Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with Officials of the System and Foreign Invitees of the International Islamic Unity Conference

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

I also reciprocally extend my congratulations on this blessed festival, which is the birth of the noble and esteemed Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) and also the blessed birth of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), to you, the esteemed attendees, and to all Muslims of the world and the freedom-seekers and liberated people of the world. I also welcome the guests of this week who have come from other parts of the world to the Islamic country.

This great birth was the birth of the highest examples of divine mercy for humanity; because the existence of that great figure and the sending of this great prophet was the mercy of the Almighty God upon His servants. This birth is the birth of mercy. The Islamic world must understand that this mercy is not a disconnected mercy; rather, it is a continuous mercy. On that day, many individuals, out of ignorance or due to selfish prejudices, fought against this manifestation of light and human guidance; despite the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to the world to remove burdens from the shoulders of humanity: "And He relieves them of their burdens and the shackles that were upon them." (Quran 7:157). What heavy burdens were upon the shoulders of the people of that day! What heavy shackles were placed upon humanity! Today is the same. If someone claims that today humanity bears burdens heavier than those of the ignorant people of the Arabian Peninsula at that time, it is not an exaggeration. This oppression that is inflicted upon individuals, this injustice that occurs in human societies, this dominance of materialism over human life and the expulsion of spirituality from the environment of human life, which is imposed upon individuals today by force and various methods, these are burdens upon humanity. What humanity feels today in the era of industrial civilization and under the dazzling and deceptive materialism is heavier, harder, and - in some cases - more bitter than what was felt in the darkness of ignorance at the time of the emergence of Islam!

If today humanity becomes aware of this mercy - the mercy of the existence of Islam, the mercy of the prophetic teachings, this flowing source of unity - and finds it and quenches its thirst from it, the greatest problem of humanity will be resolved. Although even today, the existing civilizations of the world undoubtedly benefit from the teachings of Islam, and without a doubt, what good qualities and high concepts exist among humanity are derived from divine religions and the teachings of the prophets and heavenly revelation, and a large part of it belongs to Islam; however, today humanity needs the spirituality, purity, and clear and delightful knowledge of Islam - which every fair-hearted person accepts and understands. Therefore, the Islamic call has found supporters in the world, and many non-Muslims have accepted the Islamic call. Accepting the Islamic call does not mean formally accepting the religion of Islam. This is one stage of it. Another stage is that the people of the world accept the message, knowledge, and truths and proposals of Islam on an issue. Today is the day when, when nations are confronted with the message of Islam, they feel things that are beneficial to them and fill the voids in their lives. What Islam states about the value, importance, and goals of humanity, what Islam says about family, women, the purpose of knowledge, and the relations between societies and the social relations of the strong and the weak with each other, are things that today people living under various civilizations, when they look at these, feel that the knots of their lives will be untied and resolved with these things. Therefore, the message of Islam is attractive. For this reason, the encounter of global arrogance and the world's propaganda apparatus - which are affiliated with the same centers of tyranny and oppression and human hostility - with the message of Islam is a very hostile and violent encounter.

Since the Islamic Republic system - which demonstrates the realization of Islam at the level of a country's life and demonstrates the realization of Islam's political proposal - came into existence in the world and the Islamic Republic was established in Iran, hostility towards Islam and Islamic values at the global level by oppressive and arrogant powers has doubled. As long as Islam is only in mosques and in the corners of hearts, as long as Islam has not stepped into the arena of politics, struggle, governance, and great international arenas, the centers of global tyranny and rebellion do not feel a danger from it to want to confront it and engage with it. From the day the Islamic system raised the flag of governance in this country and Muslims from all over the world responded to the call of our great departed Imam (may God be pleased with him) and expressed devotion and interest towards it, and many groups moved in this direction and the slogan of the revival of Islam became a daily slogan for Muslims, enmities also increased.

What I want to say in these days and in this week and on the occasion of this great birth is that firstly, Muslims must appreciate this flowing source of mercy and not be diverted from this clear and bright truth by the enemy's propaganda and the hostile and seditious encounter of global arrogance.

The second point is that from the day global arrogance felt that this truth had become stable and established in Iran and realized that it could not uproot it and eliminate this movement and structure, it started its hostile efforts in another way, which was to separate the Muslims of the world from this revolution and from this great and wise leadership that the world had acknowledged its greatness; that is, separating other nations from the Iranian nation; separating the fertile grounds of Islamic life from this actual and existing movement that could encourage them; separating Arab and non-Arab countries; separating countries whose systems and regimes had friendly relations with global arrogance and the centers of global arrogance. They placed this in their serious program - at the political, governmental, and state level - and unfortunately, at this level, some governments were completely deceived and played into the trap that was set for them.

Global arrogance wanted to make governments hostile to the Islamic Republic system. Some governments wisely understood and did not allow the will of global arrogance to be realized; but some governments, without attention, fell into this arrogant trap. At the level of nations, they also raised the issue of sectarian differences and Shia-Sunni differences and ideological differences and incited many individuals to write books against the Islamic Republic or against Shiism or against some beliefs of the Muslim people of Iran, and many books were written. They also incited some to respond to these books and these objections and insults with their own language. Unfortunately, both sides fell into this trap. My dear ones! Today in the Islamic world, this is the issue.

That cleric who stands in a distant country, in the name of Friday sermon or otherwise, and instead of attacking America and Israel and the enemies of the Islamic world and disbelief and global arrogance, attacks a sect of Muslims; this is not a simple and unpremeditated action unrelated to the revival of Islam. The one who openly and explicitly insults the sanctities of a sect of Muslims, this is the desire of global arrogance. Today, separating Muslim nations from the Iranian nation is one of the specific and defined goals of global arrogance. They plan and work and make policies on this, and they spend money both globally and - unfortunately - inside Iran.

Inside Iran, there are also cases; because they see that in Iran, Shia and Sunni Muslim brothers are in a single line, under a single flag, with a single slogan, in a single front, alongside each other and together. In the eight-year imposed war, from those who wanted to go and defend the territorial integrity and borders of Islam in this country, no one asked which tribe, which sect, which religion, which dialect, and which language you are from? Everyone went; from everywhere they went. In Iran, bloods were mixed, and the revolution, in the true sense of the word, created a unity and affection among different sects and dialects and tribes. Global arrogance cannot see this. They create an excuse for each sect. They find the simplest and most gullible individuals in each sect and put something in their mouth to go and repeat what they want for them! Everyone must be vigilant. Anyone who today helps this goal of global arrogance - that is, separates the Iranian nation from other nations and countries - in the sight of Almighty God, has the same status as those enemies of Islam and Muslims who fought against Islam; whether today or at the time of the Prophet. "It is truly upon God to place him in his place." (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 44, p. 382) Anyone who today helps the goals of global arrogance against Islamic Iran is like the one who fought against the divine verses at the time of the emergence and descent of Islam.

Today, this movement is a movement towards the revival of Islam and the revival of the isolated rulings of Islam and the Quran. This movement is a great movement that has happened here. Muslims everywhere want to carry out this movement. If you look at the Islamic countries in the east and west of the Islamic world, you will see this reality; however, global arrogance, America, various companies, and the owners of wealth and power are obstacles. The place that has not and will not submit to wealth and power; the place where all national power stands against global arrogance is Islamic Iran.

Appreciate this week of unity, this week of mutual respect among Muslims. Everyone should strive to value the unity and solidarity of forces and the alignment of Muslim forces - which is the key to happiness and the source of pride for Muslims and the greatest weapon of nations against global arrogance - and appreciate it.

We hope that, God willing, the pure prayers of His Holiness the Remaining Proof (may our souls be sacrificed for him) will include those who move in this path, and all Muslims in the world will be granted success to act upon the noble verses of the Quran and the command to hold fast to the rope of God together, and God willing, the unity that has been the desire of great Islamic personalities from the beginning until today will be realized.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings