In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
I am in mourning for the great tragedy that caused the death of a large number of our brothers and sisters. The Tabas earthquake pains and saddens every human being. It is essential that the zealous Muslims directly assist their brothers. They should not let the government functionaries handle anything and should exclude the plunderers from the scene. However, I find it necessary to point out at this critical juncture to the esteemed people of Iran that the government and the Shah's organs of propaganda are using the opportunity to deceive the people. Those who mercilessly massacred thousands of our fine children yesterday and plunged the nation into grief have now started their passion play in order to mislead the public. They are shedding crocodile tears for the victims of the quake and have proclaimed countrywide mourning. Those who machine-gunned the dear Muslims, the followers of the Holy Qur'an, and according to what is well-known, were assisted by Israeli troops in massacring the brave, defenseless people of Tehran- more than four thousand of whom are said to have been killed- and, after the massacre, called the victims communists and Marxists, have now became sympathetic towards the nation.
Yesterday they said that a bunch of saboteurs with forged passports had come from abroad and carried out acts of sabotage and, thereby, portrayed the people as being foreigners. Today they are calling the demonstrators, who shouted slogans all over the country against dictatorship and who showed their resentment of the Shah, a bunch of Marxists and communists. The people of Iran- the clergy, the politicians, businessmen and traders, workers and farmers- whose slogan is" Death to the Shah", are communists! Only the Shah and his parasitical hangers-on- who dealt and are dealing in such a way with the Muslim nation that not even Genghis did- are Muslims and Iranians!
Muslims of Iran! Be vigilant; do not allow earthquakes, floods, and other factors to divert you from your path. Do not listen to the regime's misleading propaganda. Continue with the Islamic movement and do not rest until the apparatus of despotism and dictatorship has been dismantled. The dignified clergy should discharge their heavy, divine duty and warn the people at this critical time that the Shah, using the earthquake as an excuse, has started exploiting the situation. The statesmen, the intellectuals and the university authorities should fulfill their Islamic and national obligations, and not allow the movement to be diverted by the clamorous propaganda. In its support of the Shah, the government, in spite of explicitly declaring its responsibility for the merciless massacres all ever Iran, has now resorted to pernicious propaganda. The people however will not be deceived by this propaganda and will take their revenge against him. With the declaration of support (for the Shah) by those who have a history of plunder, the great Muslim nation of Iran should not give way to fear and apathy, which, of course, they will not. By relying on the Omnipotent God and on their own rightfulness, they will assuredly be victorious.
Now that our brothers have lost their homes and protectors in the countrywide massacres and in the earthquake-affected regions; now that the mud-built town of Tabas has collapsed on the heads of our brothers; now that those who were injured in the countrywide demonstrations are suffering from want of food and medicine, it is incumbent on our brothers-in-faith to assume their guardianship and to provide them with the means of comfort as fast as possible. They should not be content with the loud proclamations of the government; they should not contribute to their relief fund which will achieve nothing save the acquisition of riches on the part of the concerned officials. They are asked to convey my mournful message of condolence on this great misfortune to the bereaved. I pray to God the Almighty for the freedom and independence of the country, and the amelioration of the condition of the Muslims. May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini