Speech [Foreign conspiracies and propaganda]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Before anything else, I would like to express my gratitude to the professors and students who have come here enabling us to meet. Regretfully, during the previous period they (defunct regime) had sown seeds of discord between the university, that is all the universities, and us. Thus, we had never been granted with such a great opportunity to meet during this period. Now, it is the first encounter. I hope that the liaison between the clergy and the university people, which itself is spiritual, will last.

You, gentlemen, are aware that this kind of discord which has emerged, and will emerge if allowed, among factions in Iran, is the result of the problems caused by the foreigners who had launched studies finding what centers could educate people, and ought to crush. Therefore, they delved into extensive studies of the material as well as spiritual aspects of our people's lives, and their experts became involved in such studies for over two hundred years visiting all regions in our country and making maps of everything that existed there. They had done so with regard to the culture of all the countries that they wished to exploit. Therefore, they launched extensive studies of our universities and religious seminaries, and arrived at the conclusion that there were a few things that would prove a hurdle to their objectives. One was, of course, Islam. They realized that if Islam, with its true meanings and its true teachings, were to be implemented in these countries, they would reap no benefit and their hands would be cut off from those lands. So they had a number of people of their own, as well as from within (the land), involved in the business of presenting Islam in a distorted way. An Islam, which has risen against satanic powers right from its very inception, was presented by them as an Islam, which is at the service of such powers.

If you look at history, you will see that from the first day that the Holy Prophet rose, he did so with these very poor and oppressed people against the oppressors, feudal lords, rich caravan owners who, at the time, represented satanic (oppressive) powers. Islam and its holy leaders had stood against oppressors during all their lives.

If it is said that Islam is at the services of the oppressors and that it is the opium of the masses, it is what such enemies of Islam and those who have followed them and have been their servants have fabricated and inculcated. Such people followed this line and got involved in spreading these lies in Iran, and their supporters did the same out of the country, in such a way that such wrong notions about Islam entered the minds of many people. But it is enough for one to study at the Qur'an to see what this book, which is the documented proof of Islam, says. Anyone who studies the religion of Islam, the life and history of its prophet and the way he lived, will readily comprehend that there are numerous verses in the Qur'an regarding the battle against repressive powers, and that it had been the tradition of the holy Prophet of Islam to fight those who wanted to exploit people and force them into serving their vested interests. He rose against them right from the beginning. So, this has been a part of their propaganda. You, the scholars, must bring up such issues in the books you write and mention the discrepancies.

Another issue (in this connection) concerns clergymen. They realized that the clerics were influential people and that throughout history they had risen against bullying powers. So they decided to suppress them and make them lose their credibility before the nation. Therefore, they accused them of being affiliated to imperial courts, and that they were agents of the court, and that they were trying to stupefy people so that others could exploit them. But anyone who has studied history may bear witness to the fact that in all ages and eras those who withstood oppressors were clergymen. At the time of the Constitutional Movement, it was the clergy who rose and it was them who launched a rebellion during the Tobacco Movement. At the present time, too, you are witnessing that it is the clergymen who have risen, shed their blood, went to prisons, and were tortured and exiled. They endured all these hardships but launched this uprising.

The university was one entity that foreign powers understood would obstruct them from advancing their stratagem, if they grabbed the reins of power. So, with all their might they tried to keep our universities backward. They would not let our professors educate the youths properly or let these young people get correct education. It was because they knew that if our universities functioned properly and became independent, by the time the students left, they would become anti-colonialists. It was a ploy concocted by the foreigners to pit the universities against religion and vice versa. They positioned the universities against religious scholars and vice versa. There has not been contact between us (the clergy) and you (academicians), for many long years. That is because it was their plan to have the educational system functioning in such a way as to separate us from one another.

Now, please recite again the first verse you had read.

[The representative of the people present:" And hold fast, all of you together, to the strong rope of Allah, and do not separate" «1»]

Imam: You should take note of the contents of this very same verse. We were, almost at the state of war with each other in the past. It was due to God's graciousness that we became brothers. Now we should safeguard this brotherhood. You should have a positive view of us and we should have a positive view of you. We are all brothers, all believing in the same faith and Book, and are of the same nation.

Now, you see Iran is in disarray. They ruined Iran and left it in shambles. They destroyed our agriculture. They kept our culture backward. The state of our army was as you have witnessed. Everything we have today is in disorder and chaos. All walks of life of the nation, especially the scholars, who top them all, should join hands and forces to build up this country, which has been reduced to ruins because of the fifty-odd years of monarchial rule. They crowed, blew their trumpet about the" great civilization", and at the same time destroyed the country, and now, we can say that we actually do not have anything but a ruined, or shall I say an earthquake-stricken land. We are all duty-bound to join hands, act like brothers and build up Iran anew.

And you, gentlemen of the university, note that presently a group of those who are affiliated to foreigners and are their agents, cannot tolerate the fact that we intend to build up an independent and free Iran. This group, which is disrupting the peaceful situation, cannot bear to see an independent Iran. They wish to see Iran affiliated to either the USSR or the USA, and it seems to me that they are more related to the US under another name close to the USSR. You must guide these people; guide them if they heed your guidance. Guide our youths. Prevent the turmoil in which the Revolution is being plunged into, an Islamic revolution that has united all people. Now, a group of people is actively trying to contaminate this Revolution. Introduce them to your students, to our youths. Tell the youths that such people are foreign agents disguised as nationalists. They are but foreign lackeys. They wish to take Iran back to its previous state, but in another form. This is now a duty binding upon you. Do not let this contamination find its way into the universities. Do not allow demonstrations, which I heard were held yesterday, escalate at universities. Be aware that these demonstrations are instigated by the remnants of the defunct corrupt regime, who are posing in this way now; they are the same as the prime minister, who presented himself as a nationalist and a frequent visitor to the late Dr. Musaddiq's grave and would do things such as these. These people have now donned another mask, posing as intellectuals, etcetera. You, gentlemen, should all join hands and not allow these agitators stir up trouble in your midst or upset you, or obstruct you in the affairs, and stop you from performing your tasks independently. May God grant you all success and acquaint us with our duties. May God's peace be upon you.

[The professors' representative: We know we should not take much of your time, but we have some comments to make specifically on the points you have just touched on. Your honor, the people you just referred to are like those who drew, instead of writing the word," a snake" and then told the people that this drawing is a better way of depicting the" snake." Using such tactics, they make use of obvious truisms, which have been more lucidly described in Islam, and try to divert people's minds to their side. They are now actively involved in such affairs. I believe we should invite some of them, the communists and their theoreticians, scholars and elites to hold debates on the radio and the television before the people.]

Imam: They are not ready for a debate. They are rabble-rousers.

[Theprofessors' representative: Yes, but at least people will be convinced. These elements are now stupefying them and are doing it quite intensely. I would like to bring to your attention that such elements have found their way into factories and universities without much effort. We want to announce it right here loudly and explicitly and we want to announce over the radio and television that we are prepared to hold debates with them for the people to see for themselves]

People should be made aware. We must know people by evaluating their leader. For instance, when we delve into a study of Islam, we should consider what the man was who set up and fortified the Islamic faith had been like. We must look closely into the ways of its Prophet and Hadrat Amir, may God's peace be upon him. We should see how they behaved and invited the people to Islam. Did they practice what they preached or not? History shows that they did to the letter.

Amir had under his rule a large number of countries, which were among the developed countries of the world. Once a Jewish subject brought up a complaint against him- who ruled Iran, Iraq, Hijaz, «2» Egypt, and other countries- and went before a judge who had been appointed by Imam `Ali to file his complaint. The judge summoned the Imam, who was obliged to appear in the court and sit before the judge. A hearing was held and the verdict reached was against the Imam, who acquiesced to the ruling. However, later the Jewish man embraced Islam consequential to what he witnessed (the Imam's acquiescence to the court's decision) This is only one instance of democracy in Islam. Another example concerns the way the Imam lived. That very same day people chose him the caliph, he took his shovel and pickaxe and went to do his work. At that time, he was digging an artesian well with his own bare hands. His living conditions were well worse than those of his own subjects. He would seal off his barley flour or bread lest his children added oil to it to make it more palatable. This was his meal though he was the ruler of a vast empire.

On the one hand, we shall a look into (the affairs of) these gentlemen who say they are of the masses and that they are communists! We will look into (the lifestyle of) their leaders. During the (Second) World War, I myself saw that the leaders of the Allied Forces came and had a summit in Iran. They came to attend a conference. You may not remember it but I remember it quite well. Churchill was one of them; Roosevelt was another and Stalin. Words went round that Churchill arrived at the airport, and left there in a taxi and went to attend to his business. The other one (Roosevelt) also arrived and left quite casually. However, Mr. Stalin brought his cow with him lest he had to drink the milk of another cow! Nobody had ever led such an aristocratic life as he had! At the same time, he claimed that he led a life just like the others! While Stalin arrived in Iran with so much, pomp and ceremony that he even brought his own cow lest he would be compelled to drink the milk of an Iranian or an undomesticated cow, I, myself, was going to Mashhad from Tehran by bus. At that time that side of Iran, somewhere near Mashhad, was occupied by a Russian battalion. The men who were in the military would beg for cigarettes, whereas their leaders (like Stalin) had propagandized that they were" comrades"! They would address each other as" comrades," meaning," We are brothers! We are equal!" They should be told," You who say that everyone should be the same, should take a look at Islam and at their own leaders."

Look at Muslim leaders and your own leaders. See how their living conditions had been. In what conditions were its founder, leaders and followers living? The one who conceived the concept of Marxism (Leninism) did it for the sake of one woman! You, too, must consider this and make them understand and realize what the things or theory are that they have and that are not found in Islam and are not better. What is it that they want that Islam does not have more and better?

Anyway, they are people who cannot understand logic. Tell them to come and sit for a debate. They have no logic. They attack places here and there, looting people's homes in order to foment unrest, disrupt the (peaceful) conditions, and take advantage of the confusion to serve their masters' (interests). I surmise that America is doing this, not the USSR, because these (agitators) were also working at the imperial court (of the Shah). These same people, their top leaders, who now beat the drums of communism, were imperial court servants! «3»

Now that they are creating unrest; you must, therefore, enlighten the youth who are now with you and talk to them. Make them aware and make them understand that they should oppose this clique, which is now in Iran and is carrying out sabotage. Be sure that this sabotage is serving foreign interests and is perpetrated by foreign agents who show themselves as they are (disguised as Marxists). Like the gentleman «4» who was a foreign lackey donning a nationalist mask but wanted to bring back the Shah here and so on.

I hope that God will grant success to all and support everyone. Today, Iran is in need of your existence and everything. We should all join hands and meet this need. May God keep all of you.

[Representative of those present: This is an honor for us today and for our families and relatives and we will never forget it; and for the entire Iranian nation and the Muslim nations of the world, it is a great feast.]

Imam: I am your servant.

[Representative of those present: You have given us the greatest lesson and for this, we are truly grateful.]

Imam: May God keep you and make you successful. May you enjoy good health.