Statements in Meeting with the People of Zanjan

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

Peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny.

Especially the Awaited One of God among the people.

I am grateful to the Almighty God that after several years, I have once again been granted the opportunity to be present among you, the dear, faithful, and zealous people of Zanjan, and I sincerely thank you for your love, faith, and the valuable efforts of your distinguished individuals.

First of all, I congratulate you on this auspicious and blessed occasion, which is the birth of light and hope for the entire long and tumultuous history of Islam, and I take this coincidence, that I have the opportunity to come to your city and province at this time, as a good omen.

I have long recognized Zanjan as a city of faith and culture. Throughout various periods, including during the Islamic Revolution, this city has shown examples and signs that are a source of pride and honor for any human community. Firstly, during the Islamic Revolution, this city played a significant role, and after the victory of the Revolution, the brave divers of Zanjan also played prominent roles in the armed forces during the Sacred Defense. In terms of political and human presence in the scenes of the Revolution, Zanjan province has distinguished positions; that is, the level of participation of the people of Zanjan in sensitive revolutionary matters—such as elections—is higher than the national average.

In my travels across the country, I wish to draw the young and clear minds of our new generation's attention to the prominent points that exist in their region and city. Here too, I want the youth of Zanjan—who are certainly somewhat familiar with the history of their city—to take pride in the distinguished honors of their region and province. This topic is precisely the opposite of the plan that the enemies of the Iranian nation have devised regarding the public opinion of our people and youth. It is very important for the youth of Zanjan to know that their city and region have historically been a cultural area with scientific and moral growth. You have had prominent figures in history in philosophy, jurisprudence, and mathematics who have emerged from this land, one of the most famous of whom is Sheikh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi—Sheikh al-Ishraq—whose brilliant name is recorded in all encyclopedias of the world. Of course, besides Sheikh al-Ishraq, you have had many other prominent personalities in scientific and artistic fields from this province and region, whose names you can see prominently in the scroll of Iranian and Islamic knowledge.

Usually, those who travel to Zanjan province, when they observe the historical sites of this province, such as the Soltaniyeh dome, the beautiful and large bazaar of Zanjan city, and the famous mosques and schools of the province, regard them as phenomena and historical and ancient artifacts, which is indeed correct; however, the point that exists in these historical artifacts is that they represent the pinnacle of architectural art among these people throughout history. These are the things that give color and vitality to the historical past of a nation, allowing people to find their past, history, and roots.

In the field of religious sciences, there have also been prominent figures from this province in past eras, especially after the Safavid period. For a long time, Zanjan city was considered the most important seminary in all of western Iran. During the Constitutional Revolution, a great scholar like the late Akhund Mullah Qurban Ali was at the peak of his scientific prowess in jurisprudence and humbled the prominent scholars of his time before his scholarly status. Of course, we have also witnessed the emergence of many prominent scientific figures in later periods, some of whom we have seen up close and others we have heard about, such as Hakim Heydiji—a poet, philosopher, and mystic from Zanjan—who is one of the distinguished figures of recent times.

In our youth in the seminaries, the prominent scientific figures of Zanjan were a source of pride for their city. In Najaf, the late Ayatollah Mirza Baqir Zanjani; in Qom, the late Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ahmad Zanjani; and in Tehran, the late Ayatollah Hajj Mirza Mahmoud Imam Jom'e Zanjani were among the greats of Zanjan in various cities of that time. Thanks be to God, today, prominent scientific figures from Zanjan are present in the seminaries of Qom and Mashhad as well as in academic environments. The late Professor Roozbeh was a prominent cultural figure from Zanjan who became a source of significant cultural services in the country. During my studies, I knew friends who had emerged from this soil, some of whom achieved high scientific ranks in Zanjan and some in Qom. The purpose of these remarks is not merely to praise and welcome the people of Zanjan; rather, it is to ensure that the youth of Zanjan recognize their scientific and cultural lineage.

Of course, today this city remains a culturally talented city; with thirty thousand students and numerous universities; with a seminary; with aware and ready-to-grow youth and talents that can flourish. I want the youth of Zanjan to take pride in this glorious cultural lineage and recognize the talents that the Almighty God has bestowed upon the youth of this region, and by utilizing them, make the utmost use of the God-given opportunities to create valuable reserves for the future of their country and region.

The advantage of this province is not only cultural but also the moral and religious growth of the people in this region is higher than many other areas; this is shown to us by police statistics. During the Revolution, the bazaar of Zanjan provided valuable services to the advancement of the Revolution in this region, and the merchants of Zanjan and the faithful youth during the Sacred Defense and the defense of the values of the Islamic Republic were always present in the midst of the scene, and the people of Zanjan have established a prominent position for themselves that still exists today and, God willing, will continue in the future.

I will present a few main points: the first point is regarding the province of Zanjan and efforts for its growth and development. The second point concerns the most important issues that are currently raised for our people and officials and should be. The third point is a brief statement about international issues that our people and youth should be aware of and pay attention to the global orientations towards their country.

What I want to say regarding this province is that Zanjan is a very capable province. This province has fertile agricultural lands, rich and valuable mines—both metallic and non-metallic, especially some metals like zinc, lead, and copper—and significant inter-provincial communications. Zanjan province is adjacent to several provinces and is considered one of the most trafficked points in this part of the country. A province that has talented people and land can develop many opportunities, and indeed, after the Revolution, significant efforts have been made in this regard, and all development indicators in this province are high. God willing, in one of the meetings I will have during my stay in Zanjan, I will familiarize my audience with some of these statistics, which I do not need to announce all of them here. In any case, the development indicators in this province are very high, indicating the tremendous efforts that have been made.

What has been achieved in various fields, compared to before the Revolution, has statistics of 500 percent, 600 percent, 1000 percent, and 1200 percent; however, the province has not yet emerged from deprivation, and despite all the efforts made, some of its areas are considered completely deprived. What does this indicate? It indicates that in past periods and during the tyrannical regime, this region and its people were greatly oppressed. This region is a feudal area. In the past, all material and human wealth resources of these areas were under the control of arrogant and selfish landlords who held these resources in various forms during both the Qajar dynasty and the Pahlavi regime, keeping this province backward. From this, it becomes clear that the officials of this province, the officials of the country, and the people themselves must work hand in hand to solve the existing problems of this province, which are solvable; because the groundwork in this province is very ready, and problems can be resolved by utilizing the energetic, intelligent, and youthful human resources and the existing infrastructure that, thanks be to God, has been established in this province. Zanjan province has a very good main road to the city center; it has an airport; it has a railway, which can be utilized to carry out very large and good projects in this province.

One of our main objectives in these travels is to draw the attention of the country's officials to the regions we visit and the sensitive and important points that exist in those areas so that they can observe both the problems and the solutions within those regions themselves. Of course, problems exist in all regions of the country; however, the facilities and keys to solving the problems are also in those same regions, which, with the efforts of the officials and the people and their collaboration and cooperation, many of these knots will be untied. This is the case here as well. Those who have responsibilities must pay attention to their responsibilities towards these faithful people and truly consider their period of activity as a period of service and work for the people. This issue is not specific to this point; it should be the same everywhere. In the next two or three days, the esteemed ministers responsible for the issues of this province will come here, and the essential points that have been studied will be presented to them, and responsibilities will be assigned to each of them so that, God willing, a serious movement for utilizing the valuable capacities of this province and solving the problems of the people will begin.

The fundamental issue that our country and nation need today is that the officials of the country should start a united and coordinated effort to address the economic and livelihood problems of the people. Of course, stating this does not mean that this work has not begun; no, the government officials and various branches are making efforts and truly working hard; however, the obstacles to the progress of work must be identified and removed.

One of the most important obstacles to progress is that officials, elites, and groups that can influence the minds of others may misunderstand the problems of the people and misinterpret their demands or relate the demands of the people to trivial and irrelevant issues concerning the real lives of the people; this is very detrimental. Elites, officials, prominent figures, and those who can easily influence public opinion must pay attention to this point.

In the days before coming to Zanjan, I studied two surveys conducted among the people of Zanjan. One survey was conducted by the officials of the province themselves, asking the people what their requests from the government and officials would be if someone were to come to Zanjan and what they would like to convey to the leadership. Another survey was conducted from the center—Tehran. Although these surveys were conducted by two unrelated entities, it is remarkable that their results are very close to each other and, in most cases, identical. When people are asked what their main problem is, they say the main problems are unemployment, inflation, and livelihood issues. This indicates the correct diagnosis that was made last year and the year before, and the officials were told to work on the issue of job creation and addressing the livelihood problems of the people; this is what the people expect. Of course, this problem is not specific to Zanjan; rather, in all other areas where people have expressed their opinions about their most important demands, they have mentioned the same issues. In terms of domestic issues, the needs of the people are these topics, and the people demand them from the officials. Of course, some individuals emerge who replace these issues with empty political slogans.

We have raised the issue of fighting corruption and stated that corruption in economic and governmental institutions leads to the destruction of the wealth resources belonging to the people. Instead of defending the fight against corruption, some individuals have emerged who have used the opportunity to speak with the people and defended the corrupt and did not consider fighting corruption as their duty! Creating jobs, alleviating inflation, and strengthening the national currency are also important issues for the country.

Regarding domestic issues, our entire message is that this nation and this country are capable. The slogan of the Islamic Republic system is justice, ethics, the elevation and growth of human beings, and untying the knots of people's lives; we must move in this direction. Some individuals have not been able to tolerate this Revolution and system since the beginning, and whenever they could, they obstructed progress; however, the system has tolerated them and has not confronted them. Of course, they are not a large group, but a small yet loud group that speaks in a more demanding tone and wants to constantly challenge the Islamic system, which is striving to achieve lofty goals and the dignity and progress of the Iranian nation. This is their nature, and this issue is not specific to today; rather, whenever they have been unable to coexist with Islam and the Islamic system, they have resorted to this method, which we have seen parallels of in the early days of Islam. For them, preaching, speaking, and advising are futile, and their presence does not harm the Islamic system; because when the people are aware and know the truths and have the power of analysis, the existence of such individuals is of no concern. In the time of the Prophet and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon them), there were always opponents. In any case, we do not want to insist; as the late Hakim Heydiji said:

It cannot be that a flower is a thorn, a thorn is a flower.

You may cry, you may laugh.

The existence of opponents and opposition for an aware and vigilant nation is of no importance. What is important is that the people and officials maintain their unity.

My strong recommendation to the officials is not to allow the enemies to create disruption and discord among the management levels of the system with their agents. This is what the enemy wants and insists on showing the country's managers in different fronts. The enemy's wish is for the three branches to turn against each other; the Parliament against the Judiciary, the Judiciary against the Government, and the Government against the Judiciary. Officials must be vigilant and not allow this; they must know what the country needs today.

This country is the country of Islam and the people. The Islamic system means the same religious democracy that governs this country. There is no need to recommend to our people today to follow the path of democratic governance. After centuries of tyranny that ruled this country, thanks to Islam and the Islamic Revolution, we have achieved democracy; that is, a democracy with religion.

We have elections ahead of us, which is not the first election in this country; however, some individuals speak as if it is the first time that the people of this country want to go to the ballot box! Our people have gone to the ballot boxes on average once a year over the past twenty-five years; they have welcomed it and voted freely, and God willing, they will do so again this time; especially if they feel that their representatives in the Islamic Consultative Assembly are fulfilling their duties correctly and pursuing their demands and needs. If the people observe this, they will be encouraged. It is said that the ground for people's participation should be prepared. This is the ground for people's participation. If people feel that their representatives sincerely pay attention to their problems and strive, and if they see that the government officials chosen by the representatives of the Parliament are seriously working in their responsibilities and management, they will participate in the elections with enthusiasm; our people have proven themselves.

Regarding the position of the Islamic Republic system concerning international issues and challenges, I say that our entire message is that Islamic Iran wants to remain independent. We have not obtained independence cheaply or easily; we want to preserve it. We want the authority of this nation and country to be in the hands of this nation itself, not in the hands of America and the arrogant powers. This point is contrary to what global arrogance wants today. Global arrogance wants to dominate this region and Iran. The arrogance that was expelled from this country by the Iranian nation wants to return; this is America's goal. Today, global arrogance has shown that it does not want to coexist with a nation that values its independence and freedom and is not willing to submit to them; you can see this. They have explicitly stated that they want to change the map of the Middle East; that is, to have completely subservient and puppet regimes in this region! For what purpose? So that America can achieve its interests; so that America's oil is secured; so that Israel is not threatened. At what cost? At the cost of the dignity, independence, and all the values of the nations in the region.

Today, the whole world witnesses that the power of America—which is at the head of global arrogance—does not have the capability to achieve these goals. Superpowers carry out their work through intimidation. Today, you see what problems America is facing in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Zionist regime is also going through one of the most difficult periods of its unfortunate existence. The defenseless and unarmed young people and the martyr-seeking boys and girls, along with the patient and enduring families, have been able to bring this regime to its knees over the past three years. We say that Muslim nations must recognize their power—which is the power of faith and solidarity among Islamic countries—and rely on it.

In two days, the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be held in Malaysia, and our dear President will go there and, God willing, will shine. Our expectation from the Islamic countries and this conference is that they should not be intimidated by America's frown. Decisions cannot be made in an atmosphere of fear. If the leaders of Islamic countries are intimidated by America, they cannot move towards their own interests and make decisions based on their interests. All of America's efforts are to scare them; all of their efforts should be to not be afraid of America. They should not be intimidated by America's angry face, nor should they be deceived by America's face that smiles hypocritically in some places, and they should know that global arrogance has no goal other than world domination and control over the vital and human resources of nations, and for it, nations have no value. If the nations and governments of Islam respect the principle that the Iranian nation has honored with dignity and power, global arrogance cannot do anything in this region. The Iranian nation, from young to old, has shown that they are resolute, determined, and faithful. What you have said and written in your slogans:

Zanjan Largan Varar

Revolutionaries give their lives.

is completely correct. We affirm it and believe it wholeheartedly, knowing that: "Zanjani give blood, but do not give up their dignity, independence, and Islam."

This dignity and spiritual power and determination of the Iranian nation is what we see today as a sample in Zanjan.

O God! Pour Your grace and mercy upon these people through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O God! Always keep these people dear and exalted and grant them victory over their enemies. O God! Do not separate the Iranian nation from Islam, the Quran, and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). O God! Make the Iranian nation recipients of Your favors and the attentions of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). O God! Make these dear youth, who have the most slogans, the most determination, the most feelings, and the sweetest thoughts, valuable reserves for the future of the Iranian nation. O God! Unite our dear martyrs and the martyrs of Zanjan—those who gave their precious lives for the dignity and independence of this country—with their leaders and with the Master of Martyrs.

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