Speech [Building backward Iran and reviving the agriculture]

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank you gentlemen for your exhausting efforts and your fortitude- of which I have been aware over a long period- in the face of the regime's crimes. May the Exalted God grant you, the great `ulama' and disciples of the Imam of the Time, may God's peace be upon him, longevity, honor and His blessings.

You proved your steadfastness in this path, enlightened the people and spurred the nation to action. You guided the people. Iran's clergy guided the people and, thanks to God, your enlightening them left its impact and the Iranian people rose up en masse and with vigilance. That is how we have arrived at this point now. But henceforth the task will be even more difficult.

They left behind a disorderly, defeated, plundered, and looted country. They kept our manpower in a backward state and did not let it progress. Our resources, together with our national (crown) jewels were carted off abroad. And the country has been left crushed and impoverished. Whatever aspect of the country you look at you will see that it needs long years of hard work to bring it back to the situation before it was plundered. When it comes to the economy, we see that the nation's economy has been totally ruined. Our culture has been a colonial one. Our army has been a parasitic one. Everything has been destroyed and left in ruins. You are heir to a ruined country, which has to be built anew with your determination and that of the rest of the people.

Well, there should not be any expectations that things will improve miraculously overnight. Destruction is easy. A flood comes and destroys a whole city; an earthquake strikes and ruins a city. But reconstructing those cities is difficult. Anyway, expectations are very high now. Expectations are increasing daily but attention is not paid to the fact that the nation has suffered for over fifty years and tolerated it. Now they want all the afflictions to be removed overnight or in a month's time! This is something impossible. We should all join hands and you, respectable gentlemen, should preach and urge the people to unite and reconstruct this devastated country. The government alone cannot do it; no group can do it single-handedly because the destruction is not confined to one area that one single group can handle. Now everything is a shambles. It is necessary from now for all of us to collaborate and take part in the reconstruction of this ruined country. You, gentlemen should, in mosques and public gatherings, bring this issue to the attention of the people that they are duty-bound to contribute to the reconstruction efforts, each person to the extent of his ability.

Now, our farmlands and agriculture have been totally destroyed. The gentlemen here should explain in public gatherings in mosques and send the representatives to all parts to notify the people to get involved in farming and agricultural activities in order to obviate the procurement of our needs from abroad. A country like Iran has provinces whose yield could be enough to supply the whole nation. For instance the province of Azerbaijan, if properly cultivated, could provide for the entire country's needs with its produce. But now, it is importing everything from abroad. The so-called land reforms that the regime had launched were aimed deliberately, and not by mistake, at destroying the country. That wretched man said that he made a mistake. «2» But he intentionally carried on what he was doing, not that he made a mistake. He was well aware and intended to do so in order to destroy the country. It was a carefully planned conspiracy to plunge the country's agriculture into a ruined state in the guise of" Land Reform." His mission was to turn Iran into a market for foreigners so that we would import everything and be a market for them. If it had not been for that man, our country's agricultural output would have been sufficient for us. But this" unmanly" man because of his servility and his" mission for the country"- they (aliens) had commissioned him to come and destroy the country- ruined the country and went away with everything of ours. This was how our agriculture ended in its present state. Publicity is necessary; people who are at the helm of affairs and who guide people and are obeyed by them, should urge the people to take to our agriculture again and bring it back to the stage it was before or even better than that, God willing. No one should expect that this unpleasant situation be rectified right now or everything to be, as people desire the next day. This is not possible. Therefore, the numerous cases of people's reference to us, each one with a certain expectation, are because they are just concerned with their own affairs. They do not pay attention to the hurdles in the way and what problems the government is facing. Wherever the government turns, it finds problems, and time and money, which it lacks, have to be expended to improve the situation.

You should guide the people. You, gentlemen underwent torture and put up with it for fifty years, and in the last few years, you reached the end of your tether. Thanks God, with divine power, the monarchial regime was toppled. Now, you should wait a few more years for things to improve gradually. We have an army and agriculture that will have to be rebuilt and revived, and the same is true for some disorganization; all these require time (to be solved). Nowadays, government (officials) have been coming to see me, such as ministers, the army chief, (General) Qarani and others, all of whom are unable to accomplish their tasks so soon and they are right. It is not that they are treating things lightly; they are very serious; everybody is busy, busy day and night. But the situation is such that things cannot easily be done. You should help them.

One thing that the gentlemen can do to help is to confirm those individuals that are appointed (by officials) in military bases, and police departments and stations. Do not sabotage these activities. It should not be so that you confirm another government by which the (national) government is undermined. The government now is not the same as the previous one; it is your own government that has come into power because of your own will. You should uphold it, not that you do something in opposition to whatever it does. Similarly, you should confirm anybody that is appointed in police stations and in military bases. Do not attempt to disrupt matters. Persuade and guide the people to confirm them, so that they can take control of the state of affairs and put an end to the chaos. It is a troubled country that should be made to return to normal through your efforts and those of the `ulama' and all people.

Now, things are in disarray everywhere with the corrupt elements have frequenting factories and infiltrating the ranks of the people, disseminating lies and telling the workers that nothing good has happened in the country. Well, those unfortunate workers do not know that the statement" nothing has happened" is not true. They do not consider that a satanic power, a confirmed dictatorship has been overthrown. They think that now that the Shah is gone, nothing has happened. They thought that as soon as they (Shah) had gone an invisible hand would appear and correct everything for everybody. These are corrupt people; they wish to lead people astray. You should stand up to them and guide people. Anyone who is able should go to factories and talk to the workers. They should make the people understand that these (corrupt) elements wish to restore previous condition and those former bullies in a different form. Of course, there is no returning for the former Shah but these (saboteurs) want to set up the previous system in another way. Awaken the people and make them aware. Intelligent and informed individuals from among the `ulama' and other groups must go there and talk to the people to make them understand who these (corrupt) elements really are; their masters used to serve in the imperial court and now they are telling people all this nonsense! Now that this barefooted nation has achieved victory, they are rushing to Iran from all sides to have a slice of the cake! ... People should be made to understand all this. We see that stereotyped individuals have come from abroad and are talking on the radio saying that Islam cannot be implemented. Whoever is saying this is making a big mistake! You should speak in mosques and say that this matter is no concern of theirs; what does he know of Islam? These individuals went abroad and lived comfortably, left the nation, now they have come thinking of obtaining something from the people! The great `ulama' should speak of this in the mosques.

Islam can be enforced. If it were not, then we could say that decrees of the Exalted and Blessed God are defective! Indeed! Certainly, Islam prevents corruption. If what they mean by saying that Islam cannot be implemented now is that cinemas should show the same films with nude women and the same ugly activities as it used to be, then Islam is definitely opposed to all this. But Islam agrees with all sorts of development and progress. Islam was revealed for human progress and advancement. You gentlemen here should put an end to all the mendacities some individuals are spreading so that they will not be repeated, and also prevent the anti-Islamic activities currently being carried out. You should also choose individuals to be sent to those places where these propagandists go, to talk to the people and enlighten them.

May God protect you all. I am sorry that you are all sitting over there and I here. We are brothers and in one unified rank. Leadership is not an issue. All of us are in one rank, and together we will advance.

May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all.