Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with the People of Damghan

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, the chosen Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth. I see myself among you, dear brothers and sisters of Damghan, in a gathering of familiar faces filled with love and kindness, and I thank God. Your ancient and beautiful city is one of the major centers of pride in this province. What has been written about the past of this city and the nurturing of literati, poets, scholars, and prominent figures is well known. What we have observed in our time is that Damghan is a center of faithful, sincere, loving, content, and patient people, active in the fields of the revolution; both during the Sacred Defense and before it. As I mentioned yesterday among the families of the martyrs, during the war and the Sacred Defense, the support and engineering headquarters associated with the Construction Jihad— which were very active in the province and unparalleled among the provinces of the country— were led and commanded by the active, struggling, and self-sacrificing Damghani people. Among the renowned martyrs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Martyr Shahcheraghi— who belongs not only to the people of Damghan but to the entire nation of Iran— is one of the flags of honor for these dear people. The other noble martyrs whom we have now visited in the martyrs' cemetery and their blessed graves have each illuminated this ancient city with a lantern of spirituality, grandeur, and honor. These are signs of the dignity, courage, zeal, and faith of you, the faithful and sincere men and women. I must mention the piety and faith roots of the people of this city, which, after the suppression of the clergy and the religious during the reign of the tyrant Reza Khan, one of the active seminaries in the eastern region of the country was the Damghan seminary, where the late Mr. Tarabi (may God be pleased with him)— the uncle of the current esteemed Friday prayer leader— spread the lessons of knowledge and understanding. From various cities, including Mazandaran, Semnan, and different sections, seekers of love and knowledge and enthusiasts of truth came to Damghan and studied in three schools of Damghan. Today, some graduates of those scholarly schools are among the prominent and well-known figures in this province and beyond. When a seminary flourishes and becomes effective in a city, it cannot be analyzed separately from the spiritual and religious atmosphere of the people. The existence of a blessed seminary signifies the deep and authentic religious and faith presence of the people of that region. In Mashhad, the late Ayatollah Damghani was a well-known teacher and a prominent figure during our youth. Recently, the devout and God-seeking man— the late Mr. Moallem (may God be pleased with him)— lived in this city. Whenever I visited this dear and noble man in Tehran— who would come to see us— the beautiful spiritualities of Damghan would come to my mind. Today, I am happy to be among people, both men and women, who are kind, faithful, and sincere, and who have these beautiful and inspiring backgrounds in my mind. One issue is the reconstruction and development of Damghan. We remind the esteemed governments of important points during these trips. Your city is a talented city; it also faces problems, and the people are grappling with them. The questions that our friends asked the people of the city before the trip showed us that the issues of water, unemployment, health and treatment, and some other problems are serious for the people of this city. What I can say is that the esteemed government and the esteemed president are striving with all their might, within the capacity of the country, to resolve these issues. Certainly, the esteemed government will address these problems in its short-term and long-term planning. These problems must be gradually solved. With your own efforts, with your cooperation, and with the presence of the youth— especially the student youth, who are numerous in this province, including in this city— utilizing their expertise and knowledge, they can help in untangling various knots and be partners in this endeavor. Today’s Damghan is vastly different from the Damghan of thirty years ago that I saw; Shahrud is the same; Semnan is the same; and the other cities and regions of the country are the same. There was a time when high-level officials in Tehran had as their primary goal filling their own pockets and pleasing their foreign and American and Zionist masters. They did not consider it their duty to address the problems of the nation and the country. If a city had an influential figure in the ruling apparatus, it would attract government resources to its city— often for personal interests— to the extent of that influence. If a city did not have a powerful party in the decision-making bodies, it would be deprived of everything. Many of our people and many of our cities were victims of this discrimination and this erroneous and tyrannical system during the reign of the tyrant. In the Islamic Republic, the officials of the country consider their only duty to serve the people. I have repeatedly emphasized that our officials are servants of the people and, in clear and explicit terms, the servants of the people. The people have entrusted their immense national power to their officials so that they can defend both their dignity, honor, and independence, as well as their scientific, cultural, and political standing on the international stage, and also utilize the country’s resources for their benefit. Our country has abundant resources. This very desert that is neighboring you is a source of blessings. Certainly, one of the tasks that the government must undertake— although they have started some work, but it is weak and needs to be strengthened— is to identify this desert and its blessings. In a sense, it is a vast table of blessings from which many benefits can be derived for the people and for the development of the provinces surrounding the desert. This government is a lively, agile, active, compassionate government, devoted to the interests and demands of the people, and is in the midst of the field and scene. To the extent that the government’s resources allow, it will certainly act. Of course, during this trip— in the reports before and after the trip and what we hear during the trip in negotiations with officials— we identify the more fundamental, sensitive, and necessary points, and God willing, may the Almighty God help us to plan and pave the right paths, and day by day improve the lives of you, the faithful and enthusiastic people. Whatever the officials do for this nation is truly insufficient. One is left astonished. I just visited the mother of faithful martyrs. She has given three young men in the way of God and has one disabled son, and she herself is elderly; yet despite all this, she stands spiritually like a mountain. The hands of these people should be kissed; this is true greatness. When a nation has such human greatness within itself, it must be assured that it can undertake any great task. The ideals that the Iranian nation has envisioned are indeed lofty ideals; however, these ideals are attainable. Raising the flag of Islamic justice, defending it, and moving towards it is not a futile and fruitless ideal, as some try to convey. This is practical. It is true that today, in the human world, social justice is oppressed; it is true that today, the claimants of human rights are the most ruthless violators of human rights; just look at what is happening in Palestine today; Palestinians are being massacred daily. The savage Zionists, who lost the military prestige they had gained over fifty years in the thirty-three-day war in Lebanon— they spent fifty years trying to show that Israel is invincible; however, this fifty-year prestige turned to smoke in thirty-three days. A group of impoverished, believing Mojahedin, lacking advanced weapons, managed to bring that arrogant and rebellious army to disgrace; inflicted casualties upon it; and ridiculed it on the world stage— as if they want to take revenge on the unfortunate Palestinians for that defeat and disgrace. For several days, or perhaps weeks, Gaza has been under constant attack by the Zionists. And this very relentless and oppressive attack on Gaza— which, on the surface, returned them to the Palestinians under a contract, and now they are treating them this way— should show what the end and outcome of negotiations with the usurping and Zionist Israel is. Some say we should solve our problems with the Zionists through negotiation; here is this negotiation! This great oppression is taking place today; the advocates of human rights, the claimants of human rights, those who, in every corner of the world, accuse governments that do not obey them of violating human rights— in Europe and the West— are sitting idly by, unconcerned, watching this daily massacre. If someone were to slaughter a sheep in one of the streets of a European capital, there would not be such indifference. For the killing of dozens and hundreds of defenseless children, women, and men— those who have not participated in any armed conflict and are being killed blindly— their value is less than the spilling of the blood of a sheep; today, this is the state of justice in the world. Some who look at this situation say: You mention social justice; is it possible?! Of course, there are those inside who are willing to trample on the interests of hundreds, thousands, and millions for their own benefits; you hear about them. Some abusers and economic corruptors do not differentiate between public and non-public funds; wherever they can, they take advantage; if someone’s right is violated, so be it. When some see these things, they say: Is it possible to establish social justice in the country?! I say: Yes; all the ideals of this nation and revolution— including social justice— can be achieved with the support of these faithful and brave people— who stand like a mountain. Twenty years ago, when we were engaged in the Sacred Defense and defending our homeland, the powers were not even willing to sell us the simplest weapons; they wouldn’t even sell them at double the price. A flood of weapons and modern tools was flowing from Europe, America, and the former Soviet Union to Iraq and the criminal Saddam; at that time, if we needed the simplest weapons— if we didn’t have them— we would face a thousand problems to perhaps obtain them or not. Back then, if someone had said that this nation, these revolutionary and faithful youths, would one day be able to explode all these missile tools in the Persian Gulf or elsewhere as a test and military exercise, would anyone have believed it? But our nation was able to do it. On the day when the threatening bluster of opposing and arrogant powers was pouring down on this nation, they threatened us, and even some elements of friendly governments, under the title of special news— ten years ago, eight years ago, five years ago— would inform us that we know they plan to attack you on such and such day or month; their intention was to threaten and intimidate and push the Islamic Republic government back from its positions. Back then, many people might not have believed that global arrogance, led by America, would suffer such defeats in all its opposing policies against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran; that its policies in Iraq would fail; that its policies in Palestine would fail; that its policies in Lebanon would fail disgracefully; that it would remain unsuccessful in Afghanistan, and its threats would be considered hollow on the international stage. But this happened. What they conspired against the Iranian nation turned against themselves. This current American government, whenever any of its leaders— whether its Secretary of Defense, its Secretary of State, or Bush himself— spoke against the Iranian nation, they uttered a bitter threatening sentence to perhaps scare the nation; however, whatever they said turned out to be the opposite. Bush, in the presidential election issue, sent a message to the Iranian nation not to participate in the elections; however, the people stubbornly participated more than ever in the twenty-five or twenty-six years of their history. In the recent elections in America regarding Iraq and the failed policies of America in Iraq, it became clear that these policies had failed even in Washington; these warmongering policies had failed among the American people and politicians as well. The fact that in the congressional elections, the party affiliated with the current president lost is not just a domestic incident in America; rather, it signifies the failure of the warmongering and aggressive policies of the current American president. These policies have failed on a global scale. From the perspective of the Americans, the main party in these policies was the Iranian nation; and this means that the Iranian nation has clearly and internationally triumphed in this political stage. Today, even Bush himself has realized that he has failed; apparently, the last person among American politicians to realize he has failed is Bush himself! He too today admits that he has failed in his warmongering policies. I tell the Iranian nation: Dear Iranian nation! You are armed and equipped with faith, determination, and human capability; this is the foundation of the wealth of this determined, faithful, and talented nation. The Iranian youth possess capabilities that are above the average capabilities of youth worldwide. Our specialists and experts tell me that in every technical and scientific endeavor we have focused on, we have been able to accomplish that task in the best possible way; by the grace and power of God, this is true in technical matters, as well as in human and social matters, and in political matters. The backing for this is your faith, unity, and solidarity. This warm and sincere connection between you and the officials of the country should not be lost. The determination to work, the determination to strive, and the vibrant faith of you people have made you steadfast like a mountain. This determination must remain. God willing, all the ideals of the revolution will be realized, the most important of which is the elimination of discrimination, the elimination of individual, local, provincial, and regional discrimination throughout the country; and the utilization of talents and natural resources that today are at the disposal of various sectors of the Iranian nation; including yours. You have mines here, agricultural capabilities. Of course, you have water issues; however, securing water is not impossible; there are measures that can be taken, God willing. On one side is this desert, on the other side are fertile lands, and on one side is your immense human talent. We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God grants success to the officials so that with your help and determination, they can day by day improve the lives of you people and, with divine grace, resolve the problems, and God willing, the prayers of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him)— by the blessing of the pure souls of our dear martyrs— may encompass you and all the Iranian nation. O Lord! Bestow Your grace, mercy, and blessings upon this people through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Increase the successes of this great nation day by day. O Lord! Make the officials more interested and eager in serving this nation day by day. O Lord! Make our intentions in what we have said and in what we have heard pure intentions that are pleasing to You. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.