Speech [The solution to the Muslims' most fundamental problems]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank my sisters and brothers, who have taken the trouble of coming here from Kuwait to see us face to face, and I pray for them. All we want is to implement Islam in all its essence, which is such a sweet fruit, which whoever tastes once will feel an eternal joy; we wish to make Islam and all its very precious contents, which is a light for life, in all ranks and beyond the Muslim countries; that is to say, we wish to spread Islam to countries other than the Muslim ones, and we hope to hoist the banner of Islam throughout the world. However, the requisite for its fulfillment is for the Muslims to change their own condition. The Muslim governments should also change their condition. Unfortunately, the Muslim governments treat their people harshly and domineeringly so their people would turn their back to them. Thus, should any problem arise for the governments, their people will be indifferent; they may even aid the cause of those problems.

Here is a word with the governments and a word with the nations. For the governments, to take a lesson from our previous regime and our present regime; our country's old regime which, despite our nation's turning its back to it, tried to suppress our people with all its might, and finally it reached a point where our people overpowered their cannons and tanks with clenched fists. In spite of having an army of satanic police force and the support of all the superpowers, nay all the powers, as the nation was not with it and in fact opposing it, they were not able to save it with all the efforts along this line.

And let them see the present (situation); whatever problem arises for the government, the people come forth to solve it. You noticed on the issue of Kurdistan that all strata of the nation along with Muslims from other places, other countries, the Gulf, and elsewhere, all declared their readiness to suppress the insurgents. And we realized that there was no need for a national mobilization and that the police force alone could have been able to suppress them. So we appealed to our people to stop. Governments should take into consideration these two forms of governments. In the former, if there were any problems, the people would add fuel to the problem. In the latter, should there be any problems, the people will consider the government as their own and will defend their government as they do defend their own household. Not only should all the Muslim governments, but all the governments around the world should be such that they will have good rapport with their peoples.

Let the Muslims take notice; let the Muslim governments take notice of the form of government at the advent of Islam; to see how governance was at the beginning of Islam, and how did the Prophet of Islam (s) treat the people. Notwithstanding his firm stance against the unbelievers when he would find it impossible to guide them and they were engaged in acts of conspiracy, how would he treat his own people? He treated them like a kind father and even beyond that. What kind of caliph was the Commander of the Faithful? Imam `Ali's caliphate was one that dominated the whole of the Muslim lands, which then included all of Hijaz, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen plus a part of Europe. Despite this great man's domination of all these countries, how was he treating the people? How was he treating the poor and the oppressed? How was his way of life?

Another problem is a lack of relations between nations. The relation between the nations either counts for naught or it is very little. According to God's decree the faithful are all considered brethren. Brothers have to be aware of their brothers' condition. Brothers should solve their brothers' problems. While designing this issue that would result in the understanding of all the strata and such is the issue of hajj, Islam has obliged those mustati` «2» individuals from the Muslim countries to perform the hajj pilgrimage. It has also provided numerous mawaqif «3» there to facilitate a better understanding. It is unfortunate however that Muslims are neglectful. If governments intend to assemble a gathering of two hundred people from different countries, what a trouble this will entail and what expenditures that is endured in order for that two hundred people to gather in a place and set up an assembly there. Now, God, the Blessed and Exalted, has provided Muslims with an assembly of several million people and has decreed for all brethren to go there; there a fraternal relationship exists among the faithful; they are considered brethren. If these brothers do not attend to one another's condition, the faults are not those of Islam's; the faults are ours.

If we preserve those mawaqif that Islam has provided and we guide the people concerning these mawaqif, then Islam will advance. The problems of the Muslim countries will be solved. Others will not be able to covet us. The one-billion Muslim people will not be a captive of such a bunch of individuals or governments. The one-billion people possessing treasures- possessing underground treasures- and the power of faith, the faith in God, if they do not utilize such a big spiritual and material power for Muslims, which cannot be found elsewhere, they themselves are at fault and should be blamed. The Muslims should change their own condition.

And a few days ago I put forth a recommendation which, if they put it into action, will God willing cause the emergence of relations, that is the creation of the" Party of the Downtrodden"- of all the downtrodden of the world, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. The non-Muslim governments do oppress people; the nations are not like so. For example, the American nation, French nation- they do not want to oppress. Those that commit oppression and do wrong are the governments. Their oppressed people, too, are under the grip of the arrogant powers. If there were found a party in the world, a global party, the party of the downtrodden, which is the very Party of Allah, then this problem will be solved. By solving these two problems, all problems of the Muslims will be solved. No power could confront these powers.

You saw for yourselves that the nation of Iran did not have too much of any thing. Now, you see a few weapons in the people's hands; these weapons were spoils of war; they did not belong to the people themselves, they were the booties that the people had seized from the old regime's government. They were empty-handed, but they did have faith; there existed faith in God; there existed the call of "Allahu akbar" [God is the Greatest]. This nation was under pressure for 2,500 years; it was under a lot of pressure during the fifty odd years and yet more pressure during the recent two decades; this nation was transformed just like that. The Blessed and Exalted God's providence was for this nation, which was (even) scared of a policeman, to change just like that. They took to the streets and shouted out that they did not want that malign dynasty; the same people- from young children to their elderly, men and women- who dare not utter even a single word in opposition to the system. We are indebted to the ladies by far more than their young men. Women in Iran were having excess enjoyment. That is to say that when women were coming in the open, other people were motivated. People's power would become double, even multiplied. And this is at a time when they did not have much of any thing but their power of faith- in a matter of a few- lately when they wanted to mount a coup d'etat and had planned to eliminate overnight all the heads- that is, the heads of the tribes- the late Qarani, «4» may God bless him, said:" It took only three and a half hours." He said," The fight between the people and the deposed Shah's forces took three and a half hours!" In three and a half hours, there was victory; fists overcame the tanks and the cannons. It was the (power of the) faith; this happened because our youth did not fear death; for the reason that they would not consider martyrdom as mortality; they considered martyrdom as an eternal life. They came to me time and again, repeatedly; they now continue to come over oftentimes. They still come over occasionally and ask me to pray for them to be martyred. I would pray for them to have the merit of martyrdom, God willing. There appeared such morale, just like the very morale that existed in the youth in the days of the Messenger of God. This was the cause of fists overcoming the tanks.

I pray to God, the Blessed and Exalted, that all Muslims and all Muslim governments perform their Islamic obligations and may they all be successful.