Interviewer: French Channel One TV
Question: [Will you partake in a transitional government with the Shah present? On what condition?]
Answer: With the presence of the Shah, we will not partake in any type of government, whether transitional or non-transitional, and we will not accept any conditions.
Q: [Aren't you afraid that the political and economic crises may worsen upon the departure of the Shah?]
A: The political and economic crises will continue on with the presence of the Shah, because people will not cooperate with him. And this is what's causing the crises. If the Shah leaves, the crises will obviate.
Q: [Has the recent uprising and movement not been or is it not being conducted and supported by a Marxist ideology?]
A: Not at all, it has not been, it is not being and it will not be. And nobody will accept their support.
Q: [Will you allow the support of a communist country?]
A: We are seeking independence, and won't accept the support of any country, and we are not under the protection of any country.
Q: [Can Islam guarantee freedom and social growth, considering its rigid laws? Can you give an example in another country?]
A: The basic laws of Islam cannot be bent to begin with, but many of its laws can be flexible by considering certain views, and can guarantee all means of democracy. What we are looking for is an Islamic country in every aspect, which at the present time, such a country does not exist anywhere, but it has in the past.
Q: [The recent movement of Iran is said to be reflexive. What is your response?]
A: The recent movement has occurred in order to deny the reflexive actions. It is the Shah's government and the likes that have caused all aspect of reflexivity and retardation, and these are the things we want to get rid of. Our movement is a civilized and modern one.
Q: [You want the Shah to leave, can you explain why? Do you wish he'd get killed and destroyed?]
A: For the last fifty years, we have been announcing the reasons of the Shah's conviction and the need for his removal in our statements, and here, I will refer to some of them for you: It has now been over fifty years that foreign governments have imposed the Shah's father and the Shah on us in Iran. The British, according to their own confession, are the ones who brought the former Shah to power in our country. They clearly announced that issue in Radio Delhi. The present Shah wrote in one of his books:" When the allies came to Iran during the war, they selected me to be the king, and they deemed it was advisable that I would be king." «1» We have now been living under pressure and extreme strangulations for fifty years. We do not have an independent culture nor do we have an unattached army or troops; we do not have a healthy economy nor do we have befitting political directions. And as far as our culture is concerned, it is what the Shah has imposed on us by the orders of others. Our schools are often half or completely closed, and when they are open, they have been ordered to keep them backward and not let any intellectuals be produced in the country. All our media and other means of advertisement have been under the Shah's control during the last fifty years. Any type of freedom has been taken away from our people. We have not ever had a national parliament in these fifty years. At the time of Rida Khan, they changed the regime, i. e. transferring the kingship, «2» by his resorting to force. When they formed the constituent assembly, it was by the force of bayonets, and the people were totally against it. Thus, the bayonets did not allow their opposition to be expressed. Therefore, the constituent assembly that was formed under such pressure at the time of Rida Shah, was illegal. Bearing this illegality in mind it makes Rida Shah and his kingship illegal. And that makes Muhammad Rida Shah's rule illegal. In every aspect of our progress, Muhammad Rida Shah has done something to stop the process of our growth. He has not let our culture become modern. He has brought our army under other army's supervision. It is the American advisors that run our army. Our economy has been totally destroyed. Iran's agriculture has been destroyed and the oil is being overused and wasted, and since they are giving too much of that away, that will soon be finished too. If Muhammad Rida Shah stays in power, our country will face poverty and destruction in a few years. Therefore, as long as he is in power, we won't be free and won't progress, so he must go.