Statements in a Meeting with University Professors on the Twelfth of Ramadan at Imam Khomeini's Hosseiniyeh

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 on earth.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters. As I have repeatedly stated, this session is a symbolic one; it truly reflects the respect and reverence we hold for knowledge and the scholars of knowledge and universities. It is also a very good opportunity for me to gain a general overview of the scientific and intellectual discourse in the universities of the country by listening to the remarks of the esteemed speakers. What the friends have expressed, in addition to being useful content, will, God willing, be pursued and conveyed to the authorities, also somewhat reflects the overall atmosphere of the universities in the country, thus it is beneficial for me.

Furthermore, I would like to mention that I receive questions and inquiries about the informational channels regarding universities, knowledge, and the current situation. When I occasionally speak about these matters, I am asked how I obtain information. In response, I say that it mainly pertains to within the universities themselves; that is, the connections made with us through professors, students, and the managers and officials of the scientific and academic institutions of the country. A wide range of communication networks assist us in becoming informed about the realities of knowledge, scholars, and universities; whether it is through the official reports provided by the esteemed ministers at various times, or when we request reports, or through various occasions when they report to us; or through the public communications from professors, scholars, students, and individuals related to universities who know something and inform us; or from the citation databases that they mentioned, which translate and bring to me what UNESCO has said about us and what ISI or Scopus has reported; I take these into account. Therefore, the interplay and overlap of these informational matters provide a sense of assurance that what we know is correct.

The point I want to make is that one of the duties of the wise, the intellectuals, and the elites of a country is to look to the future. We want to know what kind of Iranian we wish to have twenty years from now; this is important. If we discuss the economy, science, technology, ethics, and knowledge, the goal is to clarify what kind of Iranian we want for the twenty-year mark. Well, we presented the twenty-year outlook about ten or eleven years ago, which is until 1404 [2025]; very well, of course, evaluations vary regarding whether we have progressed as much as ten years ago, five years ago, or twelve or fifteen years ago; opinions differ. What kind of Iranian do we want to have twenty years from now? Twenty years from now, today’s students will be in managerial positions, governing the country; the importance of your work as professors and university officials lies here; that is, those who are your students today will be presidents, ministers, members of parliament, and managers of various institutions twenty years from now; what do you want to have in twenty years? This is a very important point, a significant question, a major concern that the wise and intellectuals of the country, of whom you are a part, cannot overlook.

If we have a desirable overall image for twenty years from now, the responsibility lies on this chain of knowledge and understanding, from education to universities; it is their duty to educate the generation that will hold the reins of affairs twenty years from now.

Do we want an Iranian with these characteristics in twenty years? An empowered Iran; we want a powerful Iranian in twenty years; powerful, meaning not feeling fear from the threats of small and large enemies, relying on its own strength; an empowered Iranian. An independent Iranian; sometimes a country does not feel fear from external enemies but relies on a power; like a child who feels secure and powerful relying on its father. Do we want to be like this? Or do we want an Iranian whose power is based on itself, to be independent, to have independence? A devout Iranian; a wealthy Iranian; an Iranian enjoying justice, economic justice, social justice, judicial justice; an Iranian with a popular government; an Iranian with a clean, dedicated, compassionate, and pious government; this is the kind of Iranian we want; which is, of course, a desirable thing.

Or do we not give importance to these elements that have been mentioned; do we not give much importance to these points or even oppose some of them; meaning we want an Iranian where there is economic prosperity and economic welfare, even if dependent on others? Of course, such a thing is not possible, and now this discussion arises that a country that is economically dependent on others cannot have economic welfare; yes, wealth peaks may arise there, but for a country to enjoy welfare and mental and economic peace, such a thing is not possible. Now suppose we want to be dependent and do not see any problem politically in being dependent; just as some openly say the same thing; a single-product country -almost like now- relying on oil and raw material sales; a country culturally abandoned; a country afflicted with social, ethnic, religious, and political fractures; a country with an aristocratic rule, with wealth peaks like those in America -the Iranian Wall Street- in contrast to the poverty and deprivation of a large number; do we want a country with these characteristics and this kind of situation? In America, according to the same clear news, when it gets hot, some die from the heat; well, no one dies from heat in their homes; this means homelessness, or when it gets cold, many die from the cold -the statistics sometimes slip from their hands and are sometimes not mentioned- this means homelessness. In a country with that wealth -America is a wealthy country- this means that there are peaks and alongside these peaks, there are valleys of misery, disorder, poverty, and deprivation. Well, what do we want? Of course, between these two forms, there are various intermediate forms and shapes.

If we want the kind of Iran we first envisioned, to be an Iran that is materially and spiritually prosperous, advanced, empowered, and dignified, enjoying internal conditions of goodness and blessings -both material and spiritual blessings; piety, as we said, means spiritual blessings- this requires certain actions, and most of these actions are in the universities. The reason I emphasize and have sensitivity towards universities and professors and esteemed university ministers is this. Now one of these gentlemen mentioned effectiveness; well, who is responsible for effectiveness? All the effort we are making is for this effectiveness to come about. Who realizes effectiveness? That knowledgeable, patient, and self-sacrificing person for the sake of God, who does not fill his own pockets and knows how to work and enters the field courageously and does it; effectiveness is his work. We are seeking this. Where is this cultivated? Mainly in universities. Therefore, the issue returns to the university; the university must be adorned with the characteristics that the country of tomorrow, the country of twenty years from now, and Iran of twenty years from now need. The issue of the university is that important.

Well, these things we have mentioned have requirements; I have summarized these requirements in several headings: scientific progress is necessary, moral discipline is necessary, religious self-restraint in the university environment is necessary, political insight is necessary, and a sense of identity and pride in identity is necessary. Our students must feel an Iranian Islamic identity and be proud of it. These are essential and necessary things that must be observed for what we want to be realized; if any of them is missing, one leg is lame. Now, if there is an opportunity, I will say a few words about each of them.

Well, the reason I sometimes remind about these mixed camps and inappropriate actions and such things is not to be taken as puritanical; these create problems, these create issues and take the university environment away from the shape it should and needs to be. That we remain indifferent to these things is exactly the opposite of what we expect from the university today and what we need in our universities.

Regarding the issue of scientific progress, the gentlemen spoke very well; that is, the remarks made by the gentlemen and ladies in various sections were very good; this indicates a scientific movement. Since the beginning of the 80s, when the issue of science and scientific progress was raised -as far as I remember, I think I first raised this issue at Amir Kabir University and we followed it up- a real movement has emerged, and since the groundwork, potential, and capacity existed in the country, scientific growth has been very good. The issue I emphasize is the speed of growth. In one of the sessions where the heads of universities and professors were present, I warned about the speed of growth and that this speed has decreased; the esteemed minister wrote to me that "no, our growth continues" and mentioned some statistics. I know growth continues; my discussion is not that we do not have scientific growth; yes, I see that we do; my discussion is about the speed of this growth; our speed has decreased. Today we need to accelerate this growth. See; for example, in a car racing competition where everyone is moving at a speed of 250 or 300, if you are in the front lines, having the same speed of 250 or 300 is not a problem; but if you are at the back, in the rear positions, then a speed of 250 is of no use to you; if you move at the speed of 250 or 300 that the one in front is moving, you will always be behind; you must increase your speed to catch up; once you catch up, very well, keep pace with them. Some gentlemen -who, of course, have also been mentioned in citation databases- have now said that in some European countries, the speed of scientific growth has decreased; we know this. The reason is that they have utilized their capacities; when capacities are utilized and filled, there is no room for progress, it is evident; although science never stops. We are not like that; we have been held back for at least sixty or seventy years due to corrupt governments, treacherous governments, negligent governments -at least negligence is the least- we have been held back; we are behind. If we want to advance in this global competition, we cannot move at the same speed of growth that they have in the front; we must increase our speed of growth. I demand this; otherwise, I know there is growth. Growth must be accelerated. Of course, regarding growth, we are ranked fourth in the world; the minister also reported this to me; I have also seen this in a report from one of the citation databases. Yes, we are ranked fourth; but this is not enough, we must speed up our movement.

Sense of identity; we said [students] must feel identity. We must know the realities of the country; what was said today was part of the realities: that we have done these works in the space sector, in the nanotechnology sector, in the nuclear sector, in the biotechnology sector, in the medical sector; these are things that must be said. A professor can influence the sense of identity in the student’s heart so that they feel they have a valuable identity and take pride in it. That our professor in the classroom discourages the student and constantly says, "You are small, you are backward," is treachery; this is frankly treachery. That our professor encourages the talented student to say, "Hey! What are you doing here? Get up and go [abroad] and use it!" Well, the best universities of the country have prepared this student at great expense, nurtured them; when the time comes to use and harvest from this valuable sapling, they go and give its fruit elsewhere? This is treachery. The meaning of feeling identity is this: the student feels that being Iranian, being Muslim, and being revolutionary is a pride and takes pride in it. Yes, we are behind, but we have power, we have effort, we have energy, we have youth, we are moving forward and we will reach. When I said the Persian language -which the esteemed program host referred to- I did not mean the discussion of the Persian language; of course, the Persian language is a very valuable thing, and we have emphasized it a lot in its place, my point is that we should reach a point scientifically where if someone wants to learn that knowledge and that high rank, they must come to learn Persian. Just as today, in some fields of science, if you want to access the latest scientific advancements, you must learn English or French, for example; that is my point; we must bring the country to this point. Yes, we have energy, we have ability, we have capacity, we are behind, but we will move ourselves forward; just as we were much further behind, we have brought ourselves to where we are today. That is my point.

Well, now I have mentioned statistics here that no longer need to be stated; some of them have been mentioned by the gentlemen. Global judgment centers -including these citation databases; including scientific journals, the journal Science, the journal Nature- what they have mentioned about Iran indicates their astonishment. Now, for example, one scientific evaluation institute in Canada says, "Iran's scientific advancements are astonishing," and then interestingly, the next sentence says, "and a cause for concern for the West!" Well, if you are human, why would you be concerned? [If] a nation advances scientifically, should you be worried? Another well-known scientific journal in the world -the journal Science- writes, "Iran is an emerging scientific power"; they wrote this, recorded it, published it: an emerging scientific power. As I have been reported and written to, UNESCO in 2015 [AD] -that is, last year- provided a report regarding the outlook for science until 2030; in this report, it states that Iran is seeking to transform its resource-based economy into a knowledge-based economy. This is the same point we have repeatedly emphasized, and today some gentlemen here have referred to it. Yes, the knowledge-based economy that I emphasize so much is because of this. It states, "Sanctions were effective; sanctions indirectly helped Iran realize that it must make its economy knowledge-based." The UNESCO report states that Iran's priorities in scientific matters are stem cells, nuclear, aerospace, energy exchange, and information technology. All of these are being studied under a microscope, they are looking at them. The works we are doing are significant works. Well, our students must know these; when they know, they feel a sense of identity, they feel a sense of personality, and they take pride in themselves, in being Iranian, in being part of the revolution.

Of course, our sense of identity is not only in the field of science; we have also spoken new words -just as they said: "Speak a new word"- we have said new words. The idea of democracy accompanied by spirituality and religion is a new idea in today’s world. It should not be imagined that the idea of a tendency towards spirituality is an old and retrogressive matter and, as the gentlemen say, outdated; no, today the world is in turmoil due to a spiritual vacuum, and they acknowledge this; they are saying it, repeating it; but from where will they bring spirituality? Spirituality cannot be injected into a nation like a syringe; they do not have it, they are in trouble, and of course, they will become even more troubled. The fact that we have created a democracy accompanied by religion, accompanied by spirituality, is truly democracy; in other places, democracy is essentially party rule. In the West, the party does not mean a network spread among the people; neither in America, nor in England, nor in other places. Keep this in mind. In Western countries, the party is a club; a political club, a club where a group of elites gather with slogans, with capitalists, and like these, they can attract people with propaganda during elections; true democracy does not exist; here -in our country- true democracy exists, while at the same time being accompanied by religion and Islam. Well, these give a sense of identity; if this sense of identity arises in the youth, divergence does not occur; we have several thousand students abroad; if this was a pride, that student would get up and come to Iran. [Of course] they should study; I do not feel fear about students going abroad, I have said it many times, let them go study, learn, and come back to be useful for their country. When will this happen? When they take pride in being Iranian, take pride in being revolutionary. This sense of identity means this.

One issue is about politics in universities. A few years ago -a long time ago, many years ago- I used a term regarding politics in universities that the government officials of that day were very upset about why I said this; I said: May God curse those who removed the political thought and political work and political effort from universities; we complained that you are forcing the students to engage in political work. Well, of course, those same people sometimes hypocritically say some things about universities and students and such matters, but their real opinion is the same; however, my opinion is this. The university environment is naturally an environment of the clash of opinions and thoughts; this is the nature of the university; the reason is that on one hand, the youth have not yet reached the intellectual maturity and foundation that calms them -you know, when a person reaches intellectual maturity, a sense of calm arises in them that takes away that challenging state; the youth are not like that- on the other hand, they are full of energy and discussion and such things; I refer to my own memories and to my youth -fifty or sixty years ago- when we debated political issues, struggles, shouting, and uproar! A challenging environment is a characteristic of youth, especially student youth who are into these matters; therefore, this is not a problem. The problem is that we exploit this challenging environment against the revolution and the values of the revolution; this is bad. Different thoughts, different tastes, different political tendencies can exist in the university, and there is no problem; they can debate among themselves, they have challenges.

What is the responsibility of the university management? Is their duty to support the tendency that opposes the foundations of the revolution and collaborate with it? No, this is absolutely [not correct]; it is the exact opposite of responsibility. University officials, including managers, senior managers, ministerial managers, and professors who are in the classroom and face students, their duty is to try to guide these challenges towards those things that lead to the foundations of the revolution, that lead to the goals of the revolution; that is, to raise the youth to be revolutionary. In a short sentence: the university must be revolutionary, the student must be revolutionary, the student must be a Muslim self-sacrificer for the sake of God; they must be guided towards this. I sometimes, of course, have reports that show the opposite. And I say this to the gentlemen who are present here -the officials and managers of higher education- you are very responsible, you must be very careful; be careful that the university environment does not become a place for divergence from the revolution and the concepts of the revolution and the values of the revolution, from piety, from revolutionary spirit, from the memory and name of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); this is one of the absolute necessities. In the university, there may be an individual or a group, a tendency that leads to the disintegration of the country -this exists, this is a reality; of course, you who are in the university, [know that] in some universities, such a thing exists; I am aware- these tendencies are not acceptable, they should not be supported. There are tendencies that lead the country towards dependency; we should not accompany these; we do not want to say to deal with them through force and security measures and such things; no, with wise, managerial, and medical-like work, we must deal with these issues. Therefore, the issue of revolutionary spirit and discipline [is important].

I have a few recommendations that now time has passed, I will briefly mention: First, higher education officials -whether in health and treatment or the Ministry of Science- should not allow researchers and innovators to become hopeless and tired; this is a danger. You saw that these gentlemen came and spoke with enthusiasm and interest. This enthusiasm should flow throughout all our research centers and research environments and university environments; everyone should feel hopeful; do not let them become hopeless, do not let them become tired.

Among the things I have previously pointed out and today specialists confirm the same, is the importance of basic sciences. I once compared this here among a group of scientists and researchers who were present, I said basic sciences are like your savings in the bank that are the backing of your life; applied sciences are like the money you put in your pocket to spend, which is necessary; applied sciences cannot be overlooked, they must be given importance, but the foundation of work is basic sciences. It has been said from the words of specialized and knowledgeable scientists -from whom we must learn, that is, I must learn from them- that if there are no basic sciences, applied sciences will not reach anywhere.

The next recommendation; the issue of scientific diplomacy is important. Diplomacy is important; economic diplomacy is important, cultural diplomacy is important, scientific diplomacy is important; diplomacy is important, but pay attention in scientific diplomacy -scientific communications, which I agree with- do not be deceived. See, someone comes as a merchant and sits with our economist, with our merchant in, for example, a restaurant or hotel in a certain country and starts talking and making deals, then when we investigate, it turns out that he is a security agent of the Zionist regime disguised as a merchant, pursuing certain objectives. The same issue exists in science. Yes, use foreign scholars; I have repeatedly said in gatherings of students that we do not feel ashamed of being students; we learn, but we must be careful that in scientific communication and in learning, there should not be a hole or opening or window for security infiltration; they use everything for security infiltration; even science. This has happened, it has happened before, and unfortunately, it is happening in some places today.

The next point is about scientific articles. Well, the statistics of scientific articles have been provided, and I am also informed; the number of articles has increased, [but] scientific articles must be directed towards the needs of the country. Today we need in the field of oil, we need in the field of agriculture, we need in various industries, we need in communications for research, for writing articles; the articles written should not be in the direction of the needs of a certain country. This is another point: directing articles towards the needs of the country.

The issue of the comprehensive scientific map is also the next issue. Of course, preparing this comprehensive map was a good thing, but it must be clarified for all universities, and it must be turned into a program.

One point about the resistant economy, which Dr. Derakhshan spoke very well about in this regard; the resistant economy is both national dignity and a current solution. This is because I was asked by someone that you emphasize national dignity and constantly say national dignity and such things, what do you do about the current needs of society? Our answer is this: if the resistant economy is to be implemented in its true sense -as has been said and requested- it will provide both national dignity and the needs of the country; because it relies on internal capacities, on internal resources, on domestic production.

The next issue is that cultural work in universities is fundamental; it is not an extracurricular activity, it is not a marginal work; cultural work must be given importance. Of course, the meaning of cultural work is not bringing concerts to the university or, for example, suppose that rhythmic movements in the university are not; these are not cultural works, these are anti-cultural works. Cultural work means work that familiarizes minds with the culture of the revolution and the culture of Islam; this is cultural work. Officials should open the field for valuable students and for valuable professors; let valuable professors and valuable students breathe in the university environment in the true sense. Of course, my recommendation to revolutionary and valuable students and professors is also to play a role. We have told the youth that you are the officers of the soft war; you [professors] are also the commanders of the soft war; very well, command, play a role. The soft war is ongoing. From the day I said "soft war" until today, which has been two or three years, the intensity of this war has multiplied. The enemy is fighting us. The issue of language that Ms. Ghahramani mentioned is a very important matter and a noteworthy point if it is given attention. They are fighting us from all sides culturally; the reason is clear and we have said it many times. Well, we must prepare ourselves.

I have said that unreliable individuals should not be present in universities; they say, "Sir, who is unreliable?" An unreliable person is one who challenges the regime under some pretext. Which country allows the ruling regime to be challenged? Does America, which claims to be the center of freedom, allow it? John Steinbeck -who wrote several novels, such as The Grapes of Wrath and is well-known- faced the toughest pressures; anyone who said even a slight word that had a hint of socialism -not socialism, but a slight hint of socialism- was besieged in various ways; from physical assassination to character assassination and such things. This is how they are; they do not allow the regime to be challenged. Now, we challenge the regime under various pretexts, under the pretext of elections, under the pretext of this and that! This person who challenges the regime under various pretexts is unreliable.

Regarding the humanities, I have noted something that now time has run out, and I think we have also exceeded the time a bit. The anthropology of Western humanities stems from Western anthropology; this is the summary of the matter. Not that we deny all the achievements of the humanities; no, whatever is usable must be used, but the overall structure and composition of the humanities that have come from the West is based on the Western worldview regarding humanity and Western anthropology, which sees humanity as one thing, [but] we see humanity as something else than what materialistic Western thought thinks about humanity. Therefore, we must give value to Islamic humanities.

O Lord! Whatever we have said, whatever we have strived for, whatever we have thought, and whatever we have heard, place it for You and in Your way; accept them from us; illuminate the hearts of us with the purity of Ramadan. O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, guide the country, the community, the university, the professors, the students, and knowledge day by day towards Your lofty goals.

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