Statements in Meeting with Students

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.

We express our gratitude to the Almighty God for the fact that at this juncture in time, our country witnesses a collection of young, faithful, enthusiastic, motivated individuals who possess logic and thought regarding the fundamental issues of the country. Today’s session was indeed a very good one; this matter has two parts: one part pertains to the details of the statements made by the friends who expressed themselves here; well, good and useful points were made; it is possible that I, the humble speaker, may agree with some of these statements and disagree with others; the discussion of content is one aspect of the matter. What I find important and worthy of praise and commendation is the "spirited and demanding attitude within the student body" that was reflected in the statements of this limited group; this is significant. It is possible that some of the demands expressed may not be logical, some may not be achievable, and some may not be acceptable; however, the very essence of this spirit of demand and motivation for wanting, thinking, proposing, and criticizing is desirable. Of course, in all matters, ethics, faith, and legal limits must be observed; one must avoid injustice; one must refrain from "speaking without knowledge"; these points are reserved for their own place; what is important is that our student youth must be demanding, motivated, spirited, present in the arena, and attentive to the issues of the country; and I observe this today, thanks be to God.

Well, let us take a few minutes to address some of the points that the friends have raised. The first point is what I have just mentioned; I was pleased with the spirit of our student youth - who were mostly representatives of organizations - and I thank God that in them, one feels vitality, speech, motivation, and a spirit of demand; and we hope that, God willing, this spirit remains with you until the time when you yourselves will be responsible for affairs; because ultimately, in the future, the officials and managers of the country will be you, God willing, and may this spirit [and] critical and demanding outlook, accompanied by a sense of duty and responsibility, remain with you; for if this happens, the country will be saved.

The friends mentioned several points that I believe are noteworthy and important; the issue of "looking at science without considering its benefits for the country" which was repeated in the statements of several friends is entirely correct, and we have repeatedly said this as well. Scientific work and scientific effort today in our country and in our universities and research institutes is a lively, successful, and commendable endeavor, but everyone must pay attention to the fact that science is a precursor to action; beneficial science is that which can be useful for the country and helpful in solving the country’s problems. Simply having our article published in ISI (1) databases and the like around the world, or even being referenced, is a scientific commendation, but it is not the ultimate goal; scientific work must be directed towards the needs of the country; this was mentioned by the friends, and I emphasize it as well. The officials of higher education and senior managers are present, and I hope they pay attention to this point.

Another point that was made in the statements and is a correct point that I want to emphasize is the relationship between economic management methods and the culture of society. The statement that "in the 1990s we raised the issue of cultural invasion while the invasion was actually economic" is correct; we do not deny this; however, the view of culture as an essential and vital issue must certainly be considered by everyone at all levels. At that time, there were also objections to economic management methods; however, what was important and remains important today is the focus on cultural orientations. Of course, we accept that economic management methods have impacts on culture, just as the reverse is also true.

One issue that was raised peripherally and I believe is not peripheral but rather an important issue is the issue of youth marriage; we expected you to react this way; (2) the issue of youth marriage is a significant matter. I fear that the indifferent attitude towards the issue of marriage - which unfortunately exists to some extent today - will have severe repercussions for the country in the future. Well, now you have raised the issue of military service; in my opinion, military service is not a problematic issue; one can think and work in that area; the solution to the problem of military service as an obstacle to marriage is not to shorten the duration of military service; other methods can be employed; however, this is one issue. The motivation for marriage must turn into practical action; that is, marriage must be realized. The Almighty God says: "If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty" (3), this is a divine promise; we must trust this promise just as we trust other divine promises. Marriage and family formation do not cause and will not cause individuals' living conditions to become tight and difficult; that is, no one suffers from a tight living situation due to marriage; rather, marriage may even create openings. The student environment is a good and suitable environment for facilitating marriage. In my opinion, regarding the issue of youth marriage, the youth themselves, the families of the youth to whom they belong, and the relevant officials associated with the university should think and decide; let us not allow the age of marriage - which has unfortunately risen today, especially for girls - to continue. There are some misconceptions and wrong traditions regarding marriage that are cumbersome and hinder the prevalence of youth marriage; these traditions must be practically refuted. You who are young, demanding, and spirited, as proposers of refuting many habits and traditions, in my opinion, you must also refute these wrong traditions that exist regarding marriage; this is another issue that I find necessary to emphasize. Of course, in the past, it was common for charitable and faithful individuals to find suitable girls and boys, introduce them, and facilitate marriages; these actions must be taken; there must truly be a movement in society in this regard.

Another point that was made in the statements of some friends in the questions that students asked me in a congratulatory manner [was] - students were asked what they would say if they were in this session; responses came; they brought us a hundred-page book or more with the opinions of students; I also saw this question raised - (4) how should the political positions of student individuals or student organizations align with the views of the leadership? This question was also raised here in some form. In my opinion, this question is not very valid; it is not the case that all positions taken by the people - including students who are among the progressive classes - must be modeled and translated from the views expressed by the leadership; no, you, as a believing, faithful, and thoughtful human being, must look, feel your duty, have an analysis - which I will now discuss - regarding individuals, movements, policies, and governments, and have a position and opinion. It is not the case that you must wait to see what the leadership's position is regarding a certain individual, movement, action, or policy, and based on that, you also take a position; no, that would lock things up. The leadership has responsibilities, and if God Almighty helps and grants success, he will fulfill those responsibilities; you also have responsibilities; look at the scene, make decisions; however, the criterion should be piety; the criterion should be piety. Piety means not being enslaved by the desires of the self in support or opposition, in criticism or praise; this must be observed. If this is observed, both criticism is good and support and praise are good: for an individual, for the government, for a certain political movement; for a certain political event; there is no problem. Of course, if an opinion is also expressed by me in a certain area, those who have good intentions and accept this opinion may find it to be one of the factors influencing their judgment; however, this does not mean that individuals' duties regarding positions and opinions are nullified; no, everyone should look [and fulfill their duty]. I mentioned that the criterion is that it should be in accordance with piety; that is, without being influenced by the desires of the self; if we criticize, if we support and advocate, if we approve or reject a movement or policy, it should truly be out of a sense of duty and obligation and without involving selfish motives [in it]; this is another point.

One of the friends also said that sleep has been taken from the eyes of students. This is very good; truly, if this is the case that concerns make students this sensitive; of course, we hope you get your sleep on time and completely! This expression of "sleep being taken from the eyes" is a good expression; if this is truly the case, we are very pleased. This state of concern and anxiety regarding events causes one to look at issues with open eyes.

However, what I have noted to present consists of two or three sections, each section I will present in accordance with the time. First of all, we should consider students as part of the displaying groups of the awakened conscience of the nation and the country, which is indeed the reality. If students in a society have a direction and movement and a demand, this indicates the general inclination of society; this is the case everywhere in the world. The student is indeed part of the groups that reflect the awakened conscience of the nation and its orientations, thus students must approach issues very consciously; they must recognize their own situation, the situation of their environment, threats, opportunities, enemies, and enmities. [Of course] we do not expect students to abandon their studies and various discussions and only engage in political work; no, this [is not the intention]; we expect them to look at issues with open eyes, with a clear perspective, with a sense of duty and motivation; this is our expectation from students.

Some of the issues we are currently facing are related to our surrounding environment, regional issues. Regional issues are not separate from the issues of the country; one of the fundamental and important issues today is the issue of Palestine and the issue of Gaza. Well, the issues of Gaza and the sufferings that the people of Gaza are currently experiencing - which have a historical precedent - must be viewed from two perspectives: one perspective is that this reflects the reality of the Zionist regime; this is the Zionist regime; this, in my opinion, is the not-so-important part of the issue. The Zionist regime is a regime that from the very beginning of its illegitimate birth has based itself on open violence, they do not deny it; they have established themselves on an iron fist, they say it everywhere, they take pride in it, and their policy is the same. Since 1948, when this illegitimate regime was officially established until today, it has been 66 years that the policy of the Zionist regime has been the same. Of course, before this regime was officially recognized and the colonizers imposed it on the world and the region, the Zionists committed many crimes in Palestine; however, during these 66 years, as a political system, they have done everything they could and committed every conceivable violence that a government could commit against a people; they have no shame; this is the reality of the Zionist regime; there is no remedy for it except for the destruction of this regime. The destruction of the Zionist regime does not mean the massacre of the Jewish people in that region; that is, the logic that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) raised that "Israel must be destroyed" (5) is a humanitarian logic; we have also presented the practical mechanism for it to the world, which no one has been able to logically refute. We said that a referendum should be conducted among the people who live in this region and belong to this place; that is, a referendum should determine the ruling regime in this region, the people should determine; the meaning of the destruction of the Zionist regime is this; its mechanism is this; it is a task that the logic of today’s world understands, comprehends, and appreciates, and it is a practical task. We even determined its form in relation to the United Nations and some international references and expressed it, and it became a topic of discussion; that is, this savage and wolf-like regime whose policy is to behave with an iron fist, ruthlessly and heartlessly towards the people, committing murder and child-killing and destruction of areas is not at all important to them, and they do not deny it, its remedy is nothing but destruction and annihilation; that if, God willing, that day comes and it is destroyed, so much the better; [but] as long as this illegitimate regime is standing and has not been destroyed, what is the remedy? The remedy is decisive and armed resistance against this regime; in confronting the Zionist regime, the Palestinians must show their power. No one should think that if there were no missiles from Gaza, the Zionist regime would back down; no. Now look and see what they are doing in the West Bank! In the West Bank, where there are no missiles, no weapons, no guns; there, the only tool and weapon of the people is stone; see what the Zionist regime is doing there: whatever it can do, it destroys the homes of the people, it destroys the gardens of the people, it annihilates the lives of the people, it leads them to humiliation and disgrace, it humiliates them; if necessary, it cuts off their water, it cuts off their electricity; they could not tolerate someone like Yasser Arafat who cooperated so much with the Zionists, they besieged him, humiliated him, poisoned him, and destroyed him. It is not the case that if we do not show power against the Zionists, they will show mercy to anyone, consider anyone, or respect anyone’s rights, not at all; the only remedy that exists before the destruction of this regime is that the Palestinians must be able to confront powerfully; if they confront powerfully, there is a possibility that the opposite side - which is this savage, cruel, wolf-like regime - may back down; just as they are currently desperately seeking a ceasefire; that is, they have become miserable. They commit murder, they commit child-killing, they show cruelty beyond the bounds of human decency, but at the same time, they are also helpless; that is, they are caught in a dilemma, in a difficult predicament; hence, they are seeking a ceasefire. Therefore, my opinion is this, our belief is that the West Bank must also be armed like Gaza. A show of power [is necessary]. Those who are interested in the fate of Palestine, if they can do something, this is the work; the people there must also be armed. The only thing that may alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians is that they have power, they can show their strength; otherwise, with a tame, submissive, and conciliatory approach, nothing will be done in favor of the Palestinians, and nothing will be reduced from the violence of this cruel and wicked being.

Of course, the duty of the people of the world is also political support, there is no doubt about this; just as today you observe that in Islamic countries, even in non-Islamic countries, there are popular movements; God willing, on Quds Day, the world will witness the great roar of the Iranian nation; the Iranian nation, God willing, will show how much motivation regarding Palestine [exists in Iran]. Now some wanted to show the opposite with the slogan "neither Gaza nor Lebanon"; no, the Iranian nation believes in defending the oppressed [and] "be adversaries to the oppressor and helpers to the oppressed"; (6) this is the demand of the Iranian nation that, God willing, will be demonstrated. This is one perspective and one view of the Gaza issue. However, what I believe is more important than this view is that we should pay attention to the fact that today the world of global arrogance, led by America, supports this catastrophe, this crime, this indescribable violence. In my opinion, this is a deeper look at the issue; this is important, we must emphasize this. Today, the Western arrogant powers - that is, several large, wealthy, and powerful Western governments, with America at the forefront and the wicked Britain behind it - are firmly standing to defend this usurping, oppressive, and cruel regime; this is a very important issue. They are openly supporting it. What are they supporting? This catastrophe that no fair-minded human being, no ordinary person can remain indifferent to these crimes. A small area, a patch of land called Gaza, is attacked by such airplanes, missiles, ground forces, tanks [and subjected to] all kinds of bombardment against these people; it is truly astonishing. So many children are killed, so many homes are destroyed, the lives of people in their own homes are so bitter and filled with suffering and torture, and then they support this, they defend this. With what logic? With the ridiculous logic of the American President who says Israel has the right to defend its security! Well, do the Palestinians not have the right to defend their security? Is it acceptable that a government threatens the lives of a people who are living under its oppressive siege and do not show any reaction in the name of what it calls its security? Does anyone accept this? How will history judge this logic? The officials of these arrogant countries do not understand that with this support, what they are doing to their own reputation and the reputation of their countries and regimes in history! They stand with complete audacity and say we support Israel; they do not make any reference to what is happening in the region and what catastrophe is being caused by this destructive and dangerous element.

This indicates that today the most indifferent politicians in the world to human rights are those who manage these few countries; they absolutely have no belief in humanity and human rights; their behavior in Gaza and similar events proves this. They have no belief: they do not believe in human rights, they do not believe in the sanctity of human beings and human dignity, they do not believe in the will of nations; they believe in nothing. The only thing they accept is money and power; there is no other logic. Whatever they say regarding freedom and human rights and such matters is, in my opinion, mockery of freedom; it is mockery of human rights.

Well, now we do not say this as an advice to America and the American President and the American statesmen, obviously; we say this for ourselves so that in our analyses, in our judgments, in our actions, we understand who we are dealing with and who these people are who confront us; what their underlying thoughts are; we must clarify our own position. What is important is that we have a correct analysis of the behavior of the West today. Their confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran and with the Islamic Revolution and with the Islamic movement and Islamic awakening is part of their grand strategies. The overarching policy of the system of domination is the enslavement of nations and control over the destinies of nations without the slightest regard for the interests of nations and the demands of the people; this is the overarching policy of global arrogance; this must be taken into account. The anti-American, anti-Western, and anti-arrogance slogans in our country are reflective of this truth. Some people, as soon as they hear an anti-Western or anti-American slogan, immediately think that a fanatical or illogical act is being carried out; no, this anti-Western and anti-American outlook in the Islamic Revolution is based on a correct experience, on a correct rational perspective, on a proper calculation. The other day, I told the group of officials and operators of the country (7) that the fundamental goal of the enemy is to disrupt our calculation system. When the calculation system is disrupted, it will yield incorrect outputs from correct data; that is, experiences will no longer be useful. When the calculation system does not work well, does not work correctly, and correct calculations are not made, experiences will no longer be useful.

Well, you look at how the Westerners and the managers of the current Western civilization have treated our country over the past hundred years, eighty or ninety years. We have all these experiences of being harmed by the West. There are some in the country - Westernized intellectuals, Western-obsessed, enamored with the West - who have these experiences before their eyes, [but] do not learn from these experiences. Well, they saw that the Westerners brought Reza Khan to dominate this country and established a strange and bizarre dictatorship of Reza Khan, through the British in this country - they brought a strong, illogical, and indifferent element to the authenticity of the country to dominate this country - then in the 1920s, the same powers occupied Iran, in fact, divided it among themselves; they came and took the oil and imposed oppressive contracts on this country; they instigated the 28th of Mordad coup and overthrew a national government - which, with all its flaws, was ultimately based on the votes of the people - and destroyed it; they diverted the national oil movement and regained control over our natural and material resources; they established the dictatorship of Mohammad Reza for a long time in this country and supported it with all their might; during the thirty-some years of Mohammad Reza's rule over the country, they auctioned off our material and spiritual wealth, kept the father of this nation in poverty, kept it in ignorance, instigated public corruption in all the pillars of this country, and effectively destroyed the culture of the country, the religion of the people, everything, with the support and backing of these Western governments; in confronting the Islamic Revolution and the great movement of the Iranian nation, they did everything they could to sabotage; they supported Saddam Hussein, defended him - even though they themselves did not accept Saddam, but since Saddam was against the Islamic Republic, they helped him as much as they could - these Westerners, this England, this America, this France: they provided chemical bombs, they provided various military capabilities; well, these are our experiences. The Westernized intellectual, because his calculation system is a disrupted one, does not use these experiences, does not benefit from them, does not make correct inferences.

One of the most important services of the Islamic Revolution was the revival of correct rationality in the country. The fact that you, young students, analyze regional issues, see issues with a critical eye, identify the enemy, analyze regional events, and stand firm, this indicates the rational vitality of a country; this is what the revolution gave us. Today, some still wish to return to the previous state. The same Westernized currents - those who are in love with the West, who belittle the nation, who belittle the assets, who belittle the national culture and identity in favor of the Western dominators - wish for the same to come back and determine the direction of the country, the culture of the country, and set the indicators. These individuals who today work against the Islamic Republic under the banner of these bloodthirsty enemies of the Iranian nation are the same ones who are truly seeking to restore that ignorance - the calculative ignorance - that satanic seduction that existed regarding the rationality of this country in a certain period, to be reestablished. We must stand against these. The movement is a correct and rational one. What I particularly say regarding students is that I recommend dear students to strengthen their studies, both in the fields of religious issues and in various political issues, alongside their scientific work. Try to enhance your analytical power. Of course, today when I look at the statements of the students, I see prominent and good points, which truly deserve gratitude and appreciation; however, the more you can work in this area, the better. Now we did not reach the discussion of various issues of the country today - which must remain for other meetings we have with students or [other] groups, God willing, to present some points - [but] the student must provide analysis regarding various issues of the country, social issues, economic issues, political issues; that is, the people must be able to benefit from the analyses of the students, utilize them; the analytical power of the student must be such. This also relies on study; they must study. It should not be that the student’s perspective is merely an emotional one; your mental data should not only be newspaper issues; think about issues, study them, discuss them. Many of the points that friends have raised here are points that their duties must be determined in student sessions and in free student discussions; I noted that these "free-thinking forums" that we have proposed, which necessitate free student discussions in universities, can determine and clarify many of the issues that friends have raised here; they should be able to identify the positive and negative aspects of each matter in student discussions.

Another point I mention is that in the student environment, "discursive competition" is a good thing, provided it is accompanied by tolerance of opposition. One should neither be surprised by the existence of opposition, nor should one become angry, nor should one be fearful; none of these three states in the face of opposition is acceptable. If one is surprised by having opposition, it means that one is overly optimistic about oneself; one is surprised that someone disagrees with them. It is not surprising! Well, every human, every thought, every direction and orientation has a number of oppositions; it is not the case that we say those oppositions are making mistakes; no, there are weaknesses, and those weaknesses cause some individuals to oppose. Therefore, the existence of opposition should not surprise us; just as we should not become angry and upset that why they oppose us; no, opposition is understandable, it is acceptable. We should not be afraid; being afraid of the existence of opposition indicates that one is not confident in the solidity of their position; no, we have logic, we strengthen the foundations of this logic, we enter the field of discursive competition, and we discuss; the spirit of the student should be such. Therefore, the student environments will continue their work with the same vitality that they have today, thanks be to God; they should tolerate each other, talk to each other, discuss together, strengthen the foundations; and in practical matters, they should place piety as the foundation and in intellectual matters, the Islamic limits and the understanding of the enemy and the methods of enmity that the enemy employs.

We hope that, God willing, the Almighty God grants you all success, and preserves your existence for the advancement of the goals of the revolution, keeps you, increases your successes day by day, and that you young people, God willing, provide a good future for your revolution and your country.

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