Statements in Meeting with Managers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting

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

Dear friends and brothers; welcome. We hope that the Almighty God blesses these auspicious and joyful days, which are unforgettable days in our history, for you and for all our dear nation this year, and makes us more appreciative of this greatness, glory, and the accumulation of values in that great and significant event.

I sincerely thank all of you dear friends, especially Mr. Larijani. Your efforts are in a very sensitive center, and every useful movement and every responsible action in this arena in which you are engaged is certainly commendable. Sometimes human efforts may not yield results; however, the essence of those efforts is significant. In divine calculations, both intention and action are considered. If we intend, strive, and carry out our work, it will truly be rewarded by the Almighty God under all conditions and prerequisites. Of course, my belief is that if intention and action are realized under the conditions we have mentioned, the results will also follow. If we see that in some cases our actions do not yield desirable results, we should not blame the Almighty God or the laws of nature; there must be some corner of the work that is flawed and needs to be corrected.

When I look at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, I see a collection of determination, will, and action. Of course, you have developed the work so much that an ordinary listener like me, especially with limited time, cannot claim to see all the radio or television programs; however, what we see within that scope or hear from others indicates that there is truly intention, effort, and work being done, and this is valuable. Therefore, we thank Mr. Larijani and the senior and distinguished managers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for the work they have done and the actions they have realized with the correct intention. May the Almighty God assist you in expanding this circle of intention and action as much as possible. Of course, our expectations are very high. I am one of those people who is considered demanding in terms of the work presented, and I have many expectations. We are in a situation where these expectations regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting are not unreasonable; that is, if you were in my place, you would probably or certainly have the same expectations. We see that in the field of hardware, hardware production, technical matters, etc., a lot has been done throughout the organization, and in the field of software, truly work, research, and production are taking place; at the same time, there are gaps. You must recognize and fill these gaps as well.

Today, the world revolves around the orbit of media and propaganda warfare, and in fact, around the orbit of news fronts and message-producing apparatuses. It is not that in the past, the world conquerors and imperialists were oblivious to the role of message and propaganda; there was attention and action at that time as well; however, today the facilities have multiplied, and advancements in knowledge in this field have led to astonishing and surprising works. Therefore, you see that the arrogant powers and world dominators are working on the role of the message; that is, they are truly investing and, in fact, instead of spending money to seize a scene or mobilizing military forces, they do something that the existing factors in that scene work in their favor. Today, in the scene of Iraq, if there is a massive resistance from the people against the American invasion, the likelihood of American success in its potential attack on Iraq decreases significantly. Now, if they come and convey to the people of Iraq through various messages that we have no ill intentions towards you; we want to save you, and this message is established, you will see how much the scene changes: the people there automatically, without being given weapons, money, or bribes, become those who work in favor of the invader, at least they remain silent in favor of him or suspend their activities in favor of him. This is the role of the message. This is a small example I have presented. In the field of trade, in the development of political power and the order governing the world, which is today one of the fundamental and important issues for the great powers in the world, the message plays a role. Therefore, today there is an open war; however, not with the usual and recognized tools, taking place throughout the world.

Every nation, according to its position and its lofty or short-term goals, becomes involved in this war in some way. Consider our nation! We are a nation that at least since the early years of the last century - that is, for the past hundred years - our policies and administration have been influenced by the desires and will of powers outside our borders. Of course, it was also in a different way before that; however, for about one hundred and twenty years, the administration of this country and all the institutions that played a role in the progress of this country have been specifically and clearly influenced by policies defined outside these borders, which were considered beneficial for them, and they pursued their own interests using the Shah or ministers and representatives of parliaments and others. This is one part of the realities of our society before the victory of the revolution; that is, the part of dependency and the subjugation of our major human and material resources to foreigners.

Of course, another part of the realities of our society before the victory of the revolution has an older root, and that is the issue of the rule of despotism and aristocracy over this country. For centuries, those who ruled over this nation with its culture, history, and talent considered the country to belong to themselves; that is, like a landlord who has a farm or a village or a property, and a number of people are working and living there. Their concern is not the issue of those people, but rather their own issue. The property is theirs, it has revenues, and naturally, they have to make some efforts for those people; for example, at some point, they have to call a doctor to come, or if they are religious, they have to call a cleric to tell them religious matters, or build a mosque for them, or provide a spring for them. The relationship between the government apparatus and the people has always been such. The people were not at all considered the main owners of the country. In this vast land, Naser al-Din Shah ruled, who considered all the people as his servants; from his official servants, from the prime minister to the ministers and courtiers, and the common people who were his subjects and had to work on this land; that is, they ate something themselves, and the benefits of this government were preserved. For centuries, the politics and mentality governing the entire country have been like this, and the nation had no role.

Well; this revolution has come into being and has carried out decisive and fundamental actions in both aspects. In the second aspect, it has completely eradicated the class of aristocrats, rulers, and owners of the country. Today, there is no one in this country who even thinks that I am the owner of this country. The owner of this country is the people. Anyone who wants to have power - if they are power-seeking - and perform a duty in a position - if they are duty-bound - the condition is that the people want them, have a good relationship with the people, and consider the interests of the people or pretend to do so; that is, in reality, everyone is forced to recognize the ownership of the people over this country. This is our revolution.

In that second aspect, the revolution cut off all official dependencies of the country from the apparatuses outside these borders. When we say it cut off dependencies, we know that economic or cultural dependency cannot be cut off so easily. However, the external appearance of all these dependencies is political dependency, and with the Islamic Revolution, obedience and flattery towards the centers of global power have completely disappeared. This nation has aspirations, goals, ideas, and desires that it wants to realize; it does not care about global power or domination, and its primary goal is to achieve the great and long-term objectives of the country and the nation. These objectives are summarized in the words of religion and, in other respects, in the words of religion, freedom, welfare, security, and similar concepts.

Now you see that in the current situation and with this existing cultural, political, military, and economic geography of the world, such a country with these objectives and with this position and status it has chosen, what position does it hold in this media war? It is natural that we should be under attack; that is, there should be no doubt in the mind that we are one of the primary and main targets of media aggression. Now, we want to fulfill our duties in the face of this attack in this great and, of course, unequal war. What should we do? You see how heavy and sensitive our work is! Our high expectations from you stem from this.

In our view, the way to victory in this war is to convey a collection and list of correct messages and points and real truths based on our aspirations and desires to the minds of the people.

First, we must recognize this list of messages. First, let’s see what we need to convey to the minds of the people so that they can gain the power to defend themselves against the various excesses, power-seeking, and aggressions of the enemy, and the responsible apparatuses of the country can rely on the people's strength and play their historical role. Therefore, first, these messages must be recognized; after they are recognized, they must be produced. Producing words, images, and an environment in which this message can be conveyed is one of the most important tasks that today’s art of propaganda and messaging relies on. If we stumble or falter in production, if we make a mistake or fall short, we will certainly suffer a blow. After these messages are produced, they must be managed; because a desirable collection of goods will only reach its true and correct destination when there is management overseeing it: this message should be delivered where, to what extent it should be delivered, it should be timely, it should be in an appropriate language, and the combination of these should be acceptable in various forms. We have often discussed with friends at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting - perhaps some of you have been there - about the fact that the atmosphere of the messages should not be one that irritates and stresses the minds and nerves of the people. Well; in recent years, you have paid some attention to entertainment issues or, as you say, humor and entertaining comedies and artistic films. This is a correct action, and you should continue to move in this direction.

This message that has been produced and for which we have no problem regarding the essence of the message and its consolidation and identification and formulation, requires proper management for us to know how to divide, distribute, and broadcast it. When these are done, then public opinion will be at your disposal; that is, you will be able to manage public opinion. When this work is done, public opinion is at your disposal. The enemy wants to seize public opinion. You must not allow it to seize the public opinion of your nation and other nations - as far as your voice reaches. Today, you see an event like the Palestinian incident where the front of right and wrong is clear. A nation has been deprived of its ancestral land - where the bones of its ancestors are buried, and all history says this land belongs to it - and of its soil, life, and right to choose in its own country, and a number of foreigners have been gathered from Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, America, and other places and told, you manage this place! Well; if there were no other factors in between, this alone shows where right and wrong lie; let alone that the foreign occupying group, with various violent and brutal methods, is annihilating those who are the owners of that land; that is, they are hitting, beating, and killing. Is there a clearer distinction between right and wrong than this?! You see how the supporters of Israel in this region - America, the Zionists themselves, and some other governments - have changed public opinion in the world! That is, they have changed public opinion in such a way that today no significant movement takes place in favor of the Palestinian people in the face of these bitter events in the world. Otherwise, if it were not for this propaganda, the nations of the world - even if they had no relationship with Palestine - would not let a day go by without holding demonstrations in favor of the Palestinian people, protesting, pressuring their governments, and putting pressure on their own governments to take a stance. If it were not for this propaganda, the political scene of the world would have changed entirely. They have seized and directed public opinion as they wanted, due to the adherence to the logical order of media work - and this great lie has been implanted in the minds of the people. If we can carry out a correct media operation, we can at least partially turn this scene of falsehood into a scene of truth; that is, we can advance the issue in public opinion in such a way that the situation is truly reversed. Therefore, we are weak in this regard. When I say “we,” I mean the front of truth. This is regarding public opinion in the world concerning an international issue. The same issue exists regarding public opinion within the country.

If we could correctly identify the messages that need to be conveyed to the minds of the people, then produce them, and subsequently distribute and broadcast them with proper management, then public opinion would be at our disposal, meaning it would be at the disposal of those who carry out this great task. What we expect and demand is this. With this perspective, all sections of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting are different members who perform various tasks; however, all lead to this goal. That is, radio, television, technical sections, research sections, international work, and other side tasks do not differ from each other at all. They all strive to achieve this goal; that is, to produce these messages and distribute them correctly. Radio takes on part of the work; each of the various sections of radio takes on certain tasks. Television takes on parts of the work: a comedy program takes on part of the work; a purely scientific roundtable program takes on part of the work; produced films take on part of the work, and even foreign films take on part of the work. So when there is this management, you choose in such a way that all the components of this vast scene of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting are aware of the same goal. The outcome of all the work is that great goal, which is to convey the correct messages to the minds of the people.

Of course, I make criticisms. Sometimes I privately discuss with Mr. Larijani, who is one of our dear brothers, and sometimes with others. My criticisms are more directed at those cancerous cells in this vast body; because the only flaw of a cancerous cell is that it does not obey the natural behavior of cells and behaves contrary to the natural behavior of cells in production, replication, and activity, taking on its own special behavior. Then a tumor forms, causing other problems. Sometimes in certain programs of this large collection, there may be things observed that do not conform to the natural rhythm and tempo that should prevail over the entire collection; that is, they are either too short or contradictory.

I will mention a few examples of the messages later. The issue of justice is one of these messages that must be instilled in the minds of the people and among the justice-seeking and justice-loving people - both social and economic justice - should become a main slogan. For example, we should broadcast a film or comedy or statement whose result is to convey indifference to justice in favor of another slogan. For instance, we should turn the slogan of justice in society into the slogan of development. Of course, development is not a very clear concept for the people and for speakers and listeners. This message or this slogan should be transformed into that slogan without considering justice in this development. This is certainly the same movement that does not conform to the general rhythm that all the apparatus and components of this collection should conform to and advance.

What messages should we reflect in the minds of the people? In my opinion, one of these slogans is the slogan of justice that I mentioned. We should not retreat from the slogan of Ali's justice. The people are in need of and thirsty for Ali's justice. Even those who do not mention justice or where justice is not in their favor - because they want to commit injustice and do not want to speak of justice - if injustice occurs, they raise their voices; that is, they too are thirsty for justice. I once said that all these great slogans like freedom and independence have limitations, and what has no limitation is justice. Justice is absolutely needed and demanded by society. Not that justice can be realized absolutely, or that we are those people who can achieve it. However, justice must be presented absolutely so that we can advance as much as we can. The late Mr. Tabatabai (may God be pleased with him) used to say that the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful and the saints of God stand on the summit and invite the people to this summit. The Prophet - or the Commander of the Faithful - never says in his invitation to the people to come one step lower than me, but rather says come to the same place where I am. They invite everyone to the summit; however, just by inviting them to the summit, it becomes a motivation for the people to move and start: one comes one step, another comes a hundred steps, another comes halfway, and another reaches the heights.

Therefore, we must not eliminate that summit and keep it in mind and desire it. When a person conveys this message of justice-seeking to the minds of the people and keeps justice-seeking alive in them and speaks correctly and logically with the people, it is natural that they will not be dissatisfied with the lesser amount of justice they have reached, and ultimately they feel that there is that higher point; just as the Commander of the Faithful said to his companions: "Beware that you cannot achieve that." Everyone knows that the capacity and spiritual and even physical strength of people lower than the Commander of the Faithful is not enough to reach that summit; however, the movement towards the summit must be kept alive. Therefore, justice and justice-seeking and the embellishment of justice are among the things that should not be forgotten. If you look at Nahj al-Balagha, you will see that justice exists throughout it. My firm belief is that many of our current failures in achieving the goals of the revolution and the proper administration of the country are due to neglecting justice. Each of us overlooks ourselves. We mention the name of justice and even incite it; however, in practice, we overlook ourselves. Now, some neglect towards oneself, due to deficiencies, smallness, and natural shortcomings, is acceptable; however, we overlook ourselves too much. We allow ourselves many facilities and benefits that we do not allow for others. We must change this culture prevailing in our minds, and the people must do the same. It should not be that people feel in the race of life that there is no border or barrier called justice that stops them, and they can go as far as they can without any obstacles. Therefore, you see that someone has obtained an illegitimate and forbidden wealth through an unjust means - for example, in ten years, he has gained several billion tomans - that if we distribute it, we see that sometimes my income and yours throughout our service period do not amount to the wealth of one day or one week or one month of his, and then he is a creditor! He is a creditor that I have served the country and created this much production. In his mind, the principle of justice has no role and importance, that here justice has been trampled, injustice has arisen, and there has been a violation of the law, and this income and achievement stem from that. We must spread this culture in our minds and in the minds of society. This is one of those messages.

One of the messages of the oppressed and forgotten that we must pay attention to again and convey to the minds of the people is the greatness, glory, and importance of our Islamic Revolution. This revolution was not a small matter and is not over. Revolution is not just about rioting, taking to the streets, and making a fuss. Revolution means a fundamental change of all the main institutions of social life; a fundamental change of what is wrong, crooked, and inappropriate to what is right, straight, and appropriate. We have been saying this from the beginning, and it is not that we are saying it today. This is a matter that gradually and over time is achieved through constant effort and struggle; provided that the spirit, will, and necessity of the revolution remain in the people. For several years, multiple messages have been continuously fed into the minds of the people from the same opposing front that I mentioned, claiming that the revolution is over, the revolution is nonsense, and the revolution is fundamentally wrong! They distort the meaning of revolution and define it as a blind riot, a violent and aimless movement, and say it was wrong, it was not right, and the era of revolutions is over!

You must convey this message that what revolution is; revolution is a necessity, it is not over, and the revolutionary duty lies on everyone's shoulders. Successive generations accept this. Now it has become common that the second, third, and fourth generations, and everyone imagines a generation for themselves and issues judgments for it. The third generation is no different from the second generation. They are young, idealistic, energetic, and ready to accept the truth. What kind of environment did the first generation of the revolution, who carried out that great movement, grow up in? Those who remember know that they were raised in an environment of lawlessness, immorality, and the promotion of all vices. However, these characteristics in a young person - that is, the quest for truth, idealism, independence from life attachments, and the willingness to hear the right and logical words - compelled them to move and carry out this great task. Why can today's youth not continue that path with the same intention and determination?

They say the taste, temperament, and understanding of young people regarding life issues have changed, and they prefer other things. Those who say this are themselves trying to change the taste of the younger generation. Suppose we produce cultural products - since you are all cultural figures, I speak of culture - films and songs that incite and stimulate young people towards lust, indulgence, and love in the sense of lust. Then, when the festival shows the film, you see an inappropriate scene in it. At the same time, one sees among this crowd, a hundred young people have lowered their heads; that is, they are unwilling to see that scene; however, it seems that some are forcing them to lift their heads to see that scene and have a concept instilled in them! Our youth today are the same youth of yesterday, with the difference that they were not raised under wrong educations. One of the cultural managers about one of these well-known cultural figures - who today is among our high-ranking martyrs, and I had great affection for him and always advised various cultural institutions to utilize his presence - showed me several photos of him from before the revolution, depicting him in situations that were very common for young people at that time. That gentleman said to me: Here! This is the same person you praise so much! When I looked at the photos, I said my affection for this person increased because he was in this environment and has now become this way; you must certainly utilize him! In the early years when the Cultural Revolution Headquarters was formed, they were very strict about the appearance of young people who wanted to enter the university - now, one of the ironies of fate is that those who did that work back then are now falling from the roof on this side, that they can no longer be stopped! - I once attended a gathering of theirs and showed a photo - which I either had with me or had seen - depicting a young man with a hairstyle styled in a specific way and wearing a tie. I told them this is one of our martyrs! Our martyrs were not those who were familiar with prayer, piety, pilgrimage, and a desire for martyrdom from the beginning of their lives; rather, they were transformed. Why do you focus on small appearances in a person - who can truly be transformed? The truth of the matter is that our youth today have not been raised in that environment, but rather in a religious environment and with Islamic appearances where such lustful factors did not exist, and now some are trying to corrupt them by force, and then say that the youth cannot continue the path of the revolution!

Therefore, this is one of the messages that you must convey to this generation and future generations and the previous generation - the same first generation of the revolution that has turned away from the revolution, and they dislike being called apostates from the revolution; however, apostasy is just that, and apostasy is not only returning from religion but also returning from the path - that some of them are far worse than the new generation and are plagued by numerous financial, economic, moral, power, and organizational problems, while this young person belongs to the third generation of the revolution - as they say - is not like that and is a simple, healthy, truth-accepting young person, convey this. There is an impact on them. Why can this young person not be built and trained and sent to the fronts that have parallels in these fronts?! Therefore, one of the messages is the message of the Islamic Revolution itself. The revolution itself is a message that must be conveyed and expressed.

In my opinion, another message that must be worked on today is the message of sacrifice, charity, asceticism, and piety. Today, messages are being conveyed that I see the threads of these in foreign press and writings and sometimes in our own press and the speeches of some individuals that portray sacrifice and charity - sacrificing one's life and comfort for others - as a foolish and stupid act! While the greatest beauties of humanity are the presence of such characteristics in their existence, and the greatest beauty of a nation is the existence of individuals with these characteristics, which, of course, is not exclusive to Islam and Shiism, but exists everywhere in the world. However, since Shiism has very prominent examples and symbols like the events of Karbala and other events from the early days of Islam, it can naturally speak more vividly and passionately. Which fair-minded person in the world denies these things?! Therefore, one of the very important messages is to revive the importance of sacrifice, charity, asceticism, and personal piety in radio and television messages.

Another message that must be conveyed to the minds of the people is the bitter truth in the world that is deliberately attempted to be overlooked, and that is the dictatorship of money and lust. Today, money dictates in the world, and whatever money wants and the wealthy want, is realized, even at the hands of the people themselves. Because people in voting and public actions are usually influenced by the media, and the media is usually in the hands of the wealthy. What percentage of the world's media is in the hands of non-Zionists and non-major capitalists? It can be said that all the important and influential media apparatuses in the world are in the hands of major capitalists, and mainly Zionists. They are the ones who manage the news agencies, produce news, and send it to the whole world, and manage the televisions as they wish. Now, with these new communication methods, these internet sites and rapid information exchange activities are at their disposal. Whoever has more money wants to be more active in these areas and fulfill their goals. I have often said that when they say that the media and newspapers in the world are free, it is true; however, whose newspapers are they? Of course, the owners of the newspapers are free to write whatever they want, whatever serves their interests, they write, and whatever does not serve their interests, they certainly do not write. The late Haj Ahmad Agha used to say: I thought one of Imam's messages - I think it was the message of Hajj - should be published in one of the American newspapers. He thought America was a place of freedom and that this message of Imam could be translated and published in a newspaper for Americans to read and say, "Wow! The Imam, whom they say so much about, says these things!" He said, no matter how much money we spent, it did not happen. I think he said we were willing to spend about a hundred thousand dollars to have this one or two-page message published in one of the American newspapers; however, it did not happen! It is clear that it cannot happen.

One of our acquaintances from those students at that time, who is now engaged in a government job, wrote a book about the embassy takeover and the events of the embassy takeover and the youth - he wrote the original book in English and then had it translated into Persian - said that no American publishers were willing to publish this book! He said eventually, he found a Canadian publisher and signed a contract with him, and he accepted. After a while, that Canadian said, my father was threatened so much, they called me so many times! The issue of publishing in the world is like this. This is a completely hidden and very pervasive dictatorship of money and lust. Of course, if someone wants to speak against their actions, they silence them. Well; this is a reality that exists in the world. Why should you not do something so that each and every one of our people and youth become familiar with this reality and know that such a thing exists so that it is not necessary for a person to argue for its expression? You must do something so that they know that such a dictatorship exists. The enemy presents a dictatorship that does not exist, portraying it as a reality through various propaganda methods; however, it does not allow the people to understand and know the dictatorship that exists so clearly. This is very effective in people's decision-making.

Another message that I believe should be emphasized is that values must be revived in the minds of the people. Today, they are trying to convert values into profit: Is this action or that diplomatic or international movement we want to undertake profitable or not! Of course, no one gives up on profit. Profit, when it is not personal and is public profit, is itself a value. However, profit is not the only value; there are other values as well. Sometimes a profit comes to a person; however, a value is trampled. Here we have been taught a lesson. In the early days of the mission, representatives of a very famous tribe came to the Prophet and said: We are ready to pledge allegiance to you, but on the condition that you give us your succession! This has been narrated in credible histories and is not a story. The Prophet responded to them: No; "This is a heavenly matter"; I do not accept this because the matter of succession is not in my hands; it is a heavenly matter, and I cannot decide on it. While, according to appearances, it could have been said that we will do something, now come and pledge allegiance. However, that great man did not do this, and there are many such instances. Of course, this should not be confused with observing expediency. Sometimes a person observes an expediency in a specific way. This is different from where, in the course of human transactions - whether political or economic transactions - a value is completely trampled. Therefore, the matter of keeping values alive is also one of these messages.

In the letter of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) to Malik al-Ashtar, there are four main points - this same covenant of Malik al-Ashtar, which is wrongly called "the covenant" and I ask you, who are the radio and television, not to repeat this term "the covenant" because it is one of the ugly common errors. The covenant in Persian means a letter that contains a treaty between two people, for example, the Treaty of Turkmenchay or another good or bad covenant. In Arabic, the word covenant means command: "The command of Ali to Malik al-Ashtar"; that is, the governmental command of the Commander of the Faithful to Malik al-Ashtar. Imam wrote a letter that contains a governmental command; that is, it is his decree. Today we say decree, like the decree of the presidency of Mr. Larijani. Therefore, I ask you to prohibit anyone from saying the covenant in the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Also, ask those who come there to speak to refrain from using the term covenant. Not that it creates a fundamental problem, but this is part of preserving truthfulness and correct writing - it is more accurate to say that in this command of Malik al-Ashtar, four main points are requested from Malik al-Ashtar, one of which is the security of the region entrusted to him. He must confront the factors that threaten security - both internal and external security - because both internal enemies destroy security and external enemies also destroy security. Establishing security and confronting the factors of insecurity - both internal and external - is one of the points requested from Malik al-Ashtar.

The second is social and economic justice. The third is the spiritual and moral education of the people. He says you must educate the people morally and spiritually. According to Islam, governments are not indifferent to the moral education of the people, saying that the people know and can do whatever they want. Just as a father in a family is not indifferent to the education of his children, saying that they can do whatever they want. Fathers and mothers have responsibilities that they must fulfill. The government also has responsibilities in society regarding the ethics and spirituality of the people and the growth of moral virtues in them.

The fourth is the welfare and prosperity of their lives. Of course, the issue of science and the promotion of science and research is also included in the welfare and moral and spiritual education. Social welfare has never come into existence without science and education.

These four things are among the things that the government must provide as the true demands of the people. One of the messages is that the people should know what they should demand from the government; what their true rights and real demands from the government are.

One of the things that a person expects from the media is to use past events to explain future threats and events that are about to take shape and make the people sensitive to them. The issues of human societies and the world are truly similar; because despite all the changes that occur in the lives of people, the real influencing factors in the lives of people are always certain things. "The tradition of God" that you see in the Quran is just that. "And you will not find any change in the tradition of God, and you will not find any alteration in the tradition of God"; that is, there are traditions, and transformations and changes occur. For example, today the issues of the Constitutional Revolution are completely instructive and educational for us. Because I have been closely acquainted with the issues and events of the Constitutional Revolution for a period of my life and have looked at various books and reports, today when I look, I see that these issues and events are very close to each other. Likewise, the factors in various revolutions in the world; for example, the Great French Revolution or other revolutions are similar. The factors are similar, and they also yield similar results. For example, in the Great French Revolution, there was a destructive factor that we prevented here, and we did not allow it, and we see that those results did not follow, or there was a factor that created destruction there, and we did not prevent it here, and we see the same impact and damage here as well.

Many past events - whether throughout history or across time - can be used to predict future events. An incident occurs in the world; for example, now in Venezuela, the major issue of that person there is that he is not submissive to the Americans. He is a friend and disciple of "Fidel Castro." In that sense, he is not leftist; he governs like other parts of the world and is just not submissive to the Americans. They have created so many problems for him. How did they create the problem? Through the effective presence of American and quasi-American capital in Venezuela. That is, the effective presence of capital in influential places struck a blow, and this is very instructive. Mr. "Mahathir Muhammad" came here after that economic incident in East Asia a few years ago and said to me: "We became a nation of beggars in one night!" Of course, he was exaggerating a bit; however, the reality of the matter was this. The reason was that foreign hands were controlling the money and the main centers of their money. Foreigners deemed it expedient at one point and disrupted the entire monetary balance of that country and Indonesia and other countries within a few hours. In fact, they destroyed a part of that region. Well; this is a lesson for us in our time.

Now, everything that is being said is about globalization. Today, all the various apparatuses are promoting globalization! Globalization has become a savior angel that if we do not join global trade, we are doomed! Well; they do not consider the other side of the issue that this global trade and this globalization in trade and other sectors is actually the work of whom, who is pursuing this issue, what our conditions are in relation to it, and how we can enter this vast field of conflict without the necessary security tools and equipment! I am fundamentally not opposed to global trade. Since some time ago - from the time of the previous presidency until today - when they have been pursuing this issue, they have spoken to me many times. I have also said that the day we can enter this field with sufficient strength, if we do not, we have wronged ourselves; however, first, we must create that strength. They do not consider that if we enter this field without the necessary preparations, what losses we will incur. We must clarify this for the people. I do not mean only the issue of globalization; in the remarks I am making, this is a secondary and tertiary issue. I want to say that we must use global experiences and the events that have occurred in the world in the past or in our time throughout history to predict future events and those that are about to take shape. In my opinion, one of the things that must be emphasized is to make the people sensitive to the efforts of chaos-seekers. One of the policies of the enemies of the Islamic system and the enemies of the revolution is to create chaos in society. Chaos is desirable for the enemies in the current situation. The day a puppet government like the Shah is in power, chaos is the biggest negative point. They come and define that this place is an island of stability and security, and they want it to be like this; however, when a government is against them, they strive for chaos. We must make the people sensitive to the issue of chaos. We must make the youth sensitive to this issue so that they know what chaos means; what problems it has, what unbearable consequences it has, and who benefits from chaos in society - whether political chaos or social chaos, etc.

The issue of preserving religious, national, and revolutionary identity is another one of the values that must be conveyed to the people. Exposing threats is one of the messages that must definitely be conveyed. Strengthening the spirit of responsibility in the people is another one of the values. The people should not feel irresponsible. It is very important that this spirit arises in all the people that they are responsible: regarding the issues of society, everyone has responsibilities and must do whatever they can to advance society and guide it through dangerous turns and difficult pitfalls.

Opposition to the enemy, identifying the main enemy, and focusing on the main enemies are other important issues. Seek to identify the main enemy and introduce him to the people. There is an effort to create enemies. I have heard that some individuals from various factions have said that today our main enemy is the opposing faction! This is a great mistake in a society where everyone believes in Islam, the revolution, and the Islamic system, for one faction to consider its opposing faction as its main enemy. This is very regrettable. If this thought is confined to the mind of one person or ten people or a hundred people, one might say to hell with it! Let them think that way; however, if this becomes a culture and settles in the minds of a group of people, it will be a very dangerous thing. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the main enemy, identify him, and encourage the people to confront him.

Another message that must definitely be conveyed is the denial of imaginary enemy constructions, the development of social understanding, and the creation of psychological security in society. One of the factors that creates what psychologists call "psychosis" in the collective mentality of society is hopelessness and despair. Sometimes various factors arise that naturally create despair or weaken hope. Encouraging these and creating hopelessness in the people is a great mistake. Hope must be created in the people. Sometimes I have pointed out to friends at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that sometimes a small problem - for example, a problem in a region - is raised on television, and they create a fuss and uproar that, for example, the road in a certain place is damaged or its overhead bridge has not been built or some other thing. Very well; this problem must be solved, but it does not mean that we should bring this to television; because when we present such a thing on television, it naturally generalizes in the minds of the audience; that is, from the audience's perspective, the problem is not that there is a bridge missing in a certain street, but rather it means that the bridge necessary for the people is not being built. Discussing discouraging words and things that easily generalize in the minds of the people should not be raised on television. In a corner, there is a problem; the direct and indirect officials must strive to resolve it; however, generalizing the problem is not correct at all. Sometimes they come, for example, in a roundtable discussion regarding education or books or others, saying, "Yes; remember! In the past, things were like this." Which past?! They refer to a fictitious past that was like that, and now it is like this! Such statements are not at all justifiable. Which past?! It is said in such a way that the audience imagines that the further we move away from the past, the more we are heading towards deterioration. This, in itself, is despair. You must say the opposite. The reality is also the opposite.

When this Western culture had entered and destroyed trust and confidence among the people, they used to say, "Yes; in the past, people trusted each other." At that time, this statement was correct; because at that time, there were no such communications and the development of exchanges and transactions, and trust among people was greater; however, this does not mean that we should consider the past better today. When was our past, for example, forty years ago, when people were drowning in the swamp of moral corruption? Did people have a good situation then? Was the situation of people's transactions very good? Was there no theft? At that time, it was much worse. Therefore, showing the movement and trend of people's lives towards darkness and dead ends and despair is a mistake. The opposite must happen, and the correct message is the opposite of this.

The issue of news is also very important. News is a necessity. Of course, the situation of news has improved a lot compared to the past; however, the more you can make news credible, timely, widespread, and possessing the characteristics we mentioned, the better. Sometimes broadcasting a weak and less credible news creates despair among the people. Sometimes a single piece of news can be presented in two ways: for example, the news of American or Israeli equipment can be presented in such a way that the people become motivated to confront it; the same news can be presented in such a way that the people feel that they cannot move a finger and that no action can be taken at all. Therefore, the manner of delivering news must be hopeful. Of course, the news itself is important and contains useful points.

Well; if we want these matters to be realized, we must - as I mentioned - have a long-term program, a comprehensive strategy, and a formulated strategy so that you can measure your progress at any given time against it. Usually, for measurement, situations are quantified. In my opinion, the importance of qualitative measurement is greater; however, this must be assessed by trustworthy, intelligent, and astute individuals. Let’s see how much we have progressed in this policy and strategy that we have determined for ourselves, which is, for example, a ten-year strategy, or how much we are lagging behind. In my opinion, all these quantitative and qualitative strategies must be identifiable and evaluable.

I will also mention a few brief points regarding films and television series. The collection of a film or a chain of performances must convey the correct messages. This is possible by reaching an artistic standard. Artistry is required in writing the story of the film, in the performances, in directing, and in all other technical aspects of a performance. The artistic standard must truly be observed and maintained in all sections so that it can convey that message correctly. This is a very important and, of course, difficult task. One degree lower than that is the dialogues or, as you say, the dialogues of the film, which are very important. We should not neglect these. Sometimes a correct and appropriate dialogue at a point can convey a truth that you want to convey to the audience - especially if they are young and adolescent - with an hour of speaking. For example, someone says, I did not do such and such a thing; the response is: "Sir! Is it like your prayer that it should be delayed?" A sentence like "Is it like your prayer?" indicates that prayer cannot be delayed. Or with the sentence "Is it a revelation?" it is indicated that revelation is unchangeable. These appropriate points can be brought both in the context of religious issues and in the context of political issues and the atrocities of the tyrannical regime, which unfortunately our produced films and series are very lacking in this regard, and this is truly a significant deficiency. Over these twenty-some years, works have been done, and I am familiar; however, there are so many atrocities and ugliness in the lives of these tyrants - the tyrants - that whatever is said is too little, and our people must know. When the Pahlavis came to power, one of their main concerns was to destroy the Qajar dynasty. The Qajar dynasty was very bad, but not as bad as the Pahlavis! They were also despotic and dependent and corrupt, but the Pahlavis were much worse than them. Among them, there were competent and incompetent individuals; among these, there were competent and incompetent individuals; that is, they cannot be compared. Certainly, many of the actions they had done in the past were either better than what these have done or were at least at the same level. However, they spent years trying to completely discredit them and present themselves as right.

We have removed an incompetent, corrupt, dependent, irreligious, exploitative, and selfish regime with other ugly characteristics; however, we do not introduce to the people what they did. Their incompetence is a book. Their dependency is a book. Their moral and sexual corruption is a book. Their economic corruption is a book. Each of these sections is a substantial chapter. Well; these must be given to the younger generation so that they do not dare to hide their negative and dark points and create a false and unknown history and transfer it to the minds of our unfamiliar youth. One of the tasks that must be done is this. This can be included in dialogues. Sometimes this can be included in a short sentence. One of the things you must ask from the writer or director or producer is this: that these dialogues should be directed and meaningful. Ask them to eliminate some bad dialogues that convey incorrect concepts and bad habits and morals altogether. In these matters, do not hesitate at all. There is no contradiction. The more you can distance from low dialogues and bad habits in the humorous and entertaining television programs you produce, the better. Of course, I have some doubts about humor; because some are truly humorous, while some are not humorous and are merely entertaining. Humor differs from entertainment. Some truly do not have that humorous capacity and are merely entertaining. Some are truly humorous and have a serious good meaning in their essence; just as sometimes these dialogues play a very important role.

Another point is that sometimes peripheral or marginal roles have a very significant impact, and for example, in a television series, a woman with an attractive and positive personality observes her hijab and takes care of her hijab. This is a peripheral and marginal role; however, it has a significant impact. Or an attractive character in a film goes to pray in a sensitive place. I do not say that prayer must be shown, with bowing and prostration. Sometimes artificial roles are shown where they pray and incorrectly recite "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la"; they do not know how to recite it correctly. I do not say these; however, it is enough to show that they go to pray and roll up their sleeves to go wash for prayer. Such peripheral and marginal roles sometimes have a profound impact on adolescents and youth. There are thousands of such cases. Now, time is short, and you do not need me to give many examples. Therefore, pay attention to these peripheral roles, especially in the context of religion. In our films, there seems to be a practical secularism and a kind of religious distancing! Some of your produced films are a bit better, and the films produced elsewhere are even worse in this regard; that is, there seems to be a kind of religious distancing from the scene of life and action, and religion does not exist! Of course, some series and films are good; however, some have this flaw.

The issue of women and the relationship between women and men is also important. First of all, in my opinion, the more prominent the role of women is, the better. Our women are oppressed. I have many words and discussions regarding women. The issue of women is truly an important issue. Some do not pay attention and speak about it as a display issue that is now fashionable. Well; feminist tendencies and specific Western tendencies regarding women are preserved; however, the essence of the role of women in the family, in society; the value and importance of women and matters of this kind are things that we have truly paid little attention to, and we see losses from this lack of attention. This is one issue; however, the issue of the relationship between women and men is also an important issue. A veil has been placed between women and men: they talk to each other, transact, argue, and befriend; however, with a veil and protection. This is present in Islam and must be observed. The relationship between women and men must be observed in these conversations and dialogues. Sometimes the relationship between women and men in some scenes is so close and intimate that a person sitting in front of the television truly feels embarrassed; even though we are old men, we feel embarrassed! The more you can observe these, the better. There is no need for superficiality. We are like those people who stood by the pool; some of those who dove from the high diving board would criticize and say that someone’s foot was crooked or their hand was like this! They would criticize everyone’s dive. We would say, you dive yourself; they would say, I do not know how to dive! Now, this is our anecdote. We do not know how to do these things; however, when we look, we understand that the foot should not be crooked while diving. One thinks that some of these things can be done correctly.

May God grant you success and support so that you can carry out this great task better and stronger and fulfill your duties.

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