In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Shah's big crimes
During the time that I was out of Iran, I had always prayed for your well-being. And now, that I have returned in the company of the gentlemen here to be at your service, to be at the service of the clergy, to be at the service of the great Islamic scholars and the learned ones, to be at the service of the Iranian society, I see that the black-bearded friends whom I left behind have grey beards now. We knew certain individuals who were healthy and strong before they left us to go to prison. But when they came out, those who survived and had served their prison term have grown old, infirm and ill. All this lost manpower is worse than anything else. Among all the treacherous acts that the Pahlavi dynasty had committed against our society, no other acts of treason can be graver than their having destroyed our active manpower, or having rendered it inactive for a long period. Those who should have been at the service of the community, such as the great religious scholars and the intellectuals, had been taken to prison and detained for five, ten, or fifteen years. Think of all the suffering they (Shah's cabals) have inflicted upon them, think of the inhuman acts they have done to these men of God and think of the manpower that had been destroyed and which should have been active in the society: if they were teachers, they could educate a number of people; if they were students, they could receive education; if they were involved in political activities, they could carry out political activities; if they dealt with religious activities then they could carry out their religious activities. All of this work force has been destroyed.
The issue of the Shah's" repentance"
Every now and then, well, actually it was said, and is being said, that the Shah has come to repent, and has actually done so! Well, what do you (the Imam) have to say? God accepts repentance, so what else do you want to say!? Firstly, as I have reiterated time and again, repentance has certain conditions to be met and unless such conditions are fulfilled, God, the Blessed and Exalted, will not accept it. What God, the Blessed and Exalted accepts unconditionally are those things that are relevant to divine rights: for instance, those who did not perform the obligatory prayers, those who did not fast, those who did not perform the hajj, if these people repent, their repentance requires no conditions and God will accept it. However, if (his offence involves the trampling of) the people's rights, his repentance will not be accepted unless he compensates for them. You claim that this person (the Shah) has repented. I assume that it is true- will he accept to return the wealth that he had stolen from the people and expiate all the iniquities, such as the plundering that he had committed? Assuming that he does such a thing and that he possesses wealth to compensate for the loot he has taken- the nation's wealth cannot be given back to the nation to compensate for what they had plundered! Everything belongs to the nation; it is not theirs. They looted and pillaged the national wealth and ran off with it and stashed it away in foreign banks.
The Shah's inexpiable crimes
If we lay our hands on him, we will put him on trial.(If) wecan we will bring him here and try him, that is if they extradite him, we will put him on trial in person; if they do not extradite him, then we will try him in absentia, and we will condemn him! We will retrieve the amount he has left here in Iran. Regarding his money in banks, we will announce that he has been condemned and that money belongs to the nation; the banks do not have any right to give Muhammad Rida anything that he had plundered from the people. Very well, now we will assume that he has personal wealth and that this personal wealth has been handed down to him as inheritance from his father; now, he uses this personal wealth to expiate for his loot. But how can he atone for the ten years of imprisonment that one has served and the manpower that has been wasted? Who can compensate for ten years or five years of prison terms of the clergy or scholars or our political dignitaries whose potentials have been wasted? That is, they were detained in a cell until their vitality and strength wasted away. These (crimes) are inexpiable! Who will compensate for one who has lost everything of his life? Who will compensate for the injury inflicted upon individuals and the pain that has tormented the hearts of the faithful, the old men, women and youth? If a human being takes the life of another, he is meted out the death punishment. If a person has killed thousands, how could he expiate for that? And these thousands were the best children of this homeland, the best children of Islam who were killed in prison cells- and whose legs were sawed off! We do not have inside information about prisons; we have but a little information. We have no knowledge of what exactly goes on and what went on with the people inside the prisons. We can only see the leg of someone from among the clergy sawed off; some had been broiled in a pan, that is, they ran electricity on the surface of something, and made the prisoner lie on it and tortured him with an electric shock. Assume that he is killed, and in expiation for it, we have taken one life; what about the other lives that have been lost in this way?
The thesis that `the Shah should reign but not rule'
How can we accept the repentance of one person and say that he reigns as the king, but should not rule! What answer do we give to that old woman who has lost four of her children- just the night before she and her husband were seated around the tablecloth with their four children, and tonight there are but her and her husband! What answer do we give them? Shall we say: Let `His Imperial Majesty' remain seated at the top; and on feasts, the imperial court's religious scholars come and wish him well, together with the military officers and all the people who would take part in such ceremonies and acknowledge him as `His Imperial Majesty. ' And in our country, he does nothing but eating and walking about; that is, he does whatever he wants!
We assume that his repentance is real ... but we know that this (repentance) is nothing but a gimmick in order to deceive us and persuade us to allow him to reign but not rule until the time that the revolution fizzles out! Once the revolution is snuffed out, he will unsheathe his sword and sever all of your legs- that is, no religious scholar, political dignitaries, academicians or theology schools will be spared. This is a plot; it was a plot. Now, we are afflicted with another conspiracy.
A kaleidoscope of chicanery
You have all witnessed from the start how many different sorts of chicanery they have resorted to. They wanted to deceive. One man came forth and declared before the people:
"O `ulama'! O great religious authorities! O `ulama' of the world, and what not! We had committed something and we had made a mistake; now, we regret our mistake! These very same `ulama' of the world and the great religious authorities that he said were like" defiled beasts" and should be shunned;" «1» the same `ulama' of the world that this man was referring to as worms wriggling in filth. «2» This was his logic then! Now that his tail has been caught in a snare, he is playing the cunning fox and calling them the `ulama' of the world and the great religious authorities! Is not this anything but chicanery? This very person that was addressing the `ulama' of the world and the great religious authorities and (would act repentant) before the people and the nation, this same person installed a military government that very day! This person seems to take us to be very ignorant! Or, perhaps he is so stupid that he thinks that everybody is just like him! That same day, that same day and night, he held his repentance letter in one hand and a bayonet in the other and beat the people with it! Is this repentance? Can we say he has repented now? Let us accept it and assume that this man has repented- has he become pious and a Muslim?
Now, after this man had said these words and before that he created the `conciliation government'- `conciliation government' is the same one which had shed the blood of a crowd of people and the youth. With this" conciliation" of theirs, now they have installed another one to run the country. Of course, it was not him who did it, it was America! All our misfortunes are rooted in America, in the USSR and in Britain. Now, they have brought another one «3» at the helm, armed with" nationalism and freedom-seeking" slogans- the same freedom-seeking slogans that this wretched man was blabbering about saying" free women and free men" and the freedom that they would grant! That same freedom that he said he had granted the nation, while machine guns, cannons and tanks were behind him.
Divine grace upon oppressors and traitors?!
Mister, the government is one that has derived from and that has its origin from a dethroned king- a king that is a traitor; a king that is the son of Rida Shah, who formed a Parliament at bayonet point. This much we remember that the Parliament that was established was formed at bayonet point. When a parliament is formed through the coercion of the bayonet, is it a legitimate one?
This is one reason is that this man's monarchy is illegal. Another reason that his monarchial rule is illegal is to say that the monarchy is a" divine grace" based upon the Constitution, which is sheer nonsense. It is an absurdity to say that the monarchy is a divine grace that the nation grants to" His Imperial Majesty". Supposing that it is" divine grace," what does it mean then to say," The nation grants it"? How can it be possible that God bestows his divine grace to an oppressor?! How can God, the Blessed and Exalted, confirm someone who has annihilated multitudes of Muslims, and has committed all these treacherous acts against Islam and Muslims?! Bestow His grace upon him? Or, favor him?
Even if we relinquish this idea and (believe that the monarchy) is a divine grace that the nation has granted to someone; this very same nation that you are now witnessing is saying" No!"; so that nullifies it! This nation had never granted it. You say that it has. The nation has never wanted them (the Pahlavis); Rida Shah came to power through coercion and formed the Parliament at bayonet point and the succeeding Parliaments in the same way. When was the Parliament ever" our" Parliament? This very same wretched man «4» himself said that the Parliaments they formed were originated from the embassies and lists (of members) were brought to him! But now (he is saying that) it is no longer this way! Now, the country has become very powerful. This is not the case anymore! He is making a fool of himself! If one of the members of the Parliament that we now have- the Parliamentary assembly and the Senate- steps forward and declare that he is the nation's (elected) representative we will take him by the hand to the very same people that he claims he is a representative of and will ask them if he really is their representative. They do not even know who he is! He is the representative of Muhammad Rida Khan! The (foreign) embassies have told him to designate these representatives. What sort of government will spring from such a Parliament which holds no legitimacy and whose monarch holds no legitimacy? Will a (legitimate) government be born out of an illegitimate monarchand Parliament?! Just recently, this man «5» referred to this very same Parliament as illegal prior to his designation and appointment to his present position and said that it was from the Rastakhiz Party «6» and was therefore illegal. Why is he now saying that it is legal?
The punishment meted out of an illegitimate government
If a person illegally holds a position at the helm of the government, it is a punishable offence. If a representative occupies a seat at the Parliament without being elected by the people, and wants to get involved in managing the affairs, it is a punishable offence. Punishment must be meted out to all of these people. Such circumstances prevailed in Iran and are still prevailing. Now, that vicious creature (the Shah) has gone, his moribund remnant has remained here and is saying the same words and nonsense. Now they want to deceive us by saying that they will accept whatever the nation says and will never pass over whatever the nation dictates and that they will obey the nation and will uphold freedom! If you (the Shah) really obey the nation, well, this is the nation; this is what the Iranian nation wants, except ten, twenty, fifty or perhaps a hundred club-wielding hooligans whom you had ordered to be paid, I mean those whom you pay and unleash them upon the people. Or the family of the employee who was under the (regime's) supervision and who came forth, shouting slogans so vulgar that they themselves were ashamed «7» to hear them! Those were the slogans of that regime and these are slogans of our nation. Have these been said at bayonet point!? Aren't they the nation?! Aren't these people who are all shouting" Death to this monarchy!" and" Death to this man!" «8» the Iranian nation? Have all of them entered from across the borders with false identity cards? Have all these men entered with false identity cards? Do all these people (marching) here every day hold false identity cards? Do all of these people of the villages and cities, who are crying out that they do not want this corrupt monarchy, come from across the borders with false identity cards? They (the government) should desist from this. If they really feel compassion for the nation, they should step aside.
Turmoil and unrest caused by the agents of the illegitimate government
You saw the multitude of people yesterday; and today throngs of people came all the way from this side of the city to as far as Behesht-e-Zahra (cemetery), all this huge crowd! Is it against the law? Is it an infringement of justice? Are they doing something wrong? Say so, if they are. Why do such things sometimes occur? It occurs because the government agents who are not part of this multitude realize that they cannot stand within this crowd because they will be swept off by it. Then, there will no longer be unrest or perturbation; marches will be peaceful; people's movement will be peaceful; everything will be peaceful. But then the agents enter the scene: and when they enter the scene, they have orders to" Beat up the people, go ahead break their doors, chase them and bash them with your rifles and all sorts of things!"
You (the government) step aside. If you want stability in the region and if you want Iran to have stability and peace, you step aside and we will set things right. You are obstructing the region, or this nation, or this country from becoming peaceful; you are causing all this unrest! You have let loose thieves here and they are looting and bludgeoning the people. You have reduced Najafabad to utter ruins. You have indulged in an unrestrained killing spree massacring people in Tabriz, Qum, Tehran, Qazvin and all the cities, the names of which I cannot name one by one, and have created this maelstrom. You have caused all this (pandemonium). If you step aside and leave the people alone, they will not fight you; the people are peace loving and they are Muslims. They know that Islamic rules do not allow these actions. Step aside. Start from tomorrow. Relinquish your post. You are of the common people; you are not a prime minister or a Parliamentarian or anybody else. You are ordinary person like the rest of the people, because your post is not an official one. You are an ordinary person, though you are a usurper, we say that you have been compelled to commit all these misdeeds. I say that you have been coerced, because the same people and governments, which were supporting the Shah, were also supporting this man. They (America) dispatched (an emissary) for what? They say in order to support this man «9» here. They told the army to support this government. If he is a nationalist one, which is impossible because America tramples upon nationalism as it has done so in the past- if he were a nationalist, America would never confirm him nor would Britain. Now, suddenly they have become nationalists whose hearts bleed for the people's welfare. But no, aren't all these that they are committing, the same plundering, the same treachery and the same shenanigans that Muhammad Rida Khan would resort to? Now, this chicanery is meant either to reinstall that puppet, or to keep these half-dead governments, the monarchial regime, and such inanities, perhaps because of having grown despondent of him.
The monarchial regime is against the law and wisdom
The monarchial regime has never been in conformity with wisdom from its very inception. It is against the law and against the constitution! It is stipulated in the constitution and human rights charter that each nation should determine its destiny, meaning that at the present time, we should take our destiny in our own hands. It is not within our right to determine the destiny of our descendants. Our descendants will live after us; they will have their own destiny, which they should hold in their own hands; not in yours or mine.
If" monarchial regime" means that a monarch should himself be (i.e. the king), and the nation designates him to be so, this regime is not monarchial; he is a monarch that is designated by the people to be the king. However, assuming that our people designate the king and his successor, your destiny is in your hands. You made the king your ruler because you were living during that time. Very well; but what right do you have to designate someone's successor to rule over somebody else? What right do our fathers have to determine our destiny? The monarchial regime does not conform to the constitution or the human rights; therefore, it should not exist. The monarchial regime is corrupt, all of it. Assuming that it is a just one, still it is not in congruity with human rights. The situation in the country has hitherto been an indescribable, nameless hodgepodge of events. We are at a loss for words to name it. Actually, it is not known what it is. Let us call the country a constitutional one; but this is not constitutional, it is dictatorial. But the regime is not dictatorial.
The gravity of the current situation of Iran
I would like to inform you, gentlemen and the nation of Iran that our country has entered a critical situation that has plunged this nation between life and death. Either we remain captives forever and let Islam and the religious laws fall prey in the hands of the depraved clique, or we attain victory with our own hands. Our affairs vacillate between these two premises. Any individual member of the nation who declines to join these is a traitor. It is tantamount to treachery against Islam; he is betraying Islam and the country. If we do not grab these people by their coat tails and fling them out of the arena, they will bring the Shah back and all our resources will be handed gratuitously to America and the foreigners. And now that they have understood that Islam, Muslims and the clergy are the forces obstructing them, this time, God forbid, if they regain dominance over the country, nothing will be left of the clergy or Islam. When the situation reaches this critical point, who will oppose (them)? Who can remain silent? Silence means acquiescence. The traitor is the silent one. Today is not the day that you should sit in your homes and tell yourself that my duty now is to go, for instance, to my shop and then come back, or go the mosque and then come back, or preach at the pulpit and then come back home. Today is not that day. If that were the case, then I would be in Qum busy with my studies and discourses and learning from the `ulama'. Gentlemen, this time it is different!
Upholding justice is one of the important responsibilities
The present time is a matter of importance. It is an important issue for which life has to be sacrificed. It is as important as the one for which the Doyen of the Martyrs «10» (Imam Husayn) had immolated his life; as important as the one for which the Prophet of Islam strived for twenty-three years, and as important as the one for which Hadrat Amir, «11» may God's peace be upon him' fought Mu`awiyah «12» for eighteen months while the latter lay claims on being Islamic, and because he was a tyrant, he was an oppressive entity that had to be toppled. He lost so many of his great companions, and also killed so many (of the enemy). What for? In order to uphold the truth; in order to uphold justice.
We must uphold justice. It is not an excuse to say that we possess no power; the nation is our power- this nation which stood before tanks with their fists and were killed. We, of course, hold them in high esteem and send them benediction. We will also get killed, God willing. This is not a time to keep silent; this is a time to take action. No one in any position or of any status should remain silent. This outcry of the people- you can see how loudly men and women are crying out. «13» These are your support, may God reward your endeavors. If it were not for them, we would have never taken a single step. They are the driving force that makes us take action.
A message to the army
I am telling the army that we want your welfare. We are not (saying) we do not want the army to be in this world; we are telling you not to be servants, not to have these foreign advisers or Israeli officials ruling over you. This is what we are saying. This is our logic. We are crying out that we want independence; we want military independence. Our military does not have independence. This is our cry. Gentlemen (of the army) we are saying that we want you to be your own ruler, to be independent. But then here comes somebody, say the army or a certain general or a fellow (i.e. a military official) resisting us! And their resistance means that they do not want to rule and that they wish to be servants! We want you to be real gentlemen! We are crying out and striving to make you real gentlemen. Some of these people who are, were and have become, devoid of any human nature, are saying that they do not want to be (free and independent)! We definitely have to be under the control of American and Israeli military advisers!
Dependent economy
We are saying that we have to set our economy right. You (the people) saw how those people in position, those involved with the monarchy, the government, and the like devoured the people's assets. They pushed the economy backward. They have afflicted the nation with difficulties, and we are heedless. Now, we do not have any agriculture. Our resources would have been depleted had this man (the Shah) stayed in power a few more years. Iran would be reduced to a country with no resources, a country without anything. Oil is our resource- and they have plundered all of it and yet at the same time would declare that the oil would be depleted within ten or twenty years! And then what shall we have when all the oil is exhausted? Many promises are being made, of course. One promise is that he would industrialize the country! Which industry have you established? You have erected these steel mills in order to bring in a Soviet clique to rule over you! You did not do anything. You got and brought everything here, pieced them together- an assembled commodity! Your" industry" is no real industry. We have neither agriculture, nor culture.
A colonial and subservient culture
Gentlemen, they (monarchial regime) have dissipated our manpower. Our culture is a colonial one that had retarded the growth of manpower. They want to confine it within certain limits and never let it grow. They do not allow any manpower development. When I was in France, people from around would come to me; for instance, a few gentlemen working at an atomic power plant from Germany came several times and brought up some issues saying that they (Shah's regime) would not let these gentlemen understand anything. They had dispatched a few hundred people and wanted to construct an atomic power plant for themselves. They also added that the Shah's regime would not let them learn anything. Moreover, they stated that the plant they are constructing is deleterious to the country. Those who were working there had told us that this project was damaging to the country; it puts the country in peril! To whatever place you point your finger, you will see the name of Muhammad Rida Khan and his treachery written on it! The marks of Muhammad Rida and his treasonous acts are imprinted on whatever part of the army you put your finger on, on the American advisers who came here, on the culture and its retarded state, and on our agriculture. They have gratuitously gifted our verdurous pasturage to so and so, and then termed it" nationalization!" By" nationalization," they mean dishing out one vast pastureland, which is said to be the most fertile one, to the Queen of England and to some others associated with her! Our pastureland is decimated, or given away to spongers. Our jungles were doled out to some others. By" nationalization", they mean severing popular involvement in affairs and endowing land to foreigners!
Continuation of the struggle: a religious and logical necessity
We cannot imagine the treacheries they had committed against us. If, God willing, a just regime comes to power, if accountability is to be determined, and a free pen to jot down at least what they have plundered, we will then understand what issues these newspapers are involved in that we have no knowledge of, and what problems these people living in isolation know of that we do not. They have driven the country into non-existence. It is rationally and religiously incumbent upon us at this moment in time to follow up this matter and bring the movement that has taken root in Iran to fruition. Let us sever the hands of the foreigners off the national treasury, off religious matters and put an end to the repression that has plagued us, and which was quite severe. Let us root out repression and make the country our very own, run it and build it." We cannot manage the affairs of the country?!" «14» Do we have to steal? Do we surely have to be thieves in order to run the country? We have so many sincere and educated people living abroad and inside the country, who are well versed in all aspects and have been educated abroad, who are knowledgeable and trustworthy. We will oust one thief and replace him with an honest person. Will the country be in shambles?!" No, the issue of transition should take place legally!" They are so ignorant that they do not understand that the issue is that of the revolution; it is not one regime replacing another! The issue is revolution. These statements do not have room in a revolution. The revolutionary council or the one who initiated the revolution can accomplish this task. The same events have repeatedly occurred in the world. The Iraqi regime, for instance, or the Afghan regime, which has recently come into existence in Afghanistan, was typical of a revolution and the world acknowledged it. It was brought neither by a popular vote nor by anything else." No, in a revolution war has to be waged." We have been fighting for two years. The people have confronted the firearms of the regime with cold weapons and their fists. Do warring parties have to be of equal strength! What nonsense are they talking about?!
Advice to the army and the government
I advise the army to be in solidarity with the nation. It is to your and the country's benefit that you be united with the nation. The country belongs to you; the nation belongs to you and you belong to the nation. Be the nation's servants. Desist from committing wrongdoings that some hooligans among you used to do. Repent. God accepts repentance and so does the nation. Your crime is not that serious that the nation does not accept your repentance. The crime you have committed is of a different nature. Return to the nation's embrace. A group (among you) has already done so. An honorable group (of military men), namely military personnel from Isfahan, Tehran, Hamedan, Khorasan and other places, have joined the nation and declared that it is in agreement and solidarity with the nation. You also do the same. There is nothing to it.
I also have a piece of advice to the government: Hey, you mister (Bakhtiyar) you are but an ordinary person; step down before you lose your face! (He says,)" I won't budge due to my obstinate streak!" Why should a human being be obstinate and toy with the destiny of one nation and flout (the nation's plea) only because" I am a Lori «15», so I am a stubborn one." Do you have to be slapped on the nape before you step out of the scene? Come forth and repent like a human being. Acknowledge the truth in the nation's words. It is the nation's command that should, and will, prevail.
I implore the Exalted and Blessed God to grant you success. I hope that God bestows health upon you and make us succeed so that we can serve you and you can serve God.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.