Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Youth of Isfahan Province

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 Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth. O God, guide our tongues to speak the truth and wisdom.

In my view, meeting with you young people is a very attractive and beautiful encounter; especially since a significant number of you are certainly from Isfahan; children of knowledge, faith, and art, born from the environment of great national and Islamic glories. The programs that my dear ones have executed were good and interesting, and I thank all of them. I would like to mention a point regarding these choral performances. Of course, these dear brothers performed very well. The poem they recited was a good one; the poem "Ha 'ala Bashar, Kayfa Bashar". While they were reciting this poem with Arabic tunes and accents, it occurred to me that I wish they had recited Shahriar's poem instead:

"Ali, the lion of God, the king of the Arabs, had a bond with this heart of the night."

Coincidentally, I immediately saw that they began to recite this poem as well. In these choral performances, in addition to the artistic aspect, the message aspect must also be fully preserved, and art here, like in other places, should serve the purpose of communication and explanation. Of course, I have encouraged these Arabic choral performances for several years; however, I believe that except in cases where the Arabic poem is extraordinary or prominent and has specific qualities, it is better to use Persian poetry with lofty themes. Coincidentally, the poet of the poem "Ha 'ala Bashar" is also, like Shahriar himself, a Turkish poet from Tabriz; Mulla Mehr Ali Tabrizi, who lived about a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago:

"Ha 'ala Bashar, Kayfa Bashar, Rabbuhu Fihi Tajalli wa Zahar."

Recite Persian poetry with beautiful Persian melodies and in an attractive artistic style, selecting themes from which this large gathering can learn; which, of course, in the Persian section that my dear ones recited, this purpose was largely fulfilled. I mention this so that those who hear this speech across the country will seek out artistic samples that are rich in meaning and significance. Today, our need to understand and to convey understanding is greater than ever.

You are a dear gathering; mostly students or pupils; people of knowledge and full of purity. The good work that the students of Isfahan did in this session - for which I sincerely thanked them - is that they published a joint poster that includes the titles of the Student Basij, the Islamic Association of Students, the Islamic Society of Students, and the Islamic Student Association side by side. Yes, this is correct. You may have disagreements on ten issues, but you also have unity of opinion on many matters. Where you have unity of opinion, manifest this unity. The way to do this is precisely this. There is no need for two people who have disagreements on several of the countless intellectual and political issues to let this interfere even in matters where they agree; for example, if they want to hold a celebration, a mourning ceremony, or a speech, it must not be that two factions stand against each other. What you did was very good, and I sincerely thank you, my dear children.

The duration of my forty-plus years of interaction with youth groups has led me to deeply and sincerely praise young people. Of course, praising young people is different from welcoming them. I do not agree with welcoming; I do not want to say something that pleases you, or to refrain from saying something that might upset you; no. I do not believe in such things; rather, I believe that praising youth is correct in its own right, and it is a genuine and rightful praise, and the points worthy of praise are clear and distinct to me, and I will mention some of them; however, praising youth should not turn into mere welcoming. You are my children. A person inevitably loves their own child; whether that child knows it or not; whether they want it or not; whether they thank their father or mother for their love or not. This love does not mean that if there is a mistake in their actions, it should not be mentioned for fear of upsetting them; no. In fact, a person is much more at ease with their own child than with others. Therefore, I love youth and the main characteristics of youth from the bottom of my heart and I praise it with all my being; however, I seek refuge in God from falling into the trap of welcoming the crowd before me or the many groups that I respect out of love.

What are the praiseworthy points of youth? Even if we prepare a list of a hundred points, we still have not gone too far. Here, I will mention a few points of the praiseworthy aspects of youth.

Youth easily accepts the truth. This is very important. Youth protests easily and sincerely, and acts without any inner turmoil or concern. This is also very important. Put together easy acceptance, sincere protest, and carefree action, and see what a beautiful truth emerges and what a key it is for solving problems.

Youth is naturally inclined towards reform. Of course, I have nothing to do with the common expressions of reformist and conservative and similar terms; reformism as a political pose is not my concern. Some people talk about reformism while they do not even know what they want or what they are pursuing. Some people talk about reformism while what is in the back of their minds is not actually reformism; it is a kind of regression and going backward. You see that some people, under the beautiful and attractive name of reformism, are seeking to return to an era when religion had only a ceremonial aspect in human life and nothing more! This is no longer reformism; it is the opposite of reformism. Reformism is accompanied by evolution and progress, not regression.

Of course, there are also some individuals who mention reformism; however, their intention is American reforms! A year or two ago, I mentioned in Friday prayers that we have revolutionary reforms and American reforms. American reform is exemplified by the return of a corrupt figure like Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Iran, seizing control, and then presenting the golden key of foreign domination over the country on a silver platter to the American masters! What you see is that American and British media and their politicians talk about reforms in Iran, their intention is such a thing; that is, a corrupt figure who is a follower and servant of them should come to power in the country and put everything at their service.

Of course, there are also some who are sincerely reformist; there is no doubt about that. They truly suffer from deficiencies, inadequacies, complexes, and deviations and seek to reform them, which is desirable in itself. Youth is this kind of reformist; that is, they are naturally seekers of justice, legitimate freedoms, and the realization of Islamic ideals. The truths and Islamic ideals excite them and create attraction within them. The image that is etched in their minds of the face of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) excites them; they compare and contrast the existing deficiencies with him and become seekers of reform. This is a very prominent characteristic.

Among the praiseworthy points of youth are energy, power, creativity, and vitality. These naturally exist within you. These are part of the long list of advantages of youth. Has youth acquired these advantages? No. You have not made any special effort to gain the advantages of truth-seeking, energy, vitality, patience, and the spirit of youth. This is a natural stage of life. So it is a blessing, and in return, there is a duty that must be answered.

Here, there is a fallacy that is part of the same welcoming that aims to deceive the public; and that is that Islamic logic always speaks of "duty". While the new discourse of the world speaks of "rights"; why do you always talk about duty? Some people have popularized this phrase, and their intention is that those who are averse to duty will be pleased with the deceptive and insincere welcomes.

Firstly, rights and duties are two sides of the same coin. No right exists without a duty. Everyone has a right, and in return, they also have a duty. Therefore, to speak of rights without mentioning duties is a silly, meaningless, and illogical statement. Secondly, here we are not talking about rights. The duty we are discussing here is not in relation to a right; it is in relation to a privilege. You have a privilege, and this privilege naturally imposes a duty upon you. I, who do not have your youthful privilege, do not have some of your duties either. Of course, I may have privileges in other areas; thus, I have duties in return for that. Therefore, here it is not a confrontation of rights and duties; it is a correlation of privilege and duty. Duty arises from the privilege you have at this stage of life; it arises from the blessing that God has given you. Let us pay attention that this duty in the current era is heavier than ever. Why? Because the youth class has become particularly influential in society; because the youth population has increased; because the youth side in the political, social, and cultural equations of the country is a heavy side. Therefore, the issue here is not whether youth has a duty regarding themselves or not; no. The issue is that the large population of youth and their presence in the arena, especially the awareness that today the committed youth of our country possess - which in fewer places in the world exists - makes their duties heavy and significant. Of course, let me tell you; this duty is one of those duties that is, in fact, exciting for youth. It is not one of those tedious and boring duties. It is a duty that is in line with the nature of youth and is motivating and propelling for youth.

What do we want to invite youth to? We do not want to give vague slogans. Some slogans are very vague and ambiguous. It is like inviting someone to a field whose entrance is unknown or blocked. Of course, part of the duties that we consider for youth are their personal duties. Scientific self-building, moral self-building, physical self-building. These are important duties; demands that we have the right to make of youth, and youth also needs these self-buildings. For now, our discussion is not about this.

What I feel today as a duty for the youth of the country is that they must defend the national and collective identity of the country with all their being and effort. Every human collective needs a collective identity and must feel a sense of community and belonging and collective identity. In the countries of the world, they usually emphasize the concept of nationality. In some places, they also emphasize ethnicity. What is nationality? It is a collective identity that allows every country to utilize all its resources for progress and success. If this sense of collective identity does not exist, many problems arise for that collective, and many successes will not be achieved for them; that is, some successes in a country can only be achieved with a sense of collective identity. This national and collective identity in our country is even beyond nationality. While we respect and sanctify nationality and emphasize it greatly - very positively, not negatively; the same thing that is referred to in the political world as "nationalism" - but the collective and national identity of the Iranian nation is the Islamic system, which has more effectiveness and attractiveness and a wider sphere of influence than Iranian nationality. The importance of this collective identity is that it has returns and impacts both on an Iranian scale and on an Islamic scale, and it also has a global impact; that is, something that no other nationalities possess; it is a supranational thing. The scope of some supranational slogans is limited. For example, Arabs emphasize Arab identity and Arab nationalism or Arab ethnicity; however, this identity is firstly limited to the circle of Arabs and does not encompass beyond them; secondly, since Arabism is a reality, it does not contain or imply a supranational ideal that would attract other nations of the world. Thus, it remains confined in a belt and even comes into conflict with those who are beyond the borders - Arabs and non-Arabs, Arabs and Persians, Arabs and Turks - because there is no ideal in it that can encompass a wider circle than this identity. However, the Islamic system is not like this. The Islamic system has national applicability, it has Islamic applicability, and it has global applicability; that is, it is supranational.

The importance of the Iranian Islamic system is due to the fact that it is a stable, established, and deeply rooted political system that has been created by the people themselves. It is not a system imposed on the people; it is against the ideology of monarchy. Monarchy has an ideology. The ideology of monarchy is what you observe in all monarchies around the world with various types; that is, despotism, exclusive benefits, and tyranny; where they need tyranny. One day, it happens that this Anushirvan - who they tried to call just - out of a personal grudge from his youth, kills tens of thousands of Mazdakites in one day! It is narrated that in his youth, my father - Qabadh - said to fall at the feet of Mazdak (because Qabadh was a follower of Mazdak); the stench of Mazdak's feet is still in my nostrils, and now that I have reached the throne, I take revenge; not on Mazdak himself, but on tens of thousands of Mazdakites!

The Safavid kings are a source of pride for us - you know, we value and respect the Safavid kings; because they followed the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt and preserved the independence and territorial integrity of Iran - but you see how much oppression caused by sheer despotism they committed. They killed and blinded so many of their own relatives that some people had to take some of the Safavid princes and hide them away so that the king would not be aware of their existence! For example, he ordered the execution of four sons of Imam Quli Khan and placed them before him; while Imam Quli Khan was among those who had served the Safavid dynasty greatly; he was one of the old servants of the Safavid dynasty and one of the commanders and politicians of the Safavid dynasty; but due to the presence of the spirit of dictatorship and despotism in the king, this calamity befell him. Oppression and tyranny were not exclusive to Mohammad Reza and Reza Khan. In the ideology of monarchy, oppression and tyranny arising from despotism, absolute power, and lack of commitment to any divine and popular responsibility exist. The Islamic system rose against the ideology of monarchy; while our country had suffered from this state for centuries; both before Islam and even after the advent of Islam. Islam in Medina, in the true sense of the word, embodied freedom and - in today's terms - popular sovereignty. In Medina and the birthplace and base of prophecy, it was like this; but in distant regions where a certain Umayyad commander was ruling in Khorasan or Isfahan or Fars, there was no news of such things; rather, every commander was a despotic king and did whatever he could. Of course, the faith of the Iranian people in Islam was not due to these personalities and these commanders; it was due to the message of Islam, which has its own story and narrative. From the ideology of monarchy, which despotism is an inherent pillar of it, since a hundred years ago, other plagues have also emerged in our country, one of which was dependency; another was the corruption of the monarchy and its entourage and courtiers; sexual corruption, moral corruption, and numerous financial corruptions.

These were the kings and absolute power for the people; but in front of foreigners, they were submissive and obedient: "Asad Ali wa fi al-hurub na'ama!" In the most important matters, something was dictated to them; not by a president, but by an ambassador! The British ambassador would visit the court and say, "Your interest is that it should be like this"; the king also understood what "your interest is" meant! Alongside absolute dependency and submission to foreigners, incompetence was also abundant.

Let me tell you; in the past hundred years, in the true sense of the word, no fundamental work has been done for this country before the revolution. Today, in the university environment, your eyes have been opened to scientific truths; you see how much work remains undone and how many paths remain untraveled. These paths could have been traversed; one could have accompanied the caravan of knowledge, one could have tested knowledge, scholars, research, and independence in knowledge and research in the country; but they did not do this; rather, they acted contrary.

During the entry of new knowledge into our country, what was brought was imitation and translation. Of course, I do not mean the translation of a valuable work - which is a necessary task - I mean the mentality and spirit of translation; that is, taking away the power of innovation from a nation; taking away the courage to express new ideas from a nation; constantly hitting them on the head; instilling in them that if you want to reach somewhere and become someone, you must do exactly what the Westerners did and not deviate from it by an inch! They taught our people and academic environments in this way. They did not allow for innovation and creativity in science. Science and thought must be produced. They did not give room for scientific creation in experimental sciences, human sciences, or political and social sciences. Thus, the situation is as you observe today.

Of course, in these twenty years after the revolution, with all the difficulties that have existed, the tide has turned; otherwise, before the revolution came to the field and the courage to demand, think, trust in oneself, and rely on Iranian talent was raised - which are among the blessings of the revolution - the ultimate aspiration of a person was to be able to act according to a prescription that the Westerners had followed; that is, individuals did not even allow themselves to deviate from that trend! Thus, there was despotism, dependency, corruption, lack of innovation, lack of progress, and incompetence; but the revolution and the Islamic system rose against all of these and were a rebellion against all of them. This revolution and this system were not the work of a specific group or faction; it was the work of the nation.

The twentieth century is the century of small and large political transformations in the world, and many revolutions, coups, and transformations have taken place in it. In the twentieth century, wherever you look, you do not see any of these transformations that are not influenced by the behind-the-scenes arrangements and the influence of foreign powers. Of course, among all these, the October Revolution of the Soviet Union is an exception - which was a different kind - but the rest of the political transformations that occurred in the world were either influenced by party groups and behind them the Soviet Union, or were a power-seeking coup by a few military personnel. Therefore, it was not the work of the people; in a way that in Iran, the revolution took place. The October Revolution of the Soviet Union was also not popular, and I mentioned that the analysis and interpretation of that revolution has a different detailed story.

The Islamic Revolution of Iran was one hundred percent popular. During the revolution, when you went to any village in this country, you saw that the people were mobilized, they had words, they had demands, they had slogans, and all these demands and words revolved around a single axis; around the message of Islam, which they saw its manifestation in our dear and great Imam. The importance of the Islamic system in terms of Iranian dimensions lies in these: firstly, it is one hundred percent popular; secondly, it is the opposite of what our country had suffered from for centuries; that is, the ideology of monarchy and the royal agents. You will not find any nationality that can create such deep motivations in the hearts of each and every person. Each individual of the people demanded and pursued this revolution and this system with all their being; even the most indifferent individuals participated in this movement. This is in terms of Iranian dimensions.

And in terms of Islamic dimensions. A nationality usually is confined within its borders and has no value, attraction, or respect outside its borders; however, the Islamic system revived Islamic identity and the sense of personality in individuals and nations wherever there were Muslims. The Muslim minorities that were scattered around the world felt a sense of personality. The Muslim nations, especially in the Middle East and North Africa - that is, the components of the old Ottoman Empire that had endured years of colonial suffering - felt that a breeze had blown again. Of course, we do not endorse the Ottoman Empire; it was a monarchical government like other monarchies, with the same problems and difficulties; but the Europeans - the victors of World War I - when they dismantled this great government, which extended from the Balkans to all of Asia Minor and the Middle East and North Africa - from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Egypt and present-day Turkey and Iraq and Syria and Palestine - did not stop at just abolishing the government; they took revenge on the nations and humiliated them! The pieces of this government fell into the hands of one of the European powers, and the sad story of colonialism was repeated; a story that will never be forgotten by these nations and will not be erased from their history. In one country, a foreigner comes to govern and all the resources of that country are at the service of the foreigner and the foreign system, and the people of that country must obey the foreigner who governs them and dare not speak or act even slightly against their interests. This was the reality of colonialism.

In places where they did not directly colonize - like Iraq - they established a monarchy and brought a non-Iraqi person (the Faisal family, the Iraqi royal family were not Iraqi) to rule over the people; but in reality, the British were governing. The politics were the politics of the British; the will was the will of the British, and the people of Iraq were submissive and subdued under the grip of a foreign government. You see, for a nation, what greater humiliation could there be? They humiliated everything about them and completely destroyed their religion, world, personality, culture, and independence.

The day they supposedly brought the wave of modernity to this region, it must be said that they sent the sewage of modernity to this region! They did not bring science, innovation, new inventions, intellectual progress, and advanced universities to the countries of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, and other colonized areas. The first thing they brought was cultural degradation, unveiling, and leftover consumer goods; or at most, second and third-rate educational systems that had been copied; that is, they humiliated the people from every aspect.

When the leftist wave rose in the world, many intellectuals in the Islamic world were shouting leftist slogans - socialist and Marxist slogans - and were actually seeking revenge against the West; but when the Islamic system and the Islamic revolution emerged, a commotion arose, and all Islamic countries were excited to see that a nation had come and raised the flag of Islam and stood against the most severe threats; not only against the West but also against the East and West, proclaiming "Neither East nor West" and showing indifference to the most attractive temptations.

My dear ones! The reaction of America and the West to the Islamic revolution stemmed from such realities. The revolution initially created such an explosion in the Islamic world that it terrified everyone. They analyzed and said that if we do not block this revolution and do not bring this system down, it will conquer the Islamic world and threaten Western interests in the Islamic world. They were right; thus, conspiracies against the Islamic revolution began. Therefore, the Islamic system and the Islamic revolution did what nationality does for a nation; that is, everyone felt a sense of belonging and shouted slogans. In distant countries, they named their children after the figures of the revolution. Great Arab poets, whom we had never heard of and had no connection with Iran, composed grand poems in praise of Tehran, Iran, and the Iranian people. Nizar Qabbani - who was a very prominent poet and passed away three or four years ago - was known for his poetry that constantly clashed with Arab powers. He had a very attractive style in his poetry, and he ridiculed the royal families and their harems. Of course, he had never been to Iran and had no Iranian blood; but he has a lengthy poem about Tehran - a Tehran he had never seen and did not know, and an Iran that Arab nationalism had always opposed.

And in global dimensions. In global dimensions - even in the non-Islamic world - the Islamic revolution had an impact and raised attention to the power of religion in mobilizing people in the world. Religion - which had been an isolated and purely ceremonial phenomenon - suddenly mobilized a nation to such an extent that it could bring down a system based on international support and prevent a vacuum from forming on its ruins; rather, it established a system with new ideas. Those who had ideas that were ideal for humanity - issues of justice, humanity, and the dignity of man, equality of humans, equality of races, the necessity of struggle and resistance against international tyranny - and those who had thoughts in their hearts but did not dare to express them or found no arena to express them, saw that a stable political system had emerged in a corner of the world that had raised these ideas on placards and displayed them before the eyes of the world. This was extraordinary for them.

During the Vietnam War, when there was much propaganda against America, but no one paid attention or cared, Jean-Paul Sartre, the French writer and philosopher, and Bertrand Russell, the English philosopher and writer, and a few others gathered and said, "Let us hold a court against America and try the crimes of this regime in Vietnam in this court." As far as I remember, Bertrand Russell was the prosecutor, Jean-Paul Sartre was the president of the court, and a few others were political thinkers from the West. They could not find any point in the world to hold this court! The Western countries - including France and England - were their own countries and were accomplices in America's crimes; therefore, it made no sense to hold such a court in these countries. In communist countries, if this court were held, it would take on a communist hue, and since they were against Marxism, they did not want it to be held in those countries. Therefore, there was no free point in the world where they could hold this court. The solution they came up with was to rent a ship and hold this mock trial in the open waters of the oceans! Therefore, when a group of thinkers wanted to protest against America's blatant crimes in Vietnam, they either had to resort to street protests - like the actions that are happening today against globalization - wherever a global conference on globalization (globalism under American leadership) is held, street protests take shape, and some people shout slogans, and four policemen come with batons; but these protests are not very significant and do not have an impact; they are merely an expression of protest - or if they wanted to do something that could affect public opinion in the world, there was no point in the world they could rely on; thus, they chose a ship and went into the waters and did this without connecting to any people and without having any national extension. In such a world; in the drought of a suitable space and environment to express a reasonable idea, suddenly on this land, not in a rented land or a football field; but in a country, and not in a remote corner of the world; but in the Middle East and the most sensitive geopolitical region of the world, a nation of tens of millions, with an unending motivation, suddenly came to the forefront and not only protested against America and its supporters but also said "No" to all the arrogant motivations of America, even protesting against the Soviet Union, which was the opposite pole of America!

During my presidency, I participated in the Non-Aligned Conference in Zimbabwe. The Non-Aligned Conference was mainly under the control of the left. Of course, the governments inclined towards the West and America were also there; but the main direction was in the hands of Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro - who were leftists - and the other leftist presidents of the world who were supporters of the Soviet Union were present, and the main direction was in their hands. I went there and gave a speech. My speech was one hundred percent anti-American and anti-arrogance. I spoke about the truths of the revolution, the realities of the country, America's crimes, crimes against the Iranian nation, issues related to the imposed war, and so on. Then, with the same clarity and intensity, I attacked the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. They were stunned! One of those leftist presidents said to me, "The only non-aligned country in this conference is Iran." You see; the Islamic system manifests its importance and presence in global dimensions to such an extent that even its enemies are forced to respect it.

In addition to all these, what particularly attracted the masses of people in the non-Islamic world was spirituality. It is true that spirituality has been stripped from people's lives; but those people who are deprived of spirituality and are immersed in material life feel a void and deficiency. Like an addict who is unwilling to quit addiction; but if someone tells him that someone is forcing you to quit your addiction, he will be happy and pray to God that they bind his hands by force and do not provide him with substances so that he can be at ease! Many Western societies were and are in such a state. Yes; they are immersed in materialism and far from spirituality; but they feel a void and deficiency. They saw that a system with this political power, with this high spirit, with all these new ideas for the world and with this fresh breath has emerged and spirituality is also accompanying it; it begins its work in the name of God and ends it for God; it wants to build the world in the name of God and does not pass through the world like the church leaders. You see; the collective identity of the Iranian nation - that is, the Islamic system - is its story. It is something that is important from a national, Islamic, and global perspective. This system, at the beginning of its emergence, attracted the world to itself to such an extent that as much as the indifferent and unbiased hearts were attracted to it, the directors and leaders and guardians of international and global domination were worried and upset about it and stood against it.

My dear ones! I have spoken a lot about the enmity of the arrogant powers and the system of domination against the Islamic Republic and have repeated it many times. I would like you to reflect and think a little on this sentence; it is a very important issue. A significant work has been done and is being done here. Truly, the leaders of global domination, who consider the whole world and its interests permissible for themselves, feel that they have fallen into a great trouble. The example they consider to be theirs is precisely what you observe. The Americans say, "We brought our fleet to the Persian Gulf because our interests are there!" Global arrogance does not see itself as needing to use the conventional and legal methods of gaining profit. Everyone is after their own interests; however, pursuing interests has its own way. A person goes, gives something, and takes something; they negotiate and give a concession; but they are not willing to follow these laws; they send a warship! Wherever the interests of the system of domination require, they must assert their powerful presence there! If even slightly these interests are threatened, they do what they did in Afghanistan; without any kind of shame or obstacle or deterrent for themselves. They do not think. Unless their heads hit a stone; otherwise, they do not see any obstacle in their way and do not feel it; they do not see any need. They ask America, "Do you have permission from the Security Council for the attack on Afghanistan?" Their esteemed minister (!) interviews and says, "There is no need for the Security Council!" You who claim that a certain person or group or organization targeted and destroyed your beloved Twin Towers in New York, do you have any evidence or proof to present to anyone? They say, "There is no need to provide evidence!" That is, dictatorship on an international level. Nations fight against the dictators of their own countries and give their lives to eliminate the dictator and bring a popular ruler to power; then these same people are forced to accept the international dictatorship of the foreigner, America, in their own country. The fact that I have repeatedly emphasized the enmity of global domination against Iran is based on these realities.

Today, there is a system that is both established and solid and has a tremendous popular backing. It is intolerable for the arrogant powers to see that crowds like you young people sit and sincerely listen to the words of a responsible person in your country. A system that relies on the thoughts, opinions, emotions, efforts, and awareness of the people is sitting in a very sensitive geographical point and speaks its mind and does its work without any fear or apprehension. If they do not oppose this system, what should they do?! They must oppose it. It is we who must recognize this enmity.

Just as I said that day in Imam Square to that large crowd, they plot and conspire; we must counter their plots, counter their conspiracies, and counter their attacks; "And they plotted, and Allah plotted"; "Indeed, they are plotting a plot, and I am plotting a plot." If we are heedless of their enmity, we have lost. If we do not think of a counterattack against them, we have enabled the enemy to succeed by our own hands. This is why I repeatedly warn the officials, the people, and especially the youth.

We are today in a sensitive era. Can youth remain indifferent? The enemy's attack against us is a natural matter. There is no need for us to have special devices to bring news from the depths of their actions to us - of course, we do have special news; it is not that we do not have it - but even if we did not have that news, it is very clear, logical, and natural that the enemy would conspire against us. Some come and raise the issue of the illusion of conspiracy. In universities and the intellectual environment of the country, a person should not be ashamed to say that conspiracy is an illusion; the enemy does not conspire against us; America does not conspire against us! They said: "My mother makes a mistake thinking that a cat is also a monster!" Those Americans are so delicate!

During the imposed war, many personalities came to Iran and left. One of the personalities I will never forget is Ahmed Sekou Touré. He was the President of Guinea and one of the prominent and highly respected figures in Africa. Unfortunately, the historical and political studies of our youth are weak. You must study these things a lot and know them. In the country of Ghana in West Africa, a revolution occurred, and a very prominent African figure named Kwame Nkrumah came to power, who later faced many conspiracies - Western and American conspiracies and non-American conspiracies. During one of Sekou Touré's trips abroad, in his absence, a right-wing coup was organized in this country, and he was forced not to return to his country. At that time, Ahmed Sekou Touré invited Kwame Nkrumah and said, "Come to my country, and you will be the president of my country." Such a personality brought Kwame Nkrumah to his country. During my presidency and the period when I was actively involved in foreign policy, I saw few political figures as strong as him. He came to Iran almost three times. Of course, they had pressured him to come to Iran for mediating the war. In private meetings - in cars and during travels - he spoke good words. He said, "If you were not attacked militarily after the revolution, I would be surprised; therefore, it is not surprising that they attacked you." He emphasized that the attack of Iraq against you was organized, pre-planned, and an international affair, not the work of Iraq. He was right; it was just as he said. They launched a military attack, thinking that the matter would be settled, but it was not. They imposed economic sanctions, but it did not work. For twenty-two years, they have been constantly pressuring and bothering. These hostilities are natural. The way to counter these hostilities is not to surrender.

Let me say this in parentheses; some should not say that the enemy who bothers so much, what motive do you have? Go and make peace with him! In important political matters that relate to the fate of nations, making peace means surrendering; it means acting according to what the enemy wants. It is like someone who wants to take your house, and you do not yield; he constantly throws stones and breaks the windows and bothers you. Then someone tells you to make peace with the enemy who bothers you so much! Making peace means that you go out of the house and give him the key to the house! Making peace means humiliating and enslaving a nation; it means fulfilling the enemy's demands regarding a nation. The only way to escape these concerns and problems is to think, reflect, prepare for counterattacks, and wear down the enemy. The youth are in such a field where they have a duty and responsibility.

If anyone claims in front of the youth and says that our Islamic system has no flaws and we are implementing exactly the framework that Islam has desired, they are speaking nonsense. It is not at all like that. We ourselves are weak individuals. When some mention the blessed name of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) or the blessed name of the Awaited Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance), and then mention our names, I tremble. Those absolute truths of light are very far from us, who are immersed in darkness. We are the plants of this polluted atmosphere of today's world; where are we, and where are the least and smallest of their students? Where are we and where is Qanbar of them? Where are we and where is that devoted Ethiopian slave in the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him)? We do not even count as the dust of that slave's feet. But what is true is that as Muslims who have recognized our path, we have made our decision and put our strength into this path; we are moving in this path with all our being and will continue to do so. There are flaws in our work; all these flaws are solvable. Of course, when we solve these flaws, it is not that we have reached the ultimate goal; no, the path of perfection is never-ending. On this road we are traveling, stopping at every kilometer is prohibited; we must not stop; we must keep moving forward. Many of the current problems that the nation and our country are grappling with are solvable. Some of them are the responsibility of me and those like me and the officials; some of them are also the responsibility of the people.

The most important weaknesses that exist among the officials - which I briefly referred to that day in Imam Square and now I will elaborate more for you young people - are several:

One is the issue of weakness of revolutionary and Islamic insight and faith in some officials. They are captivated by the political prescriptions of the West; and those prescriptions have turned out to be wrong. Western liberal democracy, which was once said to be the pinnacle of human thought and action and that nothing exists beyond it - which to me is a sign of short-sightedness to find a point and say that there can be no further movement beyond this; no. Human movement is infinite - today has discredited itself by its own hands. This liberalism is what has created the situation in Afghanistan today and has long been the issue of Palestine. This false humanism of the West is what has ignored the Palestinian nation for fifty years and wants to completely eliminate it. They do not even ask themselves whether a nation called Palestine exists in the world or if it is a lie. If you accept that there is a territory called Palestine, then where is that nation? They wanted to completely erase a nation and a geographical name from the face of the earth. Today, their humanism and liberalism and democracy have reached a point of oppression and repression that they do not even want to allow a foreign media outlet to broadcast news about Afghanistan! This is the free flow of news from the perspective of the West. This prescription has been discredited and proven wrong; yet, some of our officials, who have gained dignity and respect thanks to the Islamic revolution and may have gained some respect for expressing support for Islam and the Imam and the revolution, suddenly become supporters of Western liberal democracy, which is the opposite of Islamic popular sovereignty! In fact, Islamic popular sovereignty and freedom in Islam is not like that; it is a different reality. Sometimes such cases are found rarely. Of course, I thank God that the first-tier officials of the country are deeply committed to Islamic principles. The enemy has not been able to extend its intellectual and political influence to sensitive places. Today, the heads of the three branches and the first-tier officials are deeply committed to the ideals of the Imam and the revolution; however, such cases can be found in some institutions, which I also referred to that day.

In the realm of thought, they violate the law. The realm of thought and ideas also has laws and must be followed. If someone has a doubt about a foundational thought, the law is to raise it in specialized centers and academic circles. They must either eliminate the doubt and remove it from their mind, or if the doubt is a real issue, turn it into a theory and submit the minds of scholars and thinkers to it. These gentlemen do not follow this law. A doubt comes to their mind, they become disbelieving, and due to a thousand kinds of trials and tribulations, the foundations of their deep heart faith are eaten away by the moth of desires, comfort-seeking, and worldliness, and they become doubtful; then they come and raise the doubt in public opinion and call it revisionism! This is a betrayal of public opinion. What does revisionism mean? Sometimes the meaning of revisionism is that a person returns from a mistake in a thoughtful and fair manner. This is very good; however, political, opportunistic, and enemy-induced revisions are not revisionism; these are haphazard and opportunistic.

We have permanent ijtihad in Islam. Permanent ijtihad means that a knowledgeable person is always seeking to complete their thought. On the path of perfection, sometimes a person corrects a mistake; this is correct and good. In the path of Islamic thought, those who are thinkers, scholars, and individuals who have the power of ijtihad and deduction in the foundational thoughts and theories of the revolution - not just anyone who claims, nor someone who has not acquired the necessary scientific and intellectual qualifications - must always think and complete their ideas. This is a good thing.

We must not be followers of the wind and decide every day based on which way the wind blows; or look to see what gesture the enemy makes, and we adapt our gesture to it; if he frowns, we take a fearful expression; if he speaks harshly, we take a apologetic expression! That is not how it works.

If a person looks at the political life of some individuals from the beginning of the revolution until now, they see a strange mixture of various thoughts! There was a time when such people did not suffice to say that in slogans, people should only say "Death to America and Death to the Soviet Union". They said we must say "Death to the East and West"! We said that the Soviet Union is the symbol of a wrong thought and a wrong path; America is the symbol of crime and oppression; what reason is there for you to say "Death to the East and West"? They said you are conservative and accommodating! Among these individuals, today there are those who are willing to go and officially apologize to America and England and say we were wrong, we made a mistake in speaking ill of you; forgive us! Some of these individuals, in the early days of the revolution, proposed such strange and extreme economic ideas that one would be astonished! We said, where is the Islamic aspect of these? They wanted to impose and implement very extreme leftist socialist thoughts in the name of Islam. Some of them who had responsibilities also did bad things during that time. I will never forget, we had a law in the Revolutionary Council - in the years 57 and 58 - that had divided the capitalists before the revolution into four categories: section (A), section (B), section (C), section (D). Section (B) included those whose capital had been obtained through illegitimate and illegal means; their ruling was that the government must confiscate those assets. Section (C) included those whose capital had not been obtained through illegitimate means; however, they had taken large loans from banks, had committed fraud, and had not repaid the money. Therefore, they had to repay their loans. If they did, their factories would belong to them; but if they did not pay, their factories would be confiscated. In the early days of my presidency, a group was responsible for determining sections (B) and (C) and such matters. Of course, these actions were not in my hands as president; they were in the hands of the prime minister and the government cabinet. I found out that a number of people in this committee were insisting on converting section (C) into section (B); that is, a factory that could have its owner repay its debt to the bank, then restart its factory and not leave its workers unemployed, they wanted to prevent this from happening. At that time, such an extreme leftist anti-capitalist tendency existed unjustly. The same people today are those who are willing to roll out the red carpet for Zionist capitalists and investors to come to Iran! A person transforms from the most leftist Marxist idea to the most extreme rightist economic idea; and calls it revisionism! This is not revisionism; this is haphazardness. That day was extremism, today is also extremism. The presence of these revisionist individuals in some various institutions is a source of trouble and danger. If they are in universities, they cause harm; if they are in the government, they cause harm; if they are in the parliament, they cause harm; wherever they are, they cause harm. One of our injuries is this.

Another injury is worldliness. Many of us - those who considered power and position as bait - have unfortunately fallen into worldliness. Five or six years ago, in a message to the Islamic Association of Students - because I felt certain things at that time - I emphasized this point and said some individuals must be careful not to become captives of the sweet and tempting world. Anyone who considers themselves responsible, if they become worldly and comfort-seeking, their work will be miserable, and the work of the people will also be miserable.

Some of our problems stem from the weakness of some managements that become preoccupied with trivial matters and political and party activities. The extent to which I emphasize this, some people say that so-and-so is against parties and partisanship; while after the victory of the Islamic revolution, we established the first party. If partisanship exists in the true sense of the word, I am in favor of it. However, I do not consider partisanship to be that a group of political claimants gather together to seek power - ten, fifteen, twenty people - and with slogans and creating excitement and false attractions, they drag people or groups of people this way and that and constantly create disputes and disagreements, and to avoid being idle, they blow up a small issue; they present a trivial matter as significant and discuss and analyze it for days and weeks; based on that, they determine friends and enemies; this person is on this side, so he is an enemy; this person is on that side, so he is a friend. I do not consider these to be partisanship. These are wrong political methods that are also prevalent in the world. Our hearts have been pleased that such things are not prevalent in Iran; but unfortunately, some people have an attachment to these things. Very well; but if someone accepts a responsibility, if they become attached to such things, they will harm that management. I once sent a message to some government officials and said that the hours you spend in your party meetings - of course, I do not say you take money and resources - belong to the government and the people. You do not have the right to spend it on party, factional, and group matters and the like. Some of our weaknesses stem from these; otherwise, we have good managers. Some individuals criticize government managers; no. Our managers are good managers overall. Some of them truly strive in certain areas, which I do not want to name; otherwise, it would be appropriate to do so. Among these government officials, there are individuals whose names can be mentioned and introduced to the people as successful individuals. However, naming some may be perceived as negating others; therefore, I do not mention names; but fortunately, we have such individuals; provided that the actions I mentioned do not occur.

Another flaw and affliction is the lack of unity of word. Unity of word is also necessary, which I emphasized more on that day in Imam Square, so I do not want to repeat it here. It is necessary for officials to adopt unified positions; especially in global issues and major issues of the country. When there is a slight disagreement in the words of officials, you see how foreign radios magnify these disagreements and multiply them. Even where there is no disagreement, they fabricate disagreements; to show that there is no unity of word among the officials. They are very afraid of a cohesive group that works together and is united. Fortunately, the composition of our constitution has determined the solutions to problems and placed the leadership as the axis at the central point of all officials. This is a very great opportunity and possibility for officials to work together with unity of word.

What expectations exist from youth? We want youth not to lose their way. Criticism is not a problem; however, denial is the greatest injustice to this nation. Some individuals, under the guise of criticism, deny the Islamic system. Some individuals consider a criticism directed at a certain manager and official as a criticism of the system. This is unfair. The Islamic system means the composition of the constitution. The executive and operational methods of this system are clearly present in the constitution and are clearly stated in the will and conduct of the great Imam. The most important duty is to protect with all our being the very strong safety belt of the Iranian nation that creates our collective identity - that is, the Islamic system. The youth, with their awareness, patience, and youthful spirit, must ensure that in their work, studies, and future responsibilities, all their efforts are to protect the system. Completing and addressing the flaws of the system is one thing; opposing and denying and collaborating with those who seek to overthrow the system is another. One feels deeply saddened to hear that in a university gathering, a so-called academic individual says: "A man is someone who stays in the country and fights against this system to uproot it!" Is someone who strives to uproot this Islamic and divine and popular system a man?! This is a system for which so much human effort has been expended; a system for which so many youths have sacrificed; a system for which the blood of so many martyrs has been shed; a system for which the well-wishers of this country have endured so many hardships and difficulties to strengthen it; a system that a great nation has kept standing with all its being; a system that has become a source of dignity for Islam and honor and pride for Iran in the world. Is striving to uproot the roots of this system manliness?! This is the greatest cowardice. Of course, these completely short-sighted notions can only emerge from hearts that are disabled and defective. The roots of this system are very strong; they are among the deepest roots, and the great enmities have, by God's grace, been unable to shake it.

The key points that must be considered by you dear ones are these: preserving the constitution and the line of the Imam - which is embodied and manifested in his will - and the fundamental slogans and general policies of the country. These are things that must be preserved with all our being and cherished.

From the youth, there is an expectation that they do not forget the pursuit of justice. They should consider freedom, with the same very lofty Islamic concept - whether individual freedom, social and political freedom, or spiritual and moral freedom - as part of their everlasting demands and not forget it. They should consider the struggle against poverty and the creation of public welfare as part of their demands. The command of good and the prohibition of evil is also one of the most important issues that youth must pay attention to. They should also not succumb to the deception of the media in distorting the truths. Today, the most important effort of the enemy is to use the most advanced tools and methods of modern and ultra-modern communication to distort the truths of our country. Do not succumb to their demands and approach issues thoughtfully. Do not succumb to the disagreements that exist between some officials and unfortunately some newspapers also exacerbate them. A matter arises between two officials; they blow it up so much that it becomes a social and public issue and occupies minds. That day I pointed out that regarding a certain issue, the President and the Chief Justice have different opinions, which both in law and in theory and practice have clear solutions. I heard that the esteemed President was worried and upset that their letter to the Chief Justice was published in the media. As I was informed, it was not published by his office. You see, they took this as a pretext for disagreement and created a commotion. In the parliament, they repeated it many times, and the newspapers also repeatedly exacerbated it and turned it into a fundamental issue of the country; while the problem of the country is not this. The problem of the country is the issue of creating employment, developing the country, agricultural water, and so on. We have so many problems in the country; what importance does it have to focus on these small matters? In the course of cooperation between the branches with each other, such disagreements arise many times. Should the newspapers and political figures turn this into a major concern for the youth?! Do not succumb and do not consider these things as your major concern. The major concern that should occupy the youth is precisely what I mentioned: the pursuit of justice, the preservation of the Islamic system, recognizing the enemy, valuing the independence of the country, and valuing the connection and relationship between officials and the people. Of course, there are also things that are specific to our dear youth; especially the youth who are pursuing knowledge; and that is focusing on themselves.

My dear ones! Compensate for our scientific deficiencies and backwardness; and this is achieved through studying, thinking, working, and having scientific courage. Strengthen your faith. Your pure feelings and bright and luminous hearts and your purity are the best opportunity for you to strengthen the foundations of faith in your hearts, which, thanks be to God, exists. We thank God that many of our youth - perhaps it can be said that a large majority of them - are chaste. Be careful that the polluted desires of the world - who want all the youth of the world to be polluted - do not reach their wish regarding you. Strengthen your willpower. Pay attention to sports. I particularly emphasize sports. I consider sports as an international, demonstrative, and exciting activity to be secondary; primarily, sports are for strengthening and maintaining health, which I consider necessary for all our youth - both men and women. Prepare yourselves to carry this burden to the destination. This burden belongs to you; this country and this system belong to you. Part of the path has been traversed by the previous generation. The one who must traverse the greater part of this path, God willing, with broader awareness, is you.

O God! Increase the radiance of these youth day by day. O God! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, shape the bright, proud, and victorious future of Iran with the capable hands of these youth. O God! Grant them the happiness of this world and the hereafter and make them the soldiers of the Awaited Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance) and grant our prayers and those of all these youth.

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