Statements in Meeting with Activists in the Field of Sacred Defense Art

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

This is a very sweet and meaningful session for me. Not everyone who has worked in the field of Sacred Defense literature or art is present here, but in your esteemed gathering, one can observe a beautiful diversity of individuals; both in terms of the variety of arts and disciplines and in terms of the diverse social, political, artistic, managerial viewpoints, and so on. Not everyone who wished to express their thoughts could do so, and this is due to the lack of time. Unfortunately, we have been here since five o'clock, and two or three hours to hear and express all that is in our hearts and minds is not sufficient, but this amount has been valuable for me. Of course, the opinions expressed by friends are constructive in various areas, and I have taken notes. God willing, the details of these discussions should also be extracted. One should not think that what we say, express, criticize, or suggest does not have an impact and is not taken into consideration; this is not the case. Until now, we have made progress in the field of Sacred Defense literature and art; I can see the scene. To say that we have regressed, that our losses have been greater than our gains, no, I do not accept these claims; we have made progress, we have evolved; it may be that what has happened is less than our expectations; this is good. It is good that we have higher expectations than what has occurred, that we are not satisfied with reality and do not accept it; however, to think that all this effort over the years has been in vain and that we have not moved forward is incorrect. No, we have progressed, we have moved forward, work has been done; this is true in various areas. Well, now this is not a significant topic to discuss extensively; there is much to say about it.

What I want to say, given the short time, is that artistic work in the field of Sacred Defense is one of the highest forms of artistic endeavors. Those who have worked in this field, who have been present on this path and have advanced it, should consider this field valuable. Our eight years of Sacred Defense is not merely a temporal extension and just a period of time; it is a vast treasure that our nation can utilize, extract, and invest in for a long time. The great event of these eight years is a collection of noble qualities, desirable and distinguished cultures, and high beliefs and knowledge that our nation has inherited throughout history or has preserved its potential, which was manifested with the Islamic Revolution. It is a treasure of all these. You who narrate the Sacred Defense, especially those who narrate it artistically, are indeed a mirror reflecting a manifestation of beauty and majesty. What emerged during those eight years of the display of noble and desirable human traits, of courage, of self-sacrifice, of sincerity, of truthfulness and purity, of the emergence of strategies that were not expected from a young person—these distinctions that arose during the eight years of Sacred Defense—occurred at a great cost. How many precious lives were sacrificed, how much wealth and time were consumed. Today, you are, in fact, recreating them with your artistic work. The impacts that this event could leave on a generation, on a society, you create in your audience with your writing, with your film, with your artistic work that recreates that event. This is a very significant and important task; you become the mirror for that magnificent tableau filled with intricacies, delicacies, and beauty. This cultural and artistic work of yours, which narrates that sacred jihad, is itself a jihad; because there has been an effort to forget those noble concepts; efforts have been made for this. The dignity, self-confidence, and sense of empowerment that arose from the spirituality of our warriors and our Islamic society, which enabled that extraordinary and astonishing event—the victory in the Sacred Defense and not succumbing to the aggression of so many enemies—to occur, those characteristics, those traits, are one of the greatest needs for our nation, for our country. We must preserve these and resist the efforts to make them forgotten. Your work is the narration of the Sacred Defense and this great struggle.

One point that should be noted regarding the narration of the Sacred Defense and the artistic work for that period is that this field is a very vast one, and indeed many of its aspects remain undiscovered. It is not that people or minds cannot grasp and understand it, no, it has not been reflected. One should not think that the themes of the Sacred Defense are repetitive. Many concepts and themes exist within this eight-year effort that have not yet been worked on or thought about. I have a long list in front of me that I once mentioned here while talking with cinema friends, and I noted some of them. Thinking and searching in these areas leads the artist to fresh and expressive themes that can produce artistic works. Ultimately, what can be summarized about the Sacred Defense is that these eight years are a manifestation of the highest qualities that a society can be proud of and expect from its youth. That is, the Sacred Defense is a symbol of epic, a symbol of spirituality and religiosity, a symbol of idealism, a symbol of self-sacrifice and altruism, a symbol of steadfastness and resilience, a symbol of wisdom and prudence.

War is a complex task. Managing and commanding a war is a very heavy and complicated task. This work was carried out by our young people in many areas. This prudence, this wisdom, is a very astonishing thing; it is a manifestation of the flourishing of talents and capacities. How many young people went to the front lines and were able to demonstrate great works there. Some became martyrs, some became assets of the revolution, and later the country benefited from them. Truly, this is how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps became one of the centers for sending forces throughout the country over these twenty-seven or twenty-eight years; because the war was able to create a group of effective and talented individuals from a young cohort and deliver them; because their talents were blossomed. The war is a manifestation of these values. These are not things that any nation can consider itself independent of. Therefore, the narration of the war, in fact, narrates such values; it tells of such admirable traits and peaks to its listeners. Now, much work has been done in these areas.

I recommend that first, the artistic officials, the officials of various literary sectors, pay attention to the opinions that friends have expressed here and the opinions that are given in these areas. Of course, some works have been done that those who express opinions may not be aware of; good works are also being carried out.

To think that the art of Sacred Defense has no audience in our society, that it has no demand, is a great mistake, one of the gross errors; if someone thinks this. Indeed, the most popular artistic works after the revolution in various fields are those related to the Sacred Defense; whether in the field of film and cinema, or in the field of books, memoirs, stories. The few books that have unprecedented print runs—such print runs have not existed in our country that a book can be printed a hundred times in two years. I have been informed that there is a book about the Sacred Defense, the book "Soft Earth of Koshk" or the book "Da," which I heard has been printed more than seventy times in less than two years! We do not have any books from various genres with such print runs—this is specific to books related to the Sacred Defense. In the field of film, it is the same; the highest-grossing and most attractive films, the most popular films, are those related to the Sacred Defense. From the film "The Glass Agency" and "Leila is with Me," to the recent film "The Expulsion of Mr. Dehnamaki," these have had the most audiences and the highest sales, all related to the Sacred Defense. It is not the case that there is no audience, no demand. Of course, some works do not find an audience; this issue is not in the content and substance, but in the structure, in the form, in the quality, in the low artistic materials that are used in a work, and naturally, it does not find an audience. Therefore, in this area, whatever can be done, whatever financial, managerial, and time investments can be made, is warranted; and our recommendation is this. Artistic friends should pursue this work with enthusiasm and hope. Of course, this work requires committed and responsible individuals; that is, those who truly feel responsible and do not have a state of laziness and drowsiness. Such individuals can play a good role in this field and in this arena.

One of the shortcomings of our work is that our works have had less opportunity for international reflection. Of course, there are reasons for this; these international festivals do not allow works that are truly good and accurate narrators of the Sacred Defense or the revolution or the values of the Islamic Republic to enter at all, and they do not like it; unless they are forced to include something in their collection. The policy of international festivals is contrary to this; however, the audience is not limited to these festivals, and one can find audiences, seekers, readers for books, viewers for films of the Sacred Defense; provided that a proper and good translation work is done, which I believe is one of the areas of work. We hope that God Almighty grants you success, and you can make every possible effort in the field of Sacred Defense work. Both officials and artists should strive, as well as in the research sectors—which is very important. Fortunately, good research is being conducted in some centers—both in those areas that have documents; preserving documents, processing documents, compiling documents; these are very important; they should not be allowed to be lost; they should be made available to researchers, and God willing, the literature of the Sacred Defense should benefit from research; the art of the Sacred Defense should also make maximum use of literature and research, God willing. May God Almighty grant all of you success.

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