Speech [Difference between royal systems and the Islamic Republic- Good News of giving expression to Islam in Iran properly- necessity of turning to God Almighty]

I deem it necessary to notify some problems when I face people like you. This is what I have told other groups; there is a difference between the Islamic Republic and the corrupt royal system in that the heads of the royal systems are typically afraid of the nation they have betrayed. So they bring up the army in a way to confront the nation so as to protect them against the nation. In such systems, army and the nation were against each other. The army intimidated people. People tried to work sabotage as far as they could. If one of them, say Muhammad-Rida, wanted to cross a street, the street and all its surrounding houses would be controlled or even evacuated by the security agents. If a woman happened to pop up, the guards would take care until she crossed. All this was done because the Shah was afraid lest the nation- who was his enemy- would assassinate or harm him. The army, security organization, gendarmerie and the like were at the service of that taghouti regime. The taghouti regime had trained them to treat people aggressively so that they could not harm the regime. It has been always the case. When a military man entered bazaar, he wanted to treat people imperiously and stir hubbub. People turned their back on him and hated him. They also hated the police and the security organization worst because the latter was worst of all. That was the way a taghouti regime and its serving army, gendarmerie and other law enforcement behaved. They had mobilized any means to safeguard the Shah and threaten people so that they would not raise any voice.

But the Islamic regime is the one whose leader was the holy Prophet. He sat with ordinary people in a ring so that nobody coming from outside could distinguish him from others in the mosque. There was no throne Their mosque was lacking in mats; its walls were not as high as a man. When somebody came in, one would ask," Who among you is the Prophet?" It was not like the Shah's regime when one entered, one could readily recognize who Aryamehr was. Imam `Ali (`a) who was the leader of a state of which Iran, Hijaz and Egypt were subjects, picked his shovel and pickaxe after people paid allegiance to Muawiyeh and went to do his business. He was not afraid of people because he had not betrayed them. Whatever he had done was for the good of his people and all Muslims. Such a person should not be afraid of people because they support him.

I have seen that during the reign of Pahlavi regime, what people did when a problem occurred to the Shah and the system. Those who could struggle to increase the problem and those who could not were indifferent, saying," It is your problem". You do not remember the time when the three countries invaded Iran in the World War II. People and everything belonging to them were at stake. However, when Rida Shah was expelled, people congratulated each other for the relief. I advised the second Shah not to do anything so that after he left, people would jubilate, as they did when his father left. You observed what people did on the streets when he left- I was not here since they did not care for people. They not only failed to help the nation, but also confronted it and spent their energy on suppressing the people. So they should not have expected people to help them whose priority was to suppress the nation.

In this government, which is not still completely Islamic, we saw people's participation in the case of Kurdestan. They were not only from among military men or guards, but also from different strata of people. Fortunately, the army and IRGC settled the problem; there was no need to dispatch ordinary people. Why is it so? Now, people see that the government means no harm to them. It does not arrest anybody for absurd charges. It is a government whose prime minister mingles with the crowds being jostled by people who support him. When a problem pops up, they think that the government is their own and help protect the national interests. This should serve as an example for army and other law enforcement. They should take lessons from studying people's behavior under the rule of both systems. During the reign of the Shah, the nation did not cooperate with the system, but now, in this system, people support the government. The Reconstruction Jihad could not succeed if it were established in former times. However, it succeeded with a call for help. Young people can come from America to improve rural areas. You may have seen these ladies and gentlemen on TV helping the nation reconstruct the country as their homes.

We should take lesson from this and know that a state could be run only through mutual understanding, not showdown. Whenever people realize that the army belongs to them and wants to defend their interests, they will appreciate it in different ways such as giving flowers, chanting slogans in their favor, etc. But if they see the reverse i. e. being molested by, says the army, they do not dare to refer to a police station for a complaint. It was the case in that regime. Those who called themselves" guards" used to annoy people; those who ought to support the nation harassed them. Thank God, now all of them serve the nation; the nation serves them in return. There is reciprocity. You scratch their back and they scratch yours. This should be kept in mind.

I reiterate that Islam has not yet been materialized in Iran in terms of its content. It is only Islamic in name and appearance. If Islam appears in Iran as required by God and His Prophet, it will become evident what the Islamic government means and how it is different from the taghouti government. Moreover, your brotherhood will be strengthened, the country will be improved and treasons will disappear. I hope this is realized and we join hands to serve God and Islam, to build up the country and to save it from the enemies. Those who have lost their interests in Iran are looking forward to installing a regime like the former one or worse than that. I hope they do not succeed any more.

What sounds promising about the nation is that they have become aware. Wherever you go in this country, you will see how enlightened people are; they know what their duty is. It is much hopeful to observe that the nation rises up for God, not for an individual. God is everything and others are nothing. He is the source of all powers and you do not have any power of your own. Man and even the closest angels or the prophets have nothing of their own; Goodness is the origin of everything.

Turn to Him and keep in mind that this victory is God-given. They wanted to destroy the country within two hours but God prevented them from doing so. God did a great favor to us in that they did not decide to bring tank and gun in order to kill people and destroy Tehran. They had woven such an intrigue during Bakhtiyar's tenure when they declared martial law. Later on, it was said that they were to take tanks and guns to the streets to beset those who were likely to oppose the regime on that night. God did not let this happen. We are nothing and God is in charge of all affairs. Do not forget to heed God. Turning toward God is the source of good for your world and the hereafter. Hearts become secure with the memory of God:" Be aware that only recalling God calms your hearts." «1» It is a great blessing for man to feel secure. You are not afraid of me and I am not afraid of you. This is the sense of" security". Formerly, if a gathering were held somewhere, the participants feared to go out. Certainly, if we held such a gathering at that time, we would be imprisoned. I want you to maintain this blessing, sit together and talk in a friendly climate. Take note of God and keep caring for the nation. You should regard yourselves as servants of the nation; they are great servants of God. Do not look down on people. God will take into heaven those who are not proud of them and who are not engaged in corruption. As for that Abode of the Hereafter, We assign it unto those who seek not oppression in the earth, nor yet corruption. «2» They neither patronize people nor are they engaged in corruption to lead a country astray as you witnessed.

May God protect and support you all! May all problems be solved! I will pray for you and I am your servant.