Speech [Conspiracy of the enemy: to separate the university from the clergy; consensus of the factions; gift of the movement]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It was not the university alone that the taghouti regime would deal with in that fashion; it was with all the strata of the nation. But two centers were more the focus of its attention; one was the society of clergy; the other was the university. The reason also was this that these two circles were regarded as the intellectuals of the society and it saw that if these two groups were to be kept free, since they were intellectuals, it was possible that they would expose the interests of the foreigners which commissioned it to take care of as well as its own interests. Thus, the first thing that was its focal point was either to suppress them or keep these two strata backward. By means of various plans that appeared to be thought of in advance and was inspired from some other places, it had various plans to thwart the development of these two intellectual forces. In one instance which you do not remember except perhaps some of you, it was during the reign of Rida Khan who launched his first attack on the clergy and wanted to suppress them and did so on various pretexts, by various plans. He forcefully and compulsorily disrobed them, isolated them and took over the mosques from them and did not allow them to act properly. Likewise, he did so with the schools; and he forcefully repressed them. In relation to the university, they did not act in this manner to use force; they did want to but perhaps because of the improper coverage in foreign countries, they used other methods against them- they would divert their attention from the objective that they must pursue. With the plans that they- or the professors whom they themselves would hand pick- would formulate they would not allow these youth to develop with such things. The university must be a center for intellectual development of society and a place from which the destiny of a country must be managed; they had acted in such a way with the university that they would not develop intellectually; they would restrict them to a certain limit.

On the other hand, they had created certain movements opposite the university so that they would pour into the universities everyday and cause disturbances. Even supposing that the professors wanted to act properly; the youth also to study properly; yet they were not allowed to engage in studies and everyday they would create tension and engage in demonstrations to prevent them from leaving the classes; or they would engage in propaganda so that they would go out and protest.

All these were plans to thwart human development in Iran; to thwart intellectual development in Iran. All these propaganda that were being engaged in against Islam at that time and against the clergy at that time, were based on the premise that the power which could challenge them was the clergy. They had witnessed that in these hundred years- the history of which is clear- the clergy was at the forefront of thwarting their interests and the people would follow behind them. For this reason, they wanted to totally wipe out this faction. During the reign of this man who would no longer operate like his father, the extent of propaganda was widespread. He too would in his speeches- some of you must have heard them- talk such things. For example, he would claim as part of his propaganda that they «1» wanted the people neither to drive in cars nor travel by airplane; that they wanted things to return to that situation where people would ride on donkeys to go from here to Mashhad and these sorts of interpretations. Well, it appeared to those who were unaware that it was truly like this. It was precisely at that time when some of our maraji` «2» had gone to Mashhad on an airplane; right then I had told him from the pulpit that he who was making these statements should know that at that very moment some of our maraji` had boarded the plane to go to Mashhad; so why was he claiming that they are opposed to these subjects?

Opposition to corruption and opposition to civilization- of course, the civilization that he had designed; that" great civilization" that he had given the plan for and to which the entire nation was opposed and not only the clergy- that civilization was that we should destroy our entire agriculture; while we cannot build the other aspect of it. We say that we want the country to industrialize and destroy its agriculture. We were unable to industrialize it or did not make it- they deliberately did not make. What they did was to destroy agriculture so that the Americans would not have to throw their surplus wheat into the sea or burn them. They created a good market. What better than to create a market and sell so much of it every year to us and take foreign currency!

That civilization that he would talk about was that there should be more centers of corruption in Tehran than centers of learning. There were more liquor stores than bookstores. Every person would be opposed to that. They wanted to take away these two powers from the nation. The nation, too, when its power of thinking is reduced cannot do anything and must surrender. For this reason, their focus was on the university and on the theological schools. Mostly it was these two; however, they would operate in a particular form with each one.

One of their plots was not to permit these two forces to come together. Firstly, to wrest the power from them, and then, now if it slipped out from their hands and among them a learned man did appear, to divide these also from each other lest the two collaborate and recite funeral song for them (the imperialists). They began to sow discord between these two. In the universities, their agents would engage in one form of propaganda against the clergy saying," They are royalists, they were instated by the British!" I heard with my own ears that one person was telling another- it was in my youth while we were on board a car; that person wanted to tell us in fact- that they (the clergymen) were brought by the British to Qum and Najaf in order to prevent our country from progressing. They would go to the universities and say that these clergymen are courtiers or that the British had created us or say that we are the opiate and want to put the people to sleep just like a narcotic drug so that they can plunder at will. Sometimes they would say about all the religions," Religion is an opiate of society. This religion puts people to sleep in the same way as a narcotic; it makes a person sluggish; they also are emptying the brains of the people so that they can loot them."

When they would come to us they would say that they were a bunch of atheists; that the university people were a bunch of hip atheists; a bunch of disbelievers in everything. They divided these two strata in this manner by making each one suspicious of the other. Perhaps you remember that in the universities you could not take the name of" cleric". Maybe you could paint slogans against the Qur'an; against Islam; against the clergy; however, the youth were unaware; we too were unaware. Everybody was unaware that it was a plot. The plot was to separate these two powers from each other and they should even be hostile to one another. Let them be busy with fighting while we plunder and gobble down!

This was a plot, and there were many other plots which I cannot mention all right now. The stratum of university students must now put aside those opinions vis-a-vis the stratum of clergymen. The stratum of clergymen should also do likewise vis-a-vis the university.

And thanks to God, we advanced to a great extent in this movement. To a great extent all of us together became empathic; and this same empathy of the factions that followed in the wake of the empathy of these two powers, resulted in the people to follow suit and all to join. This great victory was achieved that no one considered possible for a group of people who had nothing; theology students who had to study and carry books with them; university students who should be busy with their studies and books; the trader who should be busy with his trade- none of them knew how to handle rifles or machine guns. God caused one such people to take over such a big power because the differences were put aside and all became united; and all trod the same path which was that they wanted the path of Islam; that they all wanted an Islamic republic; and that they all rejected outright the decadent monarchial regime; that they all wanted an Islamic government. This point was the secret of the victory of a nation that lacked everything against a regime that was backed by all the powers. You should not be under the impression that only America and the Soviet Union were backing it. No, the Muslim countries were also backing it. I know it. The same Muslim countries that now say," Taghout! Taghout!" were at that time supporting him. It was pursuant to this that I was not given the permission to over fly from one end of Kuwait to the other end; they told me that I must return to where I have come from- and I was sent back.

Iraq also could not tolerate us. This was because they were backing him and wanted to safeguard their power. But God willed that our nation- thanks to God- should awaken and our nation, with bare hands, but armed with the power of faith defeated and destroyed them. I say these things because we do not want to be witness to the past.

Now we must know our duty. One must always look ahead. What has happened in the past is irrelevant; now we must look ahead of us. We must safeguard this power if you want to be victorious. The propaganda that comes to the university is done against Islam; is done against the movement; it prevents you from studying; it prevents you from going to the classes- all these are the same propaganda of the past. They want to recreate the same problems of the past; they want to create the same problems wherever they can and circulate among the youth rumors of what has occurred. So far nothing has occurred; what is going to happen? Such a power has been destroyed. Let us suppose that nothing else happens.

Now it is a country that nobody is taking away its crude oil or gas or any of its other things; what more should happen. This phrase" what happened" is meant to make the people pessimistic about the movement whereas this large amount of work that is being done and has been done goes unnoticed despite the fact that we have a government that does not have a large financial strength at present; nevertheless with this same amount of strength and the chaos and confusion that is present and the large amount of debts that the previous regime and its surrogates left behind for Iran; and the large amount of destructions that they left behind them everywhere, nevertheless a lot of work has been done; excellent jobs have been done. What better than the fact that you are now free and go home without having to fear the Security Organization? What could be better than this? Is there any blessing superior to freedom that now we are fortunate to have; and a lot of things have been done and a lot of things shall be done. It needs time; five months. Our regime is a five-month old regime; what can a five-month old infant do? It is a five-month old arrival. Give it a chance to grow for a few years then see what it will be like. God willing, we shall succeed in what we want which is an Islamic government; a humane government. May we succeed in this objective; at that time what is going to happen will become apparent, later.

Now also individuals who come here- they come from America; they come from Europe- tell us that you are unaware of what is happening there about the issue of Iran; the people of Iran are unaware of what they have done, and they have understood correctly. They have understood what a transformation has occurred throughout the world at what you have accomplished; at this movement of yours; at this uprising of yours. Transformation not in Iran, not in the Middle East but it has appeared in America as well; all over a transformation has occurred. Yet a few deviants come and want a return to the old issues; they are serving the same people and come among the people and ask," What has happened after all; we have not seen anything worthwhile from this Islamic republic." What do you want to see, gentleman! See what has happened until now and then give some time and see what is going to happen. You are preventing the people from cultivating wheat; after they have cultivated, you prevent them from tending them; after they have been tended, you prevent them from harvesting; after they harvest, you burn their harvests. You who are doing all these are asking what has happened! Well, you are not allowing anything to happen.

At any rate, I hope that, God willing, all of us awaken. May, God willing, the East arises and liberates itself from the mischief of the West. This becoming a plaything of the West and the Westernization of us has created many of the difficult problems that we are facing. God willing, may you attain intellectual independence and the university becomes independent- both intellectually as well as practically- and becomes a source of goodness. All of us should join hands and move this country forward and, God willing, establish a humane society.