Speech [Colonial culture and intellectual dependency - Reforming cultural centers - enemies' plot]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The difficulties we are facing now are not small. They attempted to send designers to the eastern countries, especially those having more resources, and to import special kinds of things from the west into Iran. They wanted to bring colonial culture into Iran. They wanted to bring colonial culture into Iran and to make us to be fond of their wide scope propaganda. All of you are aware of the fact that they intended to import a so-called western culture and a special kind of democracy into colonial or semi-colonial countries.

All of these things as "progress","sublimity","freedom",democracy" and "culture" have been taken into Iran in a special way. The freedom they took in during the time of" the father and the son" or the democracy they claim they want to pursue in Iran, the developed and purposeful people are aggravating is not the same freedom and democracy in the west. They are all imported; it means that the freedom they granted Iran and the east is freedom in affairs, which decayed our nation and our youth.

You saw and you still remember the time of Rida Khan, but not the former, and of his successor son- more malicious than him- and the freedom they gave us or as they would say "granted" us! The freedom of going into brothels, cinemas, public bars, as they have built throughout Iran, specially in Tehran, the capital, and of the press, the state-run radio and television, with their own special meanings, and of perverting magazines, all were things they planned useful for countries they wanted to take under their influence or under their colonial, semi-colonial or neo-colonial rule. Throughout the whole time there was no one who could write freely for the interests of the country. No one could make a speech freely, expressing about interests, disinterests. There was no newspaper in which corruption done in Iran and the plunders done by colluding insiders outsiders, could be printed.

Whenever there was a speech on radio and television, it was about advancements in Iran, about reaching" the gate of civilization" and about things, which made us decayed. The freedom and the democracy they brought Iran were of the kinds not in their real meanings. It is not true that they really wanted for us a free country and wanted a single person, elected by the people, to rule over the country. None of these matters did they take into consideration at all.

What they take into consideration is in which country and how much resources are available there to be plundered. What are the geographical features of a country under their control? And unfortunately some of our authors, intellectuals and, educated people, were either deceived by the recent fifty-year propaganda or ignorant of this matter. And some of them being aware of this matter add fuel to the flames; i.e. they are mercenaries. Therefore, they made such a country for us; an overtly westernized one; but not in its real meaning in the west. The things, the sciences, etc are not the same here in Iran. They want our universities to be advanced to a certain extent and not with a true ethical, religious and scientific form as in their own countries. They do not want a doctor to be trained in Iran to serve the people. They had even made the people pessimistic about them to such an extent that even a person, e.g. with a pain of tonsils goes to England, to the Europe! For medical treatment on the one hand, they publicized that you are nothing and have nothing, and, on the other hand, allowed not our youth to flourish their talents. They made us fully dependent.

Independence depends on the disconnection of intellectual dependence

and as long as we think every thing should be brought from the west and should be repaired there; we cannot achieve independence. No independence is obtained unless we know ourselves and know that we have culture, everything and we do not need the west in our affairs, and that what they give us is not a developmental reality but that they want to limit us to a certain extent. Being in Paris, those whom we sent to Germany to investigate and to receive education in atomic sciences, came to me in groups, saying: firstly, that the nuclear power plant they have in Germany and the one which they want to build one in Iran is harmful; secondly, they have limited us there in a certain extent, not allowing us to receive education and to understand at all. The situation was so and still is.

I wonder if you have heard that one of these speakers, who was once a member of the senate or may be its chairman, I do not remember- and a famous person on top of constitutionalism «1» and still famous when he died, has said" none of our problems would be solved unless everything we have is English or is English-like! Either he was so foolish that their propaganda had pierced his mind, having such a belief, or he was one of England's agents wanting to add these words to their propaganda.

We are now in a situation that the youth delivered to us are all following the western fashion, and whose minds should be changed. Our economy, culture and everything brought here from the west; but they are not like their own. Maybe you know that eastern people going abroad to study are awarded a diploma other than their own; i.e. they are awarded certificate sooner than their own students or a person who is awarded on eastern diploma there, is not allowed to have an office. He should return to Iran or other eastern countries to have an office. The situation was so and we were brought up, in this light.

Now that the nation is, praise be to Allah, awakened and has opened their eyes to all disorders, everyone, seeing his own environment, is more informed of the range to destruction than us. Other people, too, see their own environment with the same difficulties and problems throughout the country. Every group from every direction comes to speak with me about the poor, saying there is no place as backward as ours. It is because they have seen their own region and because there had been a lot of publicity for the" great civilization". They think everywhere other than their own is" fully civilized". The other people, too, think so and everywhere is the same, when the people come here, complaining about lack of asphalt, clinics and so on, I say to them to go to Tehran and its ghettos and see whether their situation or yours is worse. We have now entered a country- i.e., you broke that great wall and went to the other side of it- in which you see you have nothing and everything you have is ruined. If our problem were only" having nothing", we could govern the country better than ruin. They had a mission to sabotage! It is written correctly by this man that a mission for my country, but what mission he had such a mission! Now that you have gone over the wall, everywhere you go and everything you see such as the ministries, the offices, the culture, the economy, etc are damage.

The thing, to which they pay the most attention, is to take the people's faith off their hands. They fear of Islam and of believing in God. You saw, when there was some talk about Islamic Republic, the, kicked up a row arguing it was not necessary to be Islamic, just republic! It is a democratic one, which the west" awarded" to us. These are what they want! It was clear that they feared of Islam. They fear lest, when Islam and Islamic should be established in Iran. If Islam holds the upper hand, deviators might be left out, as it is the case.

Now all of us, all of you and all layers of the society in every place are obliged to do reconstruction and reforms. Above all are the matters of education and the university of which reforms are more needed than other things. Bring together those who are interested in the country- and those who are not dependent on the former regime or on the east and west- and who think, consult and make plans based on which we can perform, God willing. Of course, in the longer run not so soon. Make a long terms plan to change this[ wrong ]culture into a right one. If there is any science, it should be the right one, but not that which they brought here to limit us to a certain extent and not opening their knowledge to us.

You see, although there are numerous numbers of artillery of guns and airplanes, bought from foreign countries worth of billions of dollars there is no one who take use them now! They themselves have experts, but we have not any one: we cannot use them! They did not train either and did not want us to understand how e. g. a certain airplane works. Many of the guns they have are so special that neither Iran nor the east can use! They do not tell us their technologies. They received billions of dollars and brought this military equipment, which we cannot use, here into Iran. Why? Because they wanted to have a military base here! If once a war were waged between them and Russia, they would use their base against Russia. Our disasters are not just one or two, to mention.

We should make reforms in, e.g. the press, the state radio and television and so forth, but also in everything; of course in the long; but not short run because it is not possible so soon. But what makes us hopeful is that the spiritual change which the people have undergone; i.e. they have been awakened; as we saw during the revolution about which I will talk later. The people who feared the shadow of a policeman made a revolution, shouting," we do not want the regime basically!" The Almighty God made a spiritual change in the nation, no one could do. Praise is to Allah, two developments have been accomplished in our country and people have come to think of changing everything for the better.

First one should recognize the problem and then think of a solution. Now teachers at schools, the professors in the universities and every person in every place, who are interested in their own country and have recognized the problems and are thinking of solutions. I hope, with all of these changes made in you, the situation. Of course, we should not sit up and expect things to become better.

From now on, every person in every place should start reforms in the affairs of the country and in changing the former situation and provide suitable conditions with the East. Above all, we should understand what services Islam can render to the country. We experienced one of the services; that is, Islam rid the country of foreigners and their remnants on top of who was Muhammad-Rida. Do you think if they did not believe in Islam and if Islamic faith had not been ingrained in their minds; would these fervent youth sacrifice themselves? There was no reason but Islam, which made them beg me to pray for them," to be martyred!" It was the slogan of" God is the Greatest", Islam and the power of faith, which defeated the enemies and saved the country; it brought us here. And from now on, it is again Islam, that can do every thing, but they do not understand.

The people unaware of Islam think; since Islam dates back to 1400 years ago, it is not a suitable plan to be in effect today. They argue that Islamic lows are not applicable to modern times. However, they do not know that Islam is a religion sent by God who knows what would happen later to make a plan suitable for all ages? Islam is a plan for all ages, of which the people are not informed; so they argue that is not suitable enough for contemporary world. The enemies [of Islam] have publicized and have put these words into the people's minds to separate them from Islam, of which they had a bad experience; especially now that they see exactly how Islam has treated them. They understood it was Islam that expelled them from the country. And now they, along side with their dependents do their best to separate the people from Islam.

Plans were underway to separate clergymen from academicians; so they were continually injecting into the minds of clergymen that there is a group of pessimistic dandies in the universities and, inculcated in the minds of the academician that there is a group of English clergyman in theological centers in an attempt to separate you from the clergymen.

One of their numerous plans was to create division between the two layers who were considered as the masterminds of the society; i.e. the clergymen and the collegians. To separate them, or making them stand against each other. All these things, should disappear and we should be awaken and understand that we are all brothers. They had planned to separate Kurdistan and Balouchestan and so on from Iran. Once they provoked Shi'a and Sunni rows and at other time adducing other excuses to achieve their divisive goals. We should be awakened now and discover their plots; thwarting them, God willing. The slogans chanted show that you are thoughtful about such matters, for which I am grateful. Of course, it is up to all of us to do so. And I hope good plans be made; as the one you did, and be effective, God willing.