Statements in Meeting with Thousands of Basij Members

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 and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and infallible progeny, especially the Awaited Savior.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, esteemed Basij members. I also extend my greetings to the groups gathered in other cities who are listening to these words; we can see their images here.

There is much to say about the Basij. In summary, the Basij is a precious legacy of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) for the country. The Imam is the creator and father of the Basij; at the same time, he himself says that he is proud to be a Basij member. This is the status of the Basij. Well, I will present a few points from the Imam's statements regarding the Basij.

The first point is that the logic of the Basij is the maximum fortification of the country against threats and dangers; this is the logic of the Basij. The Imam (may God’s peace be upon him) wisely recognized that to make the country, the nation, and the revolution invulnerable, there is an urgent need for a vast popular force, as the revolution belongs to the people, and the country belongs to the people; better than any other factor, it is these people who can defend their country and their revolution, provided that a path is opened for them; this path was specified by the Imam: the Basij. This is the logic of the Basij. Therefore, the Basij is for maximizing the possibility of the country’s resistance against any danger, against any threat; this logic was the main factor in the establishment of the Basij, and today this logic still exists and is up-to-date. Today, the existence of the Basij is necessary — with the details that I will briefly mention — for comprehensive material and spiritual defense of national identity, of the country’s security, and of the people’s interests. Over these forty-plus years, the record of the Basij also confirms the correctness of this targeting, demonstrating the precision of the Imam’s foresight and insight. My dear ones! There have been times in this country when the presence of the Basij was decisive for the country; one example is the Sacred Defense. Certainly, if there had not been a popular Basij, the outcome of the Sacred Defense would have been different from what occurred; it would have been something else. The story of the Sacred Defense is a magnificent display of the people’s power in this country in the form of the Basij; it has also happened in other instances, which I do not wish to elaborate on now.

The next point is that the Imam has various descriptions of the Basij. I have chosen two descriptions to share with you. In one instance, the Imam says, "The Basij is the army of the sincere servants of God"; the army of the sincere servants of God! Pay attention to the words. In another instance, the Imam says, "The Basij is a school of love." Well, let us place these two descriptions side by side. "The army of the sincere servants of God" indicates that the Basij is a warrior; an army is for fighting, for war. What does it mean to be a warrior? It means having both physical and spiritual strength, having will and courage, and being knowledgeable in military tactics. An example is Amir al-Mu'minin; in confronting Amr ibn Abd Wudd, he demonstrates both his physical strength and his courage and fearlessness, as well as his military cunning; he tells Amr ibn Abd Wudd, "You and I will fight; who are these others?" As he turns back, the Imam strikes him; this is military cunning, military strategy. Thus, being a warrior means physical strength, spiritual strength, and intellectual strength. Then, "the army of the sincere servants of God"; what does this mean? It means this vast and precious reserve is not for personal empowerment. For what purpose do the armies of the world operate? In what way do they step forward and fight? The Basij fights for God, and that too with sincerity; it is purely dedicated to God. Therefore, this warrior aspect of the Basij shows its power, indicating "the strong".

On the other hand, it is a school of love. The Basij is in love, it is devoted, but this love is not a baseless, aimless passion; this love exists within the capacity and capability of a school. Its container is a directed and organized one; what does this mean? It means love for God, love for spirituality, love for the people, love for the path; in the direction it is moving, it moves passionately; "a school of love" means this. It does not say the Basij is in love; it says the Basij is a school of love; it teaches love with a specified direction.

Well, these descriptions were not mere rhetoric, nor were they simply ideation; everyone has seen the reality of these in both the battlefield and the field of love. We have all witnessed what the Basij does. In the battlefield, tens of thousands of sincere Basij members, often nameless, have accomplished extraordinary feats, achieved great works, and created decisive roles. My dear ones! You may not remember the war, but some of the effects of the war have been published; read these, see what they did, how they endured, with what intention they entered, with what determination they acted, how they went; they created decisive roles. Of course, they also had peaks; the peak of the Basij is Soleimani, Sayed Shirazi, Hemmat, Babaei; the peak of the Basij is Shiroudi, martyr Hamdani, and hundreds of others like them, from these figures that one cannot find in the documented collections of the conditions of the nations of the world; that sincerity, that selflessness, that courage. This is the battlefield; everyone saw this, it was evident to all. [In the Sacred Defense,] you can observe the Basij warrior; those who were there saw it up close. Then also in subsequent fields; now you did not see the Sacred Defense, but you saw the defense of the shrine; there were other fields and scenes, you saw, you observed what the Basij does. In the field of love, the public services of the Basij in all scenes; in the scene of construction, in the scene of health, in natural disasters, in the field of science and research. Martyr Fakhrizadeh — who has the anniversary of his martyrdom — was a Basij member; the late Kazemi Ashtiani was a Basij member; in the field of science, these individuals turned the boundaries of knowledge upside down in the country; in the field of science and knowledge, some of them even surpassed the global average. In the field of elucidation and raising awareness, significant work was done. Therefore, the Imam’s statements that the Basij is "the army of the sincere servants of God" and "a school of love" have been clearly and evidently seen in practice, we have all witnessed.

The third point: the Basij is more than an organization; it is a culture, a thought. Therefore, all those who have accepted this culture, who have moved along this path, who have made this thought their own, even if they are not within the organization, are Basij members; and this includes a large number of the Iranian nation, while they may not have their names or formalities in the Basij organization. What is this culture? The culture of being popular, of being committed, of feeling responsible, of not being indifferent to the current affairs of the country and those affecting the future of the country; the culture of being revolutionary is to appreciate the revolution and understand its meaning; the culture of not being lawless, of not being disorderly, of not being norm-breaking; these are the Basij culture. A Basij member may object to a matter, to a reality, to a person; there is no problem, but they do not break norms, they do not find a common denominator with the enemy — I have said this before.

The Basij culture avoids showy and superficial work; meaningless actions that are only good for display. [A Basij member] if they place something in a showcase, it is something meaningful, something truthful; what they show has a meaning behind it, a truth exists. [A Basij member] does not engage in showmanship; they dedicate themselves to real work, to real movement. I do not know if you paid attention to the report that the esteemed commander of the Basij presented? In the matters that were mentioned, there was a lot of content; these are realities, these are real works.

The Basij culture is compassion for the weak, severity in confronting the oppressor, and service to all; everyone. When the flood came, the Basij member went knee-deep into the mud to clean the flood-affected house, without asking the homeowner their name, religion, sect, ethnicity, or political inclination; they did not ask these, they went to serve; whatever they are, whoever they are. These are important.

The Basij culture is distancing from arrogance and pride; this is the Basij culture. People, depending on their situation, sometimes gain a reputation, a personality. That we look at ourselves and see that we are respected, that we are cheered for, that we are put forward, that we are praised, [thus] we become arrogant, we pride ourselves, we consider ourselves superior and higher, this is against the Basij culture. Imam Sajjad teaches us this in Sahifa Sajjadiyya in the supplication for noble morals: "Do not raise me in the eyes of people except that You lower me in my own eyes"; the more you are elevated among people, the smaller you should feel in your own self, do not become arrogant in your own soul.

The Basij culture is distancing from entitlement; that we are entitled to the revolution, to the country, to the government, to the people, to neighbors, to friends, and to everyone, and do not consider ourselves indebted, this is not the Basij culture. A Basij member is not entitled; they consider themselves obligated, they are duty-oriented, they seek to fulfill their responsibilities. A Basij member does not use the organizational capabilities for their own benefit. Those who are in the Basij organization, the capabilities that the organization gives them are a trust in their hands; they preserve this trust with utmost integrity, they are trustworthy.

These are lessons for us. The Imam, when he said, "I am proud to be a Basij member," had all these qualities. The things I have just mentioned were embodied in the Imam: he always considered himself indebted, he always considered himself weak, he always regarded the people as above himself; those young people who came and kissed his hand, shedding tears, the Imam regarded them as above himself; to the extent that we have come to know the Imam and have seen him up close, the Imam’s life was never consumed in the service of his own personality, title, authority, or leadership.

The next point, which is the fourth and very important point, is the transnational and international aspect of the Basij; this is also in the Imam’s statements. You have observed that the Imam refers to "global resistance nuclei"; this is the same Basij; it is not our Basij, it is their Basij, but it is the same culture. The formation of global resistance nuclei has been realized; that is, you now see examples of it in our region. Now, "wait until the morning of its government dawns / for this is still from the results of the dawn." In your region, you observe that the same resistance nuclei that the Imam had foretold, that he had given glad tidings of, are today determining the fate of this region; the fate of our region is being determined by the resistance nuclei; one example is the current "Al-Aqsa Storm" that I will discuss shortly.

A few years ago, regarding Lebanon, the Americans said they were seeking to form a new Middle East. "Middle East" means this West Asia. The Westerners, Europeans, and their followers like to measure everything against Europe: what is close to Europe is the Near East, what is in the middle is the Middle East, and what is far from Europe is the Far East; that is, the axis of measurement is Europe. This is one of the mistakes they have made, and others have learned it and it comes to their tongues. ["Middle East" means] West Asia. They said they wanted to give this region — which they named the "Middle East" — a new map; "new Middle East" means [they] want to provide a new geopolitical map; on what basis? Based on securing the illegitimate needs and interests of America. Of course, what they wanted and were pursuing did not happen. They wanted to destroy "Hezbollah"; in the new map they had, one of their goals was the destruction of "Hezbollah". After the thirty-three-day war, "Hezbollah" became ten times stronger. Now, when I say "ten times," I am being cautious; but it became even stronger than that. They wanted to swallow Iraq, but they could not. The story of Iraq is a strange one. The American decision was to establish an American government in Iraq; they placed an American general in charge, and when they saw that things were not progressing with the American general, they sidelined him and brought in a civilian American to be the head of Iraq; the president or sultan of Iraq was to be an American! Then they saw it was not working, and they placed an Iraqi dependent on themselves; that too did not work and did not progress, until today. Today, the resistance nuclei in Iraq, in the Palestinian issue, are entering, and the Iraqi government is taking a strong stance; that is, what the Americans called the "new Middle East" is 180 degrees different from what exists today. They wanted to swallow Iraq whole and could not, it did not happen. They wanted to seize Syria, and their proxies, under the names of "ISIS" and "Al-Nusra Front" and such, were thrown against the Syrian government, and for about ten years, they continuously injected, supported, and funded them, but it did not work.

They failed; [in realizing] the new Middle East they wanted to create, they completely failed. One of the components of that Middle East was to resolve the Palestinian issue in favor of the usurping regime so that there would be nothing left called Palestine; the same treacherous two-state plan that they had previously approved was also undermined; they could not do it, it did not happen. Now you see how much the situation of Palestine has changed compared to twenty years ago! What was Palestine twenty years ago, and what is it today; what was Hamas twenty years ago, and what is it today? Yes, the geopolitical geography of the region is undergoing fundamental changes, but not in favor of America, [but] in favor of the resistance front. Yes, the geopolitical map of West Asia has changed, but in favor of the resistance; the resistance has triumphed. The Imam had understood correctly, had diagnosed correctly. The resistance nuclei have been able to change the direction of movement in their favor.

This new map has certain characteristics; I will mention some of its characteristics. The first characteristic is Americanization. What does "Americanization" mean? It means negating America’s dominance over the region. It does not mean cutting political ties with America; not that we should expect or imagine that the governments of the region will cut political ties with America; no, they have political and economic relations with everyone, including America; they should have them; but America’s dominance is gradually weakening; what America wanted to achieve in a certain country — in oil, in weapons, in various communications — is gradually fading; a large part of it has faded, and more will fade. A policy that America has pursued for years has been that of dominance over the region, and the main means of this policy has been supporting the Zionist regime; whatever it can do to strengthen it, to empower it, to encourage others to establish relations with it. Of course, this is an old policy, dating back decades; for one or two decades, they intensified this policy, went after Afghanistan, went after Iraq, and with the occupation of these, they wanted to gain control, but they could not. Today, the policy and orientation in this region is Americanization. One of the clear and evident signs that is before our eyes is this Al-Aqsa Storm. Yes, this Al-Aqsa Storm is against the Zionist regime, but it is Americanization; this is a historic event. In the true sense of the word, the event of Al-Aqsa Storm was a historic event; it was able to disrupt America’s policies in this region, and God willing, if this storm continues, it will erase America’s policies in the region. Thus, one characteristic of the change in the geopolitical map of the region is that Americanization has begun; some countries that were 100% subordinate to America’s policies have begun to angle away from America — which you see and hear — and this will continue.

Another characteristic is that in this region, they had created artificial and imposed binaries; these binaries have collapsed. The Arab and non-Arab binary, the Shia and Sunni binary; the myth of the Shia crescent — the danger of the spread of Shia in the region — was a baseless claim that they raised; all of these have collapsed. In the case of the Al-Aqsa Storm and before the Al-Aqsa Storm, who provided the most assistance to the Palestinians? It was the Shia; Shia from Lebanon, Shia from Iraq, Shia Arabs, Shia non-Arabs. These binaries have collapsed, and instead of these imposed binaries, a new binary has emerged in the region: the binary of resistance and submission; today, this binary is prominent in this region. What does "resistance" mean? "Resistance" means not submitting to bullying, greed, and American interventions; this is resistance. Now, some resist 100%, some 80%, some 50%; ultimately, the current flow and movement of resistance is a clear movement in the region, and its opposite is "submission," which is humiliating, degrading to nations and governments.

Another characteristic that this new map of our region has is the resolution of the Palestinian issue. By God’s grace, the Palestinian issue is moving towards resolution. What does "resolving the Palestinian issue" mean? It means establishing Palestinian sovereignty over all of the land [of Palestine]. We have proposed our plan: a referendum among the Palestinians. Of course, those who are occupiers have no rights, but the Palestinians themselves, whether in the land of Palestine, in neighboring countries of Palestine within the camps, or elsewhere, wherever they are — there are several million Palestinians — they can express their opinions. [The referendum] is a globally acceptable and civilized logic for governing Palestine. Now, some say, "Well, what you propose will not be accepted by the Zionist regime and they will not comply"; well, yes, we know they will not comply, but their compliance is not in their own hands; sometimes a government, a country does not want something, but it is imposed on them, they have to comply. If this matter is pursued — which God willing, it will be pursued — if these resistance nuclei pursue their will, their firm determination, their desire seriously, this will be realized; there is no doubt about it. Therefore, resolving the Palestinian issue is also one of the characteristics that this new West Asia will, God willing, witness. Some of these world spokespersons who speak about the Islamic Republic’s views on the region lie when they say, "Iran says the Jews or the Zionists should be thrown into the sea"; no, this statement was made by others or some Arabs before; we have never said this; we do not throw anyone into the sea. We say the opinion is the opinion of the people; the government formed by the votes of the Palestinian people will decide about the people who are there and those who have come from other countries; it may tell all of them to stay in Palestine — just as in some African countries where I went during my presidency, [the people] fought and won; the English were ruling there, but the locals managed to defeat the English, but they decided to keep the English in their country; they deemed it appropriate to keep them; these may also decide to keep them — it is also possible that they may say no, some should go or all should go; the choice is theirs; we never have an opinion in this regard. Well, now this is regarding this issue.

One word [regarding the Al-Aqsa Storm]; this Al-Aqsa Storm, this important and unprecedented event that occurred, has brought the goals closer, made the path towards these goals easier, a great work has been accomplished. The Zionist regime, which was in a state of panic, wanted to extinguish this storm by bombing hospitals, schools, and crowds of people, and killing children, but it could not and will not be able to; this storm will not be extinguished by these atrocities. In newspapers and media, you are reading, I will not repeat; the Zionist regime did not achieve any of its goals, out of panic and anger, it fell upon the people, which has also been of no benefit and will not be, rather it has brought them more disgrace.

This brutal act that the Zionist regime committed, this merciless act, not only disgraced the Zionist regime, but also disgraced America; it disgraced America, it disgraced some of these well-known European countries, and it disgraced the civilization and culture of the West. The Western culture and civilization is the same civilization that when they bomb with phosphorus bombs and martyr five thousand children, the president of a certain country stands and says that Israel is defending itself! Is this self-defense? This is the Western culture; in this matter, the Western culture has been disgraced. The atrocities that have occurred in these nearly fifty days are the condensed crimes that the Zionist regime has been committing in Palestine for 75 years; now it has condensed it, otherwise, over these years, they have always done such things: killing people, evicting them from their homes, destroying homes. Where have these settlements been built? Where have the Zionist settlements been built? They have destroyed the homes of people, devastated the farms of Palestinians, built Zionist settlements. If someone stands, they kill them; if it is a child, they kill the child; if it is a woman, they kill the woman; this is what they have been doing for 75 years. In our view, the Al-Aqsa Storm is not something that can be extinguished, God willing, and they should know that by the grace of God, this situation will not continue.

Well, my remarks have concluded, but I want to make a few recommendations to the Basij. These recommendations are for both the Basij organization and some of them are for each individual Basij member. The first recommendation: enhance awareness; both in yourselves and in others. Awareness is a crucial issue.

The next recommendation: take the initiative in important matters; do not play on the enemy’s field. If we have awareness, we will understand what the enemy’s plan is in this matter, we will not act according to the enemy’s plan; in common parlance, we do not play on the enemy’s field.

The next recommendation: never lose hope for the future, do not let temptations affect you. A clear reason that today’s youth should always remain hopeful is that their country has been under sanctions for over forty years, always under economic siege, yet it has made all this progress. Not only in the field of weapons — which has been televised and everyone has seen — but also in various sectors of the country, in services, in creating welfare facilities for various segments of the people, in communications and connections, in science, in technology, extraordinary advancements have been made; these advancements have occurred while the enemy thought they had closed all doors to progress for us; trade was prohibited, exports were prohibited, imports of many things were prohibited; in these conditions, the country has advanced. Well, in this country that is advancing like this, is there any room for despair? You can do everything. A hundred times more than what we have advanced so far, you can advance, if you are in the field, if you strive, if you work, which you do.

The next recommendation: beware of arrogance; as I mentioned, do not become arrogant. That "we are this good, we are this dear, we are this Basij, we are praised this much, the Imam said this, others said this," should not make you arrogant. Thank God that you have been granted the opportunity, God has given you the opportunity to be a Basij member. Thank God, ask God not to take this blessing away from you.

The next recommendation: never feel incapable of great tasks. If we face a task that we cannot accomplish, if we have determination, patience, and effort, it will certainly be resolved and this task will be accomplished. In the face of tasks that at first glance seem impossible, the remedy is to have determination, to have the necessary patience, not to be hasty, and to strive as well. Certainly, we can accomplish any great task. Never feel incapable.

The next recommendation: [as we have said before] avoid showy and superficial actions without content. Yes, it is permissible to place meaningful things in a showcase, there is no harm in it, sometimes it is necessary, but only when it is something meaningful.

The next recommendation: the attribute and position that has been given to you — that is, the Basij attribute, the Basij position — is a trust from God in your hands; value this trust, be trustworthy, preserve this trust well.

The next recommendation: avoid false dichotomies. In the country, they constantly create dichotomies: supporters of Zayd, supporters of Amr; supporters of this thought, supporters of that; what is this talk! Those who accept your principles, your foundations, your religion, your revolution, your Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, these things are your brothers, even if they have a difference of opinion with you. One of the things that one should truly complain about and be upset about is some of the statements in this virtual space; over trivial matters, this one attacks that one, that one attacks this one! Avoid this; you who are Basij members should not do this.

The last recommendation: alongside operational forces, also attract planning forces. Strategy, thought, and planning are more necessary and needed than courage and manliness. Move with strategy. My final statement is to trust in God Almighty: "And whoever puts their trust in God, He is sufficient for them." God willing, may He keep you all safe.

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