Statements in a Public Meeting with the People of Chalous and Noshahr

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

Thanks be to God, 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 chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among them.

I express my gratitude to the Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to be among the warm-hearted people of Chalous and Noshahr on this rainy day, facing these sincere and affectionate feelings. During my previous trip to this region, I did not have the chance to meet the people of Chalous closely; the rain did not allow it, neither for the people to gather nor for me to visit you. Today, although it is raining, we hope to spend this short time with you.

I know Chalous as the city where many of the warriors from Mazandaran and Gilan passed through during the Sacred Defense, heading to the battlefronts to confront truth and falsehood. The starting point for tens of thousands of warriors was often the city of Chalous as they moved towards the front. In fact, this is the site of the footsteps of more than twenty-one thousand martyrs from Gilan and Mazandaran.

The people of Mazandaran have generally shown an unparalleled commitment in various matters related to Islam and the Revolution, which I believe is remarkable in a fair assessment. The reason is that the extensive investment of the enemies of morality and Islam before the victory of the Revolution and during the tyranny was more concentrated in this region than anywhere else. Those who were attracted by the pleasant climate, the beautiful and unique scenery of this province, and the sea and forests were driven to seize this area, not wanting the people of this province, especially these very sensitive areas, to adhere to religion and morality; because they knew that religion and morality are the greatest obstacles to oppression and tyranny. The extent to which the tyrannical regimes of the past worked to secularize this region and Gilan is unmatched in other parts of Iran; however, despite all this, one sees the people of Mazandaran as pioneers and vanguards during the Revolution. What faith is this, what power of sincerity and devotion rises from the hearts of the people, showing themselves as soldiers of religion despite all the sabotage? It was like this during the Revolution, it was like this during the imposed war, and in the matters following the war up to today, wherever the issues of Islam, religion, the Islamic Revolution, and the Islamic Republic system were raised, the people of Mazandaran were among the staunch defenders of the front of truth. The dear people of Chalous and Noshahr have given nearly a thousand martyrs.

This is recorded in the spiritual, human, and Islamic identity of these people. These are among the bright points that define the path of a nation, a community. Today, your affection under this rain, your enthusiastic gathering in this field, reflects part of this bright and radiant heart. I should not disturb you too much in this weather. I consider this meeting valuable and would like to say one sentence regarding Mazandaran and one sentence regarding general issues of the country and the Revolution.

Regarding Mazandaran, two immense resources and two great opportunities for this province are the sea and the forest; two sources of great wealth, both for the people of this province and for the entire country. Both of these immense resources, both of these great opportunities must be properly protected and utilized. This is my advice to the officials of the country: this forest belongs to the nation, this sea belongs to the nation, and the government officials are the custodians of organizing the work of the nation and the country; they must be vigilant; they must be vigilant. Optimal, economic, and correct utilization and prevention of various abuses of the forest or the sea—where more abuse occurs than in the forest—is the duty of the officials of the country. It is unacceptable for greedy hands and those seeking personal gain to divert this national wealth into their own pockets under various pretexts. This region in general and this city, which is located along the Chalous and Tehran road, and these beautiful and pleasant areas around this region, are all divine blessings; these blessings must be utilized, but correctly; they must be utilized, but with respect for divine boundaries; they must be utilized, but with respect for the values and religion and morality of these people; values that have kept them steadfast in difficult fields over the years.

You, the people of Mazandaran, should know and you know that in the early centuries of Islam, the powers of Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas could not conquer this northern region of the country—Tabaristan—by any means. All the armies of Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas that came this way; those who had conquered the other provinces of this country and the Roman Empire could not conquer Mazandaran. The Alborz mountain range acted like a stronghold, allowing these people to resist against the forces of Muslims during the time of Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas, and they could not prevail over Mazandaran. Mazandaran was conquered by the oppressed children of the House of Muhammad. The oppressed and displaced children of Imam Sajjad, Imam Baqir, and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them) who had escaped from the bloodthirsty caliphs managed to reach this region with great difficulty. When they arrived, the people of Mazandaran and Gilan opened their arms and embraced the children of the Prophet, converting to Islam through their hands. Thus, this northern region of the country has been a follower of the teachings of Amir al-Mu'minin and the school of Shi'ism since the moment it became Muslim. This is the historical background of this region. They have always been a strong support for Islamic values, for jihad in the way of God, for the flag bearers against oppression and tyranny; today it is the same. Respect must be given to these values, to this faith, to this deep morality that has survived from centuries past.

Be careful that the use of the forest, the use of the sea, the use of these beautiful landscapes does not tarnish the religion and morality of the people, and that they are utilized in such a way that poverty no longer has meaning in this province. This is part of the duties. Of course, it requires your cooperation. The people must demand this culture in Mazandaran, especially in these areas very close to the coast and forest; they must demand that the government agencies working for them and for their benefit can be the guardians of their religion and morality and also protect their interests. A strong cooperation and deep bond between the government and the people is necessary in these matters.

Let me say something about the general issues of the country and the Revolution. See, dear brothers and sisters! The Almighty God tells His Prophet during the difficult times in Mecca: O Prophet! I move with insight; "Say, this is my path; I invite to God with insight, I and those who follow me"; (1) the Prophet himself moves with insight, and the followers and defenders of the Prophet's thought also move with insight. This was during the time of Mecca; at a time when there was no government, no society, no difficult management, insight was necessary; in the time of Medina, all the more so. The reason I have always emphasized insight over the past few years is that a nation with insight, when the youth of a country have insight, moves and takes steps consciously, and all the enemy's swords become dull against them. This is insight. When there is insight, the fog of sedition cannot mislead them, cannot lead them astray. If there is no insight, a person, even with good intentions, sometimes takes a wrong step. If you are in the battlefield and do not know the way, if you do not know how to read a map, if you do not have a compass, you may find yourself surrounded by the enemy; you have taken the wrong path, and the enemy gains control over you. This compass is the same as insight.

In today's complex social life, one cannot move without insight. Young people must think, reflect, and increase their insight. The religious teachers, the committed individuals in our society from educated and cultured people, from universities and seminaries, must pay attention to the issue of insight; insight in purpose, insight in means, insight in recognizing the enemy, insight in recognizing the obstacles in the way, insight in recognizing the ways to prevent these obstacles and remove them; these insights are necessary. When there is insight, then you know who you are dealing with, and you take the necessary tools with you. One day you want to walk in the street; well, you can walk in ordinary clothes, even in slippers; but one day you want to conquer the peak of Damavand, that requires its own equipment. Insight means knowing what you want so that you know what you need to have with you.

The Islamic Republic has brought a new discourse to the arena of world politics. This new discourse is still, after thirty years, a new, fresh, and attractive discourse in the political culture of the world. Therefore, you see that nations feel a sense of concern, a sense of interest towards the Islamic Republic. When your elections take place with an eighty-five percent participation of the people, people in various sectors, in different countries, the supporters of the Islamic Republic rejoice, shout slogans, and convey this; we understand it through various means. When the enemy tries to undermine this election, this massive presence, this great political victory through rumor-mongering, slander, and creating chaos in some corner of the country, we see that they become worried; nations become worried; in Lebanon, in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in various regions, wherever there are Shi'ahs, wherever there are sincere Muslims, we see they are concerned about the situation of the country. This indicates the vibrant presence of the thought of the Islamic Republic in the Islamic world.

The Islamic Republic has two components: it is a republic, meaning it is popular; it is Islamic, meaning it is based on divine values and divine law.

It is popular, meaning the people have a role in forming this system, in bringing the officials of this system to power, so the people feel responsible; the people are not sidelined. It is popular, meaning the officials of the system must be from the people and close to the people, and there should be no tendency towards elitism, separation from the people, indifference, or contempt for the people among them. Our nation has experienced the tendency towards elitism, despotism, and dictatorship in the unjust rulers of this country for centuries, and the era of the Islamic Republic cannot be like that anymore. The era of the Islamic Republic means the rule of those who are from the people, with the people, elected by the people, alongside the people, whose behavior resembles that of the people. This is the meaning of being popular. It is popular, meaning the beliefs of the people, the dignity of the people, the identity of the people, the personality of the people, the dignity of the people must be respected. These are the characteristics of being popular.

It is Islamic, meaning all that we have said gains spiritual backing. Secular democratic governments, alien to religion, separate from religion, and in some cases against religion, will be sidelined. It is Islamic, meaning that when people work in their worldly affairs, they are actually doing divine work. Those who work for society, those who work for the strengthening of the system, those who work for the advancement of the word of this system and this country, and the exaltation of the word of this system are working for God. This is very valuable; this is a new prescription; this is a new prescription that the world has not seen since the time of the prophets and after the early days of Islam. This is not a small matter. This has enemies. The dictators of the world are also enemies of this system; the oppressors and aggressors against the rights of nations are also enemies of this system; we must be prepared for enmity. However, this nation has shown that these hostilities do not affect its steadfastness. For thirty years, the enemies have been hostile, and the Iranian nation remains steadfast, and the result of this challenge has been the astonishing progress of the Iranian nation, and this progress will continue...

I ask you, how long must we keep you under this rain? ... Well, this is your kindness; there is no doubt about it. But I am sitting here under a roof, while you are sitting under the rain; this is something that is unpleasant for me.

I just want to say one sentence; my audience is the general public, especially the youth; all the people of the country, especially in these sensitive areas. Dear youth! Do everything you can to increase your insight, to deepen your insight, and do not allow the enemies to take advantage of our lack of insight; do not let the enemy appear as a friend, truth appear as falsehood, and falsehood in the guise of truth. Amir al-Mu'minin mentions in one of his sermons that one of the most important problems of society is this: "Indeed, the beginning of the occurrence of seditions is following desires and innovating judgments that contradict the Book of God." (4) In this sermon, Amir al-Mu'minin says: If the truth is made clear to the people, no one can speak against the truth. If falsehood also shows itself clearly, the people will not turn towards falsehood. "But it is taken from this and that, and they are mixed together." Those who want to mislead the people do not present falsehood in its pure form; they mix falsehood and truth, and then the result is that "there the devil takes control of his allies"; the truth becomes ambiguous even for the supporters of the truth. This is why insight becomes our first duty. Let us not allow truth and falsehood to become confused.

Today, in front of the Islamic Republic, which is currently the pinnacle of Islamism in the Islamic world, there are opposing ranks; global arrogance is at the heart of those ranks; Zionism is at the heart of those ranks. These are explicitly the blood enemies of Islam, thus they are the blood enemies of the Islamic Republic. This has become a criterion. If we take an action, if we do something that benefits this enemy, we must know that if we are heedless, we should become alert and realize that we are going down the wrong path. If we take an action that we see angers this enemy, we should know that our path is the right one. The enemy becomes angry at the progress of the Iranian nation, at your successes, at the consolidation of the Islamic system. You should see which of our actions angers the enemy; that which angers the enemy is the correct path. That which delights the enemy, makes them happy, and they try to rely on it in propaganda and political maneuvering is the wrong path; that is the crooked line; keep these criteria in mind. These criteria will clarify the truths. In many cases, where a mistake occurs, these criteria can help rectify that mistake.

We must rely on the Almighty God, trust in God, and have good thoughts about the Almighty God. The Almighty God has promised: "And indeed, Allah will support those who support Him"; (5) those who move in the way of supporting the religion of God, when they move, God will support them. Yes, if we are supporters of the religion of God but do nothing, sleep in the corner of our homes, there will be no support; but when we move to support the religion of God, it may have costs, but support is certain; just as from the beginning of the Revolution until today, in various challenges, the Iranian nation has been victorious; this is divine support. In the imposed war, for eight years, almost all the prominent world powers of that day stood behind our enemy and fought against us; America helped them, the Soviet Union helped them, NATO helped them, and the unjust neighbors helped them; they provided money, resources, and all of these stood against the Islamic Republic, intending to disintegrate Iran, intending to separate Khuzestan, intending to occupy the land, so that they could accuse the Islamic Republic of incompetence and overthrow it; but the Almighty God struck them down, and the Iranian nation, with its patience, steadfastness, and insight, dealt such a blow to the enemies that they retreated. This possibility is always at your disposal.

O Lord! For the sake of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as this rain of mercy falls upon these people today, shower Your mercy, grace, and guidance upon all of us. O Lord! Keep us always alive with Islam and the Quran. O Lord! Day by day, increase the dignity, honor, and power of the Iranian nation. O Lord! Grant Your grace and mercy to anyone who cares for this nation, works for it, strives for it, and serves it. O Lord! Keep away from Your grace and mercy those who harm this nation, those who inflict damage, those who create divisions in the unity of this nation. O Lord! Make us among Your righteous servants and true soldiers of Islam; make the sacred heart of the Awaited One pleased and satisfied with us; make the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the pure souls of the martyrs pleased with us.

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