Message of the Supreme Leader to the Hajj Congress in 2003

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

The massive gathering of Muslims at Hajj is an unparalleled and astonishing phenomenon. All Muslim nations from all over the world and from all social strata come together in these few days at the House of God, the birthplace of Islam and its great Prophet, to perform the profound and mysterious rituals of Hajj. In these magnificent and meaningful rites, the connection of hearts with the Great God, the connection of hearts with one another, movement around the axis of monotheism, collective effort, casting stones at Satan and disavowing tyranny, remembrance and supplication and humility before God, and the feeling of dignity and greatness in the light of Islam are all symbolically taught to the Muslim nations; and kindness and coexistence with brothers, and steadfastness and resilience against enemies, and liberation from the trappings of self-interest and joining the sea of divine dignity and greatness are embodied in the rituals of Hajj.

Hajj is a symbol of the Islamic Ummah and a lesson in the type of behavior that this great Ummah must adopt to secure its happiness. Hajj can be summarized in the purposeful, conscious, and diverse movement of all in a unified direction. The essence of this movement is the remembrance of God and the solidarity of God's servants, and its goal is to create a solid spiritual base for a prosperous human life: "God has made the Kaaba, the Sacred House, a standing place for people, and the Sacred Month and the rites and the sacrificial animals..."

The Islamic Ummah now needs a great and purposeful movement in its real life, and all, both governments and Muslim nations, share in this responsibility.

Islamic countries have endured irreparable losses in the past century. The wave of colonialism and the conquests of Western powers have inflicted the greatest damage on Muslim nations, whose wealth and material resources have made them targets of comprehensive assaults by colonialist states.

The result of these encroachments for Muslims has been political and economic captivity and scientific and material backwardness, and for the colonizers, the exploitation of the material and human resources of Muslims and the increase of their wealth and power through usurpation, oppression, war-mongering, and violence.

After many years, Muslim nations have awakened, and the awakening movement of Muslims and the banners of justice-seeking and freedom-seeking have opened promising horizons before them, and ultimately, the victory of Islam in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic announced the beginning of a new era for the Islamic world.

It is evident that the centers of wealth and power in the world will not easily submit to the truth, and Muslim nations have a long and difficult but blessed and promising path ahead of them. Those who tread this path, if they persevere, will free themselves and future generations from the humiliation of backwardness and political, economic, and cultural captivity and will taste the sweet life under the shade of Islam.

This path is one of scientific struggle, political struggle, and powerful defense of the clear truth. In this arena, Muslims are defenders of their dignity, honor, and violated rights. Human fairness and conscience are the knowledgeable and uncompromising judges who confirm this oppressed struggle, and divine tradition promises their certain victory: "Permission is granted to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is capable of granting them victory."

Global arrogance, meaning the intertwined network of oil cartels, arms manufacturers, global Zionism, and the governments dependent on them, feels a danger from the awakening of the Islamic Ummah and is currently engaged in a frantic assault. The manifestation of this assault, which has political, propaganda, military, and terrorist dimensions, is clearly seen today in the violent and explicit behavior and speech of the ruling military in the United States and the Zionist regime:

The oppressed and bloodied Palestine is daily subjected to the most brutal encounters by the occupying regime. The Palestinian nation endures all calamities of murder, plunder, destruction, torture, humiliation, and insult solely for the crime of daring to seriously demand their long-violated rights after half a century.

The Iraqi nation receives threats of war because the American regime deems it necessary to establish itself in Iraq to dominate the vital flow of oil, plunder the remaining oil resources of this region, and maintain a significant presence near the borders of Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, thereby seizing the fate of that country and, consequently, the fate of all countries in the Middle East.

The Afghan nation has only felt the bombs and weapons of mass destruction from America and Britain and their humiliating and occupying presence on their bodies and souls in the past year and a few months because the American government has defined its illegitimate interests in this way.

The greed of this arrogant and anti-human network knows no bounds. If half a century ago, America wanted to be the master of Latin American countries, in the current half-century, it seeks to be the unconditional king and dictator of all Islamic countries. The targeting and planning of America, which is full of losses, all reflect this arrogant and simultaneously foolish claim.

There is no doubt that America and its allies will fail, and the world will once again witness the fall of a powerful but intoxicated empire, just as their calculations in both Afghanistan and Palestine have proven to be misguided. However, if the Islamic Ummah, both governments and nations, do not make timely, wise, and courageous decisions, they will once again suffer heavy and irreparable losses.

In the new round of its insane movements, which began after the highly suspicious incident of September 11, America has also launched a propaganda attack: raising the flag of democracy and anti-terrorism and speaking out against weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons for the Islamic nations. Do they not consider that Muslims might ask: Which governments and companies provided these to the Ba'ath regime in Iraq? Therefore, the nineteen thousand chemical bombs that you claim the Ba'ath regime had in stock, and since thirteen thousand of them were dropped on the Iranians, six thousand must still exist, and you justify your future attack on Iraq for this reason, where did this number of chemical weapons and means come from for the Iraqi regime? Is there anyone other than you and your allies who is complicit in this historical catastrophe?

Do they not think that the claim of fighting terrorism and accusing an unknown and unspecified group cannot deceive Muslim nations who see America's support for the world's most savage terrorist regime, namely the Zionist regime? With this costly and insane propaganda movement, America is now seen by Muslim nations as a symbol of lies, deceit, and trickery.

The arrogant and oppressive America has not achieved its goals in Palestine and Afghanistan, and that exorbitant material and spiritual cost has brought nothing but loss, and it will continue to pass in this manner, God willing.

In Iraq, it also claims that its goal is to eliminate Saddam and the Ba'ath regime, and of course, it lies; its real goal is to seize OPEC and devour the oil of the region and to provide closer support for the Zionist regime and to conspire more closely against Islamic Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. It is certain that if America gains control over Iraq, whether through war or without war, the first victim of this hostile occupation will be the Iraqi nation and its honor, dignity, and wealth. And if that nation and the neighboring countries are vigilant, it will not achieve these goals, God willing.

Arrogance knows that the source of resistance for nations and Muslim governments is Islam and its liberating teachings. Therefore, it has launched a widespread psychological war against Islam and Muslims. After the September 11 incident, which pointed many fingers at the hidden and infiltrating networks of Zionism, they hastily included the name of Muslims and Islam in the column of accusations and repeated it day and night. Some Muslims were also captured by America and Afghanistan and other places and subjected to horrific prisons and tortures. Neither was the accusation against these individuals ever proven, nor did any named and identified accused fall into the hands of Americans. However, the psychological war against Muslims and Islam did not stop and seems it will not stop anytime soon.

Islam is the religion of freedom, justice, and the pursuit of truth. True democracy is the same religious democracy that is presented with the backing of faith and religious responsibility, and as is evident in Islamic Iran, it operates much more reliably, honestly, and popularly than the democracy of the likes of America. The democracy that Americans claim they will give to the peoples of Islamic and Arab countries is as damaging as their bullets, bombs, and missiles. The enemy, even if it gives us a single date, we cannot be sure that it has not filled it with deadly poison. The Islamic Ummah in Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia has tested this many times, even in recent years.

In such a sensitive and critical situation, the Islamic Ummah needs more than ever to learn from the model of Hajj: a purposeful, conscious, diverse, and collective movement towards Quranic goals and on the straight path of Islam. God Almighty said: "Those who believe fight in the way of God, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of tyranny. So fight against the allies of Satan; indeed, the plot of Satan is weak." And God Almighty said: "And Moses said to his people, 'Seek help from God and be patient; indeed, the earth belongs to God; He gives it to whom He wills of His servants, and the outcome is for the God-conscious.' And God, the Most High, the Great, has spoken the truth.

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

Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei

18/11/1381

5 Dhul-Hijjah 1423