Statements in Meeting with Thousands of People and Tribes of Mamasani County

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, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and virtuous progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

It is a great blessing for me to have the opportunity to meet with you, the dear, sincere, and revolutionary people of Mamasani during my trip to Fars Province. I had not had this opportunity before, and today I am happy that, thanks be to God, we are meeting this enthusiastic gathering of brothers and sisters from this city and region in this place with such a dense crowd.

Certainly, the first merit of the dear people of Mamasani is that they have embraced the revolution, which arose from the truth of Islam, with all their being and heart. Of course, the roots of faith and belief in the Ahl al-Bayt and the family of the Prophet are very deep among the people of this city and region. This has been the case historically. During the pre-revolution period and under the tyranny, the late Ayatollah Shahid Madani, who is one of the great martyrs of the pulpit in the early years of the revolution, was exiled in this city for a time. The people welcomed this luminous and noble Sayyid with open arms. This is a sign of the deep belief and pure and sincere faith in the revolution, the family of the Prophet, and the Imamate and Guardianship.

During the imposed war, the valiant tribes of this region were among those who participated in the battlefields, putting their lives, their existence, and their everything on the line with sincerity to defend Islam, the revolution, the Islamic Republic, and our beloved Islamic Iran. This sincere readiness in the path of great ideals is one of the greatest honors for a nation.

There is another distinguished point about you, the dear people of Mamasani, which stems from the tribal fabric of this region. If one looks deeply and with open eyes at social phenomena, many strengths can be observed in these phenomena and social events. One of these is the issue of tribal fabric. Tribe and clan are manifestations of familial and blood ties among individuals; this is affirmed in Islam. In Islam, familial connections and relationships with relatives and kin are commendable practices; the emphasis on maintaining family ties, which is one of the obligations, and the prohibition of severing them is based on this. This familial and kinship bond in tribal fabrics is one of the strengths of tribal communities.

Of course, I should also add that the positive aspect of this familial and kinship bond is the valuable element mentioned; however, the negative aspect, which is the prejudices that lead to conflicts among tribes and clans, must be rejected; this is not acceptable in Islam. The bond and connection and healing among families and tribes is very good; however, one should not deny others. Brotherhood in Islam is widespread among all believers.

"Indeed, you are from Adam, and Adam is from dust"; our noble Prophet responded to those who wanted to look at their tribal affiliations with prejudice and deny others with this language. That is, intra-tribal and clan connections are very good and commendable; familial and kinship connections are a positive point; however, this should not be used as a means to deny those outside this family and tribe. I tell you: preserve and maintain the value of familial and kinship connections in tribal environments - which is very valuable - but various tribes should not deny each other; we are all brothers: "Indeed, you are from Adam, and Adam is from dust"; the Prophet said: all of you are children of Adam, and Adam is from dust. "So, O servant, be humble like dust." See how deep this Islamic teaching is for us - at all levels!

My dear ones! Brothers and sisters! You have passed a good test; you have proven your continuity and support for Islam and the revolution. In our country, tribes are a source of dignity and pride. I once said in a gathering: some countries feel fear from ethnic differences among their people; but we feel happiness and fortune from our tribes! Why? Because our tribes - wherever they are - have been guardians of nationality, defenders of religion, supporters of the clergy, and interested in the Islamic foundations and indigenous traditions of this country. Our nationality - which, thanks to God, is intertwined with the element of faith and belief in God - has remained throughout all eras, aided by traditions that have penetrated and taken root among various ethnicities and tribes. Especially these tribes in the central regions of the country - Fars Province, Isfahan Province - are loyal and have been guardians of Islamic thought and thought related to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) throughout these times. Therefore, in every period of the tyrannical era, when there was a confrontation and friction between the clergy and scholars and the arrogant and tyrannical powers, the tribes stood as forces for the clergy against the oppressive and tyrannical powers. In this very Fars Province, the tribes stood against British domination and fought against the British; they resisted the tyrannical rule of the kings during the tyrannical era - during the Qajar period and around the great clerical movement of the late Ayatollah Sayyid Abd al-Hussein Lari; after that, during the era of Reza Khan and later during the clerical movement, the tribes demonstrated their tribal pride and deep belief in religion. Preserve this.

Dear tribal youth! Today, the world is such that a firm belief and faith based on solid foundations will lead a nation to victory. In a world where various policies of global arrogance have led people to permissiveness and moral laxity, that believing community whose faith is based on solid doctrinal foundations can overcome all the waves created in the world; just as our youth were able to overcome all the waves of global arrogance directed at the Islamic Republic system; first, the victory of the revolution, then victory in the sacred defense battlefield, and then until today and in various arenas, this nation has stood firm. Dear youth! Preserve this faith; strengthen this faith with solid intellectual foundations. Everyone - whether urban or rural and those related to tribes in cities and villages and migratory areas - should be committed to strengthening this deep faith, accompanied by sincerity and inner purity present in this region, through reading books, promoting reading among the tribes, and studying among the youth of this region, and by utilizing individuals with sound and Islamic thoughts.

Regarding your region, the only point that troubles me is the issue of deprivation in various sectors. Unfortunately, this talented land suffers from multiple deprivations in various fields. This situation necessitates that officials pay special attention. There is no doubt that some shortcomings have occurred in the past that must be compensated by the hardworking and service-oriented government today, God willing. What makes me happy in this regard is the provincial trips of the government: the visits to various provinces and the inspections of the top officials of the country to various cities and counties, and their contact with the people and seeing the realities with their own eyes, not through reports.

One of my goals in the trips I made to various provinces in previous years and mentioned during the trips was to draw the attention of the officials to the need for greater focus on the vulnerable and deprived areas of the country; to attract their attention to these points. Today, fortunately, this goal has been achieved; that is, one of the programs of the service-oriented government is to directly observe all provinces and all cities and counties;

Especially this region and this province, which this year has faced problems due to lack of rain and heavenly blessings for farmers and livestock owners who look to the sky, and this will create more problems; I am informed and have been reported that the government has devised measures to compensate for some of the problems caused by drought and has planned budgets. We hope that what the government has approved with its capabilities will be implemented in the best possible way, and the people will benefit. Of course, we also raise our hands in prayer to the heavens: we ask the Almighty God for His grace, mercy, and favor upon these believing people and these thirsty lands; we hope that the Almighty God will bestow His grace.

Among the things I expressed at the beginning of this year to the Iranian nation and the officials of the country was the emphasis on expanding the space for economic activity. Why? Because especially the enemy has focused on this point and continues to do so. My dear ones! The enemy of the Islamic revolution, over these many years - nearly thirty years - has employed all possible means to break the resolve and will of the Iranian nation; from political conspiracies, military coups, the imposition of an eight-year war, to the poisonous propaganda that is broadcast day and night - continuously - from Zionist and arrogant loudspeakers against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic system. They have done everything; they have come to the conclusion that they can entrap the Iranian nation in an economic conspiracy. This is not new; from the very beginning of the revolution, economic sanctions and economic blockades have been ongoing in various forms in our country; they exerted pressure, and the nation stood firm; at the same time, they want to continue this, and our nation will stand firm again. Just as over the past thirty years, our nation has overcome the economic blockade conspiracy and has taken significant steps toward the progress of the country in every respect, today, despite the malice and ill intentions of the global arrogant politicians, our nation will stand firm against any conspiracy - especially this conspiracy.

The way forward is for our nation to unite and free the country from economic dependency. The revolution freed us from political dependency. A lot has been done in the path of economic independence; however, it requires the efforts of all segments of the Iranian nation so that the country can achieve something economically that makes threats of sanctions and economic blockades meaningless. This is a call to all the nation, not just to the people of Mamasani; everyone must unite. This country has abundant human resources; it also has abundant material resources. With necessary investment, proper and sound planning, and diligence and determination, we will be able to achieve, within a specified program, a situation where the country will no longer fear economic sanctions and blockades in the global economic arena. This is our national duty, and we must fulfill it. Everyone can play a role. We have a vast land and abundant resources.

Of course, we also have limitations. I mentioned in Shiraz: if we do not waste, we can meet the needs of the country. One of the things we have not been able to overcome and correct in this country is the issue of waste, and one of the areas of waste is waste of water; incidentally, our country is among the regions that are not particularly rich in water; however, if we do not waste and take a rational and correct approach, we can meet the needs of the country with the available water. These are the duties of all the people of Iran, and the Islamic government is obliged to properly organize and plan to utilize this readiness of the Iranian nation, and God willing, one by one, to resolve the problems.

Of course, the Iranian nation has endured problems over these thirty years; however, national dignity has a cost; no country can achieve national dignity, independence, and superior identity without paying the necessary cost; the cost must be paid. Our nation has paid this cost and will continue to do so. I say to these superpowers and their agents who close their eyes and do not see the realities and open their mouths to threaten and shout: threats will not force the Iranian nation to retreat. Threats cannot divert our nation from the path it has taken: the path toward perfection, the path toward complete dignity, the path toward complete independence, the path toward the full implementation of the pillars of religion in this country so that the dear Islam can solve all our problems. This is the path that the Iranian nation has taken and will not be diverted from it. The enemy cannot achieve anything through threats. These days, their threats have risen again: America and the Zionists in one way, and some European governments foolishly and unwisely following America! Have you not experienced the Iranian nation? Have you not tested this great and resilient nation? We will continue our path with strength and will not allow the arrogant powers of the world to trample the rights of this nation. This is our duty, our responsibility, and the right of this great nation that we must fulfill according to our responsibilities; we must not allow the enemy, through various methods, psychological warfare, and various tricks and schemes, to trample the rights of this nation, and by the grace of God, we will not allow it.

You dear people should know that the way to save this nation and all the nations of the Islamic Ummah from all the troubles they face is Islam; Islam can save us. In these thirty years since the Islamic revolution began, and the Islamic Republic is now in its youth and vitality, wherever we have adhered better and more precisely to Islam, we have been more successful; if we have not succeeded in some areas, it is because we have not performed our Islamic duties with precision; if we do so, we will achieve our goals. Thanks be to God, this nation is a prepared, vibrant, brave, mature, aware, and intelligent nation that knows its rights and pursues them.

We ask the Almighty God to grant success to the officials of the country in fulfilling their responsibilities and pursuing their duties toward all segments of the Iranian nation - especially those areas that have suffered deprivation over the years, including your dear region - God willing, and to provide them with the means to fulfill their duties toward you dear people. O Lord! Send down Your mercy, grace, and favor upon these people. O Lord! Illuminate the hearts of these believing and sincere people with the light of Your grace and guidance. O Lord! Strengthen the sacred Islamic Republic system day by day. O Lord! Enable us to fulfill our duties toward these dear people; make the sacred heart of the Awaited One pleased with us; include us in the prayers of that great one.

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