Meeting with the Families of Martyrs, Veterans, and the Disabled of Khorasan Razavi

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

It is an honor and privilege for me to be present among the esteemed families of martyrs and the survivors of those who were the finest human elements of our time, and among the dear veterans who are the living martyrs of our era.

The families of martyrs and veterans, in terms of the impact and value of their actions and movements, can only be compared to the martyrs themselves; they cannot be compared to any other group in the revolution. The value of those mothers and fathers, those spouses and children, and the survivors who preserved the sanctity of their martyr's blood and became another manifestation of sacrifice in advancing the goals of the revolution through their patience and selflessness, is that they are among the most effective and influential elements of the country. We do not wish to engage in flattery or pleasantries; we want the truth to be made clear as it is.

What must a nation with lofty ideals and sacred goals do in the face of the vast front of hostile enmities to achieve these goals and ideals? What else can it do but strive, but have a resolute determination, but enter into fields of danger, but be willing to take risks and be prepared to confront events? And our nation did just that. Our nation moved towards the lofty ideals and goals of the Islamic Revolution in the face of the miserable world of disbelief and global arrogance and the enmity of the domineering powers of the East and West, demonstrating resolute determination. The manifestation of this resolute determination over a long period was the youth who, as described by the describer of the martyrs of Karbala, "they wore hearts over armor as if they were rushing to the departure of souls"; they covered their hearts with armor and went to meet danger; they entered the field passionately, and their precious lives became insignificant in the face of those ideals. With such determination, with such spiritual and moral authority, they stood in the fields. Their resistance was able to bend the knee of the united front of disbelief and global arrogance, to bring it down, and to remove it from the field. This was accomplished by our youth.

If we have made any progress in political, social, economic fields, in the prosperity of the country, and in the dignity of the nation over these twenty-seven years, it is due to the sacrifices of those who shielded their chests in the most critical days and the hardest tests and stood against danger; they resisted and fought with vigilance and patience. "Some of them have fulfilled their vow, and some are still waiting." The best among them were those who attained martyrdom. Our living martyrs, these dear veterans, are indeed martyrs; they are the best. This is what transformed the Iranian nation into an invincible force; this is why, in today's analyses of the world, when there is talk of aggression and insult against the Iranian nation, the wise among the people say do not joke or be harsh with the Iranian nation. This spiritual authority was created for us by these youths, and it became a treasure for this nation. The blood of our martyrs was not wasted; we thank God.

Our martyrs, every drop of their blood was able to become an elixir for transforming the base and worthless elements of our existence into noble and honorable elements. The martyrs themselves transformed and created a transformation in the souls of our youth and our people. Today's youth have neither seen the Imam, who was the embodiment of sanctity and honor and the model of the best of the saints after the infallibles, nor have they experienced the war, nor have they witnessed the hardships of the pre-revolutionary periods; yet these youths today, with a prepared and strong spirit, with clear minds and resolute determination, stand firm. What is this due to? This is the very infusion of blood that our martyrs injected into this revolution; our martyrs revived us. This is a treasure. This treasure must be preserved by the Iranian nation.

We want to address the families of martyrs. My point is that the fathers of martyrs, the mothers of martyrs, the patient spouses of martyrs, and the children of martyrs stand behind these honors. If the families of martyrs did not have this patience, this honoring of their dear ones' martyrdom would not be so significant to them, and the value of martyrdom in our society would diminish. The martyrs themselves became precious gems and shone, and the families of martyrs, through their behavior, their faith, and their patience, displayed this shining gem for all to see.

I must sincerely thank the spouses of the veterans as well; their families, their spouses, who treated these living martyrs as their precious lives and preserved them.

Let me mention two or three points: one is that the memory of the martyrs must not fade from our society's consciousness. The martyrs must be kept alive. Their memory must be honored and kept alive; this meaning exists in all provinces of the country. Twenty-three thousand martyrs from the great Khorasan province - encompassing three current provinces - is one of the most prominent and largest numbers of honor. Do not let the dust of forgetfulness - which sometimes is intentionally spread over these precious memories - cover these precious memories; keep them alive. Officials must also do this; the officials of the Martyrs Foundation are obliged; officials of other governmental and public institutions also have a duty. The families themselves must also carry out this task in the environments where their influence and authority exist. Never neglect the name of the martyr and the pride in martyrdom. The hostile propaganda of the enemies has attempted to gradually diminish the values of martyrdom and, in some cases, turn them into anti-values! This has happened in our country; this effort was made; of course, it was neutralized. However, some have had the audacity to question the name of the martyrs and the essence of martyrdom. You can see how far the enemies' plots penetrate culturally and politically and how vigilant we must be to prevent these plots. The Islamic criterion elevates the "martyr" above ordinary people and places them alongside the saints and the truthful; this is a lofty perspective that does not even fit our reason. Even with ordinary materialistic views, a martyr is one who sacrifices their life for the salvation of their nation's honor and independence. Can any conscience and honor, any awakened and uncorrupted heart deny this? In our country, in our Islamic Iran, at one point in time, there were attempts to deny this. The children of martyrs should take pride in their fathers. They were those who stood not in the path of aggression against a foreign country or a neighbor, but in the path of confronting the aggression of an enemy, in the path of preserving the homeland, preserving independence, preserving national honor. Those who attacked Iran during the tyrannical Ba'ath regime and wanted to turn Iran, or at least part of Iran, into the current situation of Iraq, where the occupier enters the homes and neighborhoods of the people and takes away the ability to breathe from the old and young, men and women; to insult them, to humiliate them, to trample on their necks; they wanted to do this to our nation. Look at what the occupiers are doing in Iraq today! In front of a valiant Arab youth, a foreign man conducts a body search of his wife and sister! What goes through the mind of a valiant man upon seeing such a scene? An honorable Arab youth is laid on the ground in front of his wife, in front of his children, and they place their feet on his back and head. What happens to an honorable and dignified family in such a situation? They wanted to do this to the Iranian nation. Saddam and the Ba'ath Party and their American, Soviet, and European backers intended to make such a deal with the Iranian nation. And our valiant youth did not allow it. What greater honor is there than this? Our valiant youth stood like a mountain against the enemy's aggression. What honor can compare with this honor? You are the daughter of this youth, the son of this youth, the spouse of this youth; take pride. This is one point: the memory of the martyrs, the honors of the martyrs, the dignity of the martyrs must be the focus of everyone's attention; do not let it be forgotten. If you neglect, the revolutionary forces neglect, the faithful forces neglect, the enemies' infiltrators will enter from that side and demand something. "When fear departs, they will approach you with sharp tongues, greedy for good; those are the ones who do not believe, so God has nullified their deeds"; when the day of danger comes, they hide in their lairs and do not dare to breathe. When the danger is removed; the risk-takers who faced the danger and removed it, these people come out of their lairs; they become demanding with long tongues and sharp tongues! Do not let the enemies of the revolution, the enemies of the Imam, the enemies of the line of jihad, the enemies of the line of faith become demanding.

I thank those who have held memorials for the martyrs, congresses to honor the martyrs with strong and high-quality content and themes throughout the country, and also those who have compiled and distributed the memories of the martyrs in books. I myself read as many of these books as I can get my hands on and benefit from them; I truly benefit from them. One enjoys; one feels spiritual joy when reading these biographies. Do not let this line be halted.

The second point is that the families of the martyrs; the youths of the martyrs; their sons, their daughters must be the true guardians of the values of martyrdom. Today, thanks be to God, many of the children of martyrs and veterans are in universities, either graduated or on the verge of graduation; let not various waves distract them from the valuable roots they possess. Their root is martyrdom. The children of veterans should take pride in their veteran fathers who went to the battlefield in their youth, in perfect health and physical fitness, and sacrificed their health for God for all their lives - either losing an eye, or an ear, or a hand, or their spinal cord. This is a source of pride. This great movement is the greatest honor. The children of these dear ones, their spouses, and their families should take pride in their existence. You yourselves must safeguard this; do not let anyone with their propaganda and temptations break this spirit. Sometimes, in meetings with the dear families of martyrs, I hear that they are upset about some remarks that someone sometimes makes here and there. Do not be influenced by these words. The truth cannot be concealed; this brilliant truth that your dear one was able to preserve his country, his independence, and his national dignity. This point pertains to the families of martyrs and the families of veterans.

The third point is regarding the Martyrs Foundation. The Martyrs Foundation must place all its capabilities, energy, and resources in the service of the material, spiritual, and moral welfare of the families of martyrs. This is fundamental. This principle must be observed everywhere; both in Mashhad and Khorasan and in other areas.

And the last point is that our claim in today's world is not a small claim; it is a great claim. External propaganda cannot undermine our essence. We know what we want and what we have; we know its value. Our claim is such that today in the Islamic world, in every country of the Islamic countries - whether in Africa or Asia - and in every place where these claims and slogans are raised, the vast majority of the people will support it; they will shout for that slogan and express their devotion and love. This is our claim; it is a claim that reflects the heart of all Muslim nations. Look at the reception that Muslims in Muslim countries have given to our current president and to the presidents before him - who were seen as the embodiment of the Islamic system. This does not differentiate between Arabs and non-Arabs; it does not differentiate between Asians and Africans. When someone who embodies Islamic Iran appears in those countries, hearts, not in a ceremonial manner, not superficially, go out to welcome him and shout for him; if their governments and police and security apparatus do not prevent them. Our claim is such a claim, and this claim has maximum support in the entire Islamic world. I say the Islamic world, but the circle is wider than this; in non-Islamic worlds, people who are familiar with what the Islamic Republic is doing and has done also share this sentiment; however, familiarity is less there. Our propaganda has not been commensurate with the greatness of our work; our propaganda has been weak. Wherever they know, they support this ideal. What is this ideal? This ideal is "opposition to the system of domination."

We say that the world has been divided by the global arrogant powers into two categories: the oppressor and the oppressed. We oppose this. The oppressors are mistaken to want to dominate the world outside their own country. And the oppressed governments - which accept the oppression of those oppressors - are wrong to submit to those oppressors against the will of their own nations; this is our statement. We say that nations must preserve their identity; they must preserve their interests; their natural resources must belong to them; others should not bully them; they should not seize their lands; they should not establish political and cultural dominance over them; this is a statement that all nations and many governments accept and wholeheartedly embrace. This is our claim. There are many slogans in the world; the art of the Iranian nation is that it has realized this slogan in practice; "two hundred words are not worth half a deed." Many intellectuals in the world have said the same things; but they were just words. The Iranian nation acted; the Iranian nation stood firm, and it was this steadfastness that blessed and proved the sincerity of the prayers of the Iranian nation for other nations, and this is how other nations became interested in the Iranian nation. This is our claim. Is there anyone in our country who can abandon it? Who dares to act contrary to this claim without considering the people? That collection, that party, that group, that faction, that current that wants to act contrary to this behavior, the people will put them in their place.

I pray for the mercy and grace of God for the pure souls of our dear martyrs. I pray for health and well-being for our dear veterans from the Almighty God. I pray for patience and endurance for the dear families of martyrs, the families of veterans, their children, their spouses, and their parents.

O Lord! Keep us steadfast on this path. O Lord! Make our actions, our words, our intentions pleasing to the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist; include us in the prayers of that great one. O Lord! Be pleased with the spirit of the Imam from us; be pleased with the spirit of the martyrs from us; do not let our death be anything but martyrdom in Your way.

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