Statements in Meeting with Various Groups of Hezbollah at the Newly Established Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) Hosseiniyeh

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

I sincerely thank all the brothers and sisters who have come from distant places, especially the scholars of Islam and the esteemed families of the martyrs. I hope that Almighty God will bestow His mercy, grace, and blessings upon all you faithful, noble, and devoted people of the revolution.

Today, throughout the world, there is a clear truth that if one is aware of global issues, they will see this truth and cannot deny it, and that is that Islam is penetrating and growing in human societies; whether in societies that have become weary of the oppression and tyranny of satanic powers and tyrannical systems and are seeking new ideas and paths—like the societies of African and Asian countries and the like—or even in European countries. Of course, which Islam? This is debatable; because there are two types of Islam that may have some similar appearances, but their spirit and orientation are not the same:

One is the true, Quranic, and pure Muhammadan (PBUH) Islam; that is, the same Islam that invites its followers to a new way of life and does not serve the powers and leaders of the East and West. The other is the Islam that has the appearances and name of Islam; but easily serves America and the West and East—like the Islam of those bullies who dominate some Islamic countries. They also speak of Islam; but for them, Islam is a shop and a means of life and power; otherwise, if Islam is the same Quranic Islam, it explicitly rejects America's dominance over oil reserves and the fate of Muslims.

How is it possible for someone to be both a Muslim and obedient and submissive to America?! To be a Muslim and also indulge in corruption, decadence, and various moral entanglements?! To be a Muslim and also oppress people and be at the head of a tyrannical power and exert pressure on Muslims at the behest of the enemies of Islam. Thus, the expression 'American Islam'—which our late and great Imam repeatedly stated—is a correct expression for the Islam of such individuals and claimants.

What is penetrating hearts and human societies today is true, pure, and uncompromising Islam. Therefore, you see in countries where the people are Muslim—like some Arab and African countries where the masses are Muslim—the mosques are thriving; but a group rises in support of Islam, and the dependent governments put this group under pressure and torture them in various ways, and ultimately label them as saboteurs!! What does this mean? It means that what is prevalent in those countries, because it is far from the essence and truth of Islam, leads faithful and conscientious individuals to seek to establish real and uncompromising Islam, and thus friction arises.

This is a truth that today Islam is advancing, and this is one of the miracles of Islam and the Quran; because the amount of propaganda and action against Islam—especially over the past ten years—and the money spent, perhaps no other thought or belief has faced such propaganda and hostility in a similar period.

When the Islamic Revolution triumphed in Iran, our faithful and committed people acted based on Islam; meaning Islam in our country was not just a lip service, but our nation acted according to the orientations that the Quran has desired for Muslims; therefore, they fought against the devils and oppressive powers and sacrificed everything in the way of God and performed the same sacrifices that Islam has demanded.

Our nation preserved its dignity in the face of global powers; that is, the same thing that the Quran has desired for Muslims: 'And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers.' Honor belongs to the believer; because the believer is the only one who, with all his being, fights and resists against anything that smells of devilry, oppression, and corruption and only serves God and does not serve anyone else. Since the Iranian nation, with the victory of the revolution, was able to embody and manifest God's religion and Islam in the form of a social system, fear of Islam arose in the hearts of the arrogant powers, and thus they struggled, fought, and propagated against Islam and spent money.

The struggle against the Islamic Republic is because of Islam. When the Islamic Republic proved that it is committed to its beliefs and the principles of Islam, it was considered a great threat, and all the apparatuses of global arrogance were mobilized against it; otherwise, in the early days when they did not yet know what the Islamic Republic was and to what extent it adhered to its principles, they did not show much sensitivity.

Therefore, two currents are opposed to each other, and this is an important and full of lessons and teachings for us, the people of Iran:

On one hand, wherever in the world there is a sign of Islam, the pressures of arrogance and material powers against it are increasing—which you hear about—even a small manifestation of Islam in a European country becomes a cause for uproar, and statesmen and politicians fight against it. On the other hand, despite the pressure that exists against Muslims and Islam in the world today, the hearts of the people of the world—especially the youth, intellectuals, and aware individuals—are inclined and attracted to Islam, and this is what will spread true Islam. Islam, which relies on human nature and fights against all systems of oppression and tyranny, will be able to remain and govern the world and attract people to itself.

The lesson of this matter for us and the Iranian nation is to know the value of Islam in our society more than ever. What will free our nation from all bonds and captivities is the Islamic system and laws. Today, you cannot find a nation in the world that is not under the pressure and influence of great powers in some way. Even great nations are under the influence of several powers in some way. Throughout the world, there are a few great powers that act like the bullies of a neighborhood and the tough guys of a village, and the rest are forced to pay tribute to them and obey them and consider them!

Today, there are a few powers in the world that have the same role as those bullies and tough guys, and the rest of the nations are under their influence in some way. The nations themselves do not want this situation; but corrupt governments and non-popular governments that do not believe in the people have brought them under the influence of great powers and have paid tribute to them and continue to do so.

In a world divided between oppressors and the oppressed, a nation has declared and proven that it is free from the influence of all powers and tough guys, and that is our nation. This is not an exaggeration; rather, it is a truth. None of the great powers that today exert influence over the world are capable of exerting influence over the Islamic Republic system and the Iranian nation. This is due to the freedom of the Iranian nation and this very valuable political freedom that we have. This unique feature must become stronger and expand day by day.

We must also completely free ourselves from the influence of powers economically. That is, our nation must be able to produce the industry, goods, and commodities it needs within the country and using available resources and facilities. Of course, today we still have problems for this work, and the nation has not reached the point where it can meet all its needs domestically; because in the past, everything of this nation was built in such a way that it was dependent on those powers. Our precise industry is one thing, even our agriculture was made dependent, and foreigners and ruling powers and the decadent Pahlavi regime and their predecessors made our agriculture unfamiliar with the scientific advances of the world.

This nation must gradually, with its own initiative and effort and with the managerial strength that is applied to it, and also with the unity that all people have in the direction of freedom and independence, and also with their awareness of the enemy's propaganda plots and tricks, move towards complete economic freedom and independence. Of course, the prelude to this economic independence is political independence. Countries that are politically dependent will not be able and do not even have the motivation to achieve economic freedom and independence. Thanks be to God, in our country, there is political independence and freedom, which is followed by economic independence and above all cultural independence; that too with an independent culture by rejecting the signs of decadent and corrupt Western culture from society. There are many words and discussions about this that we will pass over for now.

What I want to raise at this moment is that the Iranian nation is still halfway and still achieving its great and true goals, in a way that is of interest to it and in accordance with Islamic principles, requires more effort. All the effort and struggle of the enemy—that is, global arrogance and at its head America—has been to prevent our nation from reaching these goals, and any government and organization that tries to bring the nation and country to this independence and necessary richness is hated by the powers and global arrogance.

Today, the current government of Iran is determined to mobilize the country in terms of its inherent capabilities and to initiate comprehensive efforts for reconstruction and rebuilding after the war. For this work, they plan and work hard to remove obstacles from the path of the people and to realize what is worthy of the revolution and the Islamic Republic.

The government that today is determined to the true reconstruction of the country is, in the true sense of the word, detested by global arrogance and the great powers of the world. They dislike that a revolutionary, alive, and awake nation thinks of reconstruction and rebuilding and strives and plans for it and advances reconstruction with strong management. They want the problems of the nation to always remain and to suggest to the world that Islam cannot manage a country. They want the country not to be managed.

They want to suggest to other Muslims in the world that if you revolt and turn to Islam, your problems will increase and your life will become difficult!! They do not want the Muslim nation of Iran—which has initiated the first great and victorious Islamic revolution—to have a good and sweet life with ease; because they know that if our nation gains this ability, it will become a model and example for other nations. Therefore, arrogance opposes any apparatus, government, and personality that has decided on the real reconstruction and building of the country.

One of the enemy's propaganda tricks is to somehow make minds doubt the future. Unfortunately, some simple-minded individuals—perhaps malicious people are also behind the scenes—when they see the country moving towards construction and prosperity, instead of helping and cooperating and facilitating matters and enlightening people's horizons, spread a halo of ambiguity and doubt over everything; thinking that they will make people doubt. Strong management efforts must be accompanied by progress. Why should we doubt the progress of a nation? Those who speak and express opinions should be careful not to speak according to the wishes of the enemy and arrogance. The enemy wants this and desires that people doubt their efforts and construction.

As I have said many times, when we see the unity of the nation and this abundant faith and sincerity of these people, when we see this program and when we pay attention to divine grace and help; our hearts are filled with hope for the future. Certainly, for this fighting, brave, faithful, and Islam-committed nation, ready to confront the enemies of Islam, the future is bright and sweet. Islam, by the grace of the Lord, will be able to completely remove the enemy, whose influence and power still impose problems on our nation, from the region of people's lives.

I convey greetings and prayers to all the brothers and sisters from whom you have come. I hope that Almighty God, with His grace and favor and mercy, will make all matters easy for our nation and strengthen and solidify this unity and coordination among all people and the government day by day, God willing.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings