Statements in Meeting with Members of the Central Headquarters of the Congress of Fourteen Thousand Martyrs of the Working Community

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

Honoring and respecting martyrs from every class and from every geographical point in the country is truly a commendable and outstanding act. The very fact that the Almighty God has drawn your hearts towards this task, that you have taken on the efforts to create this gathering and this commemoration, is a sign of divine grace; it indicates that God wishes the shadow of the martyrs to always be present and enduring over this country. However, there are certain classes whose commemoration due to martyrdom holds an additional value. Our working class is among these. Therefore, we are very grateful to you, dear brothers in the working community of the country, for pursuing this valuable work and introducing the martyrs of labor.

In the battlefield—whether in the eight-year defense, against the groups before that, during the revolution, or in various events afterward, which have been somewhat military and mostly non-military—we observe the prominent footprint of workers. I have repeatedly mentioned this in my speeches to our dear workers that the counter-revolution has always had its eyes on the workers, seeking to provoke the working community against the Islamic Republic. This state has existed since the very first day, from the day of the victory of the revolution. I was personally present in the matter and it was such that, almost by coincidence, I found myself in the midst of a wave of anti-revolutionary provocations against workers and witnessed how the workers responded to these enemies of the revolution with insight, determination, and adherence to faith. From that day until today, it has always been the same. One of the fundamental tasks of our enemies is to create a stagnation or a hindrance among our workers, especially in large working communities, and to compel the workers towards this. Yet, our workers have always resisted over the years, always stood firm, and have consistently rejected the enemy's hand with insight; this is very important.

In the battlefield, it was the same; now, these non-military battles we mentioned, in military battles, it was the same. Whenever Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) called for action, a significant portion of this vast Basij force that moved towards the fronts came from our workers. There were even times when workers whose livelihood depended on daily work—meaning they had to work during the day to bring bread home at night; they had families, children, and some were responsible for their parents—yet some of them acted with such dignity and religious fervor that they set this aside and went towards the battlefield. Great deeds were accomplished! I truly believe that if we had not witnessed these things with our own eyes in the realm of reality and in life, it would have been hard to believe; such [dignity]; a young, devoted, and faithful worker would give up a portion of their meager income and, God willing, leave everything behind to head towards the battlefield! When they speak, they respond with logic; they say they must defend their country, defend the Islamic border so that the enemy does not gain control; otherwise, if the enemy gains control, we will have nothing—not even bread! This is the reality; one sees this in the reasoning and words of our youth. Therefore, honoring and commemorating the martyred workers is a very good act, and drawing the public's attention and the public opinion of the nation to the sacrifices of this class in the battlefield is also a significant task.

The works you mentioned and the programs that exist are good programs; however, pay attention to the fact that the ceremonial and superficial aspects—sometimes these interfere a bit—should not have a significant and important interference; look at the impact of this behavior and this work you are doing on the audience; that is, primarily pay attention to this. If you are publishing an artistic work or writing a book or similar things, do it in a way that can have an impact on the audience; this is important; appearances and such things are not very important. We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God blesses your works and makes the pure spirit of the martyrs pleased with you and the spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) content with you. And God willing, you will be able to bring to fruition the work that you must accomplish. God willing, may you be successful and supported.

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