Speech [Situation in Iran; general and people's uprising; guidance to the revolutionaries]

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I do not know where to begin. Should I talk about the people's misery, or about glad tidings? At present misery prevails throughout Iran, and yet it is a misery which constitutes glad tidings. As I had formerly predicted, when these dictators, these despots and ruffians, anticipate and actually see their own fall and their own death toward the end of their lives, and when the end of their political power is in sight, they become mad. They completely lose all self-control and act in a state of madness and insanity when dealing with people. The Iranian people are currently eye-witnesses to this; and even you too gentlemen, witness it to a lesser degree.

At present, Qum, the center of the religious institution, the center of Islamic jurisprudence, lies in the clutches of the well-furnished Mongolian army. The well-furnished army of Muhammad Rida Shah is worse than that of Genghis (Khan). People's homes, according to what we have been told, are being searched one by one, and no one knows what they are looking for. Army troops are now stationed in Qum with guns, tanks and machine guns, and all of the theological centers and the homes of the `ulama' are, as is often the case, under police and army observation. They have invaded the homes of the maraji`, committing murder and perpetrating crimes there. «1» Going by information received today, certain `ulama' are in hospital right now. «2»

This is the insanity which has befallen this person (the Shah), and I don't know where it will end. It is a nervous condition which has come about because he sees himself as fallen, although as far as the nation is concerned, indeed he was fallen from the very beginning. From the very beginning, on the day when Rida Shah, under Britain's orders, attacked Iran and carried out a coup d'etat, those who were aware of what was going on realized that he was fallen. It was later on, when he (Rida Shah) began to throw his weight around, and his police behaved the way they did with the people, with the `ulama' and with women, with the religious teaching centers and with religious propagation, that people then recognized the monstrosity and the beast with which they were to contend. So we see that this dynasty was fallen in the nation's eyes from the start. Its fall is not a thing of the present, for it was fallen fifty years ago as far as the people are concerned. However, the nation has now become aroused and word has it that more than thirty cities in Iran have demonstrated against this man, shouting" Death to the Shah".

According to the Shah's reasoning, the people of these thirty cities and of the country as a whole have all come from abroad and have entered Iran with forged passports! Furthermore, they are a `handful' of rioters! «3»

The entire maraji` of Islam and the `ulama' from all regions of the country have risen up against this person; and from what we were told today, fifty-six of the `ulama' in Tehran have refrained from attending the mosques, declaring that they have done so in protest to the regime's behavior. Yet it is claimed that they have all come from outside Iran via forged passports!- that they are a handful of rioters!- that they are troublemakers! The `ulama' of Tehran, the `ulama' of Qum, the `ulama' of Khorasan, the `ulama' of Azerbaijan, the `ulama' of Yazd, the `ulama' of Kerman, the `ulama' of wherever, these are all a bunch of rioters!! The one who is not a rioter is Muhammad Rida esquire! This person is not a rioter! He is a peace-lover! He is taking us through the gateway of a `great civilization'!

As for this book that they have written for him on his behalf «4»- he hasn't got the intelligence to write it himself, it is they who write it for him «5»- I don't know whether he has taken the trouble to read it to see what nonsense it contains, or whether he hasn't even read it let alone write it. If anyone were to take a look at this book he would truly be ashamed at how a pen could write with such abandon in referring to so much suppression, so much hardship suffered by the people, so much killing, so many conspiracies, so many deals to sell the nation to foreigners, and so many acts of betrayal toward the Muslim nation of Iran- in referring to all of these as the" rendering of a service"! There is freedom in Iran! A freedom of which no one is aware! Were someone from the planet Jupiter to read this book, he would think that its contents resemble Plato's thinking! «6» He would be convinced that Iran is another world! A world in the beyond! If he were to actually enter Iran however, and see what kind of government it has, if he were to see what the Shah's government is like, then he would realize that everything contained in the book is an exaggeration; it is empty talk. You ought to read this book. Of course the one who wrote it must have been a well-informed person- whether he (the Shah) has actually read it or not I don't know, but in any case the writer himself has been someone possessed of some knowledge. Nevertheless, he has sat and written about the beyond; about somewhere beyond this world.

As for him (the Shah), he wants to take us to the gateway of a `great civilization'; or rather, this is what he has already achieved! We are now at the gateway of a `great civilization'! We are presently within a city which is situated in the beyond! We have now entered a `great civilization'! But what do we have to show for it? Name one thing that is ours other than the lying and exaggerated talk in which we indulge; other than this what do we have? What do we have other than these crimes, these killings, this suppression, and this lying? Even the press reporters who have behaved the way they have for some forty to fifty years, even they have now objected to their having to tell so many lies. Yes, press reporters have argued" Don't force us to tell so many lies". Going by what some have said, university professors have voiced objection saying that they will not attend classes and lectures while the universities are in their present state- a state brought about by the regime. «7» But then again, these professors are also probably a gang of rioters!

These `ulama' in Tehran who, according to reports received today, intend to refrain from attending congregational prayers as a form of protest, and also those at the theological center of Qum, which is presently closed down and has been brought to a standstill, these are all a bunch of rioters who have crossed over the border into Iran by using forged passports! And all of the people of Azerbaijan- those who have conducted such an uprising, the likes of which has rarely been witnessed before, and who have engaged in such an unprecedented shutdown «8»- these too were a bunch of hooligans! The same goes for the people of Yazd, «9» and for Iran as a whole. All the people of Iran are a `bunch of hooligans', to quote them," who don't understand what they are saying"! According to the regime, those who oppose dictatorship, those who oppose the traitors to Islam and those who have betrayed this nation, those who oppose such things are but a bunch of hooligans who have come from abroad!

Even now, in spite of the set-up that has come about in Iran, and in spite of all this opposition to the regime from thirty-odd cities as well as villages- yes, in spite of all these issues with which the regime is confronted, whenever he (the Shah) speaks, he in no way stands down from his initial claim that:" The entire nation of Iran is with us! All of the various guilds are with us"! Only last night we were all told of how the heads of a hundred and twenty-odd various guilds had said that they remain loyal to the regime, that they are behind the Shah-People Revolution, and that they object to these rioters and have asked the government to punish them! «10» Are these a hundred and twenty-odd guilds outside Iran? No, they must be in Tehran and probably in the bazaar of Tehran. But if they are indeed in Tehran and in its bazaar, then how come they say that this bazaar has now been closed for four days? I don't know about now, today, but for the past four days they say it has been closed. These people in the bazaar were in protest. Indeed, it is usually the case that social uproars initially emerge from the bazaar. The source of the outcry is the university and the bazaar. Have those in the universities come from abroad?! And those in the bazaar of Tehran, have they come from abroad too?! These a hundred and twenty-odd guilds that have all allegedly expressed their loyalty to the regime are, it seems, located beneath the ground! We who are abroad cannot see them! Anyone who is right-minded and upright cannot see them! These guilds all support you!! The entire thirty-odd million population of Iran is behind you!! Only a few thousand, only a few in numbers oppose you! Initially it was said that the number of the opposition could be counted on one hand. Gradually they increased this figure somewhat; and now it has reached the thousands- those who oppose the regime now number two or three thousand! Millions of the remaining population are all in favor, and support the regime! But where exactly these people are, we don't know! Are they in Yazd? Are they in Qum? Are they in Tehran? Are they in Mashhad? Are they in Azerbaijan? Are they in Kurdistan? Are they in Ahwaz? Where are they? Where is this place that is beyond the reach of this present-day population of Iran?

However, the people that now live in Iran are well aware of what is going on. Those reports which ought to have been made by news agencies concerning the present situation in Iran have indeed been made. These reports have cited some twenty-odd Iranian cities- some have said twenty-five, others thirty-three- as being on strike. People in these cities have all demonstrated against the Shah. Even radio reports attest to this. It is said that these, the Shah and his government, hold a certain theology student [talaba] - meaning myself- responsible for all this; but I say it is all his own doing. All of these thirty-odd cities which have risen up have done so as a result of his own provocative behavior. Were a thief to say that a judge has severed his hand, he is to be told:" No, you yourself have severed your own hand. You are the one who thieved; and whoever thieves loses his hand."

Just give it some thought; that is, if you still have the ability to think. You are actually witnessing your fall with your own eyes and so you have lost the ability to think straight. Just think of what you and your father brought upon this nation over the last fifty years; of what this nation went through, firstly because of your father and afterwards because of you. Think of what you did to this nation; of all the pain which sits in the hearts of the parents of those killed by you throughout this period; from the time when that villain, may Allah's curse befall him, perpetrated that crime in Gauhar Shad Mosque, until today, when we see the same crime being committed by you yourself. Do you expect the nation not to erupt? Does it take someone to act as the detonator before the eruption can take place? This country is presently a tinderbox on the verge of erupting anyway. Do you think that this eruption can be prevented by these profligate acts whereby one day a `Revenge Group' is formed and another a `Paykar Committee' is formed and other such absurdities? «11»

When you attend their parliamentary sessions, just listen to how these four wretches talk in order to ensure their re-election to the Majlis next year- a matter concerning which even they themselves have spoken of. Even the Member of Parliament for Azerbaijan itself says:" These people are not from Azerbaijan. That anyone from Azerbaijan would oppose the Shah is impossible." So where are these people from then? Where are the people of Tabriz from Mr. Member of Parliament?! That is the state of our Parliament and the deterioration that has come about therein. One day it is Mudarris who is in the Majlis, and another day it is these that you see for yourselves. One day it is Mudarris who stands before all those present and speaks in opposition to Rida Shah- of course they eventually killed him but he stood in opposition until his last breath- and another day it is these, who, for the sake of being re-elected to Parliament, say the sort of things that they all know themselves to be lies, that others know to be lies, and that they themselves know that everyone knows to be lies. They say them nevertheless. In order to further their own interests and to secure the approbation of Rida Shah and Muhammad Rida Shah, they incur the wrath of Almighty God. This is the state of our Majlis; that is the state of our religious laws; that is the state of our bazaar; that is the state of our oil; and that is the state of our independence.

God is my witness to how deeply grieved some of these high-ranking officers are who sometimes come to see me incognito. They are grieved by these American advisers who, every so often, come here to Iran in fresh troops to play such havoc with us; and they are grieved by the deals these good-for-nothings strike with them. And I don't know, it is truly beyond me why these high-ranking officers of ours are so incompetent. Why are they so incapable? Why have they remained seated at home and taken no action thus allowing others to impose upon them so? Why do they allow these American advisers to treat them as they do? Why don't they kick this reprobate out? «12» They said to us:" Well, if he (the Shah) were to go, who would replace him?" I told them that if he were to go and even `Ubaydullah «13» were to take his place, then that would be better than him staying, because whoever were to replace him would at least pay this country some attention. He has now become worn out. He is reaching the end of his life and has become neurotic and mad. He has lost all self-control, and continues killing people; and God only knows where it will all end. If he goes however, people will be granted a respite, no matter who his replacement may be. But not even one hour of relief can be had while he remains. If he goes and someone else takes his place, at least the people will be at ease for a while. Don't imagine that if he goes then the world will come to an end, for his going will upset nothing. Where are these high-ranking officials- General so-and-so, Lieutenant General so-and-so, Major General so-and-so? These titles are mere words. These people are just like Members of Parliament who keep bragging that they are the representatives of such-and-such a place, and that they each speak" on the nation's behalf". This good-for-nothing stands alone, and then he talks about" myself and the entire nation" as if the two were united!

How can it be said that this nation, a nation which has now risen up against this reprobate, a nation which can see how this person has given away and destroyed whatever it had, a nation which sees how he has corrupted its youngsters and how he wants to corrupt its girls, how can this nation be said to fully support the idea of the revolution- the" Shah-People Revolution"?! Yes, despite everything they still have the audacity to talk of the Shah-People revolution!! Why not call it the American revolution and come right out with it? Why not speak of American commands, of the American revolution? What a state to be in! As he (the Shah) himself stated in something he wrote:" They (the foreigners) thought it fitting that I should be in control of affairs". May God curse those who took it upon themselves to consider such a thing fitting for us.

Qum is now under martial law, and from what we hear so too is Tabriz and Mashhad, or rather they are under something even worse for this surely does not constitute martial law! Martial law is a kind of social order whereby certain social intercourse and social gatherings are contained. But is bursting into people's homes martial law?! Bursting into people's homes to conduct searches, is that martial law? They say that government agents have surrounded the entire city of Qum and are busy conducting searches there. They are looking for arms. They are afraid of their own shadows, the poor wretches! Don't be fooled by such acts of violence. Don't let it intimidate you in any way. These agents right now are frightened of their own shadows. They are so beset by fear that just like a cat which, when all else is lost, attacks everything in a fit of panic using its paws, claws and anything else it can use, so they too, having reached that stage, now attack the people using hands, arms, legs and all kinds of things such as machine guns, tanks, artillery and the like. They attack the defenseless people. In Qum, they are searching homes, and they have said that they intend to do the same in Azerbaijan; indeed, the whole of Iran is to be searched by them.

He (the Shah) himself is the one who has provoked all this; not I. I am a mere theology student [talaba], who, like other honorable religious students, likes others in other cities, voices grievances about the regime. The one who lies at the heart of the matter, at the core of this revolution and these outbursts is he, the Shah himself. He is the very person who plays a central role in all this. It is a mistake for the one who is committing treason to believe that when the people shout out against this treason then a third party must have provoked them to do so. You yourself are the instigator. You provoked the people with your acts of treachery. You are the one who betrayed this nation, and in return, people have risen up and raised objection. There is plenty about which to object. What do you expect these poor people to do? You have marred and destroyed whatever reputation this Islamic nation had, and now you are busily engaged in bringing further loss and ruin.

People have now been driven to extremities; they have been driven to lay their lives on the line. Youngsters are killed and their parents then step forward to take their place in the struggle. The regime's agents kill people in Qum, and these people are then replaced by others, both young and old, from other parts of the city. People are tired of living. They are now tired of this situation, of this state of affairs that you have brought into being here. For whom is there any comfort? Who can be at ease for a day or even an hour, let alone have some kind of a life? People prefer not to have an existence in this world rather than to live this kind of life. So the blame lies at your own door and there is no longer anything that you can do to put things right.

Your repentance means nothing to the nation. You may well truly repent and give people that which is rightfully theirs and attempt to make up for all the crimes you have committed. It is possible that God may accept your repentance, for He is Magnanimous, but the nation will not. We cannot accept your repentance. Your repentance spells death. The repentance of a wolf spells death. Now, at this late hour, he has resorted to claiming that he has issued orders for the people not to be treated so badly. Only last night he said that he had instructed so-and-so to no longer maltreat the people and so on. And so there you have the wolf's repentance of which I just spoke. Doubtless, you (the Shah) are now employing other means to try to pave the way for further crimes to be perpetrated; for there is no way that you would ever give up committing crimes. You are someone whose nerves have been truly shattered and destroyed, and who can see that the entire nation is against him. Moreover, you fear that a prolonging of the nation's opposition may mean a withdrawal of your masters' support of you, and God only knows that this iniquitous America would leave nothing behind for you should it one day withdraw its backing. Under such circumstances your associates would devour you.

But what is the nation to do now? Foreign advisers have poured into the country and everything is in their hands. They are the ones who hold the power; the nation is powerless. These people who rant about human rights are the same people who have dragged our nation into such a mess. What is a powerless nation which possesses neither arms nor anything else to do? However, no weapon can compare to faith. No weapon can present a challenge to the nation's uprising. Today, no matter how many people they may kill, no amount of weapons can present a challenge to this popular uprising. As you now see, every city is beset by misery. Every day the people of these cities are harassed by the police, or harassed by soldiers and the military with tanks, artillery and guns; or they have to put up with a certain group of people who come and stage demonstrations shouting" long live this" and" up with whatever". A certain reprobate actually entered the homes of some of the maraji`, drew his gun and threatened to kill everyone present unless they cried" long live such-and-such". And from what I hear, those present did not comply but instead put him in his place good and proper. This is what they have to endure- having to shout" long live whatever". But does shouting" long live" something actually afford that something a long or eternal life? Things have gone too far now; he ought to leave well alone and look out for himself. If he can save himself from being killed by this nation, then he ought to run away secretly. He unduly cancelled his trip abroad thinking that he could control affairs himself «14»- supervise the killings personally- only too aware that were he to go away, someone else might replace him. But whether you go or not, you are all washed-up, you poor wretch. And this is of your own doing. We didn't do it. The nation didn't do it. You did it yourself; you sowed the seeds. Would this situation ever have arisen if the government was a legitimate government, a legitimate power and a legitimate administration- if it showed sympathy and concern toward the nation and toward Islam? Would such a situation ever have arisen? Would the people have demonstrated against you? No; in no way would this have happened. So you should realize that these affairs and this unanimous and unidirectional demonstrating that you witness against you are of your own making; you yourself have brought all this about.

These are disasters and yet glad tidings for us. Glad tidings can be found in all of these affairs: the glad tidings of the nation's ultimate victory; the glad tidings of the severance of foreign influence, God willing; the glad tidings of the overthrow of this (Pahlavi) dynasty and of their departure from this country or from this world. This is all good news, and people must be strong, optimistic and fearless.

Certain factors are intrinsic to any Islamic revolution. Killing and suffering are integral parts of an Islamic revolution. We are to discover how Islam in fact came about. This religion of Islam, and this Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him and his family, suffered all kinds of calamities while reforming the community. When it became possible to rise up against polytheism, atheism and injustice, what great battles were engaged in by the Holy Prophet, what numerous lives were lost, to what great lengths the Prophet himself went and what wounds he bore. From the advent of Islam, from that day when it was declared that henceforth one must rise up against tyrants, such as these we now face, the Holy Prophet followed a policy of fighting, killing and being killed. He did so for the sake of social reform and in order to sever the hands of these thieves and traitors and to put an end to their lives, for such people are harmful to society. Those members of the tribe of Quraysh, who owned gardens and caravans, were harmful to society; they had to be annihilated. So in fact, in the beginning this was the approach adopted by Islam. By the time it reached you and me however, Islam had become transformed whereby we now do nothing other than study literary works and desist from advising the people to do anything about their situation.

God knows how much I lament the state of the theological centers. I feel grief for the theological center of Najaf which is now losing its good name; it is losing its reputation before the Muslims. I truly regret this. A theological center which is one-thousand-or-more years of age is losing its good name. Just take note of how, throughout this whole affair, in all of the statements made, be they from religious, intellectual or academic fronts, no mention is any longer made of Najaf. Najaf is falling into oblivion. O you honorable members of the clergy, come to the rescue of this theological center at Najaf!

The theological center of Qum however, is a center which is alive. It gives lives, kills and gives more lives. Presently it is under pressure but nevertheless it is alive; it has risen up in spite of everything. The religious students from Qum have arisen, natives of Qum have arisen, the community of Qum as a whole has arisen. Qum takes the blows but it continues to stand up in confrontation. The religious student of Qum loses members of his family, but he continues to stand up in confrontation. Thus he is alive. In fact, people believe that Qum is all that they have. Yes, I feel regret for Najaf. I myself belong to the city of Qum but I feel regret for Najaf. I and others like me feel attached to all such centers. We feel attached to a theological center such as this which is over a thousand years of age. Don't allow this center to be destroyed. Don't allow this theological center to fall into oblivion.

Now that the people of Iran have risen up, may God grant them divine guidance, this uprising must be organized; it must not lack organization. There must be links between the theological centers of Qum, Tehran and all other cities. Links are needed; you must give this movement some organization. This movement must not be something dispersed. It must be well organized so that if the people of Qum rise up one day, then the entire nation will rise up with them. Don't be dispersed. Different fronts must all unite together. «15» Some fronts are mistaken in no longer making mention of the clergy, which is in fact the case according to reports which have reached me today from certain clerical figures. These fronts don't realize. They don't know that without the clergy they are of no worth. If it is not the case that a dirty hand is involved which has forced these fronts to dissociate themselves from the clergy in whatever they write, and if it is not the intention of these fronts to create differences or divergences between themselves, but rather their actions are due to ignorance, misconception, or selfish motives, then they are to reform themselves and to put themselves right. All of the various fronts must unite. The organization must form an alliance; it must be a religious party which stands in opposition to the Rastakhiz Party. «16» Everyone must unite in the Party of God, `Hizbullah'. «17» Everyone must speak out together. Everyone must rise up together. Everyone must follow a policy of passive resistance together. It is wrong under the present circumstances for each group to act independently and to make separate demands for itself. The clergy must be united with these groups, and they with the clergy; those in the universities must be united with you, the clergy, and you must be united with them; those in the bazaar must be united with everyone else; the workers must be united with everyone else.

All of you are experiencing the same hardship. All of you are troubled by the same suffering. The suffering among you is a common suffering. We have all been overtaken by a great misfortune. It is not something which pertains exclusively to the clergy, or to the various parties, or to those in the universities. This is not an exclusive matter which involves any one particular group. If they take the country's oil, it is everyone's oil that they are taking. If they foolishly bring a load of scrap iron «18» into the country, this is something which affects us all; it is a disaster for everybody. Bringing American advisers here is a disaster for us all, and not just for a few of us. If they establish a military base here for America, this is something which affects us all. If they (the regime) betray us, or betray the nation, it is everyone's concern.

Everyone join hands together. It is wrong for everybody to set up his own outfit. Looking out for oneself is wrong; it means defeat. Organization must be given to this uprising, to this movement which is already under way. Those who lead the people, those who are judicious among the people, they must give this movement organization. That is to say links must be established between all of the various fronts. There must be links between all of the small provinces. Meetings held in these different provinces must be held on the same day. Links must be established like those that I previously sought to establish in Qum but which they prevented from materializing, may God guide them on the straight path. My intention had been for meetings to be held throughout Iran on a specific day, so that, for example, on a Friday or Saturday evening a meeting of learned people would be held in Tehran, and the same in Khorasan, and in such-and-such a village and such-and-such a place. This is what I mean when I talk of organizing the movement. But they prevented it. They didn't understand. «19»

Now it is time to wake up gentlemen; it is time to be vigilant. Your adversary remains formidable. He has now brought knives to the fight; he has now introduced tanks and guns into the contest. But you are not to be afraid of these guns; guns are nothing. You are on the side of Truth. You are in the right and Almighty God is with you. Organize this movement which has now emerged in Iran. You must liaise with each other. The honorable clergy must liaise with all other fronts and all other fronts with the honorable clergy. The entire nation must cohere together. Leaders of the people must hold meetings together at a given time, so that if one day an announcement is made from a certain quarter, then all leaders would speak out in unison; all Iranian citizens would act in unison.

I give all of those fronts which have risen up for the sake of Islam and for the sake of establishing the truth, the glad tidings that, God willing, Inna's-subha laqarib is near. «20» God willing, you will triumph, but only on condition that heterogeneous elements are not involved, and that selfish desires- snatching this for oneself and snatching that for oneself- do not intrude. We are all each other's brothers. I am a mere religious student [talaba], you are an honorable clergyman, he is a merchant, he is from the university, he is a doctor, he is an engineer, he is an intellectual- we are all suffering from one and the same misfortune; we all have to sit down and grieve together.

May God grant success to all of the opposition fronts. May He bestow good health on us all (Amen). I pray to God that He foreshorten the arms of foreigners from this Islamic country (Amen). May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.