Statements in Meeting with the People of Saghez

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 family and his chosen companions, especially the Awaited One of God on earth.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to be present in this crowded, magnificent, and enthusiastic gathering today. Although I had not previously traveled to your beautiful city, I have read and heard much about Saghez and its brave and valiant people, as well as their outstanding and spirited character. The people of Saghez have successfully passed difficult tests in the sensitive points and centers of the Islamic Revolution over the long thirty-year experience, achieving a passing grade.

Many people in our country and many of today's youth may not know that during the imposed war, in the most sensitive centers of this war and its most difficult stages, the youth of Saghez were at the forefront, defending and fighting. In the Majnoon Island, the brave youth of Saghez, Marivan, and other parts of Kurdistan were alongside other fighters in the front lines, engaged in a heroic resistance that anyone aware of the operations of Kheibar and Badr in the early years of the imposed war knows how significant this is.

Today, in the presence of you dear brothers and sisters from Saghez, I feel it necessary to sincerely thank all the people of this city and county for their clear and honorable positions. I also want to take this opportunity to send greetings to the dear people of Baneh, as I personally did not have the opportunity to travel there and meet the people of those cities closely, and I pray for divine blessings for all of them.

The sensitive and important issue that the enemies of the Islamic system and the enemies of Islam have been unable to find a response or remedy for is that in the Islamic world, among this vast population of Islamic countries, all thinkers, all intellectuals, all prominent religious and academic figures have regarded the Islamic Republic as a response to the call of Islam and the raised flag of Islam as an honor for the Islamic world.

At the beginning of the victory of the revolution, the policymakers and political designers of global arrogance hoped to create a rift between the Islamic Republic and the Muslim nations and countries by exploiting religious differences in the Islamic world. Although this conspiracy somewhat succeeded against some of the governments dependent on global arrogance, it did not succeed at all against the nations. Thinkers of the Islamic world felt proud that a political system based on the teachings of the Quran and Islamic law has been established with complete independence and dignity in this sensitive geographical point of the Middle East, and this has been affirmed to us over the years by thinkers, intellectuals, and prominent scholars from Arab countries, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and distant Muslim countries, who have told us that they take pride in the existence of the Islamic Republic. This is while there were also religious differences. The enemy hoped that this religious difference would create a rift, but Muslim thinkers and the faithful masses, with their firm thoughts and resolute determination, discouraged the enemy.

The same event occurred within our own country, dear brothers and sisters! In this very region of Kurdistan. Today marks the eighth day that I have been among the dear people of the cities of Kurdistan and various classes; I have met with large groups of people, with the elites and wise individuals of the province, with the leaders of tribes and influential figures of various Kurdish tribes throughout Kurdistan and the Kurdish region, and with university students in the dense crowds of the university; in all these meetings, my insistence has been to hear the heartfelt words from the large masses of people and also from the wise and elite individuals without any barriers or intermediaries. What I have heard during these continuous hours across this province is the dignified call of Islam and loyalty to Islam and the Islamic system, reflecting the very valuable spirit of the people of this province. Exactly what the enemy wanted to be the opposite was proven in the face of the people of this province. This was not new to me. I have been familiar with the Kurdish youth, the Kurdish fighters, and the Kurdish people for years. I have known the sincerity, love, and loyalty of the Kurdish people, their courage and bravery up close; it was not new to me. However, it is important for me that despite the wishes of the enemies of the Iranian nation and their propaganda, this pure and passionate sentiment, this deep loyalty, this insight, this awareness, this unity, be shown to all the Iranian nation and to our foreign friends and enemies, and this has been accomplished.

We thank God that the Kurdish people and the province of Kurdistan, through their actions, movements, and honorable presence, have shown the enemies of the Iranian nation that their schemes to fragment the Iranian nation and the Iranian ethnicities have been thwarted by the Kurdish people; this is a very fundamental point. I feel it necessary to sincerely thank all the popular groups in these last hours that I am in this province, to say that you have played your role well. This is a demonstration of the greatness of the Iranian nation. I want to tell all the Iranian nation from various ethnicities not to fall into error, not to let the behavior of a small number of groups - who strike at the face of the revolution and the Islamic Republic - be attributed to these dear people, this large population, these loyal hearts. A small number of wicked or deceived individuals who can be found anywhere - in Kurdistan and elsewhere - are completely separate from the account of the dear people of this province. Just as the account of the counter-revolutionaries in another province of the country, in Khorasan or Isfahan or Fars or any other point, is not attributed to the people of that province. The enemy wanted to convey this; they wanted to show the Iranian nation this. They wanted to imply that there is no security in this province. The Iranian nation sees before their eyes that thanks to the efforts of you people and the awareness of you people and the sacrifices of the brave youth, today this province enjoys complete security.

I must honor the brave young Muslim Peshmerga fighters. These brave men, young and old, who rose up here from the early days and years of the victory of the revolution, stood against the enemy, of whose sacrifices we have seen less in any other place. I will explain the reason; because we do not want to speak frivolously. The truth of the matter is that a Basij or Pasdar brother in any place, in any province, is regarded with great respect by the people; the people feel secure in the shadow of his security. The young Muslim Peshmerga in this area, especially in the border regions, while being the guardians of the security of the streets, markets, cities, and deserts, were avenged by the enemies; armed mercenary groups of the enemy took revenge on the bravery of these young men, even sometimes passing the families of these young men through the ruthless sword of their crimes, but these brave men stood firm against these difficulties, they endured; therefore, I sincerely believe that the brave young Muslim Peshmerga are among the first and at the forefront of the heroes of this country.

I have spoken about security, I have spoken about your awareness, dear people; these are truths. The people of Kurdistan and its brave youth have themselves provided the grounds for security in this province, and the self-sacrificing youth from other regions have come to assist them and have been able to thwart the enemy's plans; this is a reality. However, at the same time, I want to say that this awareness must be maintained by the dear Kurdish people; there should be no negligence. Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful) says in Nahj al-Balagha: "Whoever sleeps, the enemy does not sleep." This means that if you are negligent, your enemy will not be negligent; one must be vigilant against the enemy. This is not specific to this place. This is our advice to all the people of the country and all active, aware, and vigilant classes of the country: you must maintain your awareness. Although the enemy today is not like in the early days of the revolution when they hoped to uproot this revolution; no, they were hopeful that they could destroy the revolution, the Islamic Republic; today they are despondent; they have no such hope; they see that this towering tree has taken root; however, we must not be oblivious to their schemes.

I say this firmly: Unfortunately, behind our western borders, the Americans are plotting, engaged in nurturing terrorism. Money, weapons, organization, and structures are being directly spent by the Americans behind our western borders for the purpose of subversion and opposing the Islamic Republic; we must be vigilant.

We are aware - this is not analysis, this is information - that the Americans have dangerous plans for Kurdistan; their goal is not to defend the Kurdish people; their goal is to impose control over the Kurdish people; we know this from information; this is not analysis, this is information. Our Kurdish friends across the western border have informed us that American officers take money to the heights of Qandil, at the cost of the blood of Kurdish youth, to extract information from them; they pay money for mercenary-making. This is not the dignity of the Kurdish youth. They will reach out wherever they can, to impose their disgraceful and bloody claws into the body of the Kurdish people. Our nation and the Iranian Kurds, thanks be to God, are vigilant, and I must also say this: the Kurdish community and the Kurdish people often consider themselves Iranian even outside of Iran; they take pride in being Iranian. If some of the Kurds outside Iran align themselves with American objectives, they should know that they may gain something in the short term, but in the long term, the curse and wrath of the Kurdish people will pursue them and will not leave them. These awarenesses must be maintained. Vigilance is not only in this area. In terms of our internal differences, everyone must be vigilant. I said in Sanandaj on the first day - last Tuesday - and I repeat it here: Islamic sects must work hand in hand, brotherly, towards the lofty goals and ideals of Islam. The enemy hopes to set the followers of different sects against each other. No one should succumb to this treacherous and malicious plot of the enemy. They want Shia against Sunni, Sunni against Shia, hearts to be embittered, and mutual distrust; this is what they want. That is why I have declared, and I emphasize again: the red line from the perspective of the Islamic system and from our perspective is the insult to each other's sanctities. Those who, unknowingly, out of negligence, sometimes out of blind and misplaced prejudices, whether Shia or Sunni, insult each other's sanctities do not understand what they are doing. The best tools for the enemy are these individuals; the best instruments in the hands of the enemy are these individuals; this is the red line.

Each Sunni and Shia performs their own religious ceremonies, their own customs, their own religious duties, and they must do so; but the red line is that there should be absolutely no expression of anything between them due to insults to sanctities - whether what is issued by some Shia individuals out of negligence or what is issued out of negligence by some Sunni individuals like the Salafis and others who negate each other - should be expressed. This is exactly what the enemy wants. There must be vigilance here as well.

In these few days - of course, before that, I had received many reports and information regarding the issues of this province - in meetings, by hearing, by seeing, we have heard or read many matters from the mouths of caring individuals and enthusiasts regarding the issues of Kurdistan. The needs here are many. On the first day, I said, and today I reach the same conclusion that the most important need of this province is employment, which must be provided through industrial and agricultural investments in this province. What we tell the people of other provinces is that this land, rich and wealthy, with these faithful and serious people, with all these good youth, is a very good ground for investment. If one day they thought there was no security here, that day is over. Today, thanks be to God, security is established here; there is good security here; they can come and invest. The government also facilitates and encourages.

Regarding the issues and needs here, the resolutions from two provincial trips of the government delegation to Kurdistan, in addition to what was studied during this trip by the officials of the trip - governmental and non-governmental - were reviewed; if, God willing, these resolutions are implemented and all are realized, most of the problems of this province will be resolved. Our recommendation to the officials is to seriously pursue the realization of these requests and resolutions. Thanks be to God, the province has good governmental management; the management of the province is competent and good. Both here and from this place, I announce to the officials in the center that they must seriously strive to bring the resolutions that have been made to fruition and action.

What is raised as a request is often reasonable, acceptable, and logical matters. What has been raised as the demands related to this province from the voices of the elites, from the voices of the students, from the numerous letters from the people that reached us during this trip, has been understood; what is raised as popular demands is often logical demands; it is correct demands, and as we have stated, if the resolutions of those two trips - the government trip - and also the resolutions of this trip are implemented by divine grace, most of these demands will be fulfilled. Of course, in some places, one observes that the level of expectations is raised unreasonably; this is not correct. Reasonable and logical expectations are what is heard from the people, what is seen in the letters from the people, and the elites have repeated the same; these are correct. However, in some places, one sees that they create a list of unreasonable, impractical demands; these do not do anything other than prevent the system from being able to realize them and mislead and deceive the minds of the people. Reasonable and logical expectations are what is heard from the voices of the people, what is seen in the letters from the people, and the elites have repeated the same. Thanks be to God; what was said during this trip addressed to the officials and to all the people is what we believe has arisen from the essence of reality.

I say that the Kurdish language is a national treasure, the scientific and artistic talents of the youth here are a national treasure, the athletic talents of the youth of Kurdistan are a national treasure; these national treasures must be utilized, exploited, and brought to fruition.

Thanks be to God that the officials are diligently following the issues of the people of various provinces; I observe this, I see it. Government officials, whether in the provincial trips they make or in other decision-making processes, I see them closely, diligently following the issues of the people. We hope, God willing, that with this spirit, with this diligence, the issues of Kurdistan will be pursued. We will also demand accountability from them for what is to be done, and I hope that by divine grace, the future of Kurdistan will be much better, more honorable, and more cherished than the future of this great country. Today, thanks be to God, meeting you marks the last day of our trip to Kurdistan, a very sweet and desirable day.

O Lord! Preserve these noble and dear youth for Kurdistan, for our dear country Iran; bestow your blessings upon them. O Lord! Remove the obstacles from the affairs of our people in all parts of the country and in this point. O Lord! Day by day, increase the dignity of the Iranian nation in front of other nations and against the oppressors and tyrants. O Lord! Make us your righteous and worthy servants; accept what we have said and what we have heard, by your grace; and grant us the success to act upon it.

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