Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Officials and Guests of the Islamic Unity Conference

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

I extend my congratulations on this blessed occasion of the birth of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him and his family), and the birth of his son, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), to all Muslims around the world, especially to the dear and great nation of Iran, and also to the esteemed attendees and honorable guests. The birth of the Holy Prophet is a prominent point in history for every Muslim. This birth later led to a great movement in human history. Every virtue that exists in the world, even indirectly, stems from that mission and the establishment of noble ethics by that great Prophet. Every Muslim knows that for the concentration of the emotions of the Islamic world and the feelings of the various sects of Muslims, there is no better point than the sacred existence of the Holy Prophet; because all Muslims love this great figure, and he is the axis of the Islamic Ummah throughout history. Therefore, this birth is of great importance to us.

Of course, the history of Islam shows that approximately one hundred years after the demise of the Prophet, his son Imam Jafar Sadiq (peace be upon him) reached the position of Imamate, and this was a renewal of the goals and teachings of Islam. The Islamic Republic, especially for the birth of the Holy Prophet and the mission of this great figure and everything related to him, holds special importance. Why? Because today, on a global scale and under this sky, the only point in the world where Islamic laws are officially implemented, and regulations are organized and practiced according to the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet, is Islamic Iran. A government named Islam is in power, and this fact imposes a duty on all Muslims worldwide. Because if a government is based on Islam, it means that Islam is being practiced. However, if Islam exists as a belief and practice among individuals in society and religious governance is not established, in such a society, the Quran and Islam are abandoned. This is exemplified in the Holy Quran in Surah Al-Furqan: 'And the Messenger will say, O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Quran as [a thing] abandoned.' The Holy Prophet complains to the Lord of the worlds: 'O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Quran as [a thing] abandoned.' What does the abandonment of the Quran mean? It certainly does not mean that they have completely rejected the Quran and the name of the Quran and the name of being Muslim. This is not abandonment. 'They have taken this Quran as [a thing] abandoned'; it means they have the Quran, but along with abandonment. The Quran is there, but it is abandoned. It means that the Quran is recited in a society and given apparent respect, but its laws are not acted upon, and under the pretext of separating religion from politics, governance is stripped from the Quran. If it were intended that Islam and the Quran should not govern, then what were the struggles of the Prophet for? If the Prophet of Islam believed that he should not interfere in the governance and administration of people's lives and the political power of society, and it was sufficient for people to have Islamic beliefs and perform these religious acts in their homes, it is unclear why such struggles were imposed on the Prophet. The Prophet's dispute was over political power and seizing power through the Quran. The abandonment of the Quran means that the name of the Quran exists, but the governance of the Quran does not. In the Islamic world, wherever the Quran does not govern, this address of the Holy Prophet, 'O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Quran as [a thing] abandoned,' is true.

In the Islamic Republic, this abandonment does not exist. Here, the Quran is the axis for implementing the public laws of society. That is, everything related to the administration of a society is officially derived from the Quran, not just in name. Laws are taken from the Quran. Anything contrary to the Quran is rejected. Governance and political power are formed according to Quranic criteria. The values governing society are Quranic values. Every committed and devoted person in the Islamic society is accepted and embraced. Today, if the Iranian nation loves the country's officials passionately, it is because of their adherence to the Quran, their belief, and their commitment to religion. This society is one where the Quran is alive and established, and it is not abandoned. This is the Islamic Republic. Therefore, every Muslim in every part of the world, by virtue of their love for the Quran and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), feels a commitment to the Islamic Republic, which holds the banner of the Quran and Islam. This is what leads the enemies of Islam to engage in hostile and savage confrontations with Islamic Iran. This is the cause of enmities. Anyone in the world who opposes the Quran and Islam shows their opposition and hostility towards the Islamic Republic in a prominent way. Look around the world! This opposition and hostility are a general criterion. The enemies of Islam, wherever they are in the world, are in opposition, conflict, and enmity with the Islamic Republic. The extent to which they oppose Islam and the governance and adherence of nations to it is the extent of their enmity with Islamic Iran. You can observe this unsuccessful and unsuccessful enmity all over the world.

The arrogant powers are mistaken if they think they can bring the Islamic Republic to its knees like any other government with ordinary tools - propaganda siege, political pressures, economic blockade, and the like. No, this is a mistake. Here, the issue is one of belief. The issue is adherence to religion, the issue is a divine duty for the people to defend this government and state that holds the banner of Islam; just as it is the duty of other Muslims around the world. Therefore, from the beginning of the revolution, they have organized various political, economic, and military oppositions, hostilities, and conflicts against the Islamic Republic as much as they could. Our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) always said that these enmities are not truly with us but with Islam and the Quran. This is a point that all Muslims around the world must pay attention to. Those who are engaged in propaganda, political confrontation, and various economic efforts against the Islamic Republic today are those who have openly shown their enmity with Islam. The efforts of these individuals are not hidden. Of course, in the past, they did not show their enmity with Islam so much; but the progress of the Islamic movement forced them to reveal their true nature. The recent incident caused by America and Israel - which acts as the chained dog of the American government - over the Argentina issue is an example of these enmities. Of course, for us, such propaganda is neither new nor important.

During the blessed life of Imam (may his soul be sanctified), the Islamic Republic was constantly engaged with the hostile propaganda of the enemy for ten years after the revolution. We do not remember a time when such propaganda against the Islamic Republic, under various pretexts, did not exist, and always, in the end, the Islamic Republic emerged proud and victorious. This time too - in the uproar over the Argentina issue - it was the same. The Islamic Republic is not afraid of such propaganda. Our government and country are not harmed by the propaganda uproar of the world's mercenary newspapers, Zionist radios, and the vulgar American statesmen and the like. They have propagated against us so much that we have become immune to their propaganda! The issue is not important from this side. The people of the world do not believe this propaganda either; except for a few simple-minded and superficial individuals. From this perspective, we do not suffer much. I heard that even in Argentina itself, people are upset with their government's weak stance. In their opinion, this issue stems from America and Israel. In the end, this fact was proven to the whole world. Then they launched baseless and unfounded propaganda and created an uproar. Even the people of Argentina understood this point. Most people in the world probably know this too. From this perspective, the issue is not important to us. But from another perspective, it is significant. From the perspective that the friends of Islam and Islamic Iran all over the world should be aware of the excessive insistence of the American ruling apparatus and the arrogant apparatuses to confront the Islamic Republic and know that they cling to such flimsy pretexts to launch propaganda against the Islamic Republic. The issue is significant from this perspective because it shows how much the Islamic Republic and a government that relies on the Quran and Islam, by God's grace, stands strong and decisive against the arrogant purposes of America. This issue reveals that the existence of the Islamic Republic on a global scale is such a hindrance to the advancement of the arrogant goals of America and Israel that when they find no other means, they resort to any means, even weak and flimsy ones, to confront the Islamic Republic. This is very important. Firstly, on the one hand, their propaganda agents pretend that the Islamic Republic is in a state of weakness. If it is in a state of weakness, why are these so-called powerful global powers so afraid and terrified of it? Why do they try so hard to propagate against the Islamic Republic in the world and in public opinion? The truth is nothing but that the Islamic Republic, despite this propaganda, holds a prominent position in the public opinion of the Islamic world and beyond. Secondly, it is significant from this perspective because it shows how dangerous an independent government; a government that does not surrender to arrogant goals, is for arrogant plans.

What the arrogant powers of the world, led by America, want from developing countries, the third world, and others is that the ruling apparatuses of these countries be completely submissive to American policies. If such a government rules a country, any defect or flaw in that country is acceptable to them, and they do not speak of the lack of human rights in that country. Even if that country does not have a nominal legislative assembly, they do not say there is no democracy here; they do not say this is a feudal and familial government; they do not say human rights are violated and trampled here. The criterion in their view is the submission and subservience and the hand-bound nature of governments and states in front of America. If this is achieved, that country and its government and officials are considered acceptable and unproblematic by American statesmen. There is no need to exert pressure on them or to carry out propaganda against them. But if a country has an independent government and a government reliant on its people; its beliefs and culture are valid for it; the interests of its nation are its criterion and standard; it adopts its positions based on belief and not because of the pressure of this or that, this country is rejected in their view. Even if it has the best type of democracy, the best legislative assembly, and the best popular government, they accuse it of not having these. This is the position of apparatuses like the American government, which today claims world leadership. Are these governments, with this narrow-minded vision and this hostile approach towards countries and nations, worthy and deserving of world leadership?!

The crime of the Islamic Republic in the eyes of the world's arrogant powers is that it is committed to Islam, independence, and the interests of its nation. My brothers and dear ones! The secret of the power of the Islamic Republic is this. The reason why they have not been able to inflict a decisive blow on the Islamic Republic until today is this. They have created pressure, acted maliciously, caused harm, carried out cowardly acts, even organized terrorist activities inside the country, supported terrorists who acted against the Islamic Republic with words, actions, and with silent approval, created that savage incident in Mashhad, and the governments claiming human rights and opposing terrorism did not utter a word in condemnation of it. The situation of these governments is such. Despite all this, the Islamic Republic, by the grace of the Lord, continues its honorable path in the world with power and pride. The secret of our power is adherence to Islam.

On this day of birth and the week of unity and similar occasions, people usually honor their servants - that is, the serving government of the Islamic Republic. What we must fully consider during these days is that Islam and adherence to the Quran and commitment to these two are the secret of the survival and power of the Islamic system. Unity must be based on Islam and adherence to the rope of God, not on empty and meaningless myths and ethnicities. The strength of the Islamic Ummah lies in this. The lesson for the nation from these days is adherence to Islam in all its dimensions. All the efforts of the honorable members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly should be to ensure that the laws are one hundred percent in accordance with the sacred law of Islam; because the sacred law of Islam is the guarantor of the needs and happiness of the people; as it has been until today. Thanks be to God, the laws of the Islamic Republic are among the most progressive and most in accordance with Islamic laws. Economic and penal laws and various laws related to legal issues and the interactions and relations of people with each other are based on Islam.

All the efforts of the honorable and serving government should be to revive Islamic values in society as much as possible. The highest value is the value of piety. Piety is the factor that preserves us on the path of Islam. Piety means being mindful of oneself. This matter is not limited to a specific group and encompasses every individual wherever they are and every member of the government - from high-ranking members to ordinary employees. Every individual in the country, wherever they live, should be careful not to deviate from the path of Islam. Islam has promised victory. The Quran has promised progress and success in all dimensions of life and will prosper the world and the hereafter of the nation. Just as by the grace of the Lord, in this short period that Islam has governed this country, works have been done for the people's lives that are incomparable to the past. The services provided to the deprived classes during this period are incomparable to what was done before the victory of the revolution, and all this has been achieved despite all the problems created against this country. The path of Islam is the path of happiness, and the criterion of adherence to Islam is the observance of piety. This matter can be understood by anyone in their personal actions, and they should be mindful of themselves. This is piety. Brothers and sisters who are in different parts of this country! Be careful not to deviate from what pleases God. Do not follow the desires of the soul, so you do not lose the path of God. The country's officials should also observe this matter. The honorable legislative, judicial, and executive branches, which, thanks be to God, are on this path, should strive to observe piety. You cannot find statesmen, leaders, and officials with the piety, purity, and cleanliness that exist in the Islamic Republic anywhere in the world. Everyone must continue this path. This path is the path of victory. The enemy has failed in all its tests against Islam and Muslims and will continue to fail.

I hope that Almighty God grants all of us success so that, God willing, we may successfully follow the luminous path of Islam and the Quran; the path of unity of hearts and actions, and that our nation can continue this best of paths, which is the path of Islam, and, thanks be to God, has adopted it, to the end and, with divine help, turn the plots of the enemies back on themselves.

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