Statements in Meeting with a Group of Students and Representatives of Student Organizations

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 among the inhabitants of the earth.

Today, we had a very sweet and fruitful session with you. Of course, the student environment is a joyful, lively, exciting, and demanding one; this is the nature of the student environment. The points raised by friends here are student analyses, student suggestions, and are valuable; that is to say, we, like myself and other officials who are involved in managing various sectors of the country, must listen to these and think about them, study them; some of these suggestions are entirely practical and should be pursued, while some may not be feasible. Now, regarding what our dear young friend said about sending us to Palestine, well, that is a statement; rest assured that if it were possible to send the youth to Palestine, this action would have been taken before you even mentioned it.

My expectation is that friends, while analyzing and thinking — it is clear that the statements made by the representative of each organization are preceded by thoughts that have been developed within that organization; it must be this way; they have been studied, thought out, and weighed, and are expressed here; that is very good, there is no harm in that, these must certainly be said — but care must be taken that, firstly, the suggestions are realistic and, secondly, thoroughly examined in the full sense of the word. Now, one of the friends said, "It is imagined that the Leader's view on the issue of 'justice' has changed since 80;" if there has been a change, it is in the direction of insisting more on the issue of 'justice'; because our progress towards justice has been limited, we have more insistence; no one relinquishes justice; however, the aspects of the matter must be understood and weighed, and individuals should not be referred to; there should be no reference to individuals in these statements.

Also, keep in mind that today in the body of the government, there are those who, just a few years ago, participated in this very session and spoke here; that is to say, this expectation that I have always expressed that young students should come to participate and work in mid-level and even high-level management has now been fulfilled; that is to say, there are many young people who just a few years ago participated in student sessions, and today they are engaged in various managements and responsibilities; this is a reality. Well, looking at these realities should guide the mind of today's young student towards a direction that is closer to solving problems; this is my expectation. In any case, I thank each and every one who spoke here, and I will, God willing, look at their writings or have them summarized, and then I will review them. I thank the respected reciter who performed a very good recitation. I also sincerely thank the choir conductor and the overall session host.

Well, these are the last days of the month of Ramadan. You are young, you have pure hearts; this is not flattery, it is a reality. Fasting, reciting the Quran, night prayers, dawn, and day have a multiplied effect on you compared to people like me. You must have certainly gained radiance during this Ramadan; try to maintain this radiance. The way to do this is to avoid sin. There are some sins that a person does not realize are sins; many of our conversations, many of the statements we make in cyberspace require accountability; ultimately, we must be cautious; indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of these will be questioned. One must answer. Care must be taken to recognize the incorrectness in our behaviors; if recognized, correction becomes possible, repentance from them becomes possible, seeking forgiveness from them becomes possible; if the incorrectness is not recognized, a person does not repent; it remains, accumulates, and takes away the radiance from the heart. It is a pity! Your hearts are truly radiant. Try to maintain this radiance, which has increased during Ramadan; by avoiding sin, by performing prayers on time, preferably in congregation, and by being careful about your statements. As was pointed out, I do not recommend you to be conservative in any way; I do not say do not criticize, do not have concerns, do not point out faults; no, my recommendations are not these at all; my recommendation is to be careful about what you say; think about the fact that in this expression, in this speech, in this writing, we do not commit an act for which we cannot have an answer later.

Well, this year, thanks be to God, Ramadan has been a good Ramadan, especially the prevalence of the Quran, the recitation of the Quran, has been very pleasing to me. That in various cities, many individuals, sometimes even teenagers, recite the Quran so well, so fluently, sometimes from memory — this has been one of my great wishes that, thanks be to God, I see it being realized and has been realized — I repeatedly thank God.

As much as you can, become familiar with the Quran; everything is in the Quran, which is obtained through contemplation in the Quran; of course, this contemplation must be accompanied by guidance. The name of the late Mr. Misbah (may God be pleased with him) has been mentioned here two or three times, which is appropriate; his books should be utilized. Truly and fairly, the thoughts of this great man are helpful to the correct intellectual movement of the youth. The active committees during this month, the street iftars during this month, all of these were valuable things.

I have noted some points, of course, I do not know if there will be time or not, I will shorten it. The main point that I want to express is one regarding the issue of students and the student who I want to mention a point about student activities, one regarding the university, and a few words about student organizations.

Regarding the student. Well, the student is presented as a young, energetic, motivated, and future-oriented element. You look ahead of you, God willing, you have sixty or seventy years ahead; a world is in front of you. Naturally, with these characteristics, there are expectations from this student body; they are young, they are energetic, they are future-oriented, they are educated, they are engaged in study, science, discussion, and thought; naturally, they must be active and sensitive towards the future. My insistence is that students look towards the future. Today, you criticize the current issues of the country, like the statements made here today, there are ten times more criticisms regarding the current situation of the country; there may be more criticisms — I mean certainly, not that there may be — and there are. Yes, if we look at the future today, think about the future, plan for it, and set up a collaborative and value-based system for the future, there is hope that these problems will no longer exist in the future; one of my expectations from the student body is precisely this. Well, we have been saying things in these sessions for years; I see that these matters are taken into account by you; now today you also refer to them, in other instances, it is mentioned in detail that such and such a thing was said by you; yes, we have said many things [but] how many of those things have been followed up? I am talking about the student environment; how many of those things have been followed up in the student environment? It cannot always be that we blame government officials; we must also hold ourselves accountable.

Today, you look, think for tomorrow, for the future, both in terms of value systems and in terms of programmatic and operational systems, draw a correct picture of the future, specify the path to that future, and move step by step; there is no need to hurry. We have no need for haste; your normal path will lead you to your goal. Certainly, five years from now, the situation will be better than today; there is no doubt about this; [of course] if we act according to what we think and what I have mentioned.

Of course, attention must be paid to the fact that the main task of the student is studying. The main task of the student is to acquire knowledge — which I will address later if there is time — but alongside being a student and scientific work, looking to the future, looking at society, looking at the people, looking at the problems, is among the mandatory duties of the student. If we want this goal to be achieved, that is, tomorrow should be better than today, we must define specific ideals for ourselves. In order to find specific ideals and know what we should strive for, what we should pursue, for what we should strive and work hard, we need to understand our own situation. What I am saying may be an accomplished fact for you in terms of your own situation, your thoughts, your behaviors, but in the general student environment, it is not like this; you must work to make this desire, this goal, widespread in the student environment, which I will now mention.

First, we must correctly recognize our current position and existence. Today's young student must know that they have grown up in a revolutionary system, have reached the stage of being a student, have gained access to the scientific environment, and have come this far; in a revolutionary system. First, this must be known; many are unaware of this. What does a revolutionary system mean? It means a system that has come into existence following a series of difficult and complex struggles, with bitter realities; it means a system that has come into being through struggle. In our youth, it was not like this; there was a system that, despite all its problems, had not come into existence for a motive, for a goal, the details of which are numerous; but this system in which you live has come into being through struggle, through hardship, through effort. The most fundamental realities of our lives now are that the system is a revolutionary system. It may be, I mean it certainly is, that many of the revolutionary demands have not been realized; this is true; we are certainly certain of this, but the system in which we live is a system that has these expectations; why? Because it is a revolutionary system. Therefore, we must always consider the "revolutionary nature of the system" as a reality.

This struggle that brought this system into existence, against whom has it been? This is also important. Against whom has the struggle taken place? Against what, against what reality has the struggle occurred? This is important, so that we know how we were yesterday. The correct identification of today's realities and a correct judgment about them will only be achieved if we know where we started and what reality has prevailed in the country. I say that the other side of this tumultuous and very complex struggle that has taken place over many years has been a corrupt and treacherous system — it has been both corrupt and treacherous — which is the dependent Pahlavi government; we must not forget this.

The characteristics of that corrupt system are what I am stating: First, at the head of the country, there was a family that was flawed and problematic in every way; a "family"! That is to say, a hereditary and legacy government, and that too a family that was firstly lowly and base, and secondly afflicted with various corruptions; at the head of the country, these were the ones; this is how our country was. You see the situation of today's Iran, such an Iran had at the head of this great, historical, and rooted country, such elements, and they ruled over this people and this country.

In terms of management, it was an authoritarian management, and the people had absolutely no role. Now you here chant slogans, which are correct slogans, that the people should do this and that. Compare the extent to which people are involved in the affairs of the country today with the past; from where did we start, to where have we reached? Of course, we should not be satisfied with what we are; this is among our certainties. The demands of the people in that system were completely ignored; the people were not considered in any work or any issue.

Politically, that system was a system that was a puppet; officially, external powers and their dominant forces determined it; one day it was England, then America. For example, there is a time when a Nader Shah rises, takes the country with his own power; well, yes, that is force, that is despotism, but it is his own; the previous regime was not like that; they did not come to power themselves; they were tyrants, despots, oppressors, but they did not come to power themselves; they were brought to power, both Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza; they were dependent, puppets. At that time, while they behaved despotically inside, they were submissive to foreigners; they were obedient: "This prime minister should be this person, that oil minister should be that person, that person should be responsible for purchasing weapons in the Ministry of Defense!" In all of these, they accepted the dictates of foreigners.

Culturally, they were the leftovers of Western products; that is to say, the remnants of Western culture were desirable and propagable issues for them, which they also promoted.

Socially, there was a severe class gap, discrimination was extreme, justice was meaningless, and favoritism was among the common practices of all. Anyone who had connections with the court and the apparatus could easily seize and encroach upon the people's wealth. In 1964, I was giving sermons in Gorgan; they would come to us, say things; although it was hard; I mean, really saying these things at that time was dangerous, but they would come and say. From Tehran, a short paper would be handed to a retired officer, he would come there, go to the people's farm, say this is mine, gather and leave. He would say: "Sir, why? This land is mine, it has been inherited from my father." They would say: "These words are superfluous!" They would throw a tractor and destroy everything he had and seize the land; that is to say, just like what the settlers of the Zionist regime do to the people of the West Bank; they are the same; they go into the property, destroy the house, destroy the land, say this is ours; exactly the same thing was happening in Iran. I was going from Mashhad towards Quchan. At one part of the road, on the left side — now I do not remember if it was between Mashhad and Quchan or between Quchan and Shirvan — I saw several kilometers fenced; the car kept going and did not end! Now it was either barbed wire or a fence; I do not remember. I was surprised; I said, what is this? They said: These are the lands that [someone] has taken. There was a person, at that time he was famous, I do not want to name him; he was a Bahai, a relative of the head of the SAVAK — the head of the SAVAK was Nasiri, he was his relative — with the help of his kinship, he had completely taken the lands of these people. He would come, take people out of their homes, from their farms, from their gardens; that is to say, the situation was like this.

In terms of science and technology, see, there were universities in this country for more than forty years; what new scientific thought came out of this Pahlavi university? While they had good professors. Some of their professors were graduates of well-known universities in the world; they had studied, they were knowledgeable; there were Dr. Hesabi, Dr. Riazi, the late Engineer Bazargan; individuals of this kind, educated, good, were there. In terms of professors, they had no problem, but this university had no output; it had neither a scientific output, nor technological and industrial progress, nor a new managerial thought for the country. The scientific and cultural situation of this university was like this. The idea that it is impossible for an Iranian to achieve high and precise technologies was among the obvious things; it was among the certainties that an Iranian cannot reach high scientific ranks, cannot access the forefront of knowledge.

In terms of national identity, Iran had to be considered as one of the political, economic, and social satellites of a state; that is to say, these were among the certainties of that day! Such was the situation. There is much to say about that regime that Iran had before the revolution, which the revolution fought against, the revolution came into being against it. The situation was truly shameful.

From the early 1920s, struggles began. Owners of various thoughts, various foundations — some Marxist, some anti-Marxist, some middle Marxist and non-Marxist, some somewhat Islamic, some national — began the struggles; the peak was the national oil movement led by the late Mossadegh and the late Kashani, which occurred and failed. The Iranian was humiliated in the national movement! That is to say, an American came with a suitcase of money, a suitcase of dollars, sat inside the British embassy, formed a headquarters, paid thugs and hooligans and other unsuitable individuals, gathered them, and launched them; [in fact] the coup was carried out by thugs, and it was not a military coup in the true sense; they overthrew the government, and the Shah, who had fled, returned; that is to say, Iran was truly humiliated. A nation whose government is overthrown like this, it is as if this truly announces the humiliation of the Iranian.

Well, then in the form of the last developed circle of these struggles, the people's struggle led by religious scholars; under the leadership of the great Imam, this was a developed movement; it utilized all past experiences, and because it was religious and because it was a religious scholar, it was able to mobilize the people, bring the national force to the field. When the national force came to the field, there was also correct leadership in power, naturally the work progresses, and it advanced, and the revolution succeeded, the Islamic Republic came into being; this is our existing reality; this is how we came into being; the historical identity of today's Iranian nation is this.

The essence of this revolution is the republic and the Islamic nature; both the republic and the Islamic nature; hence, Imam declared "Islamic Republic." Almost all the people voted for the Islamic Republic; even those who did not believe in Islam, but [they also] voted for the Islamic Republic. At that time, doubts arose about how "republic" and "Islamic" can be compatible; that is to say, this doubt that democracy and republic and the presence of the people and the vote of the people are not compatible with the framework of Islam; this doubt was raised by some at the very beginning of the revolution; the one who answered this doubt was not the religious scholars, [but] the prominent jurists of the country who answered the doubt. The doubt is answerable and completely clear; that is to say, everyone accepted it.

Now, with this introduction and these explanations that have been presented, I said we must pursue ideals. In my opinion, the Islamic Republic can summarize its ideals under two general titles: one title is "governing the country in an Islamic manner"; the second title is "providing a model to the world for the good governance of a country"; these are the two ideals. You must strive for these two ideals; you must think about the paths that can realize these two general titles, student gatherings, student intellectual meetings, student studies, student communications with experts who believe in the revolution, must be in this direction. Think about what must be done to realize these two titles, what efforts must be made, how efforts must be made.

One is governing the country in an Islamic manner. Now, in governing the country in an Islamic manner, there is much discussion that I may say a few sentences about; there is not enough time to explain these things, but it is as it is in the statements of Nahj al-Balagha, and many of you know and are familiar with it; for example, the letter of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) to Malik al-Ashtar; the Islamic government is the same as the Alavi government. Before the revolution, in the speeches I had for the youth, in order to avoid the SAVAK being sensitive to the term Islamic government, I did not use this term, I said: "Alavi government." They did not understand what Alavi government meant; Alavi government means this Islamic government. Well, now governing an Islamic country — that is, both in material and in spiritual aspects — must be in the path of uninterrupted progress and without regression. From the material aspect, when we say it should progress, it means in terms of public welfare, physical and moral security, and justice. What does justice mean? Friends express opinions about justice; well, justice must be understood correctly. Justice means "negating the class gap in the use of public opportunities." All opportunities must be equally accessible to the people; the privilege of using opportunities is oppression, it is against justice. If you said something about someone, and spread it in cyberspace, and for any reason they do not have the opportunity to respond to your statement, this is against justice; this is not justice; [because] equal opportunity has not been utilized. Justice is not only in financial matters; in matters of reputation, work, employment, dignity, and the rest of the things, justice must also be observed. Justice, scientific progress, expanding health, keeping the population young, various constructions and innovations; when I say governing an Islamic country, I mean these things and similar things; these must be realized.

Each of these is a chapter that can be thought about, ideas can be prepared for it. For each of these chapters, thought must be prepared, theories must be prepared — I do not want to use the word "idea"; my meaning is the same as the meaning of "idea" — and programs must be prepared. This expectation exists from you students, and from the student community — not just the organizations — this expectation exists.

The spiritual aspect is the same: ethics, religiosity, cooperation, Islamic lifestyle, selflessness, striving, and similar things; for these, too, both thought and theory must be provided, and programs. Of course, it is not that these things have not been done until now; much has been done, but all thoughts and theories and programs must progress anew and day by day, and this requires your continuous work. Of course, alongside this, the student community has its own concerns, its own demands, its own criticisms, and the like; however, these works must not be forgotten.

Regarding providing a model to the world. Well, some people, when we mention the world and global communities, smile and say, "Wow, they want to develop the world!"; well, yes, what is wrong with that? If a society has the determination and ability to influence the world and lead it towards reform, what is wrong with that? This means goodwill for the people of the world. Amir al-Mu'minin said: "For indeed, they are two types; either a brother for you in religion or a counterpart for you in creation"; ultimately, some are of the same faith as you, they are your brothers, some are not your brothers, but they are human beings, they are people, you must be well-wishers for them, think for them. What is wrong with that? Providing a model; this work has also been done to some extent until now. I can firmly tell you: although we have shortcomings in many things, we have backwardness, but in this area, we certainly have progress, works have been done, you are seeing them today. You, the young student today, must know that many of these events that excite you at the regional and global levels and that you take pride in are related to your country, related to your community, and to your revolution.

I have written other points regarding the student, but there is no time; [I will also say some points] regarding the university.

See, regarding the university, the honorable minister is surely here, the university officials are surely here, I address them: If we want to define the university, the main pillar of the definition of the university is "knowledge". Of course, in the definition of the university, there are also elements from political and social aspects, but the main thing is knowledge. The university has three main duties. I kindly ask the university officials to pay attention! You students also pay attention! [The university] has three main duties: first, to train scholars, second, to produce knowledge, third, to direct the training of scholars and the production of knowledge; this is it. Now, universities of the world train scholars, they produce knowledge, but in this third pillar, they are lacking; what is the result? The result is that the product of knowledge production and scholar training becomes a tool in the hands of Zionist powers and the arrogant powers of the world. All pillars of the university must pay attention to these three points; the manager, the professor, the student, the curriculum, the educational processes, all must be in service of these three directions.

We must add to the scientific treasure of the country and enrich the country scientifically. Today, a significant part of the credibility of Islamic Iran in the world comes from what? It comes from the university, it comes from research centers, it comes from knowledge. We have advanced scientifically; in terms of the results of science, which is technology, we have advanced; today, a significant part of our credibility in the world is related to this; we must maintain and preserve this. Of course, the arrogant powers do not favor this university for us. I have written several pages regarding the university, but now there is no time, it is close to the call to prayer.

Regarding the organizations; you are all from the organizations. My expectations from the organizations are very high. The amount of expectation you expressed regarding the government and the system and myself and the like here, know that I have expectations from you several times more. The expectation from the organizations is very high. The first expectation is that you must have an impact in the student environment; this impact is not seen, it is seen little. You are organizations. Organizations must primarily look inward at the university; you should primarily focus more on the inside of the university. Look outside the university [too]; just as I said, be concerned, criticize, have issues, provide solutions, these are good, but even better, more necessary is that you look inside the university; work on the university. Our organizations in universities are underperforming; honestly, this underperformance exists. What is happening in the university? What is happening in the classes? What is happening in the theses? A number of people in the Islamic University of Iran, in the university system of the country, are trying to make the Iranian student consider their identity as following the West! Today, this effort is being made. I receive news — credible and reliable news — that in class, outside of class, efforts are being made for the student to move in this direction; well, who should stand against this? The security forces? You must be active in this matter; you must not allow it. There are those — I have known in the university — a professor defended the disintegration of the country in class! That is to say, defended something that even our opposition does not accept — the disintegration of the country — a professor, defended it with a statement! At that time, I warned the president of that university about this; however, at that time, no proper action was taken; this is your work.

Strengthen yourselves in terms of theoretical and intellectual backing; this is necessary. If you do not strengthen yourselves theoretically, if the organizations do not strengthen themselves, problems arise in their work. Not that they cannot spread revolutionary thought, [but] they themselves may even decline, as has happened in some cases. Under the name of Islam, actions contrary to Islamic thought are taken, statements are made, press releases are issued, and the like.

One of the expectations is: have a critical perspective but also maintain a proud perspective regarding the advancements of the country. Well, I see that significant advancements have occurred in various sectors of the country; why are these not observed in the statements of the organizations? Yes, well, criticisms must be expressed, there is no doubt, but take pride, be proud that significant works have been done in various sectors, good works have been done.

In any case, student organizations are one of the great opportunities of the country; I consider student organizations — all of you — as among the great opportunities. I know you have differences of opinion, you have differences in approach; that is fine; [but] intellectual differences are different from fighting and quarreling. What I said at the beginning of the year, I repeated, I will repeat again and I advise against it, is fighting. Differences of opinion should not lead to fighting, should not lead to grabbing each other by the collar. You have differences, that is fine, but the existence of organizations is one of the great opportunities for the university. Well, now I think perhaps two or three minutes have passed since the call to prayer, it was a very good session.

O Lord! We beseech You by Muhammad and the family of Muhammad to make these dear youths of ours among the soldiers and great strivers of Islam in a sweet and desirable future; keep them steadfast on this path. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, grant the Iranian nation, in the true sense of the word, the blessings of these dear young groups. O Lord! Preserve the hearts of all of us, especially these youths, in Your radiance; make the sacred heart of the Awaited One pleased with us; make the pure spirit of the martyrs pleased with us; make the pure spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) pleased with us.

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