Statements of the Supreme Leader at the Opening of the Eighth Islamic Summit

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

I wish to begin my words in this brotherly assembly, which seeks to speak on behalf of the Muslims of the world, with praise and thanks to God. O Lord! I thank You for knowledge, for monotheism, for servitude, and for love. I thank You for Islamic brotherhood, for honoring humanity, for teaching patience and reliance, for recommending benevolence and chivalry, and I send blessings upon Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him and his family), Your servant and prophet who raised the banner of monotheism and justice, proclaimed the honor of humanity, and freed him from servitude to anything and anyone but You. I greet his pure family and truthful companions and their followers and all righteous servants of God and all pure-hearted humans, and to you, dear guests; leaders and officials of Islamic countries and heads of delegations and each of its members. I also extend a sincere and brotherly welcome to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of this conference and other dear guests.

Brothers and sisters! You have now gathered in one of the homes and bases of Islam. Although your host is officially our President, each Iranian considers themselves your host and cherishes your presence in this country of faith. Dear ones! We are not friends who have been tied together by interests so that other interests might one day untie this knot. We are brothers whom belief in the Quran has bonded together, and despite all historical, geographical, and political differences, has created from us a single entity, which is the Islamic Ummah. We have accepted this bond by accepting Islam, and there is no escape from it. Discords, differences, and even conflicts are dust on the face of this truth, which can always be washed away with the clear water of wisdom, prudence, and patience. Let us view this great session and this historic meeting with this perspective so that we can benefit from it for the fate of our nations and the great Islamic Ummah. Brothers and dear ones! I dedicate my words at the opening of this assembly to three topics and conclude with a result. These three topics are: 'Islam,' 'the Islamic Ummah,' and 'the Islamic Conference and Future Horizons.'

1 - Islam Islam, both at its dawn and today, has been and is a path to a new world, with a prosperous life ensuring the welfare and success of humanity. The main sufferings of humanity, which Islam has committed to eradicating, have always been constant and singular issues, both then and before and today. Poverty, ignorance, discrimination, war, insecurity, and ultimately being imprisoned in the confines of materialism and enslavement by one's own vile traits are among those main sufferings. Islam, which is the religion of humanity, moderation, wisdom, and submission to the Supreme Truth—and undoubtedly all religions were such before the hands of distortion intervened—offered the cure for these human pains in a manner free from excess and extremism and through reasonable means, calling humanity to remembrance, supplication, and an inner relationship with their God, teaching and recommending the struggle against evil, aggression, oppression, and corruption, as well as the constant struggle against selfishness, vanity, and lust. The major rulings of Islam have been shaped in this way, and Islam's program for individual, social, ethical, and political life has grown from these roots.

In the political system of Islam, social justice, various freedoms, just peace, the struggle against tyranny and aggression, the relations between men and women, the relations of individuals within a society, and the relations between societies, as well as self-purification and each individual's inner relationship with God, are all based on those foundations and aimed at curing those ancient and perpetual pains. Today, despite the appealing and colorful appearances of life, humanity suffers from the same pains it has throughout history. Most of the world's people are poor, and a few hold the majority of the earth's wealth. Most nations are deprived of scientific progress, and some have made their knowledge a means of oppressing others. Wars are raging in corners of the world, and others constantly fear the outbreak of war. Discrimination exists globally between countries and within most countries between different classes. Western material civilization drives everyone towards materialism, and money, stomach, and lust have become the greatest ambitions. Finally, sincerity, transparency, sacrifice, and altruism have given way to deceit, conspiracy, greed, envy, and other vile traits in vast parts of the world.

The world, in terms of knowledge, technology, tools, speed, and ease, has completely changed from the past, but humanity's chronic and ancient pains remain, and the major troubles are the same as they were. Western liberalism, communism, socialism, and others have all been tested and proven their inability. Today, as in the past, Islam is the only healing prescription and the savior angel. Today, as fourteen hundred years ago, this call resonates: 'There has come to you from God a light and a clear Book. By it, God guides those who follow His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out of darkness into light by His permission and guides them to a straight path.' The important thing is that the unadulterated face of Islam is seen and recognized. Enemies over several centuries and ignorant and heedless friends over a longer period have made the luminous face of Islam ugly and added to or subtracted from it out of malice or ignorant tastes. Today, although misunderstandings and profiteering from insiders are at work to darken Islam's image, the enemies' propaganda in this regard is far more, and they are engaged in this work through subtle and insidious means. One example of the tireless efforts of the enemies in this regard is the massive volume of propaganda against Islamic Iran that has been launched since the establishment of the Islamic government in Iran. To undermine the influential message of this great revolution, they have considered slander and false news as the most important task. They have said so much falsehood about us and attributed it to us that their words have become repetitive and boring for their listeners. In this regard, the Zionists, the well-known Zionist media of the world, the agents of global arrogance, and more than all, the Americans—those who have suffered the most from this revolution—have been and are the most active. Muslim brothers! On this basis, our great task is to recognize Islam and introduce it and also to become more familiar with each other.

2 - The Islamic Ummah The first political-human product of Islam is the Islamic Ummah, which began from Medina and astonishingly and fabulously embarked on a path of quantitative and qualitative growth. Less than half a century after the birth of this blessed phenomenon, it traversed nearly half of the entire territory of the three great neighboring ancient civilizations, namely Iran, Rome, and Egypt, and a century later, it created a brilliant civilization and a dear and powerful government in the center of the world, stretching from the east to the Great Wall of China and from the other side to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, from the north to the steppes of Siberia, and from the south to the southern Indian Ocean. The third and fourth centuries of the Hijra and after that were adorned with such a radiant civilization that even after a thousand years, its scientific and cultural blessings can be clearly seen in the current civilization of the world. Although Western historians, when narrating the history of science and civilization, entirely overlook this great and unprecedented scientific and cultural resurrection and connect the history of science from ancient Greece and Rome directly to the Renaissance! As if science and civilization were dead for a thousand years and suddenly reborn in the Renaissance! But the truth is that the Middle Ages were only a period of darkness, ignorance, and horror for the West and Europe, but for the Islamic world with a scope several times larger than Europe—from Andalusia to China—it was a period of radiance, awakening, and scientific ascent.

The purpose of this reminder is not to boast about the past. The purpose is to remind us of the truth that what created that civilization—namely Islam and its life-giving teachings—is still available to us and warns us: 'O you who have believed, respond to God and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.' Islam has proven that it has the capacity to elevate its Ummah to civilizational and scientific heights and political dignity and power. Faith, struggle, and avoiding division are the only conditions for achieving this great goal, and the Quran teaches us: 'So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers.' And it teaches: 'And those who strive for Us—We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, God is with the doers of good.' And it teaches: 'And obey God and His Messenger and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, God is with the patient.' The weakness of these three factors has placed the Islamic Ummah in a regrettable situation today. At least in the past two centuries, persistent and cunning enemies and some incompetent Muslim governments, alongside various historical and political factors and conditions, have been intensely influential in creating this situation, and we are today the inheritors of the past.

Brothers! Let us leave a more honorable legacy for future generations. In examining the external factors of the current situation, I find the attack of the global arrogance front to be the most influential. In our culture, global arrogance refers to that set of powers that, relying on their political, military, scientific, and economic capabilities and inspired by a discriminatory view of humanity, place large human groups—nations, governments, and countries—under oppressive and humiliating domination for their own benefit; they interfere in their affairs and seize their wealth; they bully governments and oppress nations and insult their cultures and traditions. The clear examples of this are the old colonialism and then the new colonialism and recently the comprehensive political, economic, propaganda, and even military aggression by yesterday's colonialists and their heirs, which has been placed before the eyes of our nations and has made them taste its bitter flavor. Western powers in this effective aggression have utilized scientific and technological advancements and some of their national and indigenous traits. We do not blame the enemy. Those who are worthy of blame are those who, with short-sightedness, comfort-seeking, and selfishness, provided the ground for the enemy's victory and their own decline. In its comprehensive aggression, the West also targeted our Islamic faith and traits and, under the guise of its scientific goods, which everyone felt the need for, persistently exported the culture of permissiveness and indifference to religion and ethics—which it itself suffers from—to our societies. Undoubtedly, this moral swamp will one day, not far off, swallow and erase the current Western civilization. The Islamic world today, as a result of that hostile aggression, in addition to the internal factors of past generations, is in a miserable state. Poverty, ignorance, scientific backwardness, moral weakness, and worst of all, the cultural and sometimes political dominance of its enemies over it on one side, and major issues such as the Palestinian issue and the issues of Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Caucasus, and others on the other side, present a long list of divine and human responsibilities before the governments, political figures, and leaders of the Islamic world.

Today, we must take the initiative. Until now, the enemy has always held the initiative, and we, at most, have complained and lamented. Palestine, in a historical process consisting of dozens of initiatives by the enemy, has become the exclusive property of the Zionists. First, buying Palestinian lands, then arming the immigrant Zionists, after that civil war and declaring the partition of Palestine, then occupying new parts of that Islamic and Arab country, and finally occupying all of it and adding parts of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan to it! Until now, only once did the Arab neighbors of Palestine take the initiative, and that was the Ramadan attack of the year 1393 Hijri by the countries of Syria and Egypt, which, although it did not achieve complete results due to the cooperation of America with Israel and the lack of determination of Islamic countries, it was still a source of pride for the Arab front and the liberation of part of the Arab lands. After that, again, until today, the Zionists and their supporters, led by America, have held the initiative in giving slogans of compromise, generally in the direction of consolidating the usurped occupation of Palestine, and have dragged their opponents along as far as they could. We, the Muslim governments, should have provided more serious assistance to the frontline countries for the liberation of Palestine. In the past, some of our governments have even stabbed the frontline countries in the back! A clear example of this is the government of Iran during the Pahlavi era. Unfortunately, in those days, Iran was a safe haven for the Zionists and a sincere collaborator with the usurping government!

Dear brothers and sisters! This situation is incompatible with Islamic dignity and far from the path of remedying the pains of the Islamic Ummah. All Islamic countries must take a worthy share in realizing the rights of the Palestinian nation, and the Islamic world must move from a state of passivity to a state of initiative. Both of these duties are currently being fully carried out by the faithful and zealous youth of Palestine and Lebanon. Salutations to them! Our opposition to what is called the Middle East peace talks is due to its unjust, arrogant, and humiliating nature and ultimately its illogical nature. The imposed principle of peace in exchange for land means that the Zionists return the lands of neighboring countries so that we accept that the country of Palestine belongs to them! What could be more unjust than this? What answer can be given to the ancient nation of Palestine in this unfair deal? One of the ironic jokes of the times is that the usurping government has also found this inappropriate and rejected it!! Is it not time for the Islamic world to respond to this arrogant spirit? If we organize our relations and make them brotherly, we have this power. What can America do against a united front of Islamic countries from Indonesia to North Africa? Today, the encouragement of global arrogance is due to the dispersion of this front. Is it not time to strengthen this line in our favor? The presence of an enemy like the Zionist government in the heart of the Islamic territory might have brought us closer together, but the mysterious hands of global arrogance have also removed this danger from before them. They have made us fear each other more than the enemy! Insidious whispers, lies, and propaganda have wrongly and unjustly frightened Islamic countries from each other.

For eighteen years now, the poisonous breath of the political designers of global arrogance has been continuously blown to frighten our neighbors in the Persian Gulf from Islamic Iran, which holds the banner of unity and brotherhood! I declare that no danger from Islamic Iran threatens any Islamic country. Islamic Iran, thanks to living under the blessed shadow of the Quranic rulings, is today more eager than ever for the unity, dignity, and power of the Islamic world. We Iranians, thanks to Islamic faith and despite the enemy's propaganda conspiracies, have preserved our national unity in an unparalleled manner and, contrary to the enemy's claims and inner desires, have increased popular participation. This year's brilliant elections for selecting the President were an example of this increasing presence. The government is united, the officials are all sincere with each other, and the nation and government enjoy emotional and trust-filled relations. Trust and self-reliance are the main lines and directions in all our scientific, political, economic, and cultural efforts. Thanks to this self-confidence taught to us by the late Imam Khomeini, we were able to rebuild the ruined and backward country of the Pahlavi era, which had become even more devastated during the eight-year imposed war, and enjoy the prosperity and vitality of reconstruction. We witness this determination in some other brotherly countries as well; but most importantly, it is political dignity and power. Our nation and government, thanks to adherence to Islam and serious political participation, have been able to eradicate foreign influence and interference in their country. Today, the Islamic Ummah is also thirsty for that self-confidence, dignity, and independence, and we must all strive for it. This is a historical responsibility, and today the ground for fulfilling it and achieving the dignity, power, and complete independence of the Islamic world is prepared. If a center is needed to coordinate efforts in this path, we have it today in the form of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. We must look at this organization and its future horizons.

3 - The Organization of the Islamic Conference and Future Horizons Now, twenty-seven years have passed since the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which led to the birth of this organization. The conditions of today's world place this organization in the face of more serious expectations than before. This organization can be the manifestation of true unity among Muslim countries in their common issues and interests. It can speak on behalf of its members, demand and act, and have their financial, economic, and political power behind it. It can be a mediator in solving problems among its members. Where gathering efforts and assistance for a great work and a common goal requires a meeting point or a coordinating element, it can be that point and element. Where necessary, it can arbitrate, and where beneficial, it can advise. Today, although the Islamic world has a share in global trade that is much less than 20%—which is the approximate ratio of its members to the total world population—even of this amount, what is specific to internal trade among Islamic countries is a very low percentage. This organization can play an active role in this effective economic issue, which will also be effective in the politics of this group.

Today, some of our countries possess valuable natural resources, production capabilities, scientific, industrial, and cultural abilities, which others are in dire need of. This organization can have a serious role in the logical and fair exchange of these resources. Today and always, large groups of Muslims suffer from excruciating pains that require urgent solutions. For example, right now, some provinces of Afghanistan—like Bamiyan—are at risk of widespread hunger and the severe cold of its winter regions. The Iraqi nation is experiencing one of the hardest trials in its history—in terms of the scarcity of food and medicine—and the lives of millions of people, especially children, are at risk. In Algeria, the most heinous crimes are being committed by hidden hands to accuse Islamists and tarnish the image of Islam! In Bosnia, in Kashmir, in Somalia, in Nagorno-Karabakh, and in some other places, Muslims face problems. The Organization of the Islamic Conference can, by using special committees, devote itself to these tasks and solve the problem with effective work in which all members participate. We do not need anyone or anything else to activate this organization in the issues between our countries, except for the collective will and financial assistance from wealthy Islamic countries. The possible opposition of governments that are harmed by the unity of Muslims cannot create any obstacle in this path unless it creates hesitation in our will.

When the Muslim people of the Balkans were being subjected to the most brutal methods of genocide, and a nation was defending its Islamic identity alone against the organized military aggression of some and the indifferent eyes of others, the absence of such a center was felt to alleviate some of the pains of those brothers and become an important weight in the global equations in favor of that oppressed nation! Right now, the presence of foreign fleets, and more than all, the American forces in the Persian Gulf—which is an Islamic sea and an important energy center for the whole world—causes insecurity. The presence of a powerful Organization of the Islamic Conference can, on one hand, with the language of Islamic dignity and power, compel foreigners to remove this nuisance and, on the other hand, eliminate the excuses for this unjustified presence and, whenever necessary, assign a force from the Islamic countries themselves to protect security and peace in this region. Right now, Muslim minorities in some countries of the world suffer severely from discrimination, oppression, and bigoted behavior. Helping them is the duty of all Muslims. But for a serious and acceptable help within the framework of international relations, a center among Islamic countries is needed, and what center is more suitable than the Organization of the Islamic Conference? There are dozens of tasks left undone, each of which alone is the duty of all Islamic governments.

What I have said are examples of that, and in all these cases, the role of no Islamic government can fill the void of a center among Islamic countries. Dear brothers and guests! Let us, with God's help and strength, take advantage of these opportunities, get closer to each other, and strengthen the center and point of connection among ourselves. The Islamic Conference must pursue its resolutions until full implementation so that these meetings have achievements for our nations. In addition, it must be able to establish the Inter-Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries, turn the Islamic Common Market from a distant wish into a reality, lay the foundation for the Islamic Court of Arbitration, and finally, on behalf of fifty-five Islamic countries and over a billion and several hundred million people, be one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and, as long as the right of 'veto' remains, be the sixth member with the right of 'veto' in that council. This is the future horizon of this conference, and this is what will be able to outline the future horizons of the Islamic Ummah.

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