Statements by His Eminence in Meeting with Commanders of Basij Regions, Bases, and Battalions Nationwide on the Occasion of Basij Week

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

Dear brothers and sisters, welcome. I hope the Almighty God bestows His grace, mercy, and favor upon all of you who are diligently working in every part of this great Islamic nation.

Thanks be to God, Basij Week was held in a brilliant manner, and once again, through your continuous and arduous efforts throughout the year, the name, memory, and spirit of the Basij have been revived in the Islamic society. This blessed movement must continue like a roaring, blessed, and fruitful river in all periods and seasons and in all years.

The fundamental point is that the Basij is not a rootless and superficial movement driven merely by emotions. The Basij is a logical, profound, and Islamic movement aligned with the needs of today's Islamic world and, more importantly, the Islamic society. The Holy Quran states: 'He it is Who strengthened you with His help and with the believers.' O Prophet! The Almighty God supported you both through His help and through the believers. This great multitude of believers referred to in the Quranic verse is another expression of what we today call 'Basij' in our society. Other Quranic verses that refer to the people and sincere individuals also point to our unique and cherished Basij, which is the product of the thought and wisdom of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified).

We must truly reflect and ponder on the need of the Islamic world for this movement. Some people have not understood 'Basij' correctly. They think that being a Basiji means being hindered from other tasks! This is a weakness in their vision. This is ignorance of the truth and short-sightedness. Being a Basiji and the Basij movement and culture are far beyond these baseless imaginations.

I wish to present some points on this matter so that it may serve as a guide for you dear young people and all the good youth of this country, whether in resistance bases, universities, high schools, among brothers or sisters, in cities or villages, and in various professions and classes - for the strength of the Basij lies in you and those like you - and that it may be emphasized and reflected upon.

Today, two afflictions are observed in the Islamic world: one related to governments and ruling regimes, and the other to the people. The affliction related to governments and regimes is that, in most of the Islamic world, governments are disconnected from the people. Elections may be held, and a majority - real or superficial - may vote, and someone may become president; but the majority of the people are not present on the scene, and their connection with the system is severed. Some countries do not even have these superficial elections, and, for example, a lifelong president or king rules over them, and the opinion and will of the people play no role in the fate of the country. The people do their own work, and the governments go their own way!

Look at how many coups have taken place in Islamic countries in the past thirty or forty years! Some have come and eliminated the previous ones and taken their place, and the people, without mourning the past or celebrating the future, have merely watched the situation! This is the separation of nations from governments.

If you look at the lives of such governments and leaders, you will see that they are not like their people, and if you look at the people, you will see that they have no knowledge of the state of their rulers! The past of our own country was also like this, and there was no emotional or practical connection between the people and the leaders of the country. The people did not await their words and orders, and if they did give orders, they were not listened to, and sometimes, out of fear, the orders were executed.

The result of this great affliction and defect is that governments cut off from the people, seeing their position as unstable and their support as lacking, seek refuge in the arms of powers. That is, they either cling to America or, in the past when the Soviet Union existed, they would turn to that country or rely on one of the other governments that are worth their salt!

There is an inverse relationship between connection with the people and connection with powers and seeking refuge in them: any government that has a sincere connection with its people is indifferent to powers, does not look to them, does not rely on them, does not heed their words, and does not go to them; but any government that has no connection with its people warms up to great powers, seeks refuge in their arms, relies on them, and naturally listens to them and executes their orders! Conversely, any government that approaches powers becomes distant from its people, and any government that distances itself from great world powers finds a place in the hearts of its people. This is a clear and obvious matter in today's political culture and knowledge.

Unfortunately, most Islamic governments have no connection with their people and consequently seek refuge in the arms of powers. If America gives an order and issues a command, they immediately obey and stand with folded hands before it! Now look and see which of the Islamic countries today are not like this!

The second affliction - which is also very painful and lamentable - relates to the nations. Unfortunately, in Islamic countries, from forty or fifty years ago until now, the youth have been driven towards corruption. These methods that you hear about existed in the past in our country and today exist publicly in other countries. Today, if someone in our country wants to display corruption somewhere, everyone frowns at them and shows displeasure; but unfortunately, this is not the case in other countries. The young men and women of Islamic countries have fallen into the trap of a pervasive wave of corruption that has been planned and directed towards them from Western countries and their culture.

Of course, young people throughout history have had sensual feelings and various instincts and are vulnerable; but perhaps at no time in history, as we estimate, has there been so much corruption among the youth of the world, and it has not become so widespread!

As I said, the source of this corruption is Western countries - America and Europe. They exported corruption to countries that were receptive to it with their culture. In Islamic countries, you see young people who imitate those young people who have various names (and I do not want to spoil the atmosphere of the assembly with these names) and under various names and appearances and hairstyles and clothes and strange behaviors, they are preoccupied with the superfluous aspects of life!

Of course, in passing, I should also mention that the West is gradually suffering the consequences of its corrupt and corrupting actions; like someone who holds a container full of plague germs in their hand and pours it into the drinking water of houses! Eventually, they too will be afflicted by the plague one day. Today, the plague of corruption in the West is showing itself; to the extent that the wise are alarmed and worried about such a situation. This concern is reflected in the major newspapers of Europe and especially America, which we observe.

Therefore, the second affliction is that a pervasive and destructive wave of corruption has been directed towards the youth of Islamic countries. The effect of this corruption and depravity is that the corrupted youth do not think of reform and do not find motivation, and religion, spirituality, faith, and politics in the true sense no longer have meaning for them, and if they study out of compulsion and for a meager livelihood, that study is also accompanied by corruption, and when they become specialists, they are merely corrupt individuals who have graduated! This is the great defect of Islamic societies, and when one sees the dimensions of this great defect and affliction, one must truly seek refuge in the Almighty God.

In my opinion, our dear Imam, with the inspiration that the Almighty God placed in his heart and guided him, eradicated these two defects in our country with this great Basij movement. Consider the Basij in this way. The Basij, on the one hand, means a spontaneous popular movement; people who consider themselves the owners of their country; people who - especially their youth - are spiritual and their hearts are familiar with God; people who, firstly, become aware of any deviation in the general course of their country, secondly, suffer from it, and thirdly, stand against that deviation. This is the meaning of the Basij.

Someone who is sensitive to the issues and general flow of their country and to the enemy who attacks from any direction - whether military or cultural - cannot go towards corruption and does not have the opportunity to think about the corrupt and corrupting desires that enemies instill in society.

The day the Imam said that a twenty-million-strong army should be formed in Iran; our country had forty million, meaning half of the current population, and all had Basiji characteristics. Today, it is the same. People with such characteristics are not indifferent to the issues of their environment and society and system. Someone comes to power who is supported by them, and if someone is not supported by the people, they do not come to power. Thus, the relationship and bond between the country's officials and the general public, the majority of whom are these Basijis, is a close, brotherly, and sincere relationship, and this characteristic eliminates the first defect. A government that relies on its people in this way, not only America, but even if there are ten powers in the world, each as great as America's global arrogance; where necessary, with power, courage, and reliance on God, it strikes at the mouths of all of them.

Today, all the people of the world and all governments and political figures witness that the sacred system of the Islamic Republic says 'no' to the demands, impositions, and requests of America and does not endorse the crimes and catastrophes caused by America and global arrogance and its appendages - including the Zionist regime. This is a courageous and prominent stance and is no small feat. Those who understand the issues in the world - including the leaders of some countries and major political officials and reformist figures - bow their heads in submission to this stance.

Of course, in the position of enmity and malice, they act with their enmity; but because of this great and firm stance of refusal, the greatness of the Islamic Republic system and the government and the rule of religion is evident and clear in their eyes. This is due to this bond and the blessing of being Basiji and the presence of the Basij throughout Iran and in all corners of the country.

The Basij is not a specific military organization - like other organizations. The Basij means the body of the nation and all the faithful individuals and a widespread reality in all corners of society. In the people's stance, this is the determining factor. Therefore, you see that seventeen years after the victory of the revolution and after all this pressure and propaganda and all this cunning and malice that enemies from outside and their agents inside carry out; when the time comes for the people's presence on the twenty-second of Bahman and Quds Day and during elections and the declaration of public stance, the people stand firm like a mountain. This is one of the blessings of the Basij.

No one should think that the Basij is a margin and that the nation and government and administration are going their way and the Basij is sitting on the side and preoccupied with itself; no. 'Basij' is the core of the system's movement. Everyone must be Basiji. The government and officials must also be Basiji, and thanks be to God, they are. Many of the country's high-ranking and prominent officials are truly Basiji and possess the culture and beliefs and movement of the Basij.

The real remedy for the second affliction - which is the corruption of youth in the world - is also this Basij movement and culture. You saw and see during the Sacred Defense period and even after that until today, that the youth of our country were and are pure and chaste and eager for truth and full of Islamic and revolutionary values and spirituality, and with indifference and aversion to those things that occupy other young people in the world, they are present in our society.

Where in the world are there so many faithful and pious young people seen and present? Nowhere is it like this. This is one of the blessings of the Basij. Therefore, in reality, the Basij is a cultural movement and culture. The Basij culture is something we wish for every individual in the Islamic society. When we say everyone must be Basiji, this is what we mean.

A Basiji is someone who values Islamic values and believes in God and is humble and submissive before the Lord of the worlds. In their heart, they are eager for righteousness and want to be righteous and pure and stay away from moral vices. They want to increase their intimacy with God day by day and be His servant and live according to His command. A Basiji considers this path the path of happiness. They do not see happiness in the fleeting desires of life and wearing colorful clothes and being in the public eye for an hour's satisfaction. Their spirit is not satisfied with these small and insignificant things; their spirit is satisfied with divine knowledge.

A Basiji is ambitious. Their desires are great and in line with the elevation of the country. Their desire is the salvation of all human beings and the elimination of corruption and poverty and discrimination and injustice and the domination of the enemy. They are disgusted with living under the flag of America or other foreign powers and grazing like animals. It matters to them who rules their country: a corrupt and immoral and wicked and foreign agent, or the righteous servants of God. They care whether the rule of God is established in their home and living environment or the rule of the enemies of God. Therefore, they stand for this cause.

During the Sacred Defense period, our Basijis from all over the country gave up work and life and rest and the embrace of family and wife and children and loved ones and went to the hot deserts of Khuzestan or the frozen and snowy peaks of the west and northwest of the country and spent summer and winter there. They did this to defend Islam and the country and honor and independence and freedom and the rule of God's religion, knowing that if the Islamic system were defeated at the borders, it would also be defeated at the center, and if it were defeated militarily, it would also be defeated politically. They did not leave their Imam alone with their actions. This is the concept of being Basiji and the culture of the Basij. This concept will always exist.

Today, too, a Basiji cares for the country; they strive for the country's prosperity; they work as much as they can for the preservation of national independence and even sacrifice their lives. Today, too, if they feel the enemy wants to infiltrate the country through any opening - whether economic, political, or cultural - they stand against it and strike it in the face with their fist.

During the time of the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon them, although these great figures had authority within their country, the enemies of Islam also maintained their presence. Did not the enemies and hypocrites want to make the Prophet's mount bolt on that pass, from which the Almighty God saved that holy being? During the time of those great figures, the agents of foreign enemies were inside and even intended to strike the Islamic government through mosque building (the mosque of harm): 'and as an ambush for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger.' They were waiting for the foreign enemy to come and help them and overthrow the Prophet's government!

Even then, the enemies of Islam existed; today, they still exist. We do not expect that the enemy does not have spies and agents and wicked and treacherous and hypocritical people in our society and within our country. No; they exist today as well. Who stands against them? Naturally, the elements of the 'Basij'; that is, the great, roaring, and elite force of the faithful nation, stand against the enemy and its agents.

The Imam said: 'The Basij must be organized; they must know each other; they must create and maintain readiness.' Today, your great duty is this task. Do not think that the Basij is an emotional matter. The Basij is a logical, intellectual, rooted, and profound matter, and those who participate in this great truth are all the people. Anyone who is a Basiji should be proud of being Basiji. Being Basiji is a source of pride and honor before the Lord.

The Basij culture is a culture of spirituality and courage and zeal and independence and freedom and not being enslaved by petty desires. The desires of life are important for everyone; but what is more important are ideals and values and goals. They must be prioritized. This is your path.

Basij Week was a week of honoring these values and this living and embodied truth. The entire year is not too much for honoring such values. This week has ended; but the truth of the Basij is alive, and its memory and honor are inexhaustible.

I hope that the Almighty Lord will favor you and that the holy existence of the Imam of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him, will be pleased with you. Wherever you are - whether in universities and seminaries and various schools or in markets and factories and barracks and villages and cities - feel that you are soldiers of the holy existence of the Imam of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him. Work for that great figure and seek success and help from the Almighty God.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings