Speech on the Occasion of the 13th of Aban with a Large Group of Students and Youth

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

I extend my greetings to all dear brothers and sisters, the youth, students, teachers, educators, and officials, especially to the honorable families of the martyrs and the dear veterans, and I pray for divine success and grace for all of you.

In every society and country, the youth are the axis of movement. If it is a revolutionary movement or a political uprising, the youth are at the forefront. If it is a constructive or cultural movement, again the youth are ahead of others, and their hands are more effective than others. Even in the movements of the divine prophets, including the early Islamic movement, the youth were the axis and center of effort and activity.

Those countries that have few young people—like some countries today due to certain population control policies—although they may be advanced in science and technology, they are struggling; they are forced to borrow young people from other countries! Youth and youthfulness are among the shining aspects of divine creation. The enemies of societies, including Islamic societies, have recognized this well and have particularly focused on it. This is not something new; it has been this way for a century.

In Islamic countries, a comprehensive program to waste the young generation began. You know that the era of colonialism—meaning the encroachment of Western countries on Asian and African countries—began nearly two hundred years ago. They knew that this situation would not continue, and if the youth grew, became cultured, and determined, they would not allow the foreigners and plunderers to enjoy their spoils; therefore, they planned to corrupt the young generation.

What you may have read in some books or articles that in some Latin American or East Asian countries, the young generation is immersed in various corruptions—from drugs and intoxicants to sexual corruption—is not that this was the way from the beginning; this policy was implemented. Unfortunately, during the oppressive monarchy, we were not exempt from this issue. In this country, too, the treacherous and dark-faced Pahlavi family and their assistants implemented this policy as much as they could.

Of course, Islamic countries had a particular characteristic, which was 'Islam'; and our country had another additional characteristic among Islamic countries, which was 'popular clergy'; and you know that in other Islamic countries, it was not like Iran, and it still is not. Islam and Islamic propaganda stood against that overwhelming wave. The revolutionary slogans and the powerful movement of the esteemed and great Imam made things difficult for the enemy. Amidst the same wave of corruption that ruled this country, the manifestations of faith and devotion to religion first appeared among the youth.

I knew average fathers and mothers who could not keep up with the religious feelings of their young ones; sometimes they even complained to us about the religious feelings, devotion, asceticism, and indifference to the world, food, and comfort that were evident in their youth! Those fathers and mothers had grown up with the wrong upbringing, they were Muslims too; but this Islamic faith was not boiling in them; however, their youth were influenced by revolutionary upbringing; that is why the youth pulled their families behind them; and this led to that great popular uprising and that unparalleled movement in the world—meaning our Islamic Revolution—led by the Imam and supported by the majority of the nation and led by the youth to victory. This was a conquest; both the conquest of the battlefield against global arrogance and, more importantly, the conquest of the hearts of the youth; which Islam, the revolution, and the Imam achieved, and this was the greatest conquest. The greatest work of the Imam was building the youth.

After that, during the war, again it was the youth who ended the war with the enemy's loss. These young martyrs, these young warriors, these young officials of the war arenas, are not something that can overlook the importance of the young generation in a decisive event like the war. This event happened, but the eyes of the designers of global arrogance saw the whole scene and understood what miracles a faithful youth in this country, under revolutionary Islamic upbringing, can perform.

Today, everyone knows what the thought of arrogance is. Everyone has read America's mind—which is the head of arrogance. Their thought is domination over the entire world; especially this sensitive region where we live; meaning the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and this essential economic and military point. This arrogant thought is followed by plans. These anti-people and anti-Islamic plans deal with human beings. If arrogance can remove the massive human wave from its path, it is not the governments that can resist America. You saw what the governments did at the betrayal conference. If anyone can stop the pharaonic and tyrannical movement of American arrogance and its agents, it is the nations, and the nations can. It is impossible for the designers of arrogance not to understand this; it is impossible for them not to see the nations, especially the youth, as a great danger; it is impossible for them not to devise a plan and choose the necessary tactics against this danger.

So, as you are sitting, you can well imagine that today one of the main tasks of arrogance is to remove the young generation from the scene in Islamic countries—and the more awake an Islamic country is, the more so. Which Islamic country is more awake, more alive, and more fearless in standing against arrogance than Islamic Iran? So, the youth of Islamic Iran should know that arrogance is spending money and designing various plans to remove them from the scene of this struggle, in which victory and success are certainly the lot of the nations and nothing else. The target of these plans is you, the faithful, revolutionary, and brave youth who stand to achieve the goals of the revolution and your Imam to the last point and remove any obstacle from this path.

Any movement that leads to the young generation feeling they should withdraw from the scene of resistance, this movement, directly or indirectly, is related to America and the system of arrogance; this is a general criterion. Whatever they did in other countries, they want to do here too: distracting the youth with sexual issues, distracting the youth with personal issues, corrupting the youth with drugs and intoxicants, diverting the minds of the youth from revolutionary ideals and main goals, directing them to small and partial goals and class issues and the like, shaking the faith of the young generation in Islam, shaking the faith of the young generation in the principles of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic and even in the Imam, and also making anything that is used in this great struggle and its existence is necessary appear colorless, ineffective, and useless in the eyes of the young generation. If you see something in this context somewhere, read it in a book, study it in a translated or written novel, observe it in a translated article or in a poem or in a philosophical discourse, even if you see something of this kind in so-called bold and angry demonstrations, accuse it; know that it is not accidental; know that America is afraid of you; know that the greatest posts of global arrogance feel insecure from your presence on the scene.

They want to remove you from their path. How can this be done? They cannot do it with slaughter. If they could destroy this nation with an atomic bomb or a military move, they would; but they cannot; it would be to their detriment; they understand this. If they could eliminate this nation from the face of the earth, they would; but they cannot and do not have the power; the tradition of the world is not like this. So, this nation and these youth must be there; but they should not be in the way of their aggression.

Today, in some so-called Islamic countries, several million young people put their hands in their pockets and whistle and walk in the streets, indifferent to the great events of the world! Today, several million young people are busy with trivial matters in their personal lives and do not know what the enemy of humanity and their enemy and the enemy of the dignity of nations is doing to the nations. Such young people exist in the world. Arrogance says to itself, why don't we also join these young people to the ranks of those young people? They are trying; you must stand against these movements. First and foremost, students and pupils, and then other young people in every sector—workers, merchants, villagers, urbanites—must neutralize these efforts.

Of course, first and foremost, the student and pupil must build themselves. Build yourselves with religious upbringing. Educational affairs are good, an educational teacher is good, an educational speaker is good; but the one who does not have a preacher and educator from within themselves—'a preacher from oneself'—these trainings will not work for them. Build yourselves, fight with the self, consider the implementation of God's command in the scope of your person as great, and give importance to prayer, attention to God, supplication, and reliance; this will make you steel.

What America fears is not even political rhetoric. Of course, you must gain political analysis power. If young people and a nation do not have political insight, they will be deceived; they will be removed from the scene and pushed aside with the tool of religion; like many who pretend to be religious and sanctimonious and do not have political insight and are easily removed and set aside. There are still some here and there who consider themselves religious and devout and do not get along with this revolution which is based on religion. So, political insight is necessary; but it is not everything; the main issue is that divine spiritual faith that must be in your hearts; build yourselves religiously.

Young people should enjoin good and forbid evil in their environment. Why has this obligation—enjoining good, enjoining good deeds—not yet been established in the Islamic society? Do not say, what does it have to do with me; he cannot say, what does it have to do with you; if he says, do not pay attention. Some think that as soon as they see an evil, they should go with fists! No, we have a weapon that is more effective than fists. What is that? The weapon of the tongue. The tongue is much more effective and penetrating and influential than the fist; the fist does not work.

Some young people write to us asking for permission to confront and fight against these manifestations of evil. Very well, confront them; but how? Should you rush in and tear the other side apart?! No, it is not like that. Speak, say; it does not require more than one word; it is not necessary to give a speech. When you see someone committing a wrongdoing—lying, backbiting, slander, hostility towards a believing brother, indifference to religious prohibitions, indifference to sanctities, insulting the accepted beliefs of the people, inappropriate dress, ugly behavior—it does not require more than an easy word; say this action of yours is wrong, do not do it; it does not need to be accompanied by anger. You say it, others say it, sin will dry up in society.

Why do some refrain from speaking? Some refrain from speaking due to weakness of spirit, some also think that speaking is of no use; they must go forward with their hands! No, the tongue is much more important than the hand. Establish enjoining good and forbidding evil; do not let corruption take hold in young communities—whether in schools or universities. These centers are targets for the enemy. Know that the young generation of this society and this Islamic Iran is alive; the enemy should also know this. With you faithful youth, the argument is complete for us.

That betrayal conference ended; they said their words and practically recognized the Zionists and the usurping state! What was the outcome? What did the Palestinians gain? What did the Arab world gain? The usurping and false state of Israel wished for such an event to happen after more than forty years; yet it pretended not to be interested; it kept acting coy, kept putting conditions forward! Then it went to the conference and said the harshest and most shameless words against the Arabs and left the conference and came! Why did the Arab governments lay down their arms in the face of such a plot and such deception?! What will history say to them? How will God question them on the Day of Judgment? What will their nations do with them?

Of course, the way to compensate—not complete compensation—remains, and the Arab governments can somewhat compensate for this ugly act: all Arab governments should announce that we do not recognize Israel and that the words spoken there—since Israel behaved in that manner—are null and void. With this decision, they can make the nations happy; they can do this; but hope is in the nations and the youth.

There should be no doubt that this evil tree that 'is uprooted from the earth and has no stability,' will have no base or continuity and will undoubtedly be destroyed. And there should be no doubt that the truth will prevail and Palestine will return to the Islamic body; but its delay or hastening depends on the effort and zeal of the Muslims. Muslims must strive; the youth must not abandon the issue; like the proud and brave nation of Iran, they should speak their word; demand what they want; undoubtedly, God Almighty will also favor them.

We ask God Almighty to include you dear youth and all the youth of our country and Islamic countries in His guidance and mercy and to make the sacred heart of the Guardian of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased with all of us and to include us in the prayers of that great one.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings