Meeting with Officials of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults

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

At the outset, I extend my greetings to all dear brothers and sisters and esteemed officials of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults. Personally, I have set this meeting primarily to express my appreciation for this institute and its organizers and you, as I have truly observed your efforts and endeavors from afar over these past years, as Mr. Chini Foroushan mentioned.

It is evident that all those delicate and unpretentious works in remote areas and the profound sense of responsibility can hardly be seen up close, especially by those who are not engaged in propaganda; let alone from a distance! However, from what has transpired and what can be seen, one can infer what may not be visible to someone like me from afar.

In any case, I sincerely thank each of you dear ones, especially the esteemed managers and those who run the operations and pursue the main policies of this institute. I truly hope that God grants you success and that you can carry out this heavy responsibility, which the nature of this institute, its name, and the accepted responsibility places on anyone associated with it, in the best possible manner, God willing. You work with sincerity and all the ability, enthusiasm, and love you possess; the Almighty God will also bring about results and, God willing, bless your work.

I would like to say a few words regarding the issue of children and adolescents: I must say that if the cultural officials of the country wish to address the issue of children and adolescents as it truly is, I believe many of those responsible will sacrifice their sleep hours to engage with this matter. Today, the issue of educating children and adolescents has changed significantly compared to the distant past—even compared to not-so-distant pasts, such as twenty years ago.

What do we want to make of this generation, which today is like raw material and a reserve at our disposal? How have we envisioned the future they will create, shape, and advance? If we truly think about the Islamic and national ideals, the greatness of Iran and Iranians, and compensating for the path that the hands of black despotism have dragged us into over the past one hundred and fifty to two hundred years, if these matters are important to us and we genuinely care about the future in the true sense of the word, then we must pay great attention to the education of children and adolescents, think deeply about it, and recognize its significance; for I feel that for some cultural officials—those involved—the issue is not presented in this manner!

The desire to know the outcome of our revolution today among our children—let alone adolescents—has an awareness and consciousness that is an undeniable product of the atmosphere and spirit of the revolution. In the past, such awareness, freedoms, and this spirit of inquiry and desire to know did not exist. There are also accessibilities that, in reality, our children's access is not a cultural resource; rather, with the right perspective, it is the access of guiding cultural centers around the world to impose colonial objectives on our children. This issue is raised from that side. When we speak of a corrupt cultural commodity coming from the enemy of the country, the enemy of the people, or at least an indifferent foreigner—of which there is no shortage—some think that we are upset or concerned about our children's accessibilities or that we have a complaint. They say, "Sir! They are young; let them understand!" As if we want our youth to remain ignorant! We are concerned about the foreign access to our children's minds. The issue is worth studying and examining from that side.

Your child is in your arms, in your school, in the library of the institute, and in front of you, and you have thoughts, a future, and hopes for them. Suddenly, you observe that the access of someone who is at least a foreigner—while you are related to this child, you are their teacher, parent, or mentor; however, they are indifferent to this child's fate—through the very prevalent cultural commodities and various media, has more access to this child than you do! This is a cause for concern, and today this exists, whether we like it or not!

What is the result? It is that we must accelerate the workflow. We must strive more, and we can. I believe we can work better, more concretely, more accurately, and more swiftly, and we must not allow it. We must educate our youth.

Thus, the first point is about the importance of working on children and adolescents. I tell you that you, dear educators, you who encounter children in the library, you who tell stories, you who send books, you who read books, and you who address that child in your artistic work and creativity, know that you are currently moving right on the main and essential point. You are doing exactly what needs to be done. The one who can be happy and assured of God's satisfaction from their work is the one who fills the void of the moment. This void is present, and you fill it. Therefore, this first point is about the importance of working on children and adolescents; or better put, for children and adolescents, which is truly for the future, for families, for the country, and for history.

The importance of art and literature!

The second point is about the importance of art and literature. Fortunately, our country is a country of art and literature. I do not want to make an absolute claim without study that we are either unskilled, lagging, or imitative in many artistic fields! This is not the discussion; however, the nature of this history is more of a literary and artistic nature, and our past, our nature, and our very strong literature reflect this.

Ten points in literature are significant: one is advancing literature in every era, which is the responsibility of those who deal with literature and have awareness, ability, and expertise in each of the literary sections. One point is to properly utilize literature at the national level, at the community level, or at the global level; wherever our literature reaches. Of course, at one time, from Constantinople or Istanbul to East Asia, our literature had a wide reach. Well, it used to be like that; Persian was the official language of the Ottoman Empire. At the same time that the Ottoman Empire was constantly at war with Iran, the influence of the Persian language was such that the secretaries and clerks of the Ottoman apparatus conducted their work in Persian, with Persian titles, expressions, and poetry! From this side, even to the East, up to India and China, Persian had reach. It was a religious language; an administrative language, the language of clerks and secretaries, and the language of literature and art.

Today, this circle has narrowed. Of course, after the revolution, it has expanded somewhat; but before the revolution, due to the narrow-mindedness, ignorance, and illiteracy of the officials of the country during the late Qajar period until the end of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's time, the Persian language and literature declined. Although we had genuinely good literary figures, poets, and great writers during this period, politically and in terms of international value, we were at the lowest status! The reason was that in the cradle of the Persian language—namely Iran—those who were in charge distanced themselves from the Persian language! This is the ultimate decline. Some spoke of changing the script, and some took pride in using foreign words and expressions, considering themselves inferior to them! Even where they wanted to promote Persian, their Persian vocabulary creation was a kind of homage to foreign words! It is truly one of the strange things one observes that there was a vocabulary creation apparatus in the army during the Shah's time; they would sit and select a word from the ancient Persian dictionary that had some resemblance to the foreign language! Sometimes they would even fabricate Persian words; they would create vocabulary. Of course, vocabulary creation is permissible, provided that the one who creates vocabulary has the competence for this work—it is not a problem; it is a language advancement—but whether they had the competence or not, I do not care; however, their vocabulary creation was based on foreign words! They would bring "tak" in place of "atak" and to imitate "atak"! They would bring "chalash" to imitate "challenge"! They created vocabulary in this manner. There are many such examples, and perhaps if someone truly follows up, they could find a notebook of such words that were mainly centered around English vocabulary. Well, when in the cradle of the Persian language, the Persian language is treated with such disregard that they do not know how to speak Persian correctly, expecting its advancement is unreasonable!

Once, an Arabic-speaking prime minister came to meet me during my presidency—I do not remember whether he was the president or the prime minister—his foreign minister was also sitting beside him. He spoke to me in Arabic, and when he wanted to say a sentence, he could not find that concept in Arabic! After thinking, he realized he could not remember. He turned to his foreign minister and asked in French what it would be. He expressed that concept in French and then told his Arabic equivalent to his chief; then he said it to me! The interesting thing is that I, as his audience, who did not speak Arabic, knew that equivalent and it was not difficult for me! I was a Persian speaker, and that gentleman did not know his Arabic word and asked his foreign minister for the French-Arabic meaning! I thought to myself, it is no wonder you are so unfortunate that you do not even know your own language; while you are the head of your country! My dear ones! This situation existed in Iran before the revolution as well. Do not be too surprised; they did not know their own language!

You, at the height of the heavens, what do you know?

That you do not know who is in your house!

You move in this manner within your own home, and then you wish for your language to go to Bengal, China, and Constantinople!? It is clear that the language will become limited.

Of course, after the revolution, it has shaken somewhat. Today, in the Arabian Peninsula—what I am saying is informed knowledge, not conjecture; I am aware—an Arab from the regions of Ahsa and Qatif, who would never have been able to learn a single Persian word, is learning Persian by sitting by the radio and television of Persian Iran—receiving the television through a satellite—meaning they can speak Persian. They sit by the Persian radio and television until they gradually learn Persian! This means the revolution has spread the language.

Today, thanks to the revolution, in some parts of the world, Persian is being considered as a second academic language or as a specialized field of study. The revolution has a message and a discourse; anyone who is a Muslim receives the message of Islam from the revolution, and anyone who is not a Muslim and ultimately receives the new message from the revolution wishes to know—for example—what Imam and the father of this revolution said when he spoke, which cannot be understood in translation; hence they learn Persian. Today, it is like this. In any case, we hope that the Persian language will expand. The Persian language is a language with capacity and elasticity. One of the centers where efforts should be made on language and literature—especially with artistic methods—is your center; because you work with a generation that whatever they learn from you will remain with them.

Pay attention to the language; if today our child learns Persian correctly and can use and apply Persian vocabulary where necessary, if they become a poet, artist, speaker, program maker, or writer, you can be assured; they will not be like the previous environment where they were nurtured, such as writers, screenwriters, television presenters, and individuals like them. This means that in your movement in the institute, you can achieve both objectives and duties regarding literature; both advance literature and properly utilize it among the various strata—where your audience is children. Therefore, great importance must be given to language and literature.

I would like to say a brief word about the role of art. Of course, you are artists yourselves, and it is not appropriate for me to say anything in this regard—you all know better than I do—but my dear ones! The language of art is a language that nothing can replace. Even in writings, art must be employed. Even in the culture of speech, art is what leaves an impact! You can express a phrase in two ways: artistically and non-artistically. If you express it artistically, it leaves an impact; however, if the same phrase is expressed non-artistically, it will not leave an impact! This is how art is; nothing can replace art.

Today, the colonial culture on a global scale—let us call it aggressive culture—that seeks to conquer the entire world—of course, this culture is a composite issue; it is not a simple issue—uses art as the most prevalent and effective means. They make films, plays, artistic works, and novels and send them out!

Why do we underestimate the role of art in our ordinary lives so much?! Right now, the artistic works that Mr. Chini Foroushan referred to, and some of which I have seen, clearly indicate intelligence. Apparently, one or two of them were even broadcast on television, which was very intelligently and well-prepared. You should replicate such works as much as you can. Art penetrates to the deepest layers of the human mind and is lasting and constructive. Use good art, noble art—not trivial and commonplace—as much as you can.

Of course, I have heard that you have storytelling. Storytelling is a very good art. Good stories build the character of a child. The same old stories that we heard from our mothers, grandmothers, or other elderly women in our childhood, when we revisit them today, we see how much wisdom exists in them! When a person traces some of their traits and thoughts, they reach these stories. The story is a very important issue; however, good stories.

Faith is the first thing for educating a child.

Try to instill the first thing you create in the child through storytelling and artistic work, which is faith. Nothing is equivalent to faith. Whatever you want to make of this child, you must instill faith in them. The worst blow that the news and artistic empire dealt was that it launched a vast network of corruption in the world during these years—unfortunately, during the Pahlavi era, it also affected us—promoting a religious and faithless atmosphere that left a person without any pillar to rely on in their heart and soul! Try to instill faith in the children; faith in God, faith in the absolute truth, and faith in Islam. If these children are raised with faith and you can plant the seed of faith in their hearts, in the future, they can become any great personality and be suitable for any task.

If we do not have this element in them, they are not suitable for any task; whatever they become, they will be uncertain. If they become politicians, they will be uncertain; if they become merchants, workers, writers, or artists, they will be uncertain. Try to strengthen faith in the children. This is the first point.

Of course, at that time, one can cultivate and weave around faith, fanaticism, rigidity, and the like; one can cultivate and weave noble traits, open-mindedness, courage, nobility, and generosity. Whatever you think is necessary for this child and for their character, weave it around faith. God willing, may God grant you success.

Of course, we say to do this, but I know that in practice, it is very difficult, it requires a lot of heartache, and it takes a lot of effort. My intention is not to overlook the efforts and difficulties of this work; however, I want to say that with high determination, God willing, all difficulties will be resolved, and God will grant you success. Because it is in the way of God and it is a great task, God willing, you will succeed.

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