Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with University Professors

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God that we have lived another year and once again have the pleasure of this very delightful meeting with the esteemed professors of the university. For me, this meeting is among the most desirable and pleasant sessions; both because of the composition of the attendees and because in this meeting, a group of the wise, distinguished, and elite scholars of the country express their thoughts in their own words as professors here; I listen, the officials listen, and the Iranian nation listens; because this is a public and national pulpit, and what you say is heard by all; this is a very valuable opportunity. Therefore, the meeting is delightful for me. I request that you make the utmost use of the time, and that the sisters and brothers who are to speak do not spend part of their time on pleasantries and ordinary talk; rather, they should enter the core of the subject from the very beginning so that both the meeting can benefit and I can benefit. Whatever peripheral discussions we may want, thanks be to God, we have a good speaker - as I feel - who will express whatever is necessary. I am ready to listen.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Today's meeting, as usual in all the meetings of this kind we have had in the past, was a good one. The very fact of the gathering of esteemed professors and scholars and university members and their expression of their thoughts and the transfer of those thoughts to the ears and hearts of the officials - including myself - and to the ears of the people is a success. Yes, one of the speakers rightly mentioned that the present gathering should be informed of the follow-up that has taken place regarding last year's discussions; this is good. Of course, I have been informed that follow-ups have been made.

I would like to briefly mention two or three points regarding the discussions that took place, while maintaining the understanding that the very essence of this meeting and these discussions is, God willing, valuable for me, for the government, for the officials, and for the people. One point is that it is better in such meetings for professors to speak more than the officials of the university sectors; because when officials speak or express matters in the form of demands, in reality, they themselves must be accountable for those matters and must be held accountable. This is not specific to this meeting; I remember from one or two previous meetings that some university officials come and express things as complaints, while in reality, they themselves are responsible for answering; it does not relate much to higher levels. Or they raise legitimate demands that the audience here and in this meeting are not the addressees of those demands; it is the government. Suppose there is a meeting of this kind and the esteemed President or the Minister of Science or the Minister of Health is also present; it is good for those matters to be raised there; raising them here has little impact. The attendees cannot do anything, and my maximum role is to convey the message. However, when a university professor comes and raises a discussion, it is not a managerial discussion; it is a discussion that will be beneficial for the advancement of science, for the management that is in charge of the university, for the government officials, and for me who is sitting here. Therefore, it is better that professors speak more than managers.

The second point is that do not allow the discussion of free universities and state universities to reach general levels; it is a very bad discussion. Several of the gentlemen who spoke about free universities mainly spent their time on complaints and grievances. The place for these discussions is in the commissions of the parliament, the commissions of the government, the commissions related to the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, and other specialized commissions. There may be legitimate demands, and they may be correct; there may be suggestions, and some of them may be right; but their place is there; here, other than spreading a sense of dissatisfaction in a public space, it has no other benefit. Of course, we did not have such intensity in previous meetings as was observed in this meeting; however, I kindly request that you do not stir this issue in public forums. The free university is also a part of the university system of our country, with its advantages and disadvantages, with reform paths and various suggestions; these should be discussed and resolved by the officials at appropriate levels.

The Office for Talent Attraction that was mentioned is different from the Elite Foundation that we have discussed. We also proposed the Office for Talent Attraction. At that time, I was the head of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, and the establishment of the Office for Talent Attraction was proposed there. At that time, our problem was one that does not exist today in the country. In those years, we did not have enough doctors; we did not have enough university professors; heavy workloads were left undone. The purpose of attracting talents was that. In all various sectors, we had problems; we had a shortage of educated, knowledgeable, and scholarly individuals. Today, fortunately, those efforts have yielded results, and the outcome is what you are expressing. The country, thanks be to God, is witnessing pure scientific sectors, experimental sectors, various sciences, and diverse advancements. Of course, as you have repeatedly stated, I also believe that the capacity is much greater than this. I express this point based on scientific and definite evidence, not on rhetoric.

The Elite Foundation today - which unfortunately has not yet been activated - is meant to address the issue of encouraging elites and ensuring their satisfaction with the environment and their lives by utilizing all relevant institutions in the country. Among the duties of the Elite Foundation is to respond to the ambiguities in the minds of an elite, or their problems in life, or the misconceptions they have about the state of the country, or the state of the country they aim to go to; these are a wide range of tasks that the Elite Foundation, God willing, should be able to accomplish.

What I would like to express in the few minutes that remain is that gentlemen and ladies, professors and scholars of the university! Know that there is a firm belief that scientific progress and growth should be at the forefront of all fundamental tasks for the advancement of the country. That is, the most important infrastructure of the country is the human infrastructure through science. We must free ourselves from scientific poverty; this is our first and fundamental issue. The experience of the past twenty-some years has repeatedly shown us this and proven it to us.

In the tumult of wars and geographical and political conflicts of the world, it has come to pass that in recent times, the West - that is, Europe - reached modern science sooner. This does not mean that the minds of Europeans work better than those of Easterners; nor does it mean that there are capabilities in those nations and countries that do not exist here due to climatic and other factors; no, nothing of the sort indicates this; this was an event that occurred. One day, the East was ahead scientifically while the West was immersed in the darkness of ignorance; we have had these periods in history. What happened in this period of time, that is, from the era of the new scientific movement of humanity that took place in the West - which perhaps had not been seen in the past - is that they tried to monopolize science; they tried to keep this means of advancement and dominance for themselves and to maximize its use for achieving political and economic dominance. Throughout the history of humanity, where science and civilization have gone hand in hand, we do not have such a thing in our records.

One of the actions taken against the countries suffering from colonialism was to keep them in scientific backwardness; they practically prevented their progress and spiritually weakened them so that they would feel incapable. This happened to our nation over a long period; they kept us from progress. We do not say that this was entirely done by the pioneers of science; internal powers and internal dictatorial policies or mismanagement of governments also had an impact; we do not deny that part of the issue; but that part also had the most significant impact. During the Qajar era, poor policies, misunderstandings, materialism, and laziness of the most influential figures affected the state of the country; but when in this very period someone like Amir Kabir emerges and correctly discovers the role of scientific advancement and the impact of science on progress at the political levels, the role of the second factor - which is the external factor - becomes clearly evident; they try to extinguish this flame. This indicates that they are aware that if they want to keep a country under economic and political control, the way is to prevent it from advancing scientifically. The same issue existed throughout the Pahlavi regime as well. These are matters whose analysis and explanation are part of long-term work. Of course, these works have been done; these are not mere claims; there are arguments behind them.

Today, our country, fortunately, is going through a period in which there are two types of awareness: one is awareness of its own inherent abilities and talents; the second is awareness that the powers seeking to dominate our country and countries like ours are the main adversaries of our becoming knowledgeable and achieving scientific progress. That is, awareness in the sense of self-awareness, and awareness in the sense of enemy recognition and conspiracy recognition. By the blessing of these two types of awareness, there is hope that we can achieve great scientific advancements.

Recently, I saw an article in one of the domestic publications that mentioned a significant statistical institute in America regarding Iranians residing in America - or as they call them, Iranian-Americans - stating that their level of knowledge and scientific advancement is several times higher than the average American. This is very important. We are observing the same within the country. There is no dimension that those who particularly worked hostilely against Iran and tried to create problems for the scientific movement in this country were unaware of this abundant and bubbling Iranian talent; they knew that if the Iranian element entered the field of science, science would be liberated from its monopoly.

Today, the Islamic Republic is in power, which claims justice and fights against oppression and defends the lofty human values. Such a system, if it can elevate its people to the peak of knowledge, will undoubtedly pose a great danger to the arrogant powers of the world; this is a reality that exists today.

Given this reality, we must pursue science and scientific advancement. Of course, scientific advancement will not be achieved through imitation; it will be achieved through innovation, breaking boundaries, and advancing into uncharted territories. The duty of universities and research centers is very heavy. In my opinion, what some friends have raised regarding the importance of research is completely correct and valid. Government officials must also pay attention to this foundation - which is research - and understand that neither science nor technology will advance without active research centers. Both our universities and research centers outside of universities must, God willing, receive support and attention.

It seems that time is up, and we must conclude our remarks. It is the beginning of sunset and time for iftar. I will just say a few prayers; God willing, with your pure breaths and radiant hearts, the prayers will be accepted. O Lord! Whatever is in our intention, whatever is on our tongue, and whatever is in our actions, make them all for You and in Your way, and accept them from us. O Lord! Make us truly in the service of Islam and Islamic goals. O Lord! Grant our nation day by day greater dignity in knowledge and practice. O Lord! Please the sacred heart of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him). O Lord! Make these hours and these days and nights and the precious days of Ramadan blessed for us, for our hearts, for our insights, for our souls, and for our actions, God willing, and grant us the success to benefit from Your feast in this month.

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