Statements on the Twentieth Anniversary of Imam Khomeini's (may his soul be sanctified) Passing

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 al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the worlds.

I extend my condolences to all of you dear attendees, to the great nation of Iran, and to all the freedom-seekers of the world on the fourteenth of Khordad, which reminds us of the calamity of losing the great father of this nation. I hope that the Almighty God grants us all the success to take lessons from the memory of this great man of Islamic history for our own movement, the movement of the Iranian nation, and the movement of the Islamic Ummah.

I would like to discuss a matter regarding the path of Imam and the goals he pursued. In summarizing the recommendations, slogans, and demands that he made to the people, to the officials, and to all Muslims around the world, we observe two flags raised by Imam. In fact, our great Imam raised and upheld two flags in this great movement that he created in our country and in the Islamic world: one flag is the flag of reviving Islam; bringing forth this immense and infinite power. The second flag is the flag of dignity and pride for Iran and Iranians. These two flags are raised by the powerful hand of our great Imam. The first flag, which is indeed one aspect of Imam's call and movement, pertains to the great Islamic Ummah. The second flag, although related to the Iranian nation, pertains to Iran and Iranians, but since it is a practical experience of the revitalizing life of Islam, it is a source of hope and movement for the Islamic Ummah. Since this great movement in Iran was a practical experience of awakening Islam and realizing Islam, therefore, although it is directly related to Iran and Iranians, its outcome is still valuable and significant for the Islamic Ummah. I will briefly discuss both aspects.

In the first aspect, which was the raising of the flag of Islam, this led Muslims everywhere in the world to feel their identity; they felt their personality. After years of efforts to diminish and crush Islamic identity, when this revolution emerged, when the upright stature of our great Imam appeared before the eyes of the Muslim people of the world, everyone felt that they had gained an identity, a personality, an authenticity. This led to the emergence of signs of awakening among Muslims in the East and West of the Islamic world: the Palestinian nation revived after decades of failure; the youth of Arab countries, who had been disheartened and hopeless after their governments' defeats in three wars against the Zionist regime, regained their spirit - these are not just related to our country's issues; the Zionist regime, which is a cancerous tumor in the heart of Islamic countries and had shown an invincible face until that day, and many in the Islamic world believed that the Zionist regime was invincible, was struck by the hands of Muslim youth; the Palestinian intifadas began, and successive blows were dealt to the usurping regime; whether in the first intifada, or in the Al-Aqsa intifada, or in the defeat and retreat nine years ago from Lebanon, or in the thirty-three-day war, and in the past year in the twenty-two-day war against the oppressed people of Gaza; all these were blows dealt to the Zionist regime. This is while at the time when the Islamic Revolution triumphed, the Zionist regime was considered invincible by Muslim governments and peoples, especially Arab nations. This caused the Zionist regime to temporarily abandon its slogan from the Nile to the Euphrates and consign it to oblivion. Muslim nations - from Africa to East Asia - began to think about establishing Islamic systems and Islamic governments with various formulas; not necessarily with the same formula as our Islamic Republic system; but they began to think about the governance of Islam over their countries. Some countries succeeded; others have a promising future ahead of them from Islamic movements.

Intellectuals in the Islamic world entered the arena with renewed hope; those poets, artists, and writers who spoke with despair and felt defeated, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, after the great movement of our great Imam and the steadfastness of this nation, their spirits changed, their tone of speech, their poetry, and their writing transformed; they took on a hue of hope. And this thread has a long history.

I tell the Muslim nations here that if today you see that the tone of the Western world towards you has softened, it is the result of this general awakening and steadfastness in the Islamic world. God's unwavering promise that He has promised the victory of the believers will not be fulfilled unless the believers stand firm, insist, and sacrifice. To the extent that this steadfastness was observed, the tide turned; the Islamic world emerged from its state of humiliation against the West.

In the past, the world of domination and the arrogant powers made decisions regarding Islamic countries at will; they did not even ask the opinions of Muslim nations or Islamic governments. If they had oil, they planned for their oil; if they had markets, they made decisions for their markets, and those decisions had to be implemented. With the awakening of the Islamic world, this situation has changed significantly. Muslims should regard this experience as a successful and valuable one throughout the Islamic world and adjust their paths accordingly. What dignifies and elevates nations is their steadfastness.

Today, you observe that even this new American government is trying to portray a new face of the United States to the people of this region. Of course, they have the right to want this; because the previous American government created a hideous, detestable, and harsh image of the United States in the eyes of the nations of this region. The nations of the Middle East, the Islamic region, and North Africa deeply detest America; because over the years, they have witnessed violence from America in this region, military interventions, oppression, discrimination, and forceful interventions, observing the loss of their rights at the hands of American tyrannical governments over the years, hence they are disgusted. Now, the new American government seeks to transform this image; that is, to portray a new image of America in this region. How will this happen? I say this emphatically: it will not be achieved through words and speeches. They have done things that have deeply hurt the nations of this region, caused them pain, and struck them; it cannot be resolved with words and speeches; action is necessary.

America spoke of democracy, of the credibility of the votes of nations; but in Palestine, it disregarded the votes of the people who had elected a government, ignored them, and paid no attention to them. What result does this yield in the minds of the people? It is evident. Regarding the rights of the Palestinian nation, a nation that has been violently and cruelly driven from its home, from its homeland for decades - this is well known, it is not an unknown history, it dates back sixty years. The Palestinian nation, in this situation, deprived of its rights, wandering in various countries - America not only paid no attention to their rights, nor supported them, but on the contrary, fully supported the usurping regime, and if the oppressed Palestinians sought to protest, it labeled that protest as disruption and wicked acts. How will this be resolved?

The injustices of America in this region are not few. Regarding our own country, regarding this nuclear energy issue - the very common issue of these past few years - you see how much they concealed the truth; how many falsehoods they told; how many lies they spread; how much they opposed the demands of a nation - which is its natural and legitimate right that it has acquired and wants - the Iranian nation says we want to achieve nuclear industry, we want to be able to use nuclear energy in various peaceful aspects of life, they say that the Iranian nation is seeking a nuclear bomb! Why do they lie? Why do they make the Iranian nation deeply detest them with such statements? They have done this over the past years. The Iranian nation and officials have repeatedly declared that we do not want nuclear weapons; this does not exist in our needs and armament system at all. We have declared that the use of nuclear weapons is forbidden and prohibited in Islam. And maintaining them poses a great danger and a significant problem; we are not seeking this and do not want it; even if they offer money and say, 'Come and do this,' the Iranian nation does not want it, the officials do not want it. However, in the meantime, in these years of opposition and Western propaganda, you see that in order to justify their false claims and their coercive words, instead of saying that Iran is seeking peaceful nuclear energy, they say Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb! Is this not injustice?

The American governments over the past years - especially the foolish previous president of America - occupied two Islamic countries under the pretext of fighting terrorism: namely Iraq and Afghanistan. Then you look at Afghanistan and see that American warplanes bomb people, killing a hundred, a hundred and fifty people - not once, not twice, not ten times - repeatedly over these years. Well, what do terrorists do? This is exactly what terrorists do; except that terrorists kill one, two, or ten people, you kill a hundred, a hundred and fifty people at once. What kind of fight against terrorism is this? In Iraq, they supported and accompanied Ba'athist terrorist elements - according to our confirmed information - while proclaiming to fight terrorism! This is what has made the nations of the region detest America; it has blackened and tarnished America's image. If the new president of America wants to change this image, these actions must change; it cannot be achieved with speeches and slogans. The Muslim nations also know that the sincerity of American statesmen will only be evident when they take action to change; otherwise, if they do not take action to change, even if they give a hundred speeches, even if they deliver sweet and beautiful words to the Islamic Ummah, it will have no effect; no change will occur. This Islamic awakening was the first aspect of the great movement of our great Imam.

The second aspect pertains to the dignity of Iran and Iranians. The first and most important action that our great Imam took in this second aspect was to remove the feeling of inferiority from the Iranian nation and to cleanse their spirit of it; this is a very important issue. Our nation, for one hundred and fifty years, one hundred years ago, due to various factors, felt a sense of inferiority; they felt self-deprecation; from the wars of the Qajar era and those severe defeats and the loss of various cities during the Qajar period, to later during the Pahlavi era, the time of Reza Khan, that dictatorship and severe oppression of the nation, where no one was given the opportunity to breathe; then during the time after the first Pahlavi, during Mohammad Reza's time, with the presence of Americans, with the establishment of the security organization and SAVAK, with the harsh treatment of the people, the people felt that they had no strength left. In several important matters, the Iranian nation felt defeated; from the constitutional movement where the Iranian nation was defeated after having triumphed, to the issue of the national movement where despite the great movement, the officials and authorities could not maintain this movement, and the Iranian nation was defeated; after that, a harsh dictatorship ruled over the people from 1953 to 1979 - for twenty-four years - during which the people truly had no spirit left.

On the other hand, Westernized intellectuals, many of whom were present in the oppressive government apparatus, conveyed to the people through their words and actions that they were incapable; they had no ability to do anything; they had to imitate. Imitate in science, imitate in industry, imitate in culture, imitate in clothing, imitate in food, imitate in speech. They even went so far as to say that we should change the Persian script! See how far a nation must have strayed from independence and self-esteem for some to dare to say that you must change your script. The Persian script, which has been the scientific heritage written with for a thousand years, should we change it, replace it with the European script, and imitate them? They had brought it to this point. Imam came and took this spirit of inferiority away and throughout the fifteen years of Imam's movement until the victory of the revolution and from the day of the victory of the revolution in a different manner for ten years of the blessed life of that great man, he constantly instilled the spirit of self-belief in this nation: you can, we can, you are capable, you are great, you are powerful.

This self-belief and national self-confidence is one of the two essential pillars of the progress of any country. One pillar is material capabilities, but material capabilities alone are not enough. A nation may have abundant material resources, yet it may not achieve growth, advancement, and elevation; it may not become a dignified and powerful nation. Well, before the revolution, we had the same oil, the same gas, the same vast mines of precious metals, the same brilliant talents and capable human resources; yet at the same time, we lived as a third-rate, unknown nation in the world, trampled by great powers, under the yoke of a corrupt government that was a puppet of the enemies of the nation. Thus, material capabilities alone are not sufficient; other factors are necessary; one of the most important of these factors is self-belief, self-confidence, and the belief that a nation can. Imam brought our nation to this belief that it can stand firm; it can resist; it can liberate its country; it can preserve the system it has created with full power; it can influence the world, in international policies, and that is exactly what happened. This is the national dignity that I mentioned twenty days ago in Sanandaj among our Kurdish brothers. National dignity is very important for a country. This national dignity is not just words. It has practical translations in all aspects of our lives.

National dignity in managing the country means that a government, a system, relies on its people, on its nation.

National dignity in economic matters means that the country reaches self-sufficiency, able to take what it needs from the world, and if the world needs something from it, it can take it in return; it should not be subdued, nor should it be dominated.

National dignity in the realm of science means that its young students, its researchers, its scholarly investigators strive to push the boundaries of knowledge - this is what we have called the software movement and the production of knowledge - and produce knowledge. Those who brought knowledge to this point were individuals who, in terms of average talent, were not behind us, nor were they ahead of us. We have centuries of brilliant scientific history, and today we must be able to create knowledge, discover it, and have a significant share in the construction of global knowledge; this is what dignity means.

The dignity of a nation in various policies and in its interactions with other countries, governments, and powers is that it possesses independence of opinion. A government, a system should manifest itself in such a way that no power can impose its will upon it in any matter.

National dignity in the realm of culture means that a nation adheres to its traditions, values them, and does not become a follower of foreign and invading cultures. This is something that unfortunately our country, before the revolution, for over a hundred years or more, drowned in the storm and destructive wave of Western culture, the effects of which we are still enduring; we are still suffering its pains. National dignity means that a nation values its traditions, respects them, takes pride in them, and does not care if others say, 'You are reactionary.' Today, some European countries do things that if you put them in front of a reasonable, ordinary person, they would only elicit mocking laughter. We ask: Why do you do this? They say: This is our tradition! They adhere to their traditions; outdated, decayed traditions. Then, if other nations respect their own traditions, adhere to them, they are ridiculed and mocked for it. No, this self-abasement is contrary to national dignity. National dignity is when a nation is not self-abased in the face of the cultures of others; this is national dignity. In all aspects of life, national dignity is translated, has meaning, and has examples.

In the manner of governing the country and interacting with people, national dignity means that every individual in a society is respected. "But if he is your brother in religion, or your equal in creation"; if he is of your religion, he is respected; if he is not of your religion, he is respected. In society, everyone who is human is respected; is honored; this creates national dignity. These are the various dimensions of national dignity that were the guidance of Imam; the Imam's pointing finger.

The Islamic system has also progressed over these thirty years with this self-confidence. Of course, it has had ups and downs, fluctuations; but it has not stopped; the nation did not stop. This dignity of our nation is now reflected in the world. I do not accept the words of those who think that our nation has been humiliated in the world due to its adherence to its principles and foundations; absolutely not. We have enemies. Our enemies are a united front composed of meddling and tyrannical powers of the world. When they see that a country has exited their orbit - countries that they have kept as their satellites in their orbit - like Iran, which exited their orbit with the Islamic Revolution, they try to confront it, to crush it; they humiliate it; their propaganda tools are abundant. This does not mean that we have lost our dignity. No, in the depths of the hearts of those who are enemies of Islam and the Islamic Republic, the respect for Imam and the Iranian nation has taken root.

The path of our great nation, which has been nurtured by the statements and guidance of Imam, towards reaching the pinnacle of elevation and progress is to maintain this national dignity in all areas. This nation can reach the pinnacle of elevation, and when a nation becomes strong, its material and spiritual elevation will also be complete. That is, its vulnerability will be eliminated; enemies will no longer dare to covet it. If our nation wants to achieve complete security, if it wants enemies to no longer dare to threaten it, it must follow this path. If it wants progress and justice, it must follow this path. The great danger for our country is separating from the people; separating from Islamic values; separating from the blessed line of Imam; these are dangers for our country. If this strong backbone that the revolution has created is preserved, many problems can be repaired over time. Do not let this strong backbone break, for if it breaks, no wound will be healed, no corner of destruction will be repaired. We must preserve the strong backbone of the Islamic system that Imam has taught us. I thank God that over these thirty years, the Iranian nation and the officials of the country have been able to follow this path as much as they could, to pursue it. Of course, there have been ups and downs, fluctuations; in one period better, in another period less, but this movement has continued steadily until today, and with God's grace and the efforts of you people, especially the efforts of you youth, this path will continue until the final victory.

Let me say a few words about the elections. The sensitive and crucial issue of our country's destiny is elections in all periods; whether parliamentary elections, Assembly of Experts elections, and especially the presidential elections that are just a few days away. I will mention a few points regarding the elections:

The first point is that two or three months ago, foreign radios began to defame and distort the image of elections in our country, to create distrust among the people. Sometimes they said: This is not an election, it is an appointment. Sometimes they said: This is a controlled game within the government; they said: These candidates are playing a game themselves; the various candidates you see have disagreements, all of this is mere facade, it is a game. Sometimes they said: There will definitely be fraud in the elections; whenever they said something. The purpose of all this defamation is one thing, and that is that they do not want the nation to participate strongly and visibly in the elections; this is what they want. I tell you: My dear ones! The dear nation of Iran! The intelligent and awake nation of Iran! The experienced and tested nation of Iran that has passed through all these hard turns over these thirty years! Know that they oppose your democracy. The enemy opposes your presence, your choice. They want to take away the support of the system, which is the people and the votes of the people, from the system; they understand what they are doing. Woe to those who, unknowingly, out of negligence, repeat their words and realize their goals inside. They are taking hope away from the people. The Iranian nation is proud that it has been able to determine its officials over these thirty years. The high-ranking officials of the system, from top to bottom, have been elected by the people; the leadership is also elected by the people through the Assembly of Experts elections, presidential elections, Islamic Consultative Assembly elections, and various councils; this is one of the honors of the system, they want to take this away from the people; because they know that the system becomes stronger with this. I tell you: Anyone who is interested in the strength of this system, anyone who is interested in Islam, anyone who is interested in the Iranian nation, it is rationally and religiously obligatory for them to participate in these elections.

The second point regarding the elections. My dear ones! The various candidates each have supporters, admirers. The admirers of this candidate cannot object to the admirers of that candidate, saying: Why do you like him, and you have no interest in my preferred candidate? No, this is one of the honors of our country. Different individuals come; with different temperaments, with different tastes, with various working styles, they stand before the people. Some like this one, some like that one, some like that one; this is an honor; this is good. Each of the respected candidates also has supporters. Some of these supporters are very passionate, very devoted to their candidate. Very well, let them be, there is no problem; but be careful, be vigilant that these affections do not lead to friction; do not lead to chaos. You are striving for your belief, for your faith; do not let the enemy of this faith, the enemy of this ideal take advantage of you. I have heard and learned that in the streets some young supporters of candidates go - now I do not speak about this street-going - but I emphatically say: Do not let this street-going lead to confrontation, to disputes, to clashes; be vigilant. If you see someone insisting on chaos and conflict, know that they are either treacherous or very negligent.

The third point about the elections. The candidates themselves should also be vigilant. It is not pleasing to see a candidate, whether in their campaign speeches, whether in speeches, whether on television or elsewhere, resorting to negating the other, even with various arguments; in my opinion, this is not correct. I have previously made a recommendation in this regard, and now in these last days, I say it again. All candidates are working for one goal. Each one feels a responsibility, a duty, and comes to the field. I have no objection to debates, opposition, dialogue, and criticism; but try to ensure that this is done within the correct religious and ethical frameworks. The people are awake, they understand, they know. These four candidates who have been approved by the Guardian Council and are speaking at various gatherings, the respected candidates themselves should pay attention, be careful that in these speeches, in these statements, there should not be anything that leads to enmity and discord; they should proceed with brotherhood and kindness. Of course, differences of opinion, differences of vote, differences of taste in various matters, in personal matters, in public matters, is a natural thing; it is not a problem. Do not let this lead to chaos. The respected candidates should also pay attention to this.

The fourth matter. In this election, I have one vote, and it seems that no one knows specifically who I will vote for; now some may guess. I do not tell anyone, I have not said, and I will not say who to vote for, who not to vote for; my vote is related to myself. This belongs to the nation. What I want from the people is that everyone, with all their might, with all their ability, with all their enthusiasm, should be present at the ballot boxes on the twenty-second of Khordad and vote. The Almighty God is with the nation that thinks, decides, chooses, and acts upon that choice for God and in the way of God.

O Lord! Bestow Your blessings and mercy upon this nation. O Lord! Unite the pure soul of our great Imam with Your saints. O Lord! Unite the souls of the two young sons of our great Imam who passed away and joined him with the great Imam and his saints. O Lord! Unite our dear martyrs, many of whom rest in the vicinity of this holy shrine, and all the martyrs of Islam with Your saints.

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