Statements on the 28th Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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, the guided, the Mahdi, the infallible, especially the Remaining One of God on the earth.

Peace and greetings and divine blessings upon the worthy son of the noble prophet and reviver of the prophetic religion, our great Imam; today we commemorate the painful anniversary of that great man's passing, and on this day, this gathering of devoted and loving individuals has come together in remembrance of him.

Dear brothers and sisters! My discussion today primarily revolves around a few points regarding our great Imam and the revolution; if time permits at the end of my speech, I will also briefly address some issues concerning the domestic and foreign policies of the country.

Of course, regarding the Imam and this great man, many knowledgeable individuals have spoken over the years, but firstly, what has been said about the Imam and the revolution—these are intertwined, and the memory and name of the Imam cannot be separated from the name of the revolution—does not encompass all matters related to the Imam and the revolution; there are unspoken truths that must gradually be ingrained in the collective consciousness of society. Secondly, what has been said about the revolution and the Imam, and what we have repeated, must be revisited and reiterated; because if a truth is not repeated multiple times and mentioned with details and specifics, the suspicion of distortion of that truth will gradually arise. Most of you know that there are motivations for distorting the character of the Imam and distorting the revolution—which was the greatest art of our great Imam. We must repeat the truths we have spoken about the Imam and the revolution, and we must continue to do so, preventing the distorting forces from having any room for distortion. This is also true in sacred law, and it is the same in historical truths; many religious teachings have been mandated to be repeated; for example, the recitation of the Quran must be done continuously so that the Quranic truths are never erased from minds; or history—real and accurate history—must be repeated. If our nation had not insisted on explaining and articulating Ashura in this manner over the centuries, this significant event might have been forgotten or reflected much weaker than it actually was.

My main address in today’s discussions is directed towards you dear youth; the reason is that [firstly] the youth did not witness the great epic periods; they did not see the era of the revolution's victory, the era of the Sacred Defense, the era of the great movements and struggles against the separatists; the youth have only heard about these, and for them, these are history; thus, it is necessary to explain and articulate these matters more for them; this is the first point. Secondly, the minds of the youth are targets for the distorters; today, they want to work more on the minds of our youth and prevent the young generation of this country from becoming familiar with many truths. Therefore, my address today is to the youth.

I say to you dear youth! The Islamic revolution, which was realized by our great Imam and was brought about by his divine management, was not merely a political change where one group was removed from power and another group took their place; it was not that, rather the revolution was a profound transformation; it was both a deep transformation in the politics of the country—in the political arena, it was a profound transformation—and it was also a transformation in the very fabric of Iranian society. In the political arena, this transformation meant that a closed hereditary dictatorship, dependent on enemies and a follower of foreigners, which was ruling in the country—a government of this kind—was transformed into a people-based government that relies on the people, is independent, stands tall, and has an identity; this great transformation occurred in the political arena. In the very fabric of society, our society had become a society without identity; Iran, with its cultural background, with its greatness, with all these scholars, with this philosophy, with this immense human knowledge in this country, had turned into a society that followed the West and was without identity. The goal of the revolution was to change this situation to transform society into one with identity, independence, authenticity, creativity, and new ideas; this Islamic revolution was such a transformation that our great Imam, with the help of the people, brought to victory.

When our great Imam articulated these goals in his speeches and statements, he was indeed presenting maximum objectives; to pessimistic and tempting individuals, it seemed very unlikely that such goals could be realized by our great Imam; even [in the view of] politicians. One of the well-respected politicians told me that on the day Imam raised the issue of the abolition of the monarchy in the country, we said, why is the Imam saying this? It is impossible, it cannot happen! Even seasoned, dedicated politicians thought this way. The Imam presented a maximum objective. You can compare this maximum objective with, for example, the goal of the Constitutional Movement; the goal of the Constitutional Movement was to reduce the powers of the Shah through the parliament; or suppose you compare it with the goal of the nationalization of the oil industry; the goal of the nationalization movement was to take the oil—which was in the hands of the British—and place it in the hands of our own government; you can compare these small and minimal goals with the great transformation that the Imam envisioned; these movements with minimal goals did not succeed, but the Imam succeeded with that maximum objective of such magnitude. Initially, they achieved some minor victories, but ultimately they failed. The Imam was able to achieve complete victory and maintain and sustain that victory.

This raises the question of how the Imam was able to bring this great movement to victory and preserve that victory; the secret, according to apparent standards, is that of course it was divine will, but the apparent causes of this victory were that the Imam was able to engage the entire society, all segments of the people, especially the youth, in the scene. In any movement, in any country where the masses enter the field and stand firm and resist, their goals will be realized; there is no exception to this; this has not been proven otherwise at any point in history; the Imam was able to perform this great art, this monumental task of engaging the entire society, especially the youth, and keeping them in the field.

From where did the Imam acquire such capability? This is the point I want to emphasize, and it is a lesson for today for you and me. The Imam had personal attractions, there were attractions in the Imam's slogans; these attractions were so strong that they could engage various segments of the people, including the youth, in the field. Although the youth, both during the struggles and in the first decade after the victory of the revolution, faced various attractions, with different thoughts, including leftist ideas and ideas dependent on the capitalist camp, they also spoke colorful words, and there were also various attractions of ordinary life in front of the youth, and the youth could choose them; however, the youth chose the Imam, chose the path of the Imam, chose the movement, chose the struggle, chose the revolution; why? Because of these attractions that existed in the Imam.

Some of these attractions were related to the person of the Imam. The Imam had a very strong, very solid personality, with the power to stand firm against difficulties. The Imam was straightforward, clear in expression. The Imam was honest, he spoke with sincerity; all of the Imam's audience felt his sincerity in his words; these were the personal attractions of the Imam. The faith and reliance of the Imam on the Almighty God were equally evident in his behavior and speech; both his behavior and his speech were signs of his faith and reliance on the Great God; these were the attractions of the Imam.

Alongside these attractions, part of the attractions were related to the principles that the Imam presented. For example, among the things that the Imam presented to the people was Islam; pure Islam, Muhammadan Islam. Pure Islam means an Islam that is neither captive nor bound by backwardness, nor captive nor bound by syncretism. In an era when both backwardness and syncretism existed, the Imam presented pure Islam; this was attractive to the Muslim youth. Among the principles announced by the Imam and his slogans were independence; among them was freedom; among them was social justice and economic justice; these were the principles the Imam presented; all of these are attractive.

Among the principles presented by the Imam was the emergence from the grip of American domination; this was something that was attractive to the Iranian youth. And I tell you, today, emerging from the grip of American domination is attractive even for the youth in countries that have long-standing dependency treaties with America. For instance, in a country like Saudi Arabia, which serves American objectives, if you approach the youth—you will see, this has been known and experienced—that all the youth are disgusted with dependency on America and are eager to break free from this oppressive domination; this was one of the characteristics [of the Imam's principles].

Among the principles raised by the Imam and the slogans of our great Imam was the issue of popular sovereignty; meaning that the authority of the country should be in the hands of the people; the people should choose, the people should want, the people should will; in all areas of life. One of the slogans of the Imam was the self-belief of the nation; meaning that he told and repeated to the people that you can, you are capable; in science, in industry, in essential tasks, in managing the country, in managing important sectors of the country, in the economy, and so forth, you are capable of standing on your own feet. These were the personal attractions of the Imam that were able to attract the youth. And the youth joined the movement of our great Imam, and the revolution achieved victory.

After the victory of the revolution, which indeed created a tremendous earthquake in the world; in fact, it created a division in a vast part of the world; supporters of the revolution and enemies of the revolution. The enemies of the revolution included the great powers of that day, namely America and the Soviet Union of that day, or various power groups such as the Zionist movement; the companies that bring governments to power in Western countries, remove governments, and decide on fundamental issues; these became the enemies of the revolution, creating a vast front of enemies against the revolution; they felt threatened; however, in contrast, many nations, Muslim nations, and even some non-Muslim nations that became aware of the events of the revolution became interested, supportive, and sometimes very active supporters of the revolution; we have observed this in various countries, and it continues to this day. Well, reactions naturally began; reactions started from the very first day. Of course, initially, the powers were bewildered, they could not correctly identify what was happening. After they regained their composure, they recognized themselves, hostilities began against the revolution from the very first day, and everything that has been hostile over these 38 years has been planned; of course, there are other hostilities that have not yet been revealed and have been busy thinking and organizing within their own circles—from the very first day until today. And well, to summarize, thanks be to God, they have failed in these hostilities. The Iranian nation has triumphed over all the hostilities of its enemies during this period, and after this, God willing, it will continue to do so.

I want to mention a point here regarding the 1980s; the 1980s, meaning the first decade after the victory of the revolution and the blessed life of our great Imam. Dear brothers and sisters! The 1980s is a neglected decade; a decisive decade in the fate of Iran and Iranians, an extraordinarily important and sensitive decade, and at the same time, an unknown one, and recently it has been attacked by some loudspeakers and their owners; they attack the 1980s. The 1980s was a decade of great tests and a decade of great victories.

The 1980s was the decade of the harshest terrorism in the country. Over the course of several years, thousands of people, from officials to ordinary citizens, were martyred by terrorists; from ordinary merchants to student youth to political activists to great personalities who were decisive in the revolution. Of course, I do not specify a number, [but] it has been said that up to seventeen thousand people; seventeen thousand honorable, valuable individuals were sacrificed in the terrorism of the 1980s, among whom were personalities like Martyr Motahhari and Martyr Beheshti; these are individuals who, like them, are rarely found in a country over time and can determine the fate of nations.

The 1980s was the decade of the imposed war. Eight years of this first decade of the revolution and the blessed life of the great Imam were spent on an imposed war against the Iranian nation; you see how difficult this is! The 1980s was the decade of the harshest sanctions; everything was sanctioned; repeated sanctions against the country, against our economic centers, against our government; and it was a decade of great honors. The 1980s was the decade of fighting against separatism; groups were incited from the borders of the country, money was given, weapons were provided, to incite them against the Islamic Republic and to promote separatism. The 1980s was a decade of such great events that occurred in the country.

And in the 1980s, the Iranian nation and our youth stood so firmly that they triumphed over all of these. This is a very important issue. I recommend to those who are thoughtful, reflective, and judge about the 1980s, not to confuse the roles of the martyr and the executioner! In the 1980s, the Iranian nation was wronged; the terrorists and the hypocrites and their supporters and the powers that created them and constantly fueled them wronged the Iranian nation; the Iranian nation was in a defensive position, but it defended itself and triumphed, and thanks be to God, it thwarted their plots. This is [about] the 1980s. Our youth stood firm, the great Imam, with that radiant face, with that God-believing heart, with that resolute determination, stood firm and overcame all these problems.

The Imam passed away; after the Imam's passing, some hoped that perhaps they could reverse the path of the Imam, but thanks be to God, they could not. After the Imam's passing, years passed, some abroad and their agents inside the country waited for the revolution to become negligent, to age, to become inactive, so they could attack and bring back the pre-revolutionary order to power in the country, [but] they could not. What is the reason for these failures? The reason is the same attractions of the great Imam, the attractions of the principles and foundations of the great Imam that exist in the country. I will mention this later; the body of the Imam has departed from among us, but the spirit of the Imam is alive; the spirit of the Imam is alive, the path of the Imam is alive, the breath of the Imam is alive in our society. The attractions that, during his apparent life, drew people, the youth, and hearts to him like a magnet, still exist today. The name of the Imam is a solution; in addition to the fact that the principles of the Imam are timeless and unaging; these exist. Therefore, the slogans of social and economic justice, the slogan of independence, the slogan of freedom, the slogan of popular sovereignty, the slogan of breaking free from the grip and attraction of American power and global powers, are still attractive to our people and our youth today.

Of course, in achieving some of these slogans, we are indeed lagging behind. We are lagging in social justice, we have shortcomings in realizing some of the Islamic principles and foundations; we do not deny this, but our determination, our goal, our aspiration is the same as that which the great Imam defined, and we are pursuing these aspirations; this is attractive for our young generation; not only for our young generation, but also for the young generations of other countries, especially Islamic countries; this is the mobilizing power of the revolution; I want to say this. I want to say that the officials of the country, the political activists of the country, should not overlook this mobilizing power of the revolution; this is a very great blessing, this is a blessing that is at the disposal of our country and our nation. The revolution has mobilizing power; it can guide and advance the youth, determined and resolute individuals, healthy individuals, towards lofty and high goals; there is no leadership as great and powerful as the revolution and its slogans; we need this today and will need it for many years to come.

Our enemies are not idle; my dear ones, my brothers and sisters! The enemies are not idle. Yes, until today, the enemies have not been able to inflict a fundamental blow on us; we have advanced, we have progressed, we have been able to accomplish great tasks in spite of the enemies; however, the enemy is lurking; you see how audacious the enemy is. The President of America stands in a backward, primitive tribal system next to the tribal chief and dances with swords, and then criticizes the forty million votes of the Iranian nation in a free election! Enemies with such audacity and such a level of shamelessness stand next to the killers of the people of Yemen, day and night, and speak of human rights! Is there any greater shamelessness than this? For nearly two and a half years, they have been bombing Yemen day and night; not military centers in Yemen, [but] streets, markets, mosques, hospitals, the homes of people; they kill the innocent, women, children, and the elderly; and then they go stand next to them, engage in romantic dialogue, and speak of human rights and sanction the Islamic Republic for human rights! Is there any greater shamelessness than this? In the face of such enmity, we need the mobilizing power of the revolution.

Honor the revolution, cherish it; you who care for the country and the nation, revive and bring to life the values of the revolution in the true sense of the word; the country needs this. It should not be that for the sake of short-term goals, for the sake of various transformations in the realm of daily and fleeting politics, we forget those lofty values, we forget the revolution. Today, if we want to advance in the field of science, in the field of politics, in the field of economics, if we want to accomplish great tasks, we need the courage and self-confidence that the revolution gives to a nation and has given to us. Do not undermine that courage and self-confidence; do not weaken it. Today, the Iranian nation needs that self-confidence; today, our youth are ready to stand firm in great paths, in great tasks; I say to you, we have millions of youth inside the country who, if an experience like that of the 1980s arises for the country, will undoubtedly enter the field with full power, with full dignity, with full bravery and determination, and will preserve and maintain the country.

I sometimes hear that some people present the concept of rationality in opposition to the slogans of the revolution; as if rationality is the opposite of revolutionary spirit; no, this is a mistake; true rationality is also in revolutionary spirit. It is the revolutionary perspective that can show us the truths. Look! When was it that the Imam introduced America as the Great Satan and as an unreliable entity or government; this was taught to the Iranian nation— to us—by the great Imam many years ago; today, after all these years, the leaders of European countries say America is unreliable.

What the young man sees in the mirror, the old man sees in the raw brick.

This is rationality. Rationality is recognizing the truths; rationality is relying on the people; rationality is relying on internal power; rationality is relying on and trusting in the Great God. This is rationality; rationality is not that after being freed from the grip of American power and global arrogance, one again approaches them. This is not rationality; the Imam had rationality; the revolution tells us rationality.

Let me summarize: the greatest lesson that the great Imam taught us is the spirit, mentality, and action of revolutionary spirit; we must not forget this. The Imam is not a cultural heritage; some view the Imam as a cultural heritage. The Imam is alive; the Imam is our Imam; the Imam is our leader; the Imam stands before us. Yes, the body of the Imam is not here, but the words of the Imam, the path of the Imam, the thoughts of the Imam, and the breath of the Imam are alive; look at the Imam with this perspective and learn from him.

Some think rationality means that "challenging powers has costs"—[of course] they are mistaken—yes, challenging has costs, but so does compromise. You observe that the Saudi government, in order to compromise with the new President of America, has to spend more than half of its existing financial reserves to serve the objectives and desires of America. Is this not a cost? Compromise also has costs. If the challenge is rational, if the challenge is in accordance with logic, if it is with self-confidence, its costs are far less than the costs of compromise. I have said—God willing, I will speak about this later—it is not the case that the plotting and aggressive powers will be satisfied to a certain extent; we have observed this in the interactions of recent years. They specify a limit, and when you retreat to that limit, they then raise a new demand, a new claim, and a new request, and they pressure you with the same pressures to give them that new demand as well; and this series will continue; it will not stop.

Revolutionary spirit means that the officials of the country do not make it their goal to satisfy the arrogant powers; the officials of the country should make it their goal to satisfy the people, to utilize internal forces, to strengthen active elements within the country; this is revolutionary spirit. The meaning of revolutionary spirit is that the country and its officials do not submit to any bullying, do not fall into passivity, do not suffer from weakness of spirit; they neither accept bullying and tyranny from the other side, nor fall for their deception—because the powers, despite being bullies and tyrants and armed to the teeth, do not refrain from deception; wherever possible, they are also adept at trickery and deception and circumventing.

This is the meaning of revolutionary spirit.

My message is this: dear brothers, dear sisters, dear youth across the country, and esteemed officials of the country! All of you should know that today we need the revolutionary spirit, the revolutionary approach, the revolutionary slogans, and the principles and foundations of our great Imam; the country needs this. Do not negate revolutionary spirit by labeling it as extremism or similar terms; revolutionary spirit is the need of the country today. This is the very lesson that the great Imam taught us, and we must utilize this lesson. This is my first and main discussion.

However, I will also say a few words about domestic issues. A very important issue is the presidential election that took place [two] weeks ago. I must sincerely thank each and every one of those who came and cast over 41 million votes into the ballot boxes. Truly, a great task was accomplished; it brought credibility to the country; it brought credibility to the Islamic Republic; it was a sign of public trust in the Islamic Republic. [That] a majority of over seventy percent of the country came to say "yes" to the Islamic Republic, to affirm it, to trust it, is very important. Now, some unfortunately, let’s say out of misunderstanding—or what should we say, I don’t know—deny it; they say, "the people's vote has nothing to do with the Islamic system and the endorsement of the Islamic system!" Why, dear sir; even those who may have grievances against the Islamic system in their hearts, when they come to vote within the framework of the system, it means they accept that framework and trust it and consider it effective in the framework of which they are moving. This nearly 42 million votes of the nation, seventy percent, is a vote for the Islamic system and trust in the Islamic system. This was a very important event.

Fortunately, the esteemed Guardian Council announced the validity of the elections. Of course, they announced and we received reports that there were some irregularities; these irregularities must be pursued seriously. Although these irregularities did not affect the results of the elections and will not, but after all, an irregularity is an irregularity and is not appropriate for the Islamic Republic. The authorities must seriously pursue these irregularities, identify the offenders so that such irregularities do not occur in our future elections—which this nation has ahead of it—and we do not have such irregularities again. When we close our eyes and overlook irregularities, they will be repeated. Irregularities must be prevented. I also thank the officials of the country who executed and supervised these elections.

Of course, in the advertisements, in the debates, some things were said, sometimes there were unethical behaviors, some of the various institutions of the country were accused; these were not good actions; the past is past; these should not continue. Everyone should pay attention: look at what happened in the elections with an eye of leniency; do not repeat it; that is, the nation—whether the group whose candidate won, or the group whose candidate did not win—should show their capacity, should show their forbearance— forbearance means capacity, being composed—should not show inertia. Some are such that if they win in a matter, they show inertia, they show incapacity; if they lose, they do the same; no, whether in the case of success and reaching the goal or in the case of not reaching it, they should show their capacity. Well, fortunately, this year in these elections, they showed capacity; those who were not successful also showed capacity, contrary to the events of 2009 that caused problems for the country.

Another issue that I will briefly mention here and may elaborate on later, is that in domestic matters, the esteemed government should give special importance to production and employment. According to the Constitution, the President has very extensive powers in the country; they can accomplish many tasks; they should utilize the resources at their disposal, actualize internal capacities, and there should be no delay in fulfilling the promises made to the people. The officials, the officials of various sectors—now in the twelfth government—should be selected in such a way that they are hardworking, active, and capable; that is, their capabilities should be able to advance tasks, God willing. If, God forbid, in various sectors—whether economic or non-economic—some show inefficiency, this will be attributed to the inefficiency of the system, and this is unfair; the system is efficient; various sectors must be able to keep pace with the system. [The officials] must prepare the country for resilience against American sanctions; the country must be made resilient. You see that the Americans audaciously make new demands every day, a new tune; the country must be resilient against what they do and have the ability to stand firm. This economic, cultural, political, and comprehensive resistance must be considered by the officials.

In global matters, a united voice must be heard from the country; all the esteemed officials of the country should pay attention to this; in important international matters, a strong, unified voice must be heard from within the country; various voices should not be heard from the officials. Now, it may be that a certain writer or someone working in the virtual space has a different opinion; it does not matter; the officials of the country must speak with one voice, have a unified voice.

I will also say a word about foreign issues. Unfortunately, during the blessed month of Ramadan, our brothers in some countries are severely troubled; in Yemen, in Syria, in Bahrain, in Libya, Muslims are facing these great problems with their mouths fasting. In Yemen, the Saudi government bombards Yemen day and night, putting pressure on the people; of course, they are making a mistake. I want to say this here, the Saudi government should know that if it continues this approach against the people of Yemen for another ten or twenty years, it will not triumph over the people of Yemen. This is a crime being committed against the innocent and helpless people of a country, and it will certainly not yield results; they will weigh themselves down with their sins before the people and before the Almighty God and before the honorable recorders, and they will make divine retribution against themselves even harsher.

In Bahrain, the same is true; the presence of the Saudi government in Bahrain is an illogical presence. The issues of Bahrain pertain to the people of Bahrain; the people of Bahrain should sit down and talk with their government, reach a conclusion. Why should a foreign government send military forces there and interfere in their affairs and dictate policies? These illogical and irrational actions create problems for countries and nations. To impose one's will on a nation is logically wrong, practically ineffective, and ultimately leads to disgrace and will not yield results; even if they accompany this with the bribe of several hundred billion dollars from America, they will still not achieve results.

The same goes for Syria; the presence of foreign countries in Syria, which is against the will of the Syrian government and the Syrian people, is a wrongdoing. [We] believe that the issues of Syria should also be resolved through dialogue; we believe that in Syria, in Bahrain, in Yemen, and in all parts of the Islamic world, enemies instigate proxy wars, pitting people against each other. The solution is for them to sit down and talk, negotiate, and for others not to interfere, and for weapons not to be injected from outside—in the way you observe. Today, ISIS is being driven out from its birthplace, namely Iraq and Syria, and is heading towards other countries; towards Afghanistan and Pakistan and even the Philippines and European countries and other places. This is a fire that they have ignited with their own hands, and now this fire has caught up with them.

The Iranian nation, by divine grace, has been able to continue and advance its work in all these matters with logic, with rationality, with firm determination; after this, all political transformations in the country, by divine grace and divine guidance and by divine permission, will head towards the ideals of this nation and the victory of this nation. And I say, by the grace of the Lord, based on the experience of the past 38 years, the future of this nation will be much better than today, God willing.

O Lord! In this blessed month of Ramadan, bestow Your mercy and grace upon this fasting gathering and upon these hungry stomachs and thirsty lips. O Lord! By the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, grant victory and honor to the Iranian nation in all its important arenas. O Lord! Make our great Imam, whose spirit and soul and breath are alive among us, more alive day by day. O Lord! Include the dear martyrs of this nation, the devoted youth of this nation, in Your grace and favor. O Lord! Grant success to the officials of the country in serving this great nation, and make the sacred heart of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us. O Lord! Include the prayer of that great one for the Iranian nation and for this humble servant; brighten our eyes with the beauty of that great one.

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