Speech [Learning a lesson from contemporary history]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

History and the events that befall nations ought to serve as lessons for the people. And this includes contemporary history in that we must see what happened that such a power was destroyed. The governments ought to see why such a power was overthrown, and the government departments and offices see what happened. All this ought to be a lesson to everybody.

Such is the end of every government that is not based on the people's support and is, in fact, against the people. Even if it were to rule for a long period, its final end would be that which befell this father and son. Rida Khan did something that deprived him of the people's support. I witnessed the events that took place when the Allies came and seized Iran, putting everything of the country in danger. And when this resulted in the ouster of Rida Khan, the people rejoiced! I had told this stupid son of his «1» not to do anything that would also make the people rejoice when he left, just as his father had left amid the rejoicing of the people. But he did not listen; and you saw how they rejoiced more in his case! And rightly so; why? Because he had no base among the people. The truth is that a treacherous government cannot get on with the people. And it always fears itself because of its treachery, the plunder it does and its dependence on the foreigners. Such a government is always worried lest the people retaliate for all the treacheries it had done. Because of this, they are compelled to intimidate the people and subject them to pressure. And so it puts more and more pressure on the people everyday, and the people's hatred of them also increases. The pressure they put on the people kept increasing daily over these past fifty-odd years, and the people's hatred toward them also increased daily until things come to such a pass that, as you saw, not one group or two but the whole nation, all at once, turned away from him (the ex-Shah). And he was not able to remain as had no base among the people. Neither was he able to remain and nor were the powerful countries able to keep him in power.

One cannot act against a nation when it wants something. All our people collectively did not want the taghouti regime. As a result, the attempts of the big countries and the superpowers to keep him (on the throne) were to no avail; they were unable to keep him in power. This ought to serve as a lesson to the governments.

The governments that are in the world should see as to what happened that such a powerful entity could not be protected by all the satanic powers that, it could be said, had joined together to protect him, though he had the backing and support of all the powerful countries- not only the superpowers but also these smaller ones. This ought to serve as a lesson to the governments so that they know what their duty is, whether the government will be established later on in Iran- which, it is hoped, would be Islamic and humane ones- or whether the foreign governments. This should be an example to them as to how they should deal and behave with the people. If they (the ex-regime) had behaved properly with the nation, all the powers would have been unable to oust him, try as they might. Had the big countries wanted to oust him, the power of the people would have kept him and they would not have been able to do anything to him. The opposite was just like this: all of them (the foreign powers) wanted him but the nation rejected him; and the matter ended.

Nations and governments must have rapport between them. That is, the government, the army, the police and the gendarmerie should so behave that the people have affinity with them. The people should have a feeling of kindness and friendliness toward them. It should not so happen that when a policeman comes to the bazaar, the people get afraid of him and feel hatred toward him, as it used to be in these parts. In fact, they were like this throughout the period of the monarchy. In the monarchy- I mean in the government which should not be called" monarchy"- in the government in Islam, there is no difference between the head of the government and one who happens to be in the army, in the armed forces and the offices. And all of them are not different from the rest of the nation as to be separate from one another. They all constitute one and the same nation, a part of which has become the army and some others run the government and such things. When their head mingles with the people, he has no fear of what they might do to him because he has been good to them. As he has been good to them, the people are also good to him. You saw that Muhammad Rida could not come among the public for even a day; for even an hour! If he wanted to pass through an avenue, all the houses that were on the way would be checked- as it used to be said- before he passed that way! The Security and Intelligence Organization would send its agents who would inspect all the places (on the way), take them over and control them. Why! Because they were afraid that somebody might make an attempt on his life from one of these places. And the people called it a good intention! But when a government is for the people and the people want it, he (the head) will not be afraid to come into the bazaar or to mingle with the people and sit with them and talk with them. He will not fear them at all. It was like this in the early period of Islam that the head (of the government) would come to the mosque and preach from the pulpit, and would also sit among the people and talk with them.

Yes; when Mu`awiyah ruled, he, too, could not mix with the people. He would come to pray for which purpose they built a box-like enclosure for him and would lock its door. He would pray inside it and the people outside follow him and pray with him! That is, the ones who had to pray together with him. He could not come among the worshippers and stand in line with them. His police force would bring him and, putting him in that hole, would lock the door! He would pray while being locked inside! His police force would later come, open the door and take him away. The reason was that he had no base among the people. But the one who ruled justly would be among the people. They would be together and were friends. They did not fear him nor did he fear them. Why should the people fear the army? Why should they fear the disciplinary forces? Should they fear the gendarmerie? Should they fear the police? Well, according to the rules, the police ought to protect the city. The people should look upon the police as their protectors and not as their enemies. The army ought to protect the country. The people should not think that the army may do something to them and trouble them.

The Islamic government that we want should be something in which the head of the government should also be a friend of the people. He should sit with the people and converse with them. He should not keep aloof from them. Whoever has a request to make should tell him about it, and he should have the time to speak to the person concerned. The one who is the head of the army, the police or the gendarmerie should also behave likewise with the people. He ought to come and mix with the public; not fear it. And the people, too, should not fear him. This ought to be the rule for government and nations. When a government becomes like this, the people will support it; they will safeguard it. Just as it is the protector of the people, the people are its protectors as well. We want something like this to be set up in which the nation is the protector of the government in all respects, and the government, too, is the protector of the people's interests in all respects. If such a thing comes to pass, a calm and peaceful country will emerge which nobody will be able to seize. As long as the leaders do not commit treachery, foreign countries will not be able to violate this country. It is treachery that causes them to open the doors of the country and bring in advisors and experts and create such set-ups. Opening the way for them to come is treachery. If there is a government that is not treacherous, they will not be free to come and derive benefits from our country. Now having taken hold of it, we have to see that this country, destroyed and disordered, is set right through our combined assistance.

What is our duty from now on? It is everyone's duty to help in the reconstruction of this country. You must give assistance wherever you may be. We, too, ought to do whatever we can. The peasants, the workers and all the employees must also help.

The devastation cannot be rebuilt unless everybody helps. Assistance is necessary. Nobody should think what he, being a single person, would be able to do. Each and every person is able to do as much as one person can. He is duty-bound to do his work to the extent that he, a single person, can. All of us, all the strata of this nation, are now duty-bound to work for this country so that it could be managed by their efforts. The country is yours. You are working for yourselves.

I hope that all of us become acquainted with our duties and that you, too, whose place of assignment is important, will carry out your duties well, God willing. I also hope that this matter of working less than one should that is said to exist in the offices will no longer exist. In fact, it is said that, sometimes, no work is being done at all. Working less (than one should) these days is against the movement. All of us have to work; for our country, for our land, that is now our own and in which there is no outside interference.

There are, of course, people in this country who are traitors, but their chiefs have gone. Those who were the heads have gone. And they cannot return. It is being said that so-and-so and such-and-such person are in the border regions. But they would not dare to be even in a country adjoining this one! They fled from these countries and have gone far away. Do not think that Oveysi or Palizban can be present in these border regions. They are afraid of these border regions as Satan is afraid of" In the Name of God"! They have fled. They took the money and decamped to America on that side, and are living far away. Do not ever think that what is being said will happen. They create disturbances, of course. There is trouble, no doubt, at present which is being created by a bunch of seditious elements who do not want this country to prosper. They want anarchy to exist at all times so that they may profit from it. This is the point. Of course, this, too, will be taken care of, God willing, by the efforts of the youth themselves and nation itself. May God protect all of you. May we be successful and conscious of our duty, and may everybody properly carry out the task that he is doing.