such thing as the Palestinian nation anymore. For fifty years, the Zionists have tried with all their might to make the Palestinian nation nonexistent. A number of refugees in Arab countries, and a number of Arabs living as second-class citizens in the so-called Israeli territory—this fake and false land. They have done all the necessary work; they have conducted propaganda work; they have engaged in political work; they have imposed very severe and inhumane pressure on them; but you see that after this long period, the truth reveals itself; that is, the Palestinian nation rises up.

The day has passed when the Zionists would not receive any reaction to their atrocities against the Palestinian nation. Today, if they strike a blow, they will also receive a blow from the Palestinian nation. Today, if the usurping government feels that it must confront the Palestinian people, the Palestinian people also feel that they must confront it. I do not know when this will happen, but I have no doubt that the Palestinian nation will not always be satisfied with stones and fists; the Palestinian nation will inevitably have to defend its existence, its honor, and its survival in its homeland—even with fire weapons.

Of course, I must say here that the Muslim nations around the world are deeply concerned about this very important event that is currently taking place in the occupied and oppressed land of Palestine. Although relatively good statements have been made in the resolutions of the Islamic conference—much of which is due to the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran speaks very clearly and decisively on these issues, and some Islamic countries follow the slogans of the Islamic Republic—there must certainly be action following these statements. Muslim governments must feel responsible towards the Palestinian fighters, towards the Palestinian people, and towards those who are under pressure from the Zionists in the streets of Palestine; they must provide any assistance they can to them. The Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed its stance in this regard, but the various Islamic and Arab countries must coordinate their actions to provide assistance to those oppressed people. The current situation in Palestine is one of the signs of the weakness of arrogance—that is, the weakness of the enemy of the Iranian nation.

Dear youth! Dear nation! Dear people of Arak and the central province and other parts of this country! You have resources; both material and spiritual resources. Those who have obstructed the movement of the Iranian nation until today are weak; they have both structural weaknesses and political weaknesses, as well as the difficulties that have arisen for them today, and God willing, these difficulties will increase for them day by day. Therefore, the future of the Iranian nation and the future of the youth of this country is a bright future. Dear youth! You must tread this path with strength.

I have several recommendations for the youth; I will present my first recommendation: dear youth! This youthful energy, this youthful vitality, and this power that a country can be proud of, is primarily your responsibility to preserve. Of course, the officials—especially the cultural officials of the country—also have responsibilities. Although I am not satisfied with the performance of some cultural officials of the country and believe that they have not done what they should have done, and have done some things they should not have done! Yes; the government also has responsibilities; but you yourselves, the youth, have primary responsibilities. The reason we sometimes insist on moral issues and on avoiding some of the impurities that some youths fall into is primarily because such afflictions and impurities take the youth away from their capability to build their future and the future of their country. And this is exactly what the enemy wants. The factors that strengthen you are knowledge—namely studying and knowing—faith—namely religious knowledge and practice—solidarity; political awareness; familiarity with the issues of the country and the world; and avoiding some of the excitements that the enemy tries to create. Youth today can play a role in their own youth; in addition to the fact that the future of these youths and the future of managing this great country is in the hands of those who have been nurtured and strengthened in the Islamic environment.

Of course, I wanted to make this recommendation particularly to the officials of the province in this province and in the city of Arak—I have noted it and will tell them in the meeting; but I will also mention it here—that the youth force in this province must be utilized. This province has many educational facilities; tens of thousands of students exist in this province today; this is one of the resources. In this province, which has great capabilities in terms of industry, agriculture, and intellectual and cultural fields, with good planning, this youth force can be utilized and must be utilized.

My next recommendation is equally directed to the officials and all the people. This recommendation is that my dear ones! If the country wants to progress in the direction that is desirable—whether economically, politically, spiritually, or in terms of education and literacy—it needs a calm and non-turbulent environment. Those who, following the propaganda of foreign radios, try to create turbulence in the political atmosphere of society do not serve the country. Those who try to accuse this completely popular Islamic system of baseless and unfounded accusations that are light-years away from this system do not serve the people, the future of the country, or the youth generation at all. This country will only be able to achieve its great aspirations when, in various matters, everyone—both the youth, all segments of the people, and the officials—acts according to these two characteristics. Those two characteristics are to act wisely and faithfully.

Today, the dear Islam has raised the flag of dignity in our country. This is the same Iran that the Americans and Europeans considered their own property; they had the least respect for the Iranian nation; they considered the interests of this country as their own; the officials of this country were their puppets and executed their orders. This was a country where the ruling apparatuses were the greatest plunderers and thieves of public wealth; the head of these thieves was the Shah himself! This was a country where its wealthiest person, politically, was the first person of this country—namely the Shah of the country—but where did this wealth come from? Did it come from inheritance from his ancestors?! Who were these ancestors? These despicable, characterless, and unworthy individuals who ruled this country for fifty years with the backing of the British and then the Americans, where did they acquire this wealth; except from the pockets of the people, from the wealth of the people, from the reserves that belonged to the people? When they fled from this country, apart from the jewels and precious items they took with them, each of them had billions of dollars in foreign banks as their wealth. This country had corrupt and thieving officials; its politics was in the hands of the treacherous and criminal Americans; its resources were in the hands of those who are the plunderers of the wealth of nations. This country was made Islamic by the dear Islam; it was the faith and religious motivation of these millions that brought it to this point.

By the grace of God, the officials of this country are among the people; they have risen from among the people, and if they perform a service, they do not fill their pockets. It is possible that in some sectors, there are individuals who, God forbid, show negligence regarding this great duty and importance of the officials' piety—of course, they exist here and there—but the high-ranking officials of the country are individuals whose hands are clean, whose hearts are pure, whose eyes are clear, whose vision is lofty, and whose intention is to serve this nation and this country. Islam has given us these.

Islam has empowered this nation and this government to say "no" to the influential dominators in all corners of the world and to keep them at bay. Those who try to take this state of refusal away from these people are betraying them. This nation and these youths are the same individuals who have created epic tales over these twenty-one years. Those who want to diminish these epics in the eyes of the people or make them forget are betraying these people. The factor that can advance this nation on its path to perfection—on the path that leads to its spiritual and material improvement—is this spiritual faith. My dear youths! Never lose this wise and faithful perspective on the issues of the country.

In conclusion, I want to make one more recommendation: today, foreign radios are making every effort to continuously escalate factional disputes. If someone has listened to foreign radios—for us, almost all the content of the radios is brought to us every day; we know what they are doing—and is familiar with their propaganda tactics, they will see that all their efforts are to incite political factions against each other; those who belong to the revolution—everyone belongs to the revolution; everyone belongs to Islam; everyone cares for this nation; everyone follows our dear and esteemed Imam and follows his path—they try to incite them against each other and increase the distance between them; but conversely, they reduce the distance between the Islamic factions and the few individuals who oppose and are indifferent to the Islamic Republic system. I recommend the opposite: I recommend that Muslim brothers, revolutionary brothers, and brothers committed to the values of the revolution reduce the distance between themselves as much as possible; be friends and companions with each other; cooperate with each other; do not engage in propaganda and activities against each other; but increase the distance with the enemies. These are recommendations that, despite the enemies of this nation, have taken root in the hearts of the youth. Wherever we made these recommendations, we felt and experienced that this faithful, enthusiastic youth generation, with their pure and clear hearts and sincere spirits, understood and implemented the essence of the matter, and its benefits became evident for the country. It will be the same here.

My recommendation is this: strive for God, for God, and with complete unity—both the officials and the people—and I tell you that the Almighty God is with you, and the future belongs to you, and you youths will one day see that your Islamic Iran will, by God's grace, become a model to be emulated by countries, nations, and governments.

O God! We swear to You by the Quran and the honor of the Prophet and the sanctity of this great month, grant the Iranian nation and our dear youth success and honor in all fields. O God! Support the Iranian nation and crush and subdue its enemies. O God! Grant victory to Islam and Muslims everywhere in the world and grant complete support to the Muslim and oppressed nation of Palestine against the Zionists and their accomplices. O God! Draw the hearts of the youth and the hearts of all the people closer to each other day by day. O God! Grant the officials of the country success in serving this dear nation and these faithful, good, and pure people. O God! Keep Your satisfaction, grace, and favor upon us; make us among those who are included in the prayers of the pure soul of the Awaited One of God. O God! Unite the pure souls of our martyrs, especially the martyrs of the Ali ibn Abi Talib Division, who belonged to this province and were pioneers and wonder-makers in various fields, with Your saints.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.