Statements at the Meeting with Officials of the System and Guests of the Islamic Unity Conference

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

I congratulate you all on the blessed occasion of the birth of the Prophet of Islam and the auspicious birth of his honorable son, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). I also extend my congratulations to the entire Iranian nation, to all Muslims around the world, and indeed to all freedom-seekers across the globe.

This blessed birth is the source of blessings that have poured over the lives of humanity throughout the centuries, leading nations, individuals, and humanity to the highest realms of human, intellectual, and spiritual existence, and to a noble civilization and a bright outlook for life. What is important on the anniversary of this birth for the Islamic world and the Islamic community is to consider the expectations of the Prophet Muhammad from the Islamic community and to strive and struggle to fulfill these expectations; the happiness of the Islamic world lies in this and nothing else. Islam came for the freedom of humanity, both freedom from the oppressive and tyrannical forces that bind various classes of people and the establishment of a just government for humanity, and also freedom from the thoughts, perceptions, and illusions that dominate human life; which had opened the path of life contrary to their interests and was leading them astray. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) described the life of people in the environment of the emergence of Islam as an environment of turmoil: "In the turmoil that trampled them with its hooves and crushed them with its claws"; turmoil means that dusty atmosphere in which human eyes are unable to see; they cannot see the path, nor discern what is right; this was the condition of people living in that region of hardship and sorrow. In great countries, in the existing civilizations of that time, even with their governments and peoples, the same situation prevailed in a different form. It is not the case that we assume that at the time of the emergence of Islam, the people of the Arabian Peninsula were miserable while others were happy; no, the dominance of tyrannical and oppressive governments, the disregard for human dignity and humanity, and the devastating wars waged among powers for the sake of power had ruined the lives of the people. A glance at history shows that the two well-known civilizations of that day, namely the Sassanian civilization of Iran and the Roman Empire, had conditions that would make one’s heart ache for the masses of people and various classes living in those societies; their living conditions were pitiful, they were in bondage. Islam came and freed people; this freedom first arises in the heart and spirit of a person; and when a person feels freedom, feels the need to break the chains, their energies are influenced by this feeling, and if they strive and move, the actual realization of freedom will come to them; Islam did this for humanity; today, the same message exists in the whole world and in the Islamic world. The enemies of human freedom extinguish the thought of freedom in people and eliminate it; when there is no thought of freedom, the movement towards freedom will also slow down or disappear. What we Muslims must do today is to strive to attain the freedom envisioned by Islam; the independence of Muslim nations, the establishment of popular governments throughout the Islamic world, the presence of all people in decision-making and determining destinies, and moving based on Islamic law, is what will save nations. Of course, today Muslim nations feel the need for this movement, and this feeling exists throughout the Islamic world, and ultimately this feeling will yield results; without a doubt. If the elites and intellectuals of nations - whether political elites, scientific elites, or religious elites - perform their duties correctly, the future of the Islamic world will be a desirable one; there is hope for this future. Today, the Islamic world feels a sense of awakening. It is precisely at this point that the enemies of Islam - those who oppose Islamic awakening, oppose the independence of nations, and oppose the sovereignty of God's religion in countries - enter the field; various tricks are devised to keep Islamic societies in a state of stagnation, and the most important of these is to create discord.

For 65 years, the world of global arrogance has been striving with all its might to impose the reality of the Zionist regime on Muslim nations and to force them to accept this reality, and it has failed. We should not look at some countries and governments that are willing to trample on national interests or forget Islamic interests to preserve the interests of their foreign friends who are enemies of Islam; nations oppose the presence of Zionists. For 65 years, they have been trying to erase the name of Palestine from memory, but they have not succeeded. In recent years, during the 33-day war in Lebanon, during the 22-day war in Gaza, and again in the 8-day war in Gaza, the Muslim nation and the Islamic community showed that they are alive and, despite the investments of America and other Western powers, they have managed to preserve their existence and identity and strike back at the imposed and fabricated Zionist regime, thwarting the efforts of the tyrannical Zionists and their masters and allies who have done everything in their power to maintain this oppressive and criminal regime; the Islamic community has shown that it has not forgotten Palestine; this is a very important issue. In these circumstances, all the efforts of the enemy are focused on distracting the Islamic community from Palestine. How? By creating discord, by internal wars, by promoting deviant extremism in the name of Islam and in the name of religion and Sharia; some declare the majority of Muslims as infidels. The existence of these takfiri movements that have emerged in the Islamic world is a piece of good news for global arrogance and the enemies of the Islamic world. These are the ones who divert attention from the wicked reality of the Zionist regime to other matters. This is precisely the opposite of what Islam has desired; Islam has asked Muslims to be "harsh against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves"; Muslims must be steadfast against the enemies of religion, they must stand firm, they must not be influenced; "harsh against the disbelievers" is a clear verse of the Quran. They should be kind to one another, be united, hold fast to the rope of God; this is the command of Islam. Then a movement arises that divides Muslims into believers and infidels! Some are targeted as infidels, inciting Muslims against one another! Who can doubt that the existence of these movements and the support for these movements and the funding of these movements and providing weapons to them is the work of global arrogance and the wicked security apparatuses of arrogant governments? They sit down and plan for this very purpose. The Islamic world must address this issue; this is a great danger. Unfortunately, some Muslim governments exacerbate these divisions without realizing that fanning these divisions will ignite a fire that will engulf them all; this is the desire of global arrogance: a war between one group of Muslims and another. The instigator of this war is those who use the money of the agents of the arrogant powers; they give them money, they give them weapons, to incite people against one another in this country and that country. And this movement from global arrogance has intensified in the last three or four years since the wave of Islamic awakening emerged in several Islamic and Arab countries; to overshadow the Islamic awakening. They incite Muslims against one another, and with the exaggeration of the enemy's propaganda apparatus, they portray Islam negatively in the eyes of world public opinion; when televisions show a person who, in the name of Islam, is chewing and eating the flesh of a human being, what do they think about Islam? The enemies of Islam have planned; these are not things that arise suddenly, these are not spontaneous occurrences; these are things that have been planned for a long time, there is politics behind them, there is money behind them, there are espionage agencies behind these kinds of actions. Muslims must confront every factor that opposes unity and is anti-unity; this is a great duty for all of us; both Shia and Sunni must accept this, and all the various sects among Shia and Sunni must also accept this.

Unity means relying on commonalities. We have many commonalities; among Muslims, the commonalities far exceed the points of contention; they must rely on the commonalities. The primary responsibility in this regard lies with the elites; whether political elites, scientific elites, or religious elites. The scholars of the Islamic world must warn people against exacerbating sectarian and religious differences. University scholars must educate students and make them understand that today the most important issue in the Islamic world is unity. Unity towards goals; the goal of political independence, the goal of establishing religious democracy, the goal of implementing divine law in Islamic societies; Islam that calls for freedom, Islam that invites people to dignity and honor; this is a duty today, this is an obligation. Political elites must also understand that their dignity and honor depend on relying on the people and the masses of nations, not on relying on foreigners, not on relying on those who are fundamentally hostile to Islamic societies. Once, in these regions, everywhere the power of arrogance prevailed; the policies of America and before that England or some other European countries were dominant; nations gradually managed to free themselves from the burden of direct domination; they want to replace indirect domination - political domination, economic domination, cultural domination - for the direct domination of the colonial era; which, of course, in some parts of the world, they even enter directly; in Africa, you can see that some European countries want to re-establish the same old order. The path is Islamic awakening; the path is awareness of the dignity of Islamic nations; Islamic nations have vast capabilities, they have a sensitive geographical position, they have a very valuable historical heritage, they have unparalleled economic resources; if nations awaken, find themselves, rely on themselves, and extend a hand of friendship to one another, this region will become a prominent and shining area, and the Islamic world will witness dignity, honor, and leadership. This is something that will come to pass in the future, God willing; signs of it can be seen: the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the establishment of the Islamic Republic system in this sensitive region, the consolidation of the Islamic Republic system.

The arrogant powers, including America and others, have been acting against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation for 35 years, doing everything in their power; despite them, the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic are becoming stronger, more rooted, more powerful, and gaining more influence day by day, and God willing, this consolidation, this establishment, this strength will increase. In the Islamic world, one can see that today the awareness of generations, the awareness of youth regarding Islam and the future of Islam is greater than before, and in some places it is significantly greater than before; of course, the enemy is making efforts, but if we look with precision and insight, we will see that this wave of Islamic movement is, God willing, moving forward.

May God's mercy be upon our great Imam who opened this path for us; he taught us to rely on God, to seek help from God, and to be hopeful for the future. And we have progressed along this path, and God willing, it will continue to be so. In hope of the victory of Islam and Muslims and seeking God's mercy and forgiveness for the martyrs of this glorious path.

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