Statements at the Meeting with Participants of the Islamic Unity Conference

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

We greatly enjoyed the statements of our dear brothers. I wish there were more time so that we could benefit from the statements of other brothers as well. When we hear these words from you, the greatness of Islam, the universality of Islam, and the victory of Islam becomes vivid for us once again.

This meeting today and your sessions are formed for the purpose of unity; the unity of the Islamic world and the unity among Muslims. Of course, unity is the main issue. If the unity among Muslims is realized in a true and genuine sense, most of the problems of Muslims will be resolved. And we must all strive; we too must strive so that, God willing, hearts come closer together; not just tongues. When hearts draw near to one another, hands and actions will also come closer together.

Today, the Islamic world is at a historical juncture; we must recognize this juncture, and we must not be heedless of it. In the past thirty years - after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran - such a situation has never arisen in the Islamic world. When we say it is a juncture, it does not mean that the Islamic world has been calm, silent, or indifferent during these thirty years; no. My belief is this, and the reality is certainly the same; over the years, the movements of great figures, the movements of reformers, the blood of martyrs, the teachings of intellectuals, and ultimately the Islamic Revolution of Iran have impacted the Islamic world; they have transformed hearts, shown directions, and gradually motivations have accumulated, and now these motivations are beginning to manifest. This juncture is significant; it can lead to the resolution of the problems of the Islamic world, and if we do not recognize this juncture correctly and do not benefit from it properly, it may create other problems for us.

What has happened is a massive movement of the people in the arena; this is unprecedented. In the Islamic Republic, it was this movement that was able to save Iran. If instead of millions of people, parties, groups, and personalities had entered the field, this impact would not have occurred. There is an effect in the presence of millions of people that is not found in anything else. Of course, the presence of millions of people is only possible with heartfelt faith. First, they must come; second, they must remain in the arena until the result is achieved; third, they must preserve that result; these require Islamic faith, religious faith.

Here, the Great French Revolution was mentioned. The Great French Revolution was a popular movement and it succeeded; however, that victory did not remain preserved. In 1789, the Great French Revolution occurred; in 1800 - that is, eleven years later - the monarchy was reestablished in France; that is, Napoleon came to power; as if nothing had happened! Then Napoleon died, and the same family that had left with the Great French Revolution returned to power; that is, the Bourbons. And it took years, until 1860, and the dynasty of kings in France continued to change hands. So, the revolution succeeded through the people, but the people could not maintain the revolution; this is a very important point. We were able to maintain our revolution, thanks to faith, thanks to Islam, thanks to the continuous infusion of the spirit of the Quran into the bodies and hearts of these people. This is what can guarantee the survival of movements, their continuity, and their victory; this must happen.

Today, people are in the arena; in Egypt, in Tunisia, and in some other places; this must be guided. The enemies try to portray this movement as un-Islamic; this is a mistake; it is certainly Islamic; the past of Egypt shows this; the current movement in Egypt also shows this; the slogans of the people, their presence in Friday prayers, all indicate this. Therefore, it is certainly Islamic; although the enemies try to prevent this Islamic nature from being established in Egypt or elsewhere. This movement must be strengthened.

The root of the problem in the Islamic world is America. The presence of the arrogant powers and colonizers in the Islamic world has always dealt the greatest and most severe blows to the Islamic identity and the people's will. From the east of the Islamic world, starting from Indonesia and Malaysia and India, to Africa; everywhere there has been the presence of colonizers that have weakened nations, drained their blood, and diminished their wills. Today, that arrogant and colonizing power is America; the others are on the sidelines. The presence of America is the greatest problem. It has been said: "Your existence is a sin that cannot be measured by sin." Among all the misfortunes of the Islamic world, the presence of America is the greatest; this must be remedied. America must be removed from the arena, it must be weakened. Fortunately, they have also become weak. Today's America is not the America of twenty or thirty years ago. America has become severely weakened today. This must be maintained. We must not be hopeless.

Look, the scene of the early Islam is a model for us. I do not want to claim that all our events are exactly similar to the events of early Islam; no, the world has changed, motivations and forms have changed; however, early Islam is a very complex and artistically integrated tableau in which various aspects of the historical life of the Islamic community can be observed until today and forever. Each of these aspects can be considered and compared with one's own time, and one can understand.

Consider this; there are two types of people in confronting the enemy: "And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said, 'Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion.' And when a group of them said, 'O people of Yathrib, there is no position for you, so return.'" This is one perspective, one view in confronting these events; another view is that which says: "And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, 'This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth, and it only increased them in faith and submission.'" This is also a view. Both are related to the same event. Both are related to the event of the confederates. Some, when they see the confederates, say: "Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion"; others, when they see the confederates, say: "This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth, and it only increased them in faith and submission." This is important. This shows our current situation.

We have two types of people: some, when they see the might of America, see its military power, its diplomatic power, its propaganda power, its abundant wealth, become intimidated; they say we cannot do anything, why should we waste our forces? Such individuals exist today, as they did during our revolution. We faced individuals of this kind who said, 'Why should you trouble yourself? Be satisfied with a minimum and finish the matter.' Some were like this.

Others, however, compare the power of the enemy with the power of Almighty God, place the might of the enemy against the greatness of the Lord; then they see that these are utterly insignificant, they are nothing. They also regard the divine promise as true, they have a good opinion of the divine promise; this is important. Almighty God has promised us: "And surely Allah will help those who help Him; indeed, Allah is Strong and Mighty"; this is a definite promise, a confirmed promise. If we have a good opinion of the divine promise, we will act one way; if we have a bad opinion of the divine promise, we will act another way. Almighty God has specified those who have a bad opinion: "And He will punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the polytheist men and polytheist women who think evil thoughts of Allah; upon them is a misfortune, and Allah's wrath is upon them, and He has cursed them and prepared for them Hell, and it is an evil destination"; those who think evil thoughts of Allah are still present today. A few verses later, it says: "But you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, and that was made pleasing in your hearts, and you thought an evil thought, and you were a destroyed people." Bad thoughts about God cause a person to sit back and refrain from movement and effort. If we had a good opinion of God, then we could move forward.

We have a good opinion of God, and Almighty God has acted with us according to our good opinion. Over these thirty-some years, Almighty God has acted with us according to the good opinion we had of Him. We have faced numerous problems. We have emerged victorious from all these problems. The economic blockade has not been a small matter. We have overcome the blockade. Recently, they told us that they would not sell gasoline to us. We are a country that produces oil, yet we are an importer of gasoline; they said they would not sell gasoline to you. This is a very small example; there are hundreds of such examples. Our forces, with hope in God, worked hard, and within less than a year, we became self-sufficient in gasoline imports. They imposed a war on us for eight years. They placed us against a malicious enemy as vile as Saddam Hussein and supported him with all their might. Thanks be to God, we were able to overcome this incident.

With God's hope, we have progressed in all fields. Today, we have also made progress in the field of science. They referred to our nuclear issue. By God's grace and power, we have been able to resolve and advance the nuclear issue. Today, the West is making a fuss, but they are lagging behind. They slander, they talk, they propagate, they exert pressure, but they cannot do anything. The passage of time is in our favor. We are moving forward, while they are hitting themselves and making a fuss. When we enter with reliance on God, it is like this.

The youth who were active in the nuclear field insisted two or three years ago, requesting to come and see me. They set up an exhibition here in this very Hosseiniyeh so that I could witness their work up close. I went there and saw that, first of all, they were all young, and secondly, they were all believers. At one time, it was thought that anyone who entered new sciences and became a specialist must necessarily be irreligious, indifferent to religion. I saw that no, they were all young believers, interested and sincere. This is the case in various sectors of our country. This is our experience. This experience is available to the Islamic world.

Of course, the people of Egypt and other nations are full of Islamic concepts and teachings. We are familiar with the Islamic teachings that have been prevalent in Egypt over time. In the very Friday prayer that you referred to, I said that the people of Egypt were the first nation to become acquainted with Western culture - Napoleon brought Western culture to Egypt - and they were the first nation to understand the flaws of this culture and confront it. Sheikh Muhammad Abduh and Sayyid Jamal and others were based in Egypt, and they were the first who faced Western culture head-on and fought against it. After that, thanks be to God, Egypt and many Arab countries became centers of Islamic thought and were beneficial for all of Islam.

Today, these people are in the arena; efforts must be made so that the enemy cannot seize the movement of the people of Egypt, cannot divert it, cannot leave a remnant of the tyrannical regime and the Pharaoh's regime in Egypt, and then gradually take over everywhere; these must be monitored. This is the duty of both the Egyptians themselves and all the Islamic world.

There should be no difference between nations. The first effect of Islamic unity should be that nations feel sympathy for one another; that when one nation is happy, the others are happy; when it is sad, the others should be sad; when it is in trouble, the others should consider themselves partners in that trouble; when it seeks assistance, the others should rush to help it and go to its aid. This is our duty. And this will progress. We accept this divine promise, we are certain of it; we believe that "And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide them to Our paths." And Almighty God will undoubtedly help the faithful people.

We must all appreciate these sessions. This closeness of hearts is very valuable. The issue of Sunni and Shia and the disputes between Sunni and Shia are matters that today the enemies of Islam want to emphasize. Those who speak of the concerns of one another regarding Shia and Sunni do not accept either Sunni or Shia, do not accept the great figures of Islam, nor the scholars of today; they have other goals. We must overcome all of these and ensure unity, and God willing, unity will be the backbone of the victory of the Islamic world.

Once again, I welcome the dear brothers.

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