Statements in Meeting with Members of the Central Headquarters of the Congress Commemorating Ten Thousand Martyrs of East Azerbaijan

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 Muhammad and his pure family, especially the Remaining One of God among the people.

I sincerely thank you for this necessary and very useful action that you dear brothers and sisters have taken, bringing forth the memory and name of the distinguished martyrs of Azerbaijan and Tabriz — which is, of course, unforgettable — in a more elevated, superior, and clearer manner; this is a very good and appropriate action. Of course, the gap between the first commemoration that took place years ago and this commemoration has become somewhat large; it is necessary that such actions, commemorations, reminders, and mentions be repeated more frequently, just as we honor the martyrs of Karbala every year during Muharram; now it has been a thousand and three hundred years that this repetition occurs, yet this repetition is not among the tedious repetitions, but rather among the necessary and beneficial repetitions for our society and for today and tomorrow.

Regarding Tabriz and Azerbaijan, there is no shortage of commendatory words; we have repeatedly spoken on this matter in our annual meetings with you. Regarding the martyrs, what was said today in this session by the esteemed Friday prayer leader and the esteemed commander of the IRGC was very good and complete; all the recommendations that we wish to present and usually mention, thanks be to God, you have paid attention to and have acted upon many of them. I would like to say that one of our duties is to be aware of the 'self', of our own identity. The Iranian nation must not forget its identity; if it forgets its identity, it will be struck, it will be harmed, it will lag behind. The Almighty God says about those who forget Him: 'They forgot God, so He caused them to forget themselves.' This indicates that attention to oneself, to one's identity, and to one's characteristics is essential for individuals, for every nation, and for every group.

Azerbaijan must fully pay attention to the identity that distinguishes it. In the true sense of the word, the collection that we call 'Azerbaijan' has a distinguished identity among the Iranian nation. Azerbaijan is the cradle of martyrs and self-sacrificers. It is not limited to the Sacred Defense; it has always been this way, and it will continue to be so. As far as the Islamic Revolution is concerned — if we want to calculate — from before the revolution, that is, from the beginning of the movement of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the Iranian nation, the spirit of martyrdom and the call to martyrdom began in Azerbaijan, continuing to this day. In the matters of defending the shrine, we have Azerbaijani martyrs. Of course, the peak of these sacrifices, the peak of demonstrating the values and noble character of Azerbaijanis, was during the Sacred Defense, and the personalities that were mentioned: Martyr Agha Mahdi Bakri, Martyr Hamid Bakri, Martyr Tajallayi, Martyr Yaghchiyan, these great and distinguished brothers who joined the presence of God, many of these dear and distinguished individuals are also present today; that is, this characteristic of seeking martyrdom and distinction in sacrifice is not limited to the imposed war and the period of the Sacred Defense, but has continued from before the victory of the revolution until today. This city has two martyred Friday prayer leaders; that is, out of the five martyred Friday prayer leaders who are among the honors of the clergy throughout the country, two Friday prayer leaders are from the city of Tabriz. These are significant; these are very prominent.

What I recommend is that, first of all, do not let the flow of the blood of the martyrs diminish; that is, the memory of the martyrs is not merely nostalgia; it means that that piety, that sacrifice, that courage, that brilliant essence of existence that draws individuals like Martyr Bakri into the battlefield should be reflected, transmitted, and provide an example for the new generation. Our youth need role models, and the best role models are these individuals. Some nations that are completely or largely devoid of this aspect create role models, fabricate them, without having any existence. We have these role models before us. Martyr Bakri should not only be seen in the battlefield; he should also be seen behind the front lines, in Tabriz University, and in his activities before the revolution; that spirit should be seen. I met Martyr Agha Mahdi Bakri in Mashhad before the revolution; he was enthusiastic, passionate, insightful, and capable of analyzing issues. This is what leads him to shine in the war, attracting hearts to himself. This spirit must be reflected. If we make films, if we write poetry, if we write books, if we compile and publish memories, we must pay attention to ensure that this spirit is reflected; this spirit is a constructive spirit. This is the first point: do not let the flow of the blood of the martyrs diminish. You see, just as I mentioned at the beginning, similar to the mourning of Sayyid al-Shuhada (peace be upon him); that is, just as every year when Muharram comes, when Ashura comes, you seem to see the Ashura of the year 61 before you, the events are reflected, the personalities come alive before the eyes of the listeners; this must happen regarding the martyrs of the Sacred Defense and the ten thousand martyrs you referred to.

The second point is that do not forget the families of the martyrs. Unfortunately, many parents have passed away and joined their martyrs; those who remain — whether the spouses of the martyrs or the parents of the martyrs — should be utilized for their memories and descriptions. Also, from their colleagues and friends; for example, Martyr Bakri had many colleagues during the war, some of whom are still alive, healthy, and ready, and have seen the details of his life there. Courage is not only in fighting; courage is also in self-control, in speaking, in refraining from speaking, in withholding, in taking action; all of these are very important. There are those who have seen these up close, recognized them; we should utilize them, interview them, have discussions, and document the states of the martyrs as real evidence and make them known. This is another point.

And one more point is that in looking at the martyrs, the grounds for the ascension of the martyrs should be identified; for example, the people, or those who sparked the first sparks, like Martyr Qazi Tabatabai, who in the events of the revolution, for instance, on the 29th of Bahman 1356, he was the one who sparked the first spark, initiated the first movement, invited the people to his place and his mosque, and the rest of the events; that is, the grounds should be made clear. Why did the first movement occur in Tabriz after the incident in Qom and not in some other city? What characteristics do these people have that they create such youth, educate them, and present such martyrs? These are very important; that is, ethnic identity, national identity, religious identity. I once said in a gathering of these brothers and sisters from Azerbaijan, that the late Sattar Khan, in the events of the Constitutional Revolution and the incidents that occurred and the actions he took, had the letter of the scholars of Najaf in his pocket; that is, he had sought a fatwa from the scholars of Najaf, asked them questions, and they had responded to him, and he moved with this intention; this is very important. What is the ground for movement? This should be made clear; this indicates that. If this happens, then the movement will continue.

Well, the role of the 31st Ashura Division is clear; there were personalities who truly shone; I must refer to the role of the second fighter base: that great movement of our fighter planes in the very first days of the war, which, of course, moved from the second base and other bases — the third base and the fourth base — and went and accomplished that great task; they did this in the very first week of the war, and I went to the parliament at that time and reported this movement to the members of parliament. These are things that are noteworthy and of great importance and should, God willing, remain in minds, be recorded in the historical memory of the Iranian nation; that is, the most important task is to ensure that these significant events, these impactful and rare phenomena, and in some cases unparalleled, are recorded in the historical memory of the Iranian nation so that our youth, our teenagers know them. Of course, we have had some shortcomings until now, and many of our youth, many of our teenagers do not recognize the prominent figures and do not know many of the events; we must disseminate these through official propaganda apparatuses like the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and similar means that are now available to the people.

I hope that the Almighty God grants you all success and that you can bring this great task to fruition, and God willing, in the future, the gap between these memorials and reminders will be less than the gap that exists today with the previous memorial.

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