Interviewer: A reporter of Amsterdam weekly magazine
Question: [What do you see wrong with the Shah, his legitimacy, strangulations, or his social and economic performance?]
Answer: Firstly, the reign of the Shah as was his father's has been against the will of the nation to start with, and secondly, the foreigners have imposed them on us in order to protect their own interests. Therefore, his economic, political, cultural and military plans have all been against the nation's interests, and their damaging results are now observed in every field.
Q: [Why doesn't the Shah's change of direction satisfy you? Wouldn't the people of Iran be satisfied with the purging of the military? How are you going to resist the army?]
A: Under the pressure exerted by the nation, the Shah has submitted himself to this change of direction, and in order to free himself out of the deadlock he is trapped in, so this way, he could ease the wrath of the people, and start his treachery once again after reinforcement. But no army or any other power can face the nation. Has the Shah not been imposing his rule on the nation by relying on the army so far? And we see that he has been defeated.
Q: [If the monarchy falls apart, how are you going to build up your Islamic republic from the bottom and be certain that those who took advantage of the Shah's regime wouldn't benefit from the changes once again?]
A: By relying on Islamic instructions and enforcing its laws, we would, on one hand, try in every aspect to cut off the corrupt hands, and on the other hand, to obliterate corrupt motives. And we would also oblige all people to immediately prevent any deviation from Islam anywhere they notice it within any rank, from the lowest to the highest. So in this way, corruption would be prevented from increasing, and the corrupt elements would lose any all opportunity.
Q: [What does returning to the laws of the Qur'an mean as far as women, illiterates as well as entertainment- alcohol, movies, etc.- are concerned?]
A: In an Islamic system, women can actively cooperate with men in building an Islamic society, but they will not be used as objects. Neither do they have the right to degrade themselves, nor do men have the right to hold such a concept of them. And about anything considered as entertainment, Islam opposes anything which makes man feel empty and alienated from himself. Drinking of wine is prohibited in Islam. Movies that cause man's deviation from his sublime morals are prohibited.
Q: [What are your plans regarding land reforms, industrializations and selling raw materials such as oil, and what is your position concerning OPEC and the Arab war?]
A: Iran can quickly solve its agricultural problems such that the farmers can have a standard of living in line with others, and also the country can become self-sufficient as relates to food. And we will work on industrializing the country, though, not on assembly industries which have not only caused more dependency on foreigners, but also, have taken the majority of the poor and the deprived into the service of a bunch of capitalist aggressors.
Q: [Are you interested in leaving France for another European country once your tourist visa has expired in two months? Would you go to the Netherlands?]
A: My stay in Paris is temporary, and I will leave as soon as I find an Islamic country where I can continue my activities.
Q: [What do you think of the delivery of the Dutch ship to the Iranian naval forces while the country is already severely armed by America?]
A: The unchangeable principle is that our foreign policy must be based on maintaining the country's freedom and independence, as well as protecting the nation's interests. However, under such circumstances, the technical authorities of the selected government would look into the matters in the future and the government would come up with a decision.