Speech [Enemies' plot to exclude the clerics and eliminate Islam]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

What a great movement and Revolution it has been! We now meet with people of different strata of the people in this country on almost everyday basis. We now have esteemed ladies in Qum, who actively work for the promotion of Islam and the movement by trying to educate the society. We are under the same roof as the gentlemen of the city of Bonab, who have come from a long way. Before the Revolution, none of these things could be done. You used to go your ways, and we followed our own. What a blissful movement this has been to allow us to come together in one place and talk with each other, talk about our problems and tell each other about our concerns and try to find some solution to our problems. We may be able to find a remedy to our pains by bringing up what bothers us.

Many things ail us. Of course, our troubles were countless. Praise be to Allah, some of them have been eliminated. Those who constantly inflicted excruciating pains on us and betrayed the country, those who oppressed our women more than anybody else and pushed them backward and committed many other cruelties praise be to Allah, have been driven out. I do hope, however, that these remaining weaklings, who keep themselves underground like animals and want to destroy the roots of our flowers, will also with the help of the Almighty God, be eliminated.

There are still many problems that have us in their grips. These pains originate from the treasons they committed against us, and now we are plagued with only the remaining elements. Their treacherous acts were against Islam and the Qur'an, and they did their damnedest to separate our people from the teachings of the Qur'an. They did not want our brothers and sisters to adhere to the Islamic tenets. There are still some of these traitors left in this country, and they have disguised themselves. You people have been through many pains. Men and women poured into the streets and you have shed your blood to rejuvenate Islam. You volunteered for martyrdom.

What our nation wanted and they voted for was the Islamic Republic and Islam. Unfortunately, some people now want to leave Islam out. What they write and what they say to the people who gather around them prove this. This is a tremendous agony that our people are suffering from now. What is of great concern to us is the fact that the absolute majority of our people, that is 99.5 voted for the establishment of the Islamic Republic in this country, and this means that they want Islam and not simply a republic or a democratic republic for that matter. Others have also made such statements before, but they all failed to achieve anything.

Our people started their uprising for the sake of Islam. They went all the way and shed their blood for Islam. Now, some would like to leave Islam out. Their so-called republic is simply afraid of Islam, and they just want to call the whole achievement a republic, or democratic republic or the more conservative ones say" Islamic democratic republic". They do not, of course, come out and say so in the open. But, what they practice is a big deceptive game because they are scared of Islam. They find Islam contrary to their worldly interests. Therefore, you should keep your eyes peeled. If the Islamic Republic commits any mistakes, anything that is considered a blunder and is some sort of wrongdoing, it is opposed to the path you want to follow and is contrary to the ways of Islam. Our Muslim people should take notice not to enter those political parties, which have nothing to do with Islam, and their main talk is about democratic ways. Those people who are divorced from Islam, even though they pay tribute to the concept of freedom, and they keep saying they are all for freedom, their concept of freedom is alienated from Islam. Our citizens must make sure not to get involved in these political parties. You sacrificed your loved ones for Islam. Now that your beloveds are not with you anymore, do you think it is wise to work against Islam and let all the bloodshed for this purpose go down the drain? These people's gatherings are solely aimed at opposing Islam. Some time ago, their numbers seemed large and because of different pretexts, they wanted to talk against Islam. Make sure you keep your distance from them and avoid them. What they are after is freedom minus Islam, which is contrary to our aspirations. Our objective is the sort of Islam that allows us to be free too and not freedom without Islam. They would like to have the sort of independence in the absence of what has been taught in Qur'an, but our objectives and ideals are absolutely contrary to those of theirs.

If the groups that are alienated from Islam should decide to allow us to have all the freedom and independence in the absence of Qur'an, we would not accept their gifts. We abhor the kind of freedom in which the Qur'an is missing. We hate the sort of independence stripped of the Qur'an. If they offer us the kind of Islam, which does not make room for the clergy and we accept it, this is tantamount to high treason, because the first step to eliminate Islam is the elimination of the clergy. Of course, they would at first, claim that they would make room for Islam, but in the same breath, they deny the role of the clergy in Islam. They want the clergy to be an exception to the rule. However, everybody knows that Islam has got so far through the selfless endeavors of the clergy.

Keep your eyes open, you ladies and gentlemen. Forget your own personal problems and your trivial demands. Today, it is hardly the time for petty squabbling, such as I am needy, I do not have this or that. Today is the time for all the citizens of this country to stay vigilant and help Islam gather strength. When I say all citizens, I mean all, workers, farmers, businessmen of the bazaar and academicians. The theory of Islam minus the clergy is equivalent to no Islam at all, the first step to destroy Islam is the elimination of the clergy, and then later, they would dump all writings of the clergy into the sea. Keep your eyes wide open and stay on guard!

I do draw your attention to this very great danger. It is a tremendous danger, which they want to force upon us under the guise of such terms, as freedom, democracy, and independence, but all these aspirations are to come in the absence of Islam. There is no word of Islam in whatever they say. If it were not for Islam, you would have still been in shanty houses or in some foreign countries. If you had stayed in the country, you would have had to live in shanty houses and would not have been able to make an appearance. It was Islam that brought many freedoms back to you so do not go against Islam. My dear sisters and brothers, please, make sure you understand that there is a conspiracy in the making. There is a great conspiracy. Those who never had any liking for Islam in the first place are in the process of uniting themselves.

These people must reconsider what they are doing. They must reconsider what they are saying in their meetings. Our nation has no tolerance for conspiracies of such sorts. This conspiracy is aimed against Islam and the whole nation. We do not negate freedom, but freedom does not translate into gathering somewhere and disparaging Islam. Freedom has been defined within the confines of laws. The predominant religion in our country is Islam, so the term freedom goes as far as there is no danger threatening Islam. The constitution of our country considers Islam as the official religion of the country.

I pray to the Almighty God that we get rid of the evil ones. I hope God grants you all success, the best of health and happiness. I do hope that you move ahead resolutely and single-mindedly. Peace be upon all of you and I wish you the best.