Statements in Meeting with Leaders and Elders of the Kurdish Tribes

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

This session, blessed by the pure hearts and vibrant spirits of the esteemed tribal members, is a very pleasant and heartfelt gathering. What dear brothers have expressed here about our beloved revolution and loyalty to its principles is part of my humble beliefs. From the beginning of the revolution until today, we have never doubted the loyalty of the valiant and faithful tribes of this proud and glorious region. What you dear brothers, especially this esteemed and melodious speaker, have said about me is, in fact, about the revolution. I am but a tiny speck in the vast ocean of this great revolution and this great nation.

Everything that the Iranian nation possesses, and everything that the individuals of this people and the officials of the country and the self-sacrificers of this path have achieved in terms of honor, is related to Islam, related to this great revolution, related to that endless grace and mercy that God Almighty has cast over this nation, and by virtue of that, this nation has been able to undertake this great movement.

I am very pleased to be among you. In some of my trips during the war and even before the start of the Sacred Defense, I had meetings with some of these dear and valiant tribes in these regions, but today’s gathering of yours, which includes tribes from three provinces here - West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah - is a meaningful assembly; it has a message; this gathering speaks with a fluent tongue.

A nation finds its lofty place among the nations of the world when it speaks to the world through its actions, through its presence. Our nation, during the thirty years of the revolution, especially in sensitive periods, has proven itself through its actions. National glories cannot be proven by claims and words; the nation acted. In this action and endeavor, you valiant Kurdish tribes in this region are among the sensitive roles and are counted among the prominent actors.

As Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) said, the tribes are the treasures of the revolution. All tribes are border guards, traditionalists, and guardians of the identity and dignity of this country; there is no doubt about this. However, some tribes, due to their geographical and political positions and the sensitivities that arose throughout this tumultuous history, have had the opportunity to prove their identity, their truth, and their being a treasure in action, and you dear ones are among them. Today you spoke, but in the past, in previous years, you acted. Your actions reflect the very truths that you expressed today.

Kurdistan and the Kurdish region, due to their specific situations, became targets of conspiracies from the beginning of the revolution; even before the imposed war began. The enemies of the Islamic revolution had hopes in this region. Figures from the remnants of the tyrannical regime appeared in this region hoping to gain the support of our valiant and faithful tribal people and strike at the face of the revolution. We witnessed these; we were aware of them. There is a difference between the tribe that is settled in its place; there is no conspiracy, no provocation, no malice, and of course, it serves the revolution and the country, and that tribe and those clans and tribes that become targets of the enemy's conspiracy and stand firm and steadfast; we will not forget these. The memory of the Iranian nation and the memory of the Islamic revolution and the Islamic Republic system have recorded these; they exist. The tribes have guarded the borders. You have done well in guarding the borders in this region.

Here, there were various tribes; some of these tribes had historical and territorial disputes among themselves. Some of these tribes were Shia, some were Sunni; there were also religious differences. The enemy viewed these realities as an opportunity and wanted to exploit this opportunity against the revolution. The tribes of this region disappointed the enemy. You thwarted the enemy; this is very valuable. My dear ones! The Iranian nation undertook a movement in the Islamic revolution that not only serves this region but has become a starting point for a transformation, a new perspective, a new line in the intellectual movement of humanity, and this will increase in the future.

We spoke from the standpoint of Islam, but what Islam has in mind for humanity and for the happiness of mankind is not exclusively beneficial to those who believe in Islam. Islam says to stand against oppression and tyranny; defend the oppressed; do not fear the pressures of the arrogant powerful; be vigilant against the conspiracies of the charlatans who are the robbers of human life. Islam calls for humans to return to their innate nature. Islam is a supporter of truth, a supporter of justice. These are remedies for the pains of humanity. Humanity has suffered from oppression, injustice, and discrimination throughout history. Generations of humanity have been beaten by the tyrants of history. These tyrants were once in the guise of Pharaohs and Qaruns, once in the guise of Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab, and today they are in the guise of the arrogant powers of our time. Their danger is greater than that of the Pharaohs; their harm to humanity is greater than that of all the oppressors of history; they are equipped; equipped with all the tools of force, deception, and trickery. Today, the propaganda of the enemies across the world - not just our enemies, but the enemies of humanity - tries to present them as humanitarians, supporters of humanity, and advocates for people. These are very dangerous. The Islamic revolution rose against such a dangerous front, stood firm, and succeeded.

This is a great opportunity for the Iranian nation. We, the children of this land, must be proud that God Almighty has planted this pure tree in our land, in our nation, in our hearts with His mighty hand. This honor belongs to us Iranians, who have been able to raise the flag of Islam, which is the flag of justice, the flag of fairness, the flag of rationality, the flag of national progress, the flag of kindness and justice. This flag was raised by Iranians, and the enemies of humanity - the arrogant powers of the world - have exerted all their efforts to bring this flag down and cut off this hand; but they could not. In this sacred endeavor, the share of our dear tribes in this region is very significant.

What I recommend to you today - although I see that, thanks be to God, your vigilance is such that you may not even need this advice, but I emphasize - the issue of today in this region is security. You have been able to be the guardians of security; you must strengthen this ability within yourselves; always feel this heavy responsibility on your shoulders. And I say, pass this sense of responsibility on to your children and youth. This country and this nation must continue this movement; enmities will persist. We must become more vigilant day by day. Of course, the enemy has come to the field with all its might and has achieved nothing; after this, by God's grace and with God's permission, the enemy will not be able to do anything; but this is provided that we remain vigilant; we remain awake. If we fall into negligence, if we become preoccupied with small matters, if we become oblivious to the main issue, which is preserving the identity of this nation and the sanctity of this holy system, the enemy may strike. Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful) said in Nahj al-Balagha: "And whoever sleeps, he is not free from being slept upon"; if you are asleep in your trench, it does not mean that your enemy is also asleep in his trench. He may be awake and take advantage of your sleep and negligence.

Today we are aware that the enemies of the Islamic Republic are conspiring behind our borders. We know that the Kurds on the other side of the border also consider themselves Iranians. We know that among our Kurdish brothers on the other side of the border, there are many friends of the Islamic system and the Islamic revolution; it could be said that they are the majority. Our faithful youth during the imposed war benefited greatly from the capabilities and vigilance of our Kurdish brothers on the other side of the border. Today, when they come to Iran - they travel and always converse - they recall the greatness of the Iranian uprising and the trust they have always had. We know this; however, this does not mean that the enemy is oblivious to infiltration, conspiracy, and incursion. They are busy working there, striving; with conspiracies, creating divisions, employing dishonest methods, their effort is to strike whenever they can. This requires vigilance. This vigilance and readiness that I am discussing with you is not merely military readiness; it is spiritual readiness. The enemy may not be able to act militarily, may have no hope, but in terms of culture, politics, security, espionage, and infiltrating the beliefs and firm faith of the faithful men and women of this land, they may seek a means to achieve their nefarious goals. This threatens our security. Security in the country and in every region is the foundation of progress. Some job opportunities in this province and neighboring provinces - in the western and northwestern regions of the country - were lost due to the insecurity that the agents and lackeys of the enemy imposed on this region in the early years. It is true that the Kurdish people defended valiantly, but the energy that was spent on military defense in this region could have been devoted to developmental efforts. If this had been the case, the region would be ahead of where it is today.

Of course, work has increased. We know this, and the people of the region, who witness it closely, know it; but what needs to be done and what could have been done is much more than the volume of work that has been done so far. After this, it will be the same; the more security there is, the more opportunities for work, production, development, and service provision there will be. This region deserves more than this. The natural potential of this region, the rich and vast resources that exist here - both natural and human resources - are very valuable. These dear tribes - it is the same in this region, and we have observed this in other places as well - are centers of brilliant talents; outstanding talents. Your youth have talents that one can hope that the country will take pride in these talents in the future. These talents must be nurtured. The development of services, the expansion of educational efforts, the development of literacy and knowledge among the people, among the tribes, in various cities, will provide the future of this region for us and you.

Our hope is great, my dear ones! Experiences tell us that we must be hopeful and have certainty about the future; our experience confirms this for us. There was a time when the enemies thought they could uproot this system. Our friends all over the world were anxious. The faithful in Islamic countries, the faithful youth who had pinned their hopes on this revolution, were anxious about the fate of this young and nascent system. This foolish neighbor of ours - Saddam and the Ba'athists - entered this war with the same false assumption, thinking they would finish everything. The revolution dealt a blow to them; as you saw their end. Greater enemies than Saddam have harbored hopes, devised plans, and conspired over these years, creating myths for themselves, harboring hopes; but all their assumptions turned out to be false. They thought the Islamic revolution would either not survive or, if it did, would not have the capacity to advance the country. The Islamic revolution, to the dismay of its enemies, not only survived but became more rooted, and dazzled everyone with its advancements in science, technology, and various social and political developments.

Today, in this region, among the various systems that some have come to power with military dictatorships, some govern with hereditary dictatorships over the people, the Islamic Republic system, with religious democracy, with the genuine presence of the people in electing various executive and legislative officials, with the presence of the people in various fields, with the bond between officials and the people - know that a session like our meeting today, where both sides have affection for each other and their hearts are filled with love for one another, does not exist in any of the countries we know in our vicinity. Of course, we are unaware of distant paths, and I do not think so. Various strata of the people feel closeness and kinship with the officials of the country, with the top managers of the country. The officials of the country love the various strata of the people. This is a sincere affection. Such a thing does not exist elsewhere - it has created a new hope in this region. If you see that a certain government dependent on America, a certain government that appears to be Muslim but is secretly in league with the Zionists, a certain oppressive and arrogant government does not spare any moment of malice and ill will towards the Islamic Republic, it is because of this characteristic of this system that it has been able to find its place in the hearts of their nations.

Today, if you visit these Arab-speaking Muslim countries, engage with the people there, go to their markets, when they find out you are Iranian, they express affection towards you, show interest in you. Your officials, when they go to these countries - where the people are allowed freedom - the people express their feelings towards them. Such a thing does not exist anywhere else in the world. Our leaders go to Muslim countries, and young people, students, academics, people from the streets and markets, various classes, like the people of the cities of Iran, chant slogans for them, express their devotion, show their interest, gather around them, send greetings. This indicates the influence of this revolution in the hearts of the Muslim nations. This is what angers and unsettles the governments opposed to Islam and the Islamic Republic.

What we have is a blessing from God. We must learn from Islam and not become arrogant. Arrogance leads to slipping, leads to failure. Whatever exists, we must recognize it as a blessing and grace from God: "Whatever good befalls you is from God, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourselves"; every advancement, every success, every good opportunity is from God's grace. Any shortcomings here and there are due to our actions. We must be careful about our actions; we, the officials, more so, and the various strata of the people, each in their own right, and you, the great Kurdish tribes, the influential figures of the Kurdish cities, you also have heavy responsibilities according to your positions. Just as you have acted well until now, thanks be to God, seek God's assistance and continue to move forward in the same manner; maintain your unity, increase the sincerity among yourselves; the revolution belongs to you, the country belongs to you, the officials are your children and servants; consider yourselves as part of them. Whatever you can, maintain vigilance and awareness, and know that by God's grace, the future belongs to you and the Iranian nation.

I pray for the success, grace, and mercy of God Almighty for all of you dear ones.

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