Interviewer: A reporter of the Radio BBC English service
Question: [Your Eminence, you have several times asked the people to overthrow the Shah's regime. What are your reasons for such a call? Is it primarily due to political reasons, or because of degeneration of Islam and Islamic values? What are the ideological bases of your Islamic movement?]
Question: [Your Eminence, you have several times asked the people to overthrow the Shah's regime. What are your reasons for such a call? Is it primarily due to political reasons, or because of degeneration of Islam and Islamic values? What are the ideological bases of your Islamic movement?]
Answer: Islam is a religion that has both political and non-political aspects. And the Shah, whom we are opposing, is both against our Islamic policies that are the policies of our country as well as against our religious affairs. And due to these two aspects we oppose the Shah. He has both transgressed and affronted the religion and committed treason against the country in his life. And due to these reasons the entire nation is against him.
Q: [If Your Eminence succeeds in overthrowing the Shah, what kind of government will replace the monarchy? Will it be a military government?]
A: An Islamic Republic. It will be republican because it is based on the votes of the majority of the people, and it will be Islamic because its constitution is derived from the Islamic laws. Islam has its laws regarding all aspects and therefore we do not need any other law. We will amend the present constitution, that is, those parts that are compatible with Islam will be retained and those parts that are incongruent with Islam will be deleted.
Q: [The Shah's intelligence service says that you are united with the international communists who are not monotheists. What is your answer to these accusations?]
A: Our answer is that Islam is never compatible with communism and the nation of Islam has never been in agreement with the communists. It has been observed throughout history that the Muslims have been separated, and if there had been any communist in Iran, their issues have not been confirmed by the Muslims. In the ongoing movement of Iran, everybody witnesses that the entire nation has brought the issue of Islam to the fore; there is no communist issue in this process. Therefore, the Shah is only slandering. This is an attempt to protect himself.
Q: [Is not the Ayatullah worried about war, bloodshed and massacre when you invite the people to struggle against the government?]
A: Of course making sacrifices is necessary for the acquisition of any right. The Shi`ah school has been a religion of devotion and the people throughout history have always risen up and offered their lives in order to restore their lost rights. We are not worried in this regard, for we are obeying God.
Q: [Do you think that we are living in an era of Islamic revivalism? Will the movement that has begun in Iran emerge in other countries? If yes, why?]
A: What we understand is that the Muslims have witnessed some problems created by the East and West that have been against their interests. For sometime too they have been entangled in self-alienation due to the Western propaganda. The Islamic movement today has transformed them and they have realized that they should rely on themselves and turn to Islam. They have also realized that it is only Islam that safeguards their interests. I hope that the Muslims of other countries take a lesson from the experiences of the Iranian Muslims, rebuff the West, stand on their own feet, and through holding fast to Islam restore their past dignity.
Q: [The people of most parts of the world do not understand your power and ask: what is this power? Where does this power stem from?]
A: The people have felt that we are their well-wishers, that we speak out what is in their mind and invite them to those very issues. They are also religiously attached to us and our power stems from this secret.