Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the Grand Gathering of the People of Bam

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 chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

I am very grateful to the Almighty God for granting me once again the opportunity to come to your city and to visit the determined and spirited people of Bam.

What distinguishes this trip from previous ones at first glance is that, thanks be to God, both in the city where we moved around a bit and visited various areas and shelters, and now that we are participating in this gathering, I see the faces of you dear people, the faces of the youth, and the face of the city filled with vitality, hope, and determination. In previous trips, the face of the city was gloomy and despondent due to the weight of the disaster that had occurred. This is significant for the human aspect of Bam; for me, who has a deep affection and respect for you, the faithful and sincere people of this region and city, seeing the faces smiling is a great glad tidings.

There are demands, and these demands are often just; both the esteemed Friday prayer leader expressed them - for which we must especially thank him for his efforts - and I have heard various matters from the esteemed officials of the city and province; I have also obtained information from the public reports prepared for us prior to the trip.

However, what is important for me as a significant issue is that in the face of natural disasters, there are two ways to respond and act: one way is to succumb to the disaster and surrender oneself to its consequences, letting oneself be carried along by the events; this is negative. In this case, the disaster will not benefit the afflicted and suffering community, and its harms will remain for the people. The other way is to take an active and positive stance; that is, to overcome the calamity, with all its magnitude and weight, and to move forward and rectify matters. This type of response is correct and fruitful. The calamity has occurred; we must learn from it and, by taking lessons and admonitions from past disasters, shape our future in such a way that we prevent future events and compensate for the problems that have arisen due to the disaster as much as possible, and also achieve new accomplishments. This is a positive and Islamic outlook.

I see that the dear people of Bam and Baravat have taken the second path with their determination and reliance on the faith and nobility that exists within them. What has been done so far is by no means sufficient. I appreciate and thank the efforts of the government officials and various sectors; their efforts are truly commendable. Although I am grateful for the efforts of the reconstruction headquarters of Bam city and the villages of Bam and commend their work, what I see in terms of construction, urban conditions, housing, and business centers is not satisfactory or pleasing to me. Some government agencies or revolutionary institutions have indeed worked very well. I will not name those who have done well or those who have shortcomings - I will certainly speak to them directly - some have worked well and moved commendably; others have been negligent; however, what is observed overall is a general outlook and a calculated, measured, and predictable planning.

Of course, I would have liked it if any official who came to Bam and promised to build a school every week had been able to fulfill that promise - unfortunately, they have not - or if those who came for reconstruction had set a specific time and said they would build Bam city within a certain period, they could have adhered to that timeline; it is observed that those who made such promises now admit that these promises were not correct; these are our objections and demands.

But from the overall calamities that I see and gather reports on and learn through various means, what I conclude is that the planning for Bam is correct planning. This planning must be supported by government officials, banks, and the institutions involved in reconstruction, which relate to various pathways and stations.

I have been informed that the reconstruction of the villages around Bam will be completed by the end of 84; and it has been said that they hope the reconstruction of Bam city will be completed by the end of 85. I do not consider this a definite promise and I do not convey this to you; however, if they can fulfill this promise, we must say they have accomplished a very significant and outstanding task; and I pray that they can.

Reconstruction - which is an important issue for Bam city - is not all the issues of Bam city. The topics that the esteemed and lively Friday prayer leader expressed are all part of the issues. Security is one of the important issues of this city, which is unrelated to reconstruction. The matter of tradespeople and artisans is one of the issues. Attention to educators and students - which one of the esteemed educators of Bam mentioned yesterday at the Cultural Complex of Kerman - is one of the important issues of this region. Creating jobs and entrepreneurship for the youth - which has also been one of the previous issues of Bam and has increased due to the earthquake - is one of the matters related to Bam. The vitality and spirit of youth come from working; the youth must be able to work. A youth who works is both joyful and vibrant within themselves, and like a fruitful palm tree, others benefit from the sweet fruits of their labor; that is, they are both vibrant themselves and others benefit from their existence. When a youth cannot secure the necessary employment, their own vitality will diminish or, God forbid, disappear, and no one else will benefit from their existence.

Of course, the issue of job creation is not specific to this place; it is one of our important issues at the national level. In the past two or three years, many efforts have been made, and concentrated and intensive activities have been undertaken for this purpose, and this must continue. In the next government, whoever comes to power and the executive branch falls into the hands of any government and president, one of their fundamental concerns must be job creation.

You people of Bam, in addition to electing a president, will likely also elect a representative. Look for someone who can respond to these expectations. For a while, we were distracted by political, factional, and line issues and empty, meaningless talk - which has no role in the real lives of the people. What our country needs is work, production, and material and spiritual development, accompanied by justice and without discrimination, corruption, and illegal greed - and as the gentlemen say, rent-seeking. The most important endeavor of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches must be to stand against these difficult-to-treat diseases. These diseases are more dangerous for the country than the earthquake disaster; because they are widespread.

One of the issues that is good to mention in Bam is this: My dear ones! Dear people of Bam! You have indeed suffered a calamity. The earthquake was truly catastrophic. The survivors who witnessed their loved ones, their children, their grandchildren, their spouses, and their parents being buried under the rubble of the earthquake, what language can provide them solace? In previous trips to Bam, I saw many of these individuals up close. These sorrows remain in the heart of a person - there is no doubt about it - but this very tragic calamity that has burned you and left scars on your hearts has lessons for the entire country, for dear Iran, and for the officials, which if we act upon these lessons, this great calamity will be largely compensated.

One of these lessons is resilience. After my previous trip to Bam, I told the officials not to let the issue of Bam become stale, keep it fresh; one reason for this is that the Bam disaster could happen anywhere else in this country. In this province and in various other locations, such a disaster could occur; you saw that it also happened in Zarand. The province of Kerman - as I have been informed - is situated on eight earthquake faults. At the intersection of these faults, the possibility of very severe earthquakes exists, and each of these could cause significant damage; these must be anticipated. I said that a headquarters for unexpected events and crises caused by natural disasters must be established; I now address the officials from Bam - from the epicenter of one of the most significant natural disasters of our time - and say do not delay this work any longer. Officials must be prepared. Both the issue of resilience everywhere in the country is very important; and being prepared to confront these disasters is important; because the initial moments of a disaster are precious and invaluable. Reaching those moments can save many lives. This requires prior preparedness. We knew many of these things, but the earthquake and your calamity revived these lessons and prompted many of the country's officials to think.

If we learn from these, we have received the reward for that calamity and that tragic event. Of course, the Bam disaster was not only tragic for the people of Bam; it plunged the entire country into sorrow; all segments of the people across the country felt sympathy for you.

For someone who comes to and goes from Bam, what is important is the spirit of dignity and effort among the people of Bam. Whatever you can, strengthen this spirit. You are people of dignity and patience. The name "Dar al-Sabirin" (House of the Patient) that I heard several times today and see in some of the writings before me is very appropriate. Truly, in such a great calamity, you have shown patience and perseverance.

The hearts of calamities must be opened, and from their depths, divine blessings must be extracted. Let us look at calamities from another perspective so that we see natural disasters as God's mercy. This immense loss and this death and destruction that occurs in such events for a city and community, with all its bitterness, if it can revive the spirit of reliance, connection with God, the spirit of effort, taking lessons, and thinking about the future within us, it will become a blessing.

Bam must, with God's grace, the efforts of the officials, and with the planning we have discussed - which is good, acceptable, and comprehensive in our view - be built into a strong and beautiful city within the timeframe mentioned by the responsible brothers, God willing. You must also strive. Officials must fulfill their promises. If they were supposed to provide loans or facilities, they must do so. All segments of the people must strive and cooperate with the agencies; the agencies must also fulfill all their duties so that from the depths of these ruins, a beautiful city emerges, a manifestation of determination, will, taste, and fulfilling your needs. Of course, the tasks that must be carried out and the needs of this entire county are preserved in their place.

We are in various arenas under the scrutiny of the world. And let me tell you; in the matter of Bam, the Iranian nation and the compassionate officials were praised by global centers. A nation that endures heavy losses and stands with a good spirit and firm determination in the field of revolution and in the arena of movement and effort in the Islamic Republic, with complete perseverance; it expresses this both verbally and proves it in action, is praised by all international observers, and has been. It is true that many countries and international centers did not fulfill their promises - which the government officials reported and said they did not fulfill many of their promises - but we stood on our own feet. Their heartfelt admiration for the determination and will of the people and the good management that took place in these matters is certain.

I have had an affection for Bam since before the revolution. When I wanted to return from Jiroft, I stayed a few days in Bam and got to know the people of Bam. After the revolution, I was unable to come to Bam. I was very eager to come and meet you; but unfortunately, until before the earthquake, this opportunity did not arise. One of our old friends in Bam, the first time I came to Bam after the earthquake, came to me and cried; he said we wished you would come to Bam; but not under such conditions and circumstances. I also wished that when I came to Bam, I would see this city joyful, vibrant, free from natural disasters and without calamities; but unfortunately, that did not happen. Nevertheless, I thank the Almighty God that I see vitality and joy in your faces, which I did not see in previous trips. The youth, women, and men are lively. In the streets of the city, in the camps and temporary shelters, wherever we went, we felt there is vitality and joy in the faces of the people; we thank God for this.

We ask God to grant us the opportunity to come to your city once again and to see you at the peak of vitality, health, and satisfaction with the progress of your work, and to witness the new city of Bam that has been built by you, God willing. I am very happy with this visit. I thank you and also apologize for having kept you waiting in the hot sun for a while to hear our remarks.

O Lord! Bestow Your grace, favor, mercy, and blessings upon the people of this city through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Grant the officials the ability to serve these dear and noble people fully. O Lord! Compensate for the calamities that have befallen these people with Your multiplied grace and mercy. O God! Make us appreciative of these people.

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