In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
"Lo we are Allah's and lo! Unto Him we are returning."
I wish to thank all of the strata of Iran's oppressed people who have shown their kindness and sympathy on this unexpected happening. The principal religious authorities- may their blessings last; distinguished spiritual leaders- may their existence endure; the respected preachers; scholars; the teachers and students of theology; the deprived intellectuals; the merchants and traders who are under the pressure of the usurping government and all other classes of the oppressed Iranians, may God Almighty always assist them; I thank them all.
We are confronting tremendous difficulties and heart-rending woes in the face of which we should not mention our personal calamities. However, these massive demonstrations «1» at this juncture were the answer in words and action to the absurdities of many years of this unworthy element who undermined the prestige, dignity, independence and economy of this great and noble nation for the sake of his own and his plundering family's desires. These demonstrations were not for any person; they were the manifestations of abhorrence for the despotic establishment, the real referendum and no-confidence vote for the treacherous set-up. They should know that if they are not protected by the bayonets of the foreigners for even a single day, the noble nation of Iran will avenge the blood of their youth and dear ones. I am obliged to give notice of a great danger and save the nation from being misled and tricked by the foreigners and their agents. This recent indulgence on the part of the establishment, which gave the opportunity to the writers to write and the speakers to speak, is a big ruse to absolve the Shah and pretend that there is freedom. It is also to attribute the atrocities to the government which is nothing but a tool. The writers, in this suppressive and intimidating atmosphere, cannot make it known that the locus of the atrocities is the Shah himself. Perhaps, there are even among their own writers, mingling with the decent ones, those who attack the government and mention some of the atrocities. So, they divert the people's attention from the crucial issues of crimes and treacheries, and sway the opinion of those who are simple-minded and credulous whereas all the difficulties of the Iranian nation during these fifty years of the rule of the illegitimate, traitorous Pahlavi dynasty were and are being caused by that dishonorable father and this dishonorable son. These were and are the ones whose hands are stained up to their elbows with the blood of the oppressed nation. That father who perpetrated the massacre at Gowharshad Mosque and disrespected the holy shrine of the Thamin al-Hujjaj (`a), «2» and this son who perpetrated the massacre of Khordad 15 and disrespected the holy shrine of Fatimah Ma`soumah. That father who, for the" crime" of telling the truth, imprisoned, tortured, exiled and killed the prominent `ulama', the leading jurist-consults and the freedom-seekers, and this son who meted out the same treatment in a harsher manner to the `ulama', orators, freedom-seekers, intellectuals and all the other classes. That father who so deprived the nation of its freedom that neither the people nor the Majlis and media had the right to utter a single word of the truth, and this son whom all the people can see for what he is and who are aware of the state of the various classes of the people, the Majlis and the media. That father who forcibly seized all properties in the north from the people, imprisoning, banishing and killing them and registering their properties in his own name. And this son, who has accumulated the reserves of the nation in foreign banks and, with his family and relations, has sucked and is sucking the blood of the people to the last drop. That father, with all his atrocities and treacheries, we saw and underwent suffering. And now you and we are encountering and suffering from the atrocities of this true son! Now they want to give this person a clean image so that he can continue with his crimes. They want to calm the simple souls by giving limited freedom in the context of attributing the atrocities to the government, so influencing the clear minds of the people and making them forget the kernel of the crimes and treacheries, heedless of the fact that the time has passed and that the nation, from the clergy and university fraternity to the ranks of the laborers and cultivators, man and woman, have become vigilant. It is impossible that these people, who have suffered and have experienced tragedies, come to terms with this dynasty and consent to the continuation of the illegitimate monarchy even for a single day.
The Iranian nation is Muslim and wants Islam- Islam under the protection of which there is freedom and independence; where the agents of foreigners are eliminated; the strongholds of oppression and corruption eradicated; the hands of criminals and traitors severed. The nation does not want that dynasty which has handed over all its sanctities and destinies to foreigners, has squandered all its oil and other resources, has ruined the country's economy, has undermined the agriculture, has handed over the authority of the army to American officials and specialists, giving them immunity and full authority, as well as the crimes and treacheries that will be recorded in history in the future. Now with all the mess there is, as he finds himself in a quandary because of the exigencies of the time and the economic, social and political crises, he is planning to extricate himself from the imbroglio by giving limited, meaningless freedoms, so consolidating his position and preparing the stage that would allow him to continue his rule. Then he will again commence his fierce attacks more brutal and painful, neither sparing sower nor seed. It is now the duty of all the Muslims, especially the distinguished spiritual leaders, the intellectuals and the university students of the traditional and modern sciences, to avail themselves of this opportunity to say and write what must be said- informing the international authorities and all the communities of people- in defense of dear Islam and its life-sustaining precepts that guarantee freedom and independence, and also in defense of their great country, the cradle of great and freedom-loving people, that is now on the verge of collapse. It is also the duty of the army and its heads to deliver themselves from ignominy of subjugation to foreigners, and save their country from destruction and disintegration. Finally, I would like to impress upon you that the worthy and committed people who have the initiative should positively refrain from letting themselves be known and should be guided by previous experiences, engaging themselves in activities in the refuge of Islam and in the framework of Islamic tenets. They should desist from cooperating with those whose activities are not a hundred percent within this framework. I pray to God, the Exalted, for the magnificence of Islam and the Muslims, and hope that the hands of the foreigners be severed. I pray for the health, success and God's assistance for all the people. May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini
Dhou'l-Qa`dah al-Haram 29,1397 AH