Statements in Meeting with a Group of University Professors

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

I am very grateful to God Almighty for the opportunity to hold this session and for your presence, brothers and sisters, and for the very useful and profound statements made by the esteemed speakers; all of these are blessings from God, and all of us - especially I personally - must be thankful to God Almighty for each of these blessings and witness the rain of His mercy. Every good word that comes to your mind and flows from your tongue is a manifestation of the rain of God's mercy; and I thank God for all of this. These days, observing the conditions of our country and society, I thank God for these great blessings moment by moment.

Well, it is the month of Ramadan, and today is the twenty-third of the month, and last night was a night of worship, remembrance, and supplication, and hearts are naturally illuminated by the light of the Night of Destiny. Let us ask God Almighty to make this month of Ramadan blessed for us, for our nation and country, and for the Muslim nations, especially the uprising nations of the region.

Honestly, the time for friends was short. I would like to say a few sentences regarding the statements of the gentlemen and ladies who spoke. The five minutes that the esteemed host mentioned, and then the friends did not adhere to it and were repeatedly admonished by the esteemed host, is truly insufficient. The gentlemen and ladies had much to say, and I sincerely wished that there was both time and energy so that one could at least listen to half an hour of each of these friends' words; because many good points were made. The points that the friends raised were well-considered and mature. Among the friends' remarks, there were new ideas that were interesting and novel to me; these make one very happy. Interesting proposals were made in the fields of industry, science, universities, architecture, urban planning, art, and humanities. These proposals are exactly what I had hoped to hear from the voices of our scientific and academic elites, and now this wish has been fulfilled.

One point that I clearly felt in this year's session is that the inclination of the friends' statements was more towards presenting thought and ideas rather than merely practical and executable proposals - which, of course, is also necessary and good in its own right - this is the foundation of every scientific movement. As some friends also pointed out, and it is completely correct, we need thought, we need philosophy, so that we can advance and solve science, technology, governance, and various societal issues. Thought is needed before science, and I observed this inclination. Some of the points that the friends made have fortunately been considered in decision-making and thinking centers, and some actions have been taken, and gradually, God willing, their effects will be seen. Just as one day the issue of producing science, producing thought, the scientific movement, and the software movement was raised in a lonely manner in society and today constitutes the dominant discourse, God willing, one day the same points that are now mentioned here and there or are not given much attention will gradually become the dominant discourse of society.

One of the friends pointed out that we have an institutional void that looks at the future in a macro way. Well, these strategic thought sessions fill this void. God willing, we must gradually carry out great works based on this with the cooperation of all thinkers.

There are some other points regarding the friends' remarks, but since time is short, I will pass; however, I recommend both to our office and to the esteemed officials present here to collect these proposals. One of the blessings of this session is the opinions expressed by friends. One of the needs of our society is that a group of thinkers sit together, among them individuals come and present their thoughts and experiences, which are sometimes based on long and deep human and intellectual backgrounds. These thoughts gradually move from the personal sphere to the collective sphere and gradually become the public discourse of society. Collect these proposals; these are good thoughts, interesting remarks. Some of these proposals are currently executable, some will help with advancements. What I want to convey are a few short points.

One of the main pillars of the current steadfastness of the Iranian nation is the scientific advancements of the country; which have been followed by practical and executable advancements in many areas. The steadfastness of the Iranian nation is a magnificent event in the world. We are in the midst of this issue. Those who look from the outside feel the greatness of this steadfastness even more.

You observe; the world's leading economic powers, the world's top scientific powers, the world's first military and security powers have today formed a vast front against this nation. Is it not so? They are doing everything they can. They threaten security, they threaten society, they threaten politics, they assassinate our scientists, they impose sanctions, they exert numerous political pressures, they constantly threaten military action, and inside, they create sedition and chaos wherever they can; but the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic stand with complete power and resilience against all of this; the 'yes' that they want to forcibly extract from them, they do not give. That 'yes' is the submission to the dominating global power - the system of domination - they do not do this. We who say 'no' to the global system of domination, this 'no' is not a 'no' to science, it is not a 'no' to civilization, it is not a 'no' to progress, it is not a 'no' to the accumulated experiences of humanity; it is a 'no' to domination-seeking and greed and subjugating and trampling nations; this 'no' we have said, and we stand by it; 'Indeed, those who said, Our Lord is God, then remained steadfast.' The steadfastness of the Iranian nation is a very magnificent steadfastness.

One important pillar of this steadfastness is science. It is this science that has given us self-confidence. If today foreign companies had to extract and refine our oil, if they had to pipe our gas, if our health system were dependent on foreign specialists, mainly from the West, if our nutrition were in their hands, if our agriculture and industry were in the hands of the Israelis, if our nuclear industry were, had it not been for the hope of it, in the hands of France and Germany and others, we would not have this self-confidence today, there would be no power of this steadfastness, this dignity and honor would not exist. If we had to reach out to the industrialists and scientists of the East and West of the world for building a dam, for building a power plant, for building a highway, for building a tunnel, for building grain silos, our nation would not feel dignity; the officials of the country would not have the honor to assert themselves against global arrogance; neither would there be such self-confidence, nor such willpower, nor such determination. Who built roads for us, built tunnels, built power plants, dams, bridges, and fundamental cells, and established nuclear energy? The university. It was the university that helped the Iranian nation to maintain its self-esteem, preserve its honor, and stand firm against the greed of the enemies. The officials of the country are indebted to the university in this regard.

Well, my intention is not to extol the virtues of the university in front of university people; I want to draw a conclusion from this. Our enemy is not unaware of this center of power and will not be unaware; let us all know this. Anything that is a source of dignity for the country and the nation and the steadfastness and resilience of the nation is undoubtedly a target of the enemy. Religious sentiment, revolutionary sentiment, independence-seeking, and everything in this regard - including this statement I made, the university - is a target of the enemy. What do they want to do in the university? The enemy generally plans two things for our university: one is the removal of science, and the other is the removal of religion; to remove science from the university, to remove religion from the university. How is the removal of science from the university? One of the small actions is the assassination of scientists; the latest of which were our dear nuclear scientists who were taken from us in the past year. The plan is broader than this; this is one of the easiest. More complicated than this is that they want to engage our university, our professors, and our students in non-scientific work; they do not allow this scientific flourishing that we desire to materialize.

Yes, our scientific progress is very good - as friends said, and I have this data and have repeatedly said it and say it with pride - but our starting point is behind. Yes, the country they mention has a slower pace than ours; however, its starting point at the time we began was much ahead of us. We must make up for this distance. We must run, we must charge ahead in this field; a leap is necessary. This is one - and I will mention two or three points under this matter - one is the issue of the removal of religion.

If our university is a purely scientific university, but lacks religion and ethics, the same calamity will befall our society and country and future that befell the society of the Western scholar. The West is a scholarly society, but it is not a happy society. There is no moral security there, no psychological security, no family cohesion, no ethics, no spirituality. These are the major voids of humanity. This is not happiness; we do not want this. We want happiness, we want true and spiritual security. Without science, it cannot be achieved; with science, without religion, it cannot be achieved either; religion is necessary. Society must be a religious society; at the forefront of it is the university. The university must be a religious university. In the concept of 'religious', do not misunderstand my remarks. Being religious means having a deep understanding of religion, a profound faith, and a deep belief in religion and religious teachings, which naturally leads to action; we must pursue this. This is the duty of all, including you esteemed professors. A single word from you in the classroom can sometimes have a greater impact than an hour or two of my spiritual speech. It does not matter what subject the teacher teaches. A professor in the classroom can have a profound impact on shaping the thoughts, minds, actions, hearts, and faith of the youth. Think about this; this is very important.

Of course, I have discussions regarding the humanities. Here, one of the friends made a suggestion, which coincidentally was also in my mind, that we should, God willing, hold a special session for the professors of the humanities, and we will hold it to discuss the issues of the humanities. Last year, we raised an important issue in this regard; this needs to be deepened and explained. One understands from the feedback that it is very necessary to discuss, explain, and clarify in this area so that we can advance and reach the main point and not have a misinterpretation of the issue.

I have noted a list of the scientific advancements of the country; which, well, you know, we have said it many times, and it has been repeated in the media. Now, since one of the ladies raised this issue here and it is very important to me, I will mention just one of these advancements: the issue of women's medicine. This is very important. Today, we have numerous medical advancements that have gained an almost international standing in our country. More importantly, today women in our country do not need to refer to a male doctor for any illness if they wish to see a female doctor; this is now available in all fields in our country. Perhaps you young people who did not see the pre-revolution era and are not aware do not know how important this issue is. Not only for religious individuals, but even for those who are not very religious, this issue is important. I currently have examples in mind that do not need to be mentioned. This has been realized in our country today; this is very valuable. There are many such scientific advancements in our country.

So one point is that we must preserve science along with faith in the university. In this regard, professors have roles; with their words, with their behavior. The enemy wants to lead our youth - especially our students who are the future thinkers, scientists, and managers of this country - towards disbelief and ideological laxity; we must not allow this. Today, especially, work is being done on this issue. Leading our youth - especially our scientific and intellectual youth - towards ideological laxity, towards disbelief, towards mental frivolity, is one of the enemy's tasks. When someone has faith, they have a straight line, they follow their faith. When there is no faith, they are like straw being blown this way and that, with frivolity.

Of course, our religious youth have shone in the scientific environment; this must be known and stated. The information we have indicates that in the field of defense industries, in the field of infertility issues that were mentioned and fundamental cells and the Royan Institute, in the field of nuclear energy, in aerospace, in the field of supercomputers that were mentioned, in various scientific fields and scientific advancements, the breakthrough-makers were our religious and devout youth; at least those who went to the front lines broke through the deadlocks and moved forward; although later others joined. So our devout youth, our young religious scholars played a role.

Another point is that esteemed university professors must be familiar with both the realities and truths of the country and the realities of the world; this requires effort. In all scientific fields, it is the same. A teacher who is not aware of the times will face problems. 'The scholar of his time is not attacked by the calamities'; whoever knows the times, meaning when they understand the conditions of their environment and the surrounding environment and the global environment, and understands the various global currents, who they are, where they are, what their goals are, how they confront each other, will not make mistakes in various matters, will not make erroneous judgments and will not be mistaken. This familiarity is necessary for everyone; it is necessary for clerics, it is necessary for academics; it is necessary for seminary teachers, it is necessary for university teachers; this is very important. When one knows the various currents, they can deduce what this phenomenon is, what happened that this occurred, and in analysis, they will not make mistakes.

Of course, the enemy is constantly bombarding with analyses. The number of media outlets that were reported to us a while ago is truly alarming. These are apart from the internet media - the internet is a boundless world and outside of any limits - I mean, these satellites, radios, and televisions. The analyses that are constantly provided in these media with the aim of countering the Islamic Republic and the Islamic system and the Iranian nation are overwhelming. Now, those who produce in bulk know that people do not listen to all of this. They say, as much as possible, we must try. They mix truth with falsehood, they come up with a flawed and defective analysis from this; 'And yet, a handful is taken from this and a handful from that, and they are mixed.' Amir al-Mu'minin says: If the truth shows itself in its pure and unadulterated form, no one will be mistaken; if falsehood shows itself without being mixed with truth, no one will be mistaken by falsehood; 'If falsehood were pure from the mixture of truth, the opponents would not be misled, and if truth were pure from the disguise of falsehood, the tongues of the opponents would be cut off.' They mix a bite of truth with a bite of falsehood, they present a food that does not show its poison, to someone who is unaware; this analysis affects minds. Sometimes, the analyses that are made in some academic, student, and professor circles about some issues are seen to be due to ignorance; no one is to blame. Therefore, professors must be aware of the issues.

It is necessary to hold sessions of critique and question-and-answer between officials and academics. I have always advised officials and presidents over the years to go to universities, to talk to students. I myself have always gone. I have had connections with students since before the revolution and have always advised. Now I also say that officials should sit down with esteemed professors for a question-and-answer session. This question-and-answer is very valuable, it helps a lot; it helps officials, it helps university professors, it helps the academic environment. Officials should accept presence among academic circles, accept constructive criticism. Many of the things said here or in similar sessions can guide officials. Officials at any level of knowledge and experience are certainly not in need of hearing the opinions of experts and elites and benefiting from them. One truly benefits from these opinions. Officials should not shy away from this; they should accept scholarly criticism, constructive criticism. When someone makes a critical remark, we should not immediately say they are against the system, they are like this; no, many of the sharp critical opinions come from a place of concern. One should kiss the mouth that criticizes out of concern. This is the duty of the officials. Of course, esteemed professors must also ensure that it is not destructive. Expressing criticism is different from destruction; expressing criticism is different from completing the enemy's puzzle; it is different from making people pessimistic or spreading pessimism in the public space of the country; it should not be like this; it should truly be out of concern.

Familiarity with regional issues is the same, with global issues is the same. The issues that are currently unfolding around us are very important; they are very impactful. A great event is on the verge of happening. This event has two sides; of course, one side is more probable; one side is less probable. The less probable side is that the arrogant powers will use an opportunity and propaganda capability to once again create the groundwork for their dominance over these countries and this region - this is a less probable possibility, but it exists - just as they have started now, and you see. In my opinion, the most alarming is Libya; where they are taking advantage of a void and have attacked and want to firmly establish their foothold there. Of course, this is the less probable possibility. The more probable possibility is that the will of the nations and the insight of the nations prevail and they can establish popular governments, and these governments, despite the arrogance and Zionism and America and others, will be Islamic popular governments; now in various forms, but the spirit of all of these will be Islamic; because these people are Muslim people.

Recently, informed individuals reported to me that the number of those who are Quran memorizers in Libya is astonishing; that if one were to mention this statistic, many might not believe it; I do not mention it either, because I am not very certain. Well, this indicates the religious inclination of these people. When these people want to choose, if the choice is made with insight, it is clear how they will choose; it is the same as what the Americans said two or three years ago that in the Middle East and North Africa, any election that takes place will be in favor of Muslims, in favor of Islamic inclinations. They were right; today, in any of these countries, if elections are held, it will be in favor of Islamic inclinations; although the appearance of the matter may not show it. Who would have thought that such a strong Islamic surge would be in Egypt? They did not allow it to be shown. In any case, this is a great event that has occurred in this region. Either this is the case, that the regional current is moving towards a strong, clear, populous Islamic bloc with many elites - which is the more probable possibility - or, God forbid, another colonial dominance that will push back the movements of the nations for another fifty, sixty, or a hundred years, until when will the nations understand and experience that they have been betrayed and awaken again. In any case, this is an important event. We cannot remain indifferent to this event, we cannot analyze it, we cannot recognize it correctly. Professors must also strive in these areas.

One of the results or ramifications of the events in our region - which is above the ramifications - is the failure of Western theories. All of their theories in the field of economics - which you are now observing their economic situation - in the field of politics, their political management, is now sinking in this region. After all the work they have done in this region and the influence they have gained, their political presence and political power are being destroyed. This shows that Western theorizing in the fields of politics, in the fields of economics, is incomplete, sterile, and ineffective; it encourages us even more to refer to ourselves and find Islamic thought and Islamic ideas.

Another matter is the necessity of breathing new life into the deep and rapid scientific movement. The movement is good - I have mentioned it before - but a new spirit must be breathed into it. A significant portion of our university capacity is still not engaged in scientific advancement. All university capacity must be engaged in the discussion of scientific advancement. Various universities, professors everywhere, students - especially talented and bright students among them, who may even be geniuses - must all be engaged in scientific advancement. This is one. Another is what one or two friends mentioned today and I have repeatedly recommended: beneficial science; science that is beneficial to the country.

Our scientific system must be a correct and proper system; that now this comprehensive scientific map is responsible for this work. The scientific system of the country must be a complete system; it must be clear what we need, how much we need, how the proportions between different scientific sectors are. Our advancement should not take on a caricatured form; it should be a coherent, integrated, and correct advancement. The culture of innovation in the university must be expanded. All of our multi-million strong faculty and student capacity must enter the field of scientific innovation; this must become the culture. Our students must think from the beginning about learning to produce knowledge, not learning to imitate and just accepting something that is no longer changeable. Obstacles must also be removed.

Another point that seems important to me is involving universities in solving the scientific issues of the country. Well, today you see professors from various scientific fields speaking here. In every field, one hears a new word; this is very noteworthy. How much can the country's management apparatus utilize universities, the products and results of the minds and thoughts of the country's elites? A formal and ceremonial approach is not enough; there must be genuine interaction. It must be such that our scientific articles are directed towards the needs of the country. Here, a statistic was given about scientific articles in the field of health and wellness. In all scientific issues of the country, ninety percent of the articles written must be focused on the internal issues and needs of the country. Ninety percent of theses must be directed towards solving the problems of the country. Well, now, for example, let us say we mentioned economic jihad. This is another issue; everyone has acknowledged that this year is truly the year of economic jihad; meaning economic jihad must take place. Now my question is: how many scientific sessions, how many research articles, how many operational projects in the field of economic jihad have been realized in the country this year? Economic jihad has dimensions. Economic jihad relates to the law school, it relates to the economics school, it relates to the technical schools, it relates to the basic sciences schools. If we want to consider the dimensions of economic jihad, all scientific institutions of the country can somehow be directly and indirectly involved in the issue of economic jihad. So each has an issue to raise and pursue in the matter of economic jihad; but it has not happened. Universities must be involved in the issues of the country. The purpose of science is to be beneficial. Science must be beneficial to the people; the benefits of that science must be utilized.

Of course, the scientific movement of the country has strengths and weaknesses. Friends in the office have worked hard, noted some points, which there was no time for me to properly note; even if I had noted them, there was no time to discuss them.

Two titles must not be forgotten: one is the issue of the complete scientific system - that the scientific system of the country must be a complete system - that the comprehensive scientific map is the same. Of course, implementing the comprehensive scientific map is more important than preparing the map. In preparing the map, significant work has been done. Friends in the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council have worked hard, the responsible institutions have cooperated, especially university professors have helped a lot over these years, and the comprehensive map has been produced; very good, but this must be implemented. The path to its implementation is also seen in the map itself. Several times more effort must be put into its implementation than was put into preparing the map. This is a fundamental and important task that, if accomplished, then the complete scientific system will be prepared in the country. We will increase this field, reduce that field, eliminate this field, create that field; all of these will take shape according to this complete system.

One is the issue of the cycle of scientific ideas to consumption; this is also very important. Of course, this relates to the government and cooperation between the government and universities, which now one example is these parks that some friends mentioned and there are other examples as well. The idea of scientific work forms in the mind of the elite, then it turns into science, then it turns into technology, then it becomes industry, then it comes into the consumer market. The feedback in the consumer market generates new ideas. This cycle must continue in this way. This requires cooperation between the government, industrial institutions, management institutions, and academic institutions and must be carried out.

Well, Quds Day is approaching. Quds Day is a truly international Islamic day; it is a day when the Iranian nation can, with the help of other eager nations, which fortunately today are numerous and increasing, shout a rightful voice that for hiding that rightful voice and silencing that shout, the arrogant apparatus has been investing for sixty years - of course, at least sixty years, meaning since the formation of the usurping government; otherwise, from its preliminaries, it may be more than a hundred years - for sixty years they have been trying to erase Palestine from the map of the world. Of course, they had been somewhat successful. The Islamic Revolution slapped them in the face. The establishment of the Islamic Republic and the declaration of Quds Day and the transformation of the embassy of the usurping regime into the embassy of Palestine in Tehran was a warning, stopping, and attacking movement that stood against this arrogant plan. Today, fortunately, this movement is developing day by day.

Quds Day is also a backing for the security of our country. All of our dear people should know this; every single person who comes out on Quds Day contributes to the security of the country and the nation and the preservation of the achievements of their revolution. Quds Day is a great day, an important day. God willing, this year, both in our country and in other Islamic countries, this day will be held with more grandeur than ever.

O Lord! Whatever we have said, whatever we have heard, whatever we have acted upon, whatever we have intended, place it for Yourself and in Your way. O Lord! Grant blessings to all of these. O Lord! Keep us steadfast in Your way. Make our actions pleasing to Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and to the pure spirit of our martyrs and the pure spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). Include us in the prayers of that great one.

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