Speech [The necessity of preserving the religious seminaries]

«۱»- During the eighth year after hijrah (۶۳۰ CE) the Prophet set out for Mecca. The Prophet's uncle `Abbas left the camp to find someone from Mecca to send a message to the Quraysh telling them to present themselves to the Prophet or be destroyed. That night `Abbas met Abou Sufyan, gave him shelter and took him to the Prophet. Abou Sufyan became a Muslim that night. `Abbas said:" Abou Sufyan is a man who would like to benefit." The Prophet said:" Whoever goes to his own home and closes the door shall be safe; whoever seeks shelter in the home of Abou Sufyan shall be safe; and whoever goes to the Masjid al-Haram shall be safe." The way that the Prophet dealt with the people of Mecca revealed the beneficence of Islam and the generosity of this religion's Prophet to those who once opposed him. The Quraysh had tormented Prophet Muhammad and his followers for twenty years and they feared the consequences, but when they had been conquered by him they heard him say:" I free all of you." See Tarikh-e Tahlili-e Islam, pp. ۷۹- ۸۰; Ja`far Subhani, The Message, http://www.al-islam.org/message ; Syed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, The Life of Muhammad the Prophet, http://www.al-islam.org/lifeprophet . «۲»- Historical records of the dispute between Iran and Iraq date back to the Safavid era, a period in which Iraq had still not reached independence and was part of the Ottoman Empire. However, the dispute between the two countries to which Imam is referring concerns the superpower conflict over the Ba`athist coup d'etat in Iraq. On July ۱۷, ۱۹۶۸[ Tir ۲۶, ۱۳۴۷ AHS ]the British coup d'etat in Iraq brought the Ba`ath Party to power. After a series of political changes and transformations, the American wing of the Iraqi government was cast aside and in reality the covert disagreements between Britain and America regarding their interests in the Persian Gulf became the basis of future disagreements and struggles between Iran and Iraq. These differences, which grew with every passing day with the unilateral abrogation of the Iran-Iraq border agreement by the Shah's regime, reached a climax and resulted in worsening political relations between these two countries. Meanwhile, the Iraqi people and Iranian residents of that country became the scapegoats of these disagreements. The differences continued as long as the superpowers had disagreements concerning their interests in the Persian Gulf and after that peace prevailed. «۳»- The Iranians were banished from Iraq during the freezing cold of winter. They were not even given permission to take with them food, clothing and the other necessities required for a winter trip. They were taken in groups from their homes and picked up off the streets and packed into military trucks and then abandoned in the wilderness and mountainous areas. These Iranians had lived and worked long years in Iraq to become homeowners, then in a very brief space of time, all their possessions were confiscated and they were banished from their homes. «۴»- The Ba`athist regime of Iraq. «۵»- Rida Khan. «۶»- In one of Imam Khomeini's writings he described the destruction of the theological center in this way:" Everyone has seen that the anti-religious propaganda was so widespread that most of the national newspapers occupied their own time and that of their readers with this matter and in whatever way possible they instilled irreligious ideas into the people Propagation by the clergy was impossible during those twenty years. Holding gatherings for the propagation of religion was viewed (by the authorities) as being as bad as if not worse than, drug smuggling. Theological centers throughout the country which were the fountainhead of this propagation were taken over and either shut down or turned into centers of corruption for the youth. The Marvy Religious School, from which thousands of clergy had graduated, was converted into a place for a few Armenians. The Sepahsalar Religious School was given over to a few young people and renamed the Mawqoufa School for their reform training and remains so even now." See Nahdat-e Rouhaniyyoun-e Iran, vol.۲, p.۳۳۷. «۷»- Mu`awiyah is quoted as saying:" I am immersed in worldly riches!" And so he was. He was the first to create an empire of Arab aristocracy. The Green Palace, where he lived, was luxurious. It was a wonder to the eye. The walls, columns and floor of the palace hall were inlaid with expensive stones of yellow, black and white. His throne was carved out of white marble. In the year ۶۸۰ CE when Mu`awiyah wanted to celebrate the twentieth year of his rule, half his body was paralyzed and he spoke with difficulty. When he died he was buried in a small grave.