Meeting of Young University Elites with the Leader of the Revolution

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

It is a very sweet day and a happy hour for me to sit among a group of elite, distinguished, and hopeful individuals for the future of the country, and to discuss one of the most fundamental and principal issues of the country - which is the issue of scientific advancement and, based on that, technological progress. All the points that our dear brothers, sisters, and young people have come here to express strengthen the thought that the nurturing of elites and the development of constructive thought among the youth of the country is a growing movement; it has made progress and promises a good future. I also remember the words of friends from last year to some extent - apart from the fact that they have now been noted and recorded - they are the same. The points that come to the minds of our youth and elites, which they think should be raised and expressed here, are indicative for us. One sees that both the attention and motivations for scientific advancement and the importance of science and technology have increased, and the orientations have become more aligned and compatible with the lofty goals of the Islamic Republic.

Now, I would like to present this point - perhaps it will also be a response to the question that our dear brother raised at the end of the session - that science for a human society is a divine blessing: both the value sciences and the epistemic sciences, and also the sciences that help humans to better and more effectively utilize the treasures that God has placed for humanity in this vast nature and in this astonishing creation. Since the beginning of human existence, the movement of humans towards discovering the secrets of nature and uncovering the intricate alleys of this great structure and vast fabric has been engaged, and Islam and all religions affirm this. You cannot find in any religion - especially in Islam - a statement or phrase that indicates that worldly sciences are of no benefit or harmful or should not be pursued; on the contrary, all the knowledge that humanity has attained until today - which is a means for humans to better utilize this reality that exists and this nature that God has created for us - and also the knowledge that humanity has not yet attained - perhaps more knowledge will be discovered in the future that will surpass all human knowledge from the beginning until now - all this knowledge is valuable according to Islam.

Knowledge itself is valuable. This value can be turned into a counter-value by those who use it against the interests of humanity; however, knowledge itself is a value. By virtue of knowledge, the understanding of God also becomes easier. Those who possess knowledge can better understand the truth of the prophets' message and the truth of the true message of Islam. Knowledge should not be mixed with desires, with biases, and with the things that exist in the material world and material inclinations. What is bad there is the counter-value of their movement and the sensual and carnal exploitation of knowledge, not knowledge itself. Therefore, knowledge is a value; do not doubt this. Both epistemic sciences, value sciences, and real or nominal sciences such as philosophy or jurisprudence or similar ones are very valuable, as well as the sciences that are a means to discover the existing world at humanity's disposal and uncover its secrets and become capable of better utilizing this vast treasure.

This world that is at our disposal, this land that is at our disposal, these materials that are at our disposal, are potentially millions of times more beneficial than what humanity uses today. From this water, from this soil, from these materials, from this air, from these materials that are underground, and from these things that are at our disposal and we do not recognize their value, humanity may benefit greatly in the future. Today we burn oil; it may be that in the future, benefits from oil will be obtained for humanity and become so valuable that no wise person would be willing to burn a drop of oil; instead, they would use other energies. You see, today valuable materials are recycled from your waste. Well, waste is waste; this is a very small example. There are many things that may be utilized; how can they be understood? How can the intricate paths of nature be discovered and utilized? Through knowledge. What the Prophet says: "Seek knowledge even if it is in China," does not mean go learn philosophy or jurisprudence from China; it means go learn knowledge - any knowledge; knowledge and what is derived from knowledge, that is, technology and the vast capabilities of human ingenuity - these are necessary things. Well, this was a bit of addressing obvious issues; I did not think there would be anyone among you young elites who would have doubts in this regard and think about what Islam says.

The vision document is absolutely not a piece of Western perspectives. We have changed the direction. You see, one point that you young people should pay attention to is that many things have a form that is not objectionable, but their direction is problematic; we have had such things in Islam as well. The same pilgrimage and Umrah that you go to and so many of our young girls and boys - with their pure hearts - are influenced by it, this pilgrimage is a pre-Islamic custom and was present in ignorance. The same circumambulation that you perform was done in the era of ignorance. During the pilgrimage season, which was also in these months of prohibition, people would set out from various parts of Arabia - now outside Arabia, no one had faith - and come to Mecca to circumambulate around the Kaaba. The form of the work is the same as what you do; however, the content and direction of the work differ by one hundred and eighty degrees. Today, when you move around the Kaaba, you are embodying monotheism; a great movement of the universe revolves around the existence of the Almighty Creator; here a symbolic movement and a symbolic act emerged, and the Kaaba became a symbol of monotheism in Islam, and the pilgrimage became the best factor for unifying the word in a vast assembly of the Islamic world; this is the direction of today. The direction of ignorance was one hundred and eighty degrees different and was the opposite; various idols were hung outside and inside the Kaaba; those who came and moved around the Kaaba were actually enamored with those idols and did not understand anything of the one God. This very movement not only did not bring them closer together, but it distanced them from each other; because their attachments were different; one would circle the Kaaba for a certain idol and another for a different idol that were all gathered in the Kaaba. The Prophet did not change the pilgrimage and circumambulation and striving at all - this form was preserved - but changed its direction one hundred and eighty degrees; the pilgrimage that was a symbol of polytheism, idol worship, superstition, and pure ignorance became a symbol of monotheism, a symbol of purity, a symbol of sincerity and devotion to the divine essence.

Forms are not objectionable. Nuclear technology has committed no sin; the sin belongs to the one who directs it towards the destruction of humanity. Or for example, advanced nanotechnologies, or very advanced electronics and aerodynamics industries, and similar ones are not sinful; they are very good and are tools for humans to utilize the resources and opportunities that God has placed in this nature in the best way. The sin belongs to those who use this divine blessing and this divine treasure to oppress humanity, dominate others, and trample on the rights of others. You who have a good foundation, you who believe in God, you who believe in human dignity, you who oppose oppression and usurpation and transgression, you who condemn arrogance and societies or governments arising from personal and collective desires, you should learn these sciences to promote your values in the world and establish your knowledge in the world. Is this a bad thing?! One person boards a plane and goes to a certain city in a certain country for pleasure and debauchery; another person boards the same plane and goes for the pilgrimage to the House of God; this plane has committed no sin; the directions differ. You should acquire knowledge and technology and utilize the special intelligence that you possess - which I will now refer to and some friends have also mentioned - to conquer the summit in this direction. Then, from this position and this opportunity, use it to spread true values - instead of false values, instead of carnal desires, instead of debauchery, instead of the dominance of wealth and power over the fate of humanity.

Today, more than two billion people in the world are hungry! Is this a joke? Today, nations walk on gold, yet their stomachs are empty. The global system is the system of domination; it is the system of arrogance; it is the system of oppression. How did America reach this point? How could it bully the world like this? Because it had knowledge and used knowledge. The Westerners have exploited in this global competition that has existed throughout history.

You see, throughout history, knowledge has circulated among the nations of the world; you will not find any nation that has had knowledge from the beginning to the end; no, this is one of God's traditions. In this competition among human societies - nations compete and advance ahead of each other - at one time the East was ahead, at another time Islamic countries were ahead, and at one time particularly Iran was ahead; the same situation that you observe today in some Western countries that are at a high level of knowledge and others have to look up to see them, your country once had this state and European and Eastern and Western countries had to look up to see the Iranian scholar; great scholars who were not only ahead in science but even in technology - technologies appropriate for that day - were ahead of the whole world. Once it was like this; one day the Westerners advanced.

But there is an important point that since the time the Westerners advanced, they have used this scientific superiority for political and economic purposes of domination; colonialism emerged. Colonialism did not exist before. The meaning of colonialism is that a country, thousands of kilometers away, encroaches upon a country that is a source of wealth - for example, the Indian subcontinent - and takes it over by the power of the sword and advanced weapons. Well, you know, the English are surrounded by the sea. The English, because they had developed a skill in navigation and seafaring; they expanded this navigation, took risks, and came to find India and took control of it; here they used their scientific superiority for political purposes! This is something that none of the various countries that had scientific superiority had done until that time. Both the English and the Belgians and the Dutch, those who went to the East and the Indian subcontinent and initiated colonialism for the first time, and those who later went to Africa - a group of European countries like Portugal - used their scientific advancement and scientific capabilities for political purposes; that is, they created colonialism. When colonialism emerged, the fate of that colonized nation fell into the hands of that colonizing nation; they used this to keep them in ignorance and as far as they could, they halted the scientific competition!

This is what has happened and what has been done. Well, this was an abuse of science. The world undergoes transformations; humans do not remain limited to a certain extent and humans cannot be imprisoned. Ultimately, the surge of human talent - whether in scientific or political fields - does its work, and it has. Many movements have arisen from the people in various parts of the world. The current state of the world is that the powers that have scientific advancement try to keep this advancement in an exclusive manner. You know well, parts of knowledge exist in advanced Western countries that absolutely do not allow access to them to those outside their boundaries; that is, they are exclusive. Like these documents that when they become old, they publish them; the knowledge they have, when it falls from the stage of importance and primary degree, then they allow others to access it; at the time when they themselves have reached a higher stage. This is how they are, and in the field of science, they are monopolistic.

Well, in this world, to disrupt this domination, a scientific movement must be made. The Islamic Republic, which in terms of value assessment and value system, is the opposite of what the Western dominators are pursuing today - and well, it has succeeded; it has succeeded politically; it has established itself; it has stood against conspiracies for thirty years and has advanced itself in various dimensions - in order to achieve its goals - which are lofty human goals that every human accepts - must pursue knowledge; this is why I have said that today one of the foundational discourses of our country must be the discourse of scientific and technological advancement; there is no going back on this. Without pursuing scientific advancement and scientific growth and increasing scientific capability, and without bringing this scientific capability into our daily lives and elevating material life, there is no possibility of confronting those powers. This banner that is in the hands of the Islamic Republic will remain raised and victorious in this case. Well, in this regard, I may have spoken a bit more than necessary; because I did not think that this thought and mentality would exist among the elite youth that science and technology have what benefit; therefore, I elaborated a bit more in this regard.

You see, knowledge is the source of power and wealth. If your country and the Islamic Republic must attain this power and authority to support and safeguard its nation, its country, its values, and its system - which the benefit of power is this; authority is not for bullying others, but to prevent the bullying of others - and if alongside this it needs wealth to solve the various problems that are the legacy of years of tyrannical rule in this country, it must acquire knowledge. For a nation, knowledge is a means to achieve national authority and national wealth.

Fortunately, we have many facilities in this regard. If calculated correctly, it can be said that the Iranian nation has been held back for about one hundred and fifty years. This bubbling talent that you see today is not just today; Iranian generations have always had this talent. They have been held back for various reasons; mainly due to the dominance of tyrannical and oppressive governments at all times - and especially in this last period, due to the addition of dependency and corruption - this backwardness exists. However, the talent of the Iranian nation is a talent above average; we have said this many times. Some have thought that we are making this claim; now gradually this meaning is being reflected on the world stage. Global testimonies and confirmations regarding the high intelligence of Iranians are repeatedly mentioned in various places. They write in American magazines and especially mention some of our universities. Of course, this mentioning is biased; the university they mention - whether in Tehran or Isfahan - these are top universities, there is no doubt; but mentioning them is biased; because a university is based on human resources: students and professors and of course management. Both students and professors are from these Iranian generations; therefore, this is general and not specific to a particular university. Wherever effort is made, this prominence will be revealed, which they sometimes admit to. Therefore, we have this very high human potential; that is, intelligence and talent above average in Iran.

This can compensate for the backwardness. In these years that you have started and this caravan of knowledge has moved in the country, it has achieved many great accomplishments. In the last ten to twelve years, this knowledge-oriented thought and the pursuit of knowledge and the movement of knowledge production and the software movement and the issue of nurturing elites in the country has begun, we have made significant progress until today. These advancements are valuable.

I am, of course, not satisfied. Not that you think I now believe we have reached our goal; no, there is still much work to be done to compensate for this historical and long-standing backwardness. Especially since we are alone; we are alone! No one supports the Islamic system and Islamic thought. The Chinese - who you have now observed and during the Olympics in Beijing, a corner of the technical capabilities of the Chinese was shown and indeed revealed - have made very good advancements scientifically; but keep in mind, they had nothing in 1948 - when the new China and communist China was formed! However, the Soviet Union - a government with a longer history in terms of ideology, and with a much longer history of scientific and technical advancements - gave everything it had to China; it was during Stalin's time. The existence of a huge country like China - of course, at that time its population was not like now; but after all, it was a large, vast, and populous country - next to the large Soviet Union and in the heart of Asia was very valuable for the communist Soviet Union of that day. They gave everything they had to the Chinese; even nuclear energy. The nuclear energy was obtained by our youth themselves. The Chinese received nuclear energy as a gift from the Russians; just as they gave it to North Korea; both the Chinese and the Russians gave it. You see, the advancements of countries like China were due to the extraordinary and exceptional support of other countries. India is the same; of course, from other aspects. When the conflict arose between Russia and China - you know, for several decades after Stalin's era, there was a severe and deep conflict between these two large communist countries; like the conflict between East and West and perhaps even a bit more intense - this conflict led the Russians to help the Indians who were neighbors of China; the Chinese also went to help Pakistan, which was India's rival! That is, political factors influenced the alliances. At that time, the Chinese gave nuclear energy to Pakistan; the Russians also gave nuclear energy and many advancements to India. That is, both India and Pakistan obtained their achievements from others.

As I look, I see no country among those that have made such advancements in various fields like our country! We, in a victimized manner, alone and amidst all this enmity - while both the communist East and the capitalist West were seriously enemies of us; Europe, which was willing to play a mediating role, did not provide any assistance to us, but rather dealt blows - these clever and astute young people from among our nation managed to grow and bear fruit these saplings. Great works have been done; this is very hopeful. In the future, you can also accomplish these works. Therefore, my outlook towards the future is very positive; although I consider the current situation commendable, I do not at all consider complacency in this situation permissible for anyone: not for the government officials, not for you young people, not for your professors. We still have a long way to go; we must move a lot. The distance between us and those summits - even some lower than the summits - is still great. We must traverse these distances.

Of course, these require wealth and money; we must obtain money through this path. Friends have pointed out - most of the points that friends mentioned are correct; in our calculations and in the notes that have been given to us, all these points exist - we must obtain wealth through this path. The day we can earn the country's income through our knowledge and seal the oil wells, that day will be a good day for us. Today we are consuming our reserves. Most of the country's budget comes from oil. Oil is our reserve. We are depleting our treasure; out of necessity. A day must come when we can earn our bread from our knowledge and this nation can produce wealth from its knowledge. Then that very wealth will help advance knowledge. There is a continuous synergy: knowledge helps wealth, wealth helps knowledge; a continuous synergy arises. We must seek that day.

Of course, the orientations must be correct and spiritual and divine; just as we saw in the statements of many of these dear young people; these dear inclinations among these young people truly enlighten and please the heart. Good points were made; they were also in my mind, and I want to emphasize the same. Well, fortunately, the Elite Foundation and Mr. Dr. Vaez-Zadeh, thanks be to God, are very active; I am very happy that they have started the movement, initiated the work; but they must pay attention to the weaknesses that exist and continuously address the weaknesses.

One of the weaknesses is the lack of coordination; in the sectors related to knowledge and science and technology, complete coordination must be established. We have raised the issue of the connection between industry and university - which, thanks be to God, work is being done in this regard and more work will be done; now the officials have shared some matters with us regarding the connection of elites with research centers or with industries and similar things, which is promising and God willing will be communicated to you in due time - but coordination among the scientific centers themselves is very necessary; that is, the two ministries of science and health with the same scientific and technological vice presidency of the president and the Elite Foundation and the organization of scientific and industrial research and any section of the sectors that cooperate in these areas need a permanent connection and collaboration and synergy so that these do not neutralize each other's work or create missing links and gaps in this regard - such as the issue that a lady raised regarding the problems of the Khwarezmian youth.

Another thing that I need to mention here - although its audience is actually someone else - is the issue of honoring and respecting elites. In this regard, our media, especially the national media and radio and television, are addressed. Well, you observe in the advertisements that are carried out: actors and actresses from abroad and various names are promoted and advertised. For example, they hold a contest on television and ask: What was the name of the first champion of such a film? If you knew and could answer, you would win! Now, if they do not know this; what deficiency and what flaw does it bring? Suppose millions of people have not seen this film and do not know this artist or this actor; does this become a deficiency? That knowing him becomes an advantage?! Or for example, sports. Well, of course, you know and I have said many times, I am a supporter of champion sports; that is, contrary to a statement that was made that, "What is champion sports?" I said no, champion sports are necessary. Champion sports are actually nurturing elites in the field of sports; this becomes a summit; until there is no summit, there is no foothill. When a summit is established, then the foothill - that is, public sports - will take shape. Therefore, I believe in champion sports; I am also fond of those champions who go and bring the flag of our country and the national anthem of our country to the eyes and ears of the world; I appreciate them very much; I love them a lot; they sometimes come to me. But my point is, why should we value a scientific elite less than a sports elite? How many scientific elites do we have who are at the summit; how many scientific elites do we have that if the hands of other countries reach them, they would immediately be kidnapped and taken away; these should be honored.

Now, I give the example of the late Kazemi Ashtiani - now since we have mentioned his name many times and he has passed away, may God have mercy on him - or this dear young man that Mr. Dr. Vaez-Zadeh mentioned - who was here with us last year and passed away this year - well, these should be honored, recognized. We do not promote our historical scientific elites; many people in our country do not know the great scholars and scientists of various fields; not only in jurisprudence and philosophy and religious sciences, but also scientists who were prominent in the prevalent fields of today's world - in physics, in mathematics, in chemistry, in mechanics - in our history who did great works at that time and some of their inventions are even used today. Neither our youth know their names, nor is there any promotion of them, nor is there any remembrance of them! This is a very significant deficiency. This must definitely be corrected.

Well, there are various other points that some of them have also been mentioned by friends. This issue of bringing scientific projects to the consumer market; which is one of the very important things that the government must definitely assist in this regard and they intend to help; I am informed. God willing, actions will be taken in this regard so that the products of the works become commercial.

And the last point - which now it is noon and apparently time for prayer - is that you should greatly value the honor of serving the country through knowledge. Serving the country can be done in various ways; one of the best ways is serving the country through knowledge. Well, politicians also serve the country; the warriors of the path of God and the fighters in the battlefields also serve the country; merchants and traders and others also serve the country; industrialists also serve the country; but one of the prominent ways of serving the country is through knowledge; for the reasons previously mentioned that knowledge is the source of national authority, the source of the country's power, the source of the country's wealth, and the source of the pride of every country. If you intend to study and achieve high academic ranks with this intention, your work becomes worship. That is, a person's work - a single act - can take on two different states with two different intentions: sometimes the same work becomes worship, sometimes the same work becomes sin. The prayer that a person performs, if performed with the intention of drawing closer to God, with attention to God, and performed sincerely, is the highest form of worship; if this same prayer is performed for show, this prayer becomes sin and that very prayer becomes a sin. Showing off is a major sin; its example becomes that very prayer that was performed for show; intention is so effective. If you perform this education, this scientific effort, this striving for obtaining elite ranks for the service of the people and for the service of the country and for the pride of the Islamic system, undoubtedly it will be one of your good deeds.

We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God grants you all success and helps you, and God willing, we will witness the expansion of knowledge and research in the country day by day and see that our faithful and righteous youth have been able to move ahead in this great competition. God willing, may God keep you all safe.

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