Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Gathering of the People of Noshahr

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon our Master and Prophet, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, immaculate, chosen family, the guides, the rightly guided, the infallible, especially the remainder of God on earth.

First, I thank Almighty God for making this journey possible so that once again I can meet with you, the faithful, passionate, revolutionary, and martyr-nurturing men and women of this province, on this occasion. The right of Mazandaran is a great right. I have often said that considering the malicious investments of the vile Pahlavi regime in this province on one hand, and the investments of the enemies of religion, atheists, and hypocrites in this province on the other, if we wanted to calculate everything according to the normal course, we could not have predicted the immense faith, sincerity, and enthusiasm that was observed in this province during the revolution, during the war, in the military arena, and in the political arena. This indicates your deep and sincere faith, dear people. This indicates God's favor upon you, the faithful and devoted men and women. I have not forgotten your efforts on the front. I have seen your units up close. Your martyrs and dear veterans are a testament to the fact that your warriors fought well and struggled well.

Wherever you see that there are many devoted to the path of Islam among the martyrs and veterans, know that the hearts of women and men, fathers and mothers, are imbued with divine love, love for Islam, love for the Imam, and love for the revolution. These mothers of martyrs, these fathers who have lost their dear ones, these families who raised young ones and sent them to the battlefield, have made a great effort. I thank God that once again I have faced you and expressed my sincerity and devotion to the people of Mazandaran in my own words.

Of course, this trip is not one where I intended to come to Mazandaran. This trip is a military trip, and I have come to see the warriors and military personnel of the army and the Revolutionary Guards in Noshahr up close and observe their work. A more detailed meeting with you, dear people of Mazandaran, God willing, will take place independently in the future. But I will take advantage of this short opportunity to present two or three brief points that are among today's world issues. These issues, although related to Muslims and although we are involved, indicate the face of oppressed and suffering humanity today.

The great pain that humans have suffered throughout history has been the pain of being deceived by powerful and wealthy oppressors. That is, those who have gathered the wealth and pleasures of the world for themselves, have kept power in their grip, and in addition to all this, to advance their work among the people, they have deceived nations. For example, you see someone like Pharaoh, that oppressive, tyrannical, and abusive man, says about the luminous face of Moses, the great prophet of God and the ambassador of heaven on earth: 'Indeed, I fear that he will change your religion or cause corruption in the land.' (Quran 40:26); Moses is corrupt and misleads people! This has been the great pain of humanity until today. When radio and television were invented and people from east and west of the world began to communicate, some naive people might have thought that the era of deceiving humans was over. But alas! The same power that throughout history has used money, power, knowledge, and all divine resources in the world to the detriment of humanity, has also used this to the detriment of humanity and continues to do so today.

Brothers and sisters! For a year, a nation has been massacred. Is this a joke?! You and I hear something! For several days, various cities of our country, at intervals, were under enemy bombardment; you see what situation people were in! For a year, in a European country, people are being slaughtered. That place is no longer Africa; it is not the depths of the Amazon jungles; it is not East Asia. That place is Europe; the same place where its governments do not recognize the right to life for other countries of the world because they say: 'They are not civilized, and we are civilized.' In the same place, for a year, a nation has been slaughtered. Which language can describe what has been brought upon the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina?! Which pen can depict this?! Which global media, which of these well-known news agencies, has been willing to go and write and reflect the truths there?!

For a year, young and old, women and men, sick and healthy, individuals and masses of people, are being killed there; they are being trampled; their honor and dignity are being violated; their homes are being destroyed. From the beginning of this period until now, which may be more than a year, the major governments, led by America, have only occasionally looked, uttered a word, and sometimes expressed regret!

As someone who knows the nature of this civilization based on materialism; who knows the nature of the lying and deceitful politicians of today's world, I did not expect them to go and support the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even now, when they say they support, I know they are lying. On the day they said, 'We will impose a naval blockade on the Serbs,' I knew they were lying and did not do it.

We do not expect them. They were not even willing to allow a few young Muslims from around the world to rise and go to help those poor people, or to give them a few weapons so they could protect themselves. Meanwhile, in a world where this tragedy is just one example, there are also the issues of Palestine; the issues of various countries around the world; the issue of the beheading of democracy in Algeria; the suppression of Muslims in various parts of the world; the exile of Palestinians... and all these tragic actions are either carried out by the dominant powers of the world themselves, or encouraged by them, or carried out in front of their eyes and with their indifference. Meanwhile, these lying politicians; those who did not feel sorry for thousands of Bosnian women; those who did not care about the genocide of a nation, raise their voices and, using strong propaganda and communication tools, claim that 'we are against terrorism; we are supporters of human rights!' They make lists and write this country and that country in the list of terrorists and consider themselves supporters of human rights! What is this? This is the same old pain of humanity. This is the same deception we know from the time of Pharaoh and before Pharaoh and after Pharaoh. This is the same, and humanity is oppressed. Know this: This humanity, which is managed under the shadow of these powerful people and these powers, is oppressed humanity. This is where it becomes clear how valuable the heavenly cry of Islam, which gives value to humans, considers lying ugly, and regards truth as a sign of faith, is.

Today, humanity needs Islam. My dear ones! Faithful and passionate young people whose hearts God has illuminated with the light of faith! Today, humanity needs the same faith that you have.

For several weeks, there has been propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran worldwide. Who are they? The same people whose disgrace has been evident to the Iranian nation from the beginning of the revolution until today and has become more disgraceful in the eyes of the Iranian nation day by day; that is, the Zionists; that is, the agents of America; that is, the claws and fingertips of the Great Satan. They have filled the world with propaganda against the Islamic Republic!

I will say a few points about this: The first point is that these hostile propaganda campaigns against the Islamic Republic are not new and are not from today or yesterday. These discussions have been there since the beginning of the revolution. Of course, I am not talking about the very beginning of the revolution; because at the very beginning of the revolution, the enemy was confused; it was dizzy; it did not understand what had happened; it did not have the power to comprehend the situation. Therefore, in the first few months of the revolution, there was no such propaganda. But it was not long before the U.S. Senate passed a resolution against the Islamic Republic of Iran and made its enmity with Islam and the Islamic Republic system and our great Imam clear and obvious. These actions have continued from that day until today. So these are not new. The enemy always wants to show its blows and attacks as significant.

You remember during the imposed war when our young people captured territories and inflicted severe blows on the enemy, and the enemy also made a small counterattack, they would create a commotion saying, 'We conducted operations. We did this, we did that'? When the enemy makes an aggressive move, it wants to show it as significant to weaken the morale of the opposing side. When they attack, they consider their attacks significant and create a commotion on their radios; this one reports from that one, and that one reports from this one! These are not new. They are against Islam; they are against the Islamic Republic; they are intensely hostile to the independence of a nation and harbor deep resentment against a nation that wants to maintain its independence in the face of them. So, these are not new.

The second point is that the hostile and malicious propaganda of our enemies has never affected the spirit of this great and resilient nation from the beginning and has no effect today. The strong and deep faith of these people is not something that can be shaken by the malicious propaganda of the enemies. The people love their nation, their country, their religion, their culture, their officials, and their glorious and very valuable revolution. People do not become shaken by these words!

I thank God that I have maintained my personal connection with the masses of people and with the deprived and oppressed classes and the families of the martyrs and have not let numerous engagements cut these connections. By God's grace, I have been able to hear many of the people's words from their own mouths. Therefore, what I say is based on what I perceive, feel, and observe from the depths of the people's faith. These people have chosen Islam; they have considered Islam a means for the reform of religious and worldly affairs, and the enemy, of course, does not want to allow it. This is clear. When you want to manage your own house, the one who was the usurper of your house until yesterday wants to hire mercenaries for a while and stone your house from outside; cut off your house's water and, if possible, cut your electricity wire. What is the solution? The solution is resistance. They want the same master-servant relations that existed between the powerful and the treacherous officials of Iran before the revolution to be re-established. When they see it is not possible, they harass; they create obstacles. The solution is to resist, and our nation has understood this.

By God's grace, this nation has the power to build its country and home with its own hands without paying attention to the hostilities of the enemies and without extending a hand to anyone. People have understood this, and our young people have realized this. Therefore, when they feel that the country's officials are working and striving for them, they love them.

The next point is that as far as our voice reaches, we will convey our enlightening cry to the horizons of the world. It is not that we remain silent in the face of their words! God Almighty has provided means and tools for the front of truth that falsehood, no matter what it does, cannot prevent the penetration of truth. We have one radio; they have dozens of radios. Our tools are not the super-modern tools of today for broadcasting sound; their tools are very strong and loud. They set aside a lot of capital just for lying and spreading filth.

All of this exists; but nevertheless, if you go to any of the countries where the voice of the Islamic revolution has spread, you will be surprised. Of course, I am not talking about countries that are culturally very distant from us. The people of those countries do not know us. They have no news of Islam. They have no news of our situation. Their way of knowing is their own radio. But in Islamic countries and countries that are not completely under the influence of the voices of the enemies, if you contact their people, the masses of people love the Islamic Republic. It is not a matter of one or two people; it is a matter of the masses. You see today how many officials from various countries enter Iran and walk in this city! Who understands! Who bothers to come out of their shop and go to the street to see the president who has come from there? They do not care about these! But when our president goes to other countries, people line up from this city to that city to see him; to chant slogans for him and wave their hands. What does this mean? There are many families, homes, and cultural centers in the world that we have no news of; but when you enter those places, you see they have put up the picture of the Imam up there! Where did these come from and for what? Who took the picture of the Imam, the name of the Imam, and the biography of the Imam to these various countries in Africa, in Asia, even in Europe; in these countries that have just separated from the former Soviet Union and gained independence and talked to them about the Imam?

Prominent personalities from these places, ordinary people who later, by the blessing of the name of the Imam, the message of the Imam, and the message of this revolution and your sacrifices, you people, you young people, and you fathers and mothers, opened their eyes and became great revolutionaries. The leader of the living and awake Muslims of one of the countries, whom I do not want to name, came to me and said: 'We were ordinary people, and the Imam revived us.' This person is someone from whom thousands of people, in one part of the world, take inspiration. With which advanced tools and with which super-modern technology did we do these things? Today, the same situation prevails. We also speak. We also state the truths. I also send messages to the Muslims of the world to reach the depths of Islamic societies and, by God's grace, spread in their living space.

God Almighty has blessed the word of truth and continues to bless it. 'God sets forth a parable: a good word is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in the sky.' (Quran 14:24) The root is in the ground, but the branches and leaves fill the entire space. This is the case. It is not that they can say whatever they want against the Iranian nation; we, like some other countries and some other officials, sit dumb and mute and do not say a word in response. No; we speak. That word is not just for your city square. That is a word that, by God's grace, spreads in the world. And this is God's work that in the farthest places, they receive the words, receive the messages, understand the truths, and carry out the revelations.

Of course, we state the truths. We do not interfere in the affairs of any nation. The reason you see individuals from around the world and their babbling supporters claim that 'Iran interferes in the affairs of countries' is this. There is no interference. The word goes there, and supporters emerge. The word of truth settles in their hearts. That poor president claims that 'Iran interferes in our country!' They asked him: 'On what basis do you say that Iran interferes?' He said: 'When we arrest individuals and go to their homes, we see the picture of the Imam of Iran in their homes.' They told him: 'Is this evidence of interference?! This is evidence of their influence; evidence that they accept their words.' The truth of the matter is also this.

The issue is Islam. Is this a joke! Now, that American does not understand what Islam means; you, who have grown up in a so-called Islamic country and if asked 'What is your religion?' you will falsely say 'Islam!', should understand that people cannot be separated from Islam. These people of Egypt, the people of Algeria, the people of Sudan, the people of other countries, are Muslims. Here too, the flag of Islam is raised, and anyone whose heart beats for Islam cherishes this flag here.

The last point is that we will not abandon the principles of Islam and the revolution and the values for which the youth of this nation gave their blood, and the disabled youth lost their health, and this nation made spiritual investments for, not even a needle's worth, with these antics and clowning that they create against the revolution in radios and media commotions. Let me say this once again, although I have said it many times before: those who are angry with the Islamic Republic and constantly raise the issue of terrorism and our support for terrorism and human rights violations in Iran and these meaningless and contentless words, their real issue is something else. Those who say 'Iran supports terrorism' know themselves that they are lying. They themselves are terrorists. They themselves support the most brutal terrorists in the world, namely the Zionists. They know that Iran does not support terrorism. If they sometimes say that 'human rights are violated in the Islamic Republic,' they know themselves that they are lying and understand that this is a meaningless and irrelevant statement. Moreover, they themselves have no interest in human rights! What does human rights mean? Did you see how they burned people in America? Did you see how they scattered the blacks, who were American citizens? What does human rights mean? They have no belief in human rights! These are words; these are the appearance of the matter! The essence of the matter is something else.

They are very upset about a few things; however, they do not want to say it explicitly. The first is precisely this issue of the non-separation of religion from politics. This is the main issue. They are opposed to the message that our great Imam extracted from the heart and text of Islam and spread in the atmosphere of this society and throughout the world that 'Religion is not separate from politics. Religion is politics; politics is religion. Religion is not just for the corner of the prayer niche; religion is for the scene of life; for the administration of humanity'; and this became the basis of the great struggle of the Iranian nation and other struggling Muslim nations. They are angry about this. They say: 'Separate religion and politics!' What does it mean? It means: anyone who wants to be religious, let them be religious; but when you want to elect someone for the presidency, do not care that they must be a religious person! Let someone, even if they are reckless, even if they are irreligious, even if they are impious, come and manage the executive affairs of the country! When you want to send a representative to the parliament, do not care that they are religious and committed to religion. Even if they are reckless, even if they are irreligious, even if they are indifferent to Islamic principles and ethics and values, elect them. What is their purpose? Because they know that if someone is at the head of the country or in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, religious and committed to religion, they will not collude with them against the interests of the nation; they will not prioritize their interests over the interests of the country and the nation. But someone who is reckless, for them, the main issue is themselves. They say: 'You want to be the boss, you want to enjoy, you want to enjoy the world; that is up to us! Do as we say!' Like the agents of the corrupt and disgraceful Pahlavi regime who were like this, and today, unfortunately, in the Islamic world, there are regimes like that. They want it that way. Therefore, their main problem is the issue of religion and politics being separate. The next issue is the issue of Palestine. They want the Islamic Republic not to say: 'I am against the betrayal of the Palestinian nation.' They want to say this. They say: 'Just as others come to the negotiating table and negotiate over the homes of the Palestinians and their fate, you also accept!' We have not sent an army to Palestine; but just opposing what they are doing to Palestine burns them.

Their problem is these things.

Another issue is the defense of the rights of Muslims in the world. They say: 'Why do you defend the Muslims of the world?! Why do you awaken them?!' The issues that upset them are these. These are fundamental issues. Terrorism and human rights and minority rights and these words are excuses they utter.

In conclusion, I say this to you: dear brothers; dear sisters and all the Iranian nation! As long as you adhere to the values of your religion; as long as you are interested in your dear Iran; as long as you are interested in being Iranian; as long as you respect Islam and the Quran and, following the words of the Quran, your hands are in each other's hands; as long as you love the country's officials and choose them with open eyes and stand behind them to the end, as you are now, thanks be to God, as long as your youth do not let their religious and revolutionary enthusiasm diminish; as long as the clergy are on the scene; as long as religion is the source of life in this country and as long as the Quranic government, by God's grace, shines over Iran and this country lives under the shadow of the Quran, America is nothing, even if greater than America and even all the satanic powers unite, they will not be able to do anything against this country.

In conclusion, I offer a few prayers:

O Lord! Illuminate these hearts that are illuminated with love and knowledge of You, with Your grace and favor, more and more every day. O Lord! Increase the spiritual strength of this nation. O Lord! Increase the dignity of Islam and Muslims. O Lord! We feel that with the dignity of Islam and the Islamic Republic, the blood of our martyrs, thanks be to God, has not been wasted; O Lord! Make the blood of these dear ones more and more dear in the world every day. O Lord! Occupy the enemies of this nation with themselves; turn their plots against themselves. O Lord! Make their hearts, as they are, terrified of the greatness of this nation. O Lord! Remove the difficulties of this nation. O Lord! Cut off the hands that create knots for the enemy. O Lord! Strengthen the hands and arms that try to untie the knots of the people's affairs. O Lord! Grant success to the sincere officials of the country. O Lord! Encompass this dear nation with Your favors. O Lord! Make the sacred heart of Imam Mahdi pleased with us. O Lord! Make us worthy of being his Shia.

O Lord! Brighten all our eyes with his beauty. O Lord! Place the pure soul of the Imam and the sacred souls of the martyrs in the highest levels of Your blessings and ranks.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings