Speech at the Special Ceremony of Basij Day at Imam Hasan Mojtaba Garrison

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, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and his pure, chosen, guiding, and rightly guided family, especially the remaining proof of God on earth. God, the Wise, has said in His Book: 'Indeed, God loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a single structure joined firmly.'

One of the honors of the Islamic Revolution, and particularly one of the great honors of our esteemed departed Imam (may his soul be sanctified), was the formation of the twenty-million-strong army. This army has established its place in the public opinion of the world's people. Over the twelve years since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the great force of the Basij has been able to take on heavy responsibilities in dangerous fields and accomplish tasks that sometimes no other element could undertake.

Of course, our dear officials in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij have worked hard over these years, and since last year, when the Resistance Force was officially formed — and thanks be to God, its duties have been approved and will be given to the honorable officials today — a new chapter in the life and glorious existence of this force has begun.

Brothers and sisters! The issue of the Basij is a fundamental and principal issue of the revolution. If you observe that our great Imam emphasized the Basij so much, it stems from the same fundamental thought governing the Islamic Revolution. Based on that thought, if we say the revolution's strength lies in the Basij, we have not spoken in vain. I will explain this sentence a little so that it becomes clear that the issue is not one of slogans and emotions; rather, it is a reality, and everyone must act, plan, support, and take action based on this reality.

The Islamic Revolution is a people's revolution. Essentially, the art of Islamic faith is that it attracts people's hearts and employs their forces in the service of high and lofty goals, which in itself insures the revolution and the Islamic movement and brings divine assistance. The early days of Islam were exactly like this. In the early days of Islam, the presence of the people and their sincere faith brought victory. This is explicit in the Quran. The Quranic verse states: 'He it is Who supported you with His help and with the believers.' That is, God Almighty supported the Prophet with His help and through the believers.

Our revolution had this decisive superiority over all movements, uprisings, and revolutions in that it relied on the people, and it will always rely on them. The reason global arrogance has not been able — and by God's grace will never be able — to defeat this revolution is precisely this.

What can the enemy do with the masses of people and sincere believers? What are the enemy's tools? The enemy's tools consist of equipment. Equipment is ineffective against the force of faith, enthusiasm, love, and the will of the people. Equipment frightens those who want to fight and struggle relying solely on their equipment. Such people, if they see equipment in front of them that is more modern and superior to their own, may feel fear; but against faithful and sincere people, the enemy's modern equipment is ineffective. The most modern equipment is rendered useless against a resistant, martyrdom-seeking force.

Can any enemy push back millions of people from a nation? It was the same masses of Hezbollah who stood in the streets across this country against the modern equipment taken from the enemy of the monarchical regime. Why couldn't that equipment overcome them? While that equipment could kill its opponent. If someone fears death, they fear that equipment; but if someone considers death as martyrdom, they will not fear equipment that is deadly. This is true in all struggles imposed by the enemies.

What are the enemy's other tools? Propaganda. The enemy's propaganda has no effect on faithful people. Now, if you turn on the radio and listen to any of the enemy's radios — Radio Israel, Radio America, European countries' radios, and the radios of the groups — they spew a bunch of false propaganda and accusations against Islam, Muslims, and the Islamic Republic system. Those who believe these are those whose hearts are not illuminated by faith and awareness stemming from faith. These waves have no effect on faithful people. The same propaganda that is spread today worldwide by Zionists and the like against Islam and the Islamic Revolution, how much has it affected the thoughts and spirits of the faithful people of the world, or the faithful masses of Hezbollah in our own country, or how much does it want to affect them?

One of the enemy's tactics is propaganda. They propagate that the Islamic Republic could not succeed. They propagate that Islam is not sufficient. They propagate that the Iranian people were afraid and retreated. They propagate that the Iranian nation has distanced itself from the revolution and Islam. They propagate that the government is weak and cannot function. They try to revive sectarian and class feelings in individuals to put obstacles in the way of the government, officials, and the country's administrators. The enemy can only do these things; nothing else is within the enemy's power.

What effect do these actions have on the minds and hearts of faithful people and Hezbollah individuals? A nation whose enthusiasm for Islam is increasing day by day, a nation that understands the vile and malicious goals of global arrogance, is not affected by the enemy's propaganda. Therefore, the military, economic, and propaganda weapons of global arrogance, the weapons of America and the Zionists and enemies, have no effect and are ineffective on the faithful masses of the nation.

Therefore, if a revolution is supported by faithful people, it is insured. This is something everyone understands. If we want the revolution and the country to be insured, for the Islamic Republic to be invulnerable, we must strengthen this enthusiasm, this public movement of the people, and this great mobilization of the nation's forces day by day.

The Basij, in the war fronts, inside the cities, and in the resistance bases, has shown that it is the best defender of the revolution and Islam. Even our enemies have admitted this point. When the masses of Basijis, with their faith and enthusiasm, rushed towards a goal in the battlefield, no force could stop them. Even our enemies saw this in the war; both those who imposed the war on us and those who, through their satellites, watched the scenes of the war bit by bit and reported to our enemies. The whole world saw how the force filled with enthusiasm and love for Islam fought in the battlefield. Inside the cities, from the first day of the revolution, these resistance bases became the trenches of defense for the revolution and Islam, and it remains so to this day.

Do not think that the enemy only attacks from the war front. When the enemy faces a system like the Islamic Republic system and sees that it cannot defeat this revolution and this nation from the front, it tries to infiltrate within the nation and complicate matters from within.

Here, who is one of the factors of staunch defense of the revolution and Islam? The Basij; that is, these resistance bases and these young and enthusiastic forces; these young people who, throughout our history from the beginning of Islam to today, we have never had so many of them in any period; these young people who, despite their youth and youthful enthusiasm, instead of being like the carefree and ordinary young people of all regions of the world, pursuing pleasure and debauchery, are pursuing a sense of duty and service to the people and striving and working for ideals and goals and defending Islam; these young people who are familiar with the Quran; these young people whose prayers and worship astonish and amaze their elderly parents. In every martyr's home we entered, most of their parents said that we learned religion from our young ones!

Yes, this is the art of the revolution, and this was the art of the Imam. That great man worked in a society where the enemy had worked directly and indirectly for fifty or sixty years to drag it into the mire of corruption, and he raised its youth like flowers, pure and clean. That great man himself said: this is the greatest victory. Yes, the greatest victory of the Imam was creating faithful, sincere, healthy, honest youth, indifferent to desires, and their hearts directed towards God. Throughout history, in this country or in other Islamic countries, when have we had so many good and righteous young people as we did during the revolution?

Doesn't the enemy see this? The enemy wants to take these away from the revolution. The enemy plans to spread corruption among the youth of this country. Who should stand against this spread of corruption? Who should stand against the sabotage? Who should stand against the conspiracies that the enemy carries out through its agents inside the country and may even drag along some naive people? The Basij; this great force.

The Basij is not just a few thousand people in each city; the Basij means all the faithful and Hezbollah forces of our country. This is what the Imam meant when he said 'the twenty-million Basij.' Now let the enemies sit and analyze that yes, Iran could not exceed one million! All the faithful and Hezbollah forces of our country are considered Basij, so let the enemies' eyes be blinded!

All the youth, the elderly, the women, and the men of this country are ready to defend the honor, independence, Islam, and the Islamic Republic system. No one should think that the war is over, and so is the Basij; absolutely not. When the war ends, do the military forces — the army and the IRGC — also end? No, as the Imam (may his soul be sanctified) said, 'The Islamic country is entirely military.' Men and women must have military readiness and be trained for military defense.

Of course, the enemy may never think of attacking such a brave nation that fills the battlefield with their enthusiasm and love; but Islam commands you to be prepared. All the country's officials are responsible for equipping, preparing, and organizing the Basij; and I consider myself obligated to defend the organization that today serves as the Resistance Force of the Basij, and I will defend it.

Of course, you must not forget God, remember God, rely on God, and be inspired by His commands. This is the essence of the matter. What distinguishes you from all the seemingly popular organizations in other countries is this. What brings you to this level of effectiveness is this remembrance of God. Especially you young people, never lose the remembrance of God; make yourselves familiar with God. You are young; your hearts and souls are pure and immaculate. You have not been tainted by the trappings of this material life. You are those whose souls and hearts are ready to receive the divine lights; appreciate this and preserve it for yourselves.

Observing order is also the next point. To fight and struggle, order is necessary; the same order and arrangement that can now be seen in this field. Faith alone, without order, will not be effective, or it will be very limited. This resistance force that the brothers in the IRGC have organized and are diligently pursuing is for this very purpose of organizing and training the Basij forces so that they are ready for the day when the revolution, Islam, and the country need them.

Fortunately, today the divine favors are upon this nation. Today you see examples of it in the world and in the region before your eyes. Thanks be to God, today the officials at the helm — the capable, serving government and the rest of the officials — are working with utmost seriousness to untie the knots — both the knots of the past and those of the war period — day and night. No one should think that after eight years of war — where every day of war has created problems for our country — all these problems will be resolved in a short time. No, solving problems requires time. A building can be demolished in two days, but sometimes it cannot be built in two years.

God's grace is upon this nation. Good, faithful, and enthusiastic people, capable and efficient serving government, and other officials, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the judiciary, military and law enforcement forces — the army, the IRGC, the committees, the police, and the gendarmerie — thanks be to God, are ready to serve this country. This opportunity must be used, and God willing, the era of construction will be passed with complete service.

I earnestly pray to Almighty God to bestow His grace and mercy upon all of you and, God willing, to grant our Basij and other military and law enforcement forces increasing strength and solidity.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings