Speech [Expressing reasons behind hostilities of enemies; reply to accusations; philosophy behind Imam Husayn's (`a) uprising]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I should thank the gentlemen for coming here to meet them closely and discuss issues of mutual concern. You made points and let me also bring forth some subjects.

I know that you, gentlemen, and the rest of the people of knowledge have always participated in this revolution since the beginning up to now. You were the ones who urged the people to take action. From now on, hopes lie in you. I hope that you will always succeed in rendering service to Islam. What causes concern is that the people of falsehood are getting organized. Those who were splintered before, were not on the limelight for quite a time and had no share in the revolution sitting in the corner waiting for an opportunity have now acquired an opportunity. They are availing of free pens and of freedom of speech and gathering. The sporadic people of falsehood are getting together, while the united gatherings of the people of Truth are, God forbid, on the verge of being splintered.

We should identify the individuals and groups refusing to comply with Islam and not being in the line of Islamic Revolution and the nation through their articles, statements and deeds. You in whose hands lies the rein of the Islamic Ummah, the clergymen, who are in charge of the Islamic affairs and committed to the Islamic Revolution, are duty-bound to call the attention of the people to these organizations; the evils are busy; they are holding meetings and making such statements. They fear one thing and that is Islam. Our opponents are afraid of Islam. Whatever associated with Islam is their point of criticism but the main point of attacking is Islam proper.

During the reign of this vicious father and son, «1» as foreigners were frightened by Islam, they forced them to oppose Islam under the canopy of disagreeing with the clergymen, of attacking the pulpit and the altar and ban the meetings. Islam was the target of criticism. Because you are serving and supporting Islam, struggle against you finds expression in the form of opposing Islam.

Their organizations now look like the ones that existed before. They act like a bully and are busy acting with their poisonous pens and distracting talks in organized ways. They used to crush people of knowledge, of piety and of faith with bayonets. They used to attack sermons sessions and mourning ceremonies for martyrs. Now they use their pens like the bayonets to do that way. Savak has turned into a newly shaped organization with a purpose as that of before. Therefore, the nation must be awakened.

They oppose Islam in different ways. They began to stand against us in the Assembly of Experts once the issue of wilayat-e faqih was raised. Until very recently just two or three days ago, these people who are uninformed of Islam whatsoever and who are anti-Islam and deviant said in one of their meetings that the Assembly of Experts must be disbanded! Others applauded or pretended to be in their favor. They are terrified of the Assembly of Experts, for it intends to prove wilayat-e faqih. It wants to approve what God Almighty has determined; this is what they fear.

They imagine once wilayat-e faqih is settled; it would bring about dictatorship or bullish action, whereas in Islam this is not the case. No, they say nonsense. They argue that autocracy comes up. They, however, well know it is untrue, but they despise Islam. They must understand as long as pulpit, altar, preachers, Muslims, the market of Islam and Muslim youth exist, they cannot do anything. They have to realize that they are serving the former regime and its ex-masters. If they are knowledgeable and act sensibly, they are traitors. And if they do it out of ignorance, they are ignorant.

Wilayat-e faqih is not something devised by the Assembly of Experts. God Almighty has prescribed it. It is the very guardianship of the Messenger (s). They fear the guardianship of the Messenger of God as well! You know that if Imam of the Age (`a) reappears now, these writers oppose him too. They should know that their pens fail to distract our nation. They must feel that our nation is awakened; they understand the points you pose. Therefore, do not try in vain! Join the nation and come in their lap. Your pens stay more detrimental to Islam than the rifles of democrats. Your talks harm Islam more than the machine guns fired at our youth, because there we face known enemy but you appear in battlefield in disguise. Your pens are worse than bayonets of Rida Khan to harm Islam! You are more harmful to Islam than Rida Shah and Muhammad-Rida, since they remained open in their opposition, known to people who stood against them. You challenge Islam under the auspices of Islam and people.

The nation knows you and you cannot divert the revolution raised by the nation and fulfilled through the blood of our youths and their labor as well as their resistancece. You are meaner than that to distract the revolution. Do not try in vain! If the entire nation comes together saying well they do not want the Assembly of Experts, they can take aback themselves. Who on earth are you? You, a few people, of whom one talks, the others clap for him! This resembles the time of Rida Khan and his son. You cannot stand against the nation, as you had no votes. None of you could find a way into the assembly. If so, one or two of deviant people have been let in and they are unable to do anything. For this reason, you are afraid. Can you say something about the assembly that came into existence through a good deal of votes," it is to be dissolved"? Can you do this by these words? Are you deserved to be men? If wilayat-e faqih is settled, all power is in his hands! Therefore, you must be mournful! If the so-called president or a deviant prime minister holds the power, they never disagree. But the power, not a satanic one that is controlling the country and should not be deformed shall be settled by votes of the nation. Again, it is vote of the nation in its unanimity that designates people and bodies. You are in the minority. You are there to rule over the majority with your pens! You are bullies. He rules by his bayonet and you want to govern with your pens. His bayonet is broken, so your pens will be broken too. You shall be awakened and so shall our nation. These deviant people are aside but they are beginning to come in groups to deviate our nation and to stifle this revoltuion, but they know that they fail to do it.

All of them with all their families are a few people who became known in the referendum. People are the same people; they are the ones trying in vain. The nation has not changed, bazaar is the same bazaar, universities are not different, seminaries are the same as before, preachers are the very preachers and `ulama' in the cities are the same ones as ever with no change whatsoever in them. Fancy not that your words make changes. You make determination stronger for those who want to work for Islam. The more you act against Islam, the more willful the people will be. Do not disgrace yourselves! Do not write articles and make speeches. Try not vainly! People are the s ame; the path is the same and people are traversing it.

Do not fear wilayat-e faqih. Faqih intends not to dictate something to people. If one faqih wants to do so, he has no longer guardianship. In Islam laws govern. The Prophet Muhammad followed rules as well; he obeyed the rules of God. God Almighty says if something is said against what He says He would disdain you and cut the vessel of your heart. «2» If the prophet were a person of autocracy, then faqih might as well be an autocrat. If Commander of the Faithful (`a) were a dictator, faqih could be a dictator too. Dictatorship is not the case and we want to stop it.

Wilayat-e faqih is guardianship over the affairs to let them run properly. It controls Majlis and president to avoid doing wrong. It inspects prime minister to stop him doing wrong. It monitors all the system and the army, preventing any wrong. We want to hinder dictatorship. We do not want dictatorship to exist. We want anti-dictatorship. It is anti-dictatorship. Why are you so embarrassed and make yourselves distressed? However, you are distressed or whatever you write, you cannot do anything. I find your interest in stalking at these words, plots and wrongs! Join the hug of nation. I advise you as I did to democrats. You are not different, but you are more harmful than they are!

I recommend that you stop such gatherings and words. It is wrong to write about things everyday and publish each day! God forbid, these things cause our revolution to stop. You are nearer to cause it to stop. If it fails to be fulfilled, all of you, who are affiliated with foreigners and regime sit atop raising rows and park gatherings, but how about our nation? What happens to it? What happens to this enfeebled nation, having been under the yoke of those whom you are elegizing for 2500 years? People were under the control of the father and his son whom you are supporting. You are endorsing their thesis. What happens to our country? What goes on to Islam? You are assisting enemies of our country and nation. You might be doing this out of favor or inattention.

Do not kick up a row so much! Every now and then there is a gathering where one speaks no truths! They say that such and such person, meaning me, meets no one. This such and such man meets all people once he wakes up from dawn to dusk, as you see them outside here, in the yard and this place. Yet you are also here. Before you, there was a group of disabled people «3» and this is continued up to noon. How are they saying no one meets him! They mean to say that no growth takes place. They want to disappoint people. There is no way to meet the so and so man! Last night, one of the speakers is said, of course with good faith but with misconception, to have mentioned so and so meets no one. Now, I have meeting with you, have had meetings before you and will have session with others after you. Have we no meetings? They say the man meets people, but special people through one channel. Only a few people can meet him! The population now in here is not ordinary people. This room is filled with men and women and emptied every hour; is this whim? Is it not true? They tell the truth! They want to horrify and weaken the people. On the other hand, if I am weakened, the clergymen are enfeebled and then people are weakened. They cannot weaken the people and weakening me is no big deal. I pass away four more days. You survive and move forward [The audience shouts enthusiastically: God forbid]. This is a reality.

Anyway, gentlemen! Wake up! Be careful of enemies, of pens, of actions and of tongues. They want to delude the people and the nation. Be vigilant not to be deceived and try to take good care of the problems.

As for the matter the gentleman raised about the pulpit and altar, this I said once, if it is not censored! If it is censored, I will do something else. As you see our gathering here, it is because of Islam revived by Doyen of Martyrs (`a). All he had including his assets, whatever he had, and his youths were sacrificed in the path of God. He rose up to solidify Islam and oppose oppression. He revolted against the empires of that time, much more in number of those of today, with a few people. He overcame the enemy, while being martyred, with this few people. He defeated the oppressive system and we are his followers. Mourning sessions from then are put up as ordered by Imam Sadiq (`a) and recommended by the Infallible Imams (`a). We have similar case saying that this is against cruelty and tyrants. We have resuscitated the tragedy of Karbala and our preachers revived it as well. They revived a minor group with a great faith resisting a big taghout. Crying for martyrs is to revive the revolution. It is narrated that whoever acts up weeping, one shall be rewarded in paradise. «4» This is because even one who pretends to be weeping in grief of that tragic event is intending to maintain the revolt of Imam Husayn (`a). Our nation has preserved these sessions.

It was not unduly that Rida Khan and his SAVAK agents banned all mourning sessions. Rida Khan was not originally such a man to oppose to these things. He was an agent of those experts that knew our problems. Our enemies who had studied the nations and the Shiite Ummah saw that they could not achieve their aims as long as the elegiac sessions and disclosure of oppressor persist. During Rida Khan, all mourning gatherings were banned in Iran. They tied the hands of pulpit goers and `ulama, not letting them to preach. They launched their own propaganda and drew us back, plundering our entire reserves. In time of Muhammad-Rida, they did so but in different ways, not by using bayonets. They are here again to play games with our youths. That is the similar case as it was in time of Rida Khan who prohibited meetings. Now, there comes another group saying," no elegy sessions"! They cannot conceptualize what elegy and its nature means! They do not realize that this revolution has been accomplished thanks to of Imam Husayn's (`a) revolt.

This revolution is a reflection of the revolt of `Ashoura. They do not know weeping over Imam Husayn (`a) 's martyrdom is to revive the sense that a minor group stood against a major empire. It is a decree directed by Imam Husayn (`a) for all people." Everyday is Ashoura and everywhere, Karbala." The revolt conveys the message that the revolution should perpetuate everyday and everywhere.

Imam Husayn with a few people sacrificed everything he had for Islam. He resisted a great empire and said" no." This" no" should be preserved everyday and everywhere. These gatherings are held to preserve the same" no." Our children and youth might not imagine that we are a" nation of weeping"! Others to say" nation of weeping" inculcate this! They fear these tears that are shed in token of sympathy with the oppressed. The processions come out to rise against the oppressor. These are our religious rituals that should be kept. These are political traditions that need to be preserved. Take care lest these sold-out writers should trick you! Be careful not to be deceived by these people who appear by different names and deviating creeds to strip you of everything. They see that the elegiac sessions, remembering the disasters suffered by the oppressed and crimes committed by the oppressor stand against the oppressor. They do not understand they are serving the country and Islam.

Our youth are not paying attention! Do not be tricked by these traitors injecting into you the" nation of weeping". Their masters fear these cries because Rida Khan, as an agent, came in power and wiped them out. England on Delhi radio announced, we brought him to power and now removed him! They brought him to stifle Islam and one way to do so was to strip you of these sessions. Our youth should not imagine that in these sessions no mention should be made of mourning rituals. Do not imagine that in this way you are serving the country! The oppressions must be highlighted to make people understand what had happened in the past. This is to be done each day to project its socio-political aspect.

Let them not play games with you by these irrelevant arguments. They are attacking all over to ruin Islam and the revolution. Once, they want to eliminate its clergymen and at other times the clerical institution. The clergymen were the people who liberated you. Now, you lash out at them by writing against them? Where were you when they were in jails? Where on earth were you when the leg of a clergyman was sawn? Where were you when a clergyman's leg was burned with hot oil? Now you come out talking against wilayat-e faqih or, I do not know, dissolving Majlis? Do you have the power to do that? I strike you on the mouth! Stop saying bullshit! Join Islam and Muslims. Let the country proceed well. Democrats do wrong in Kurdistan and the gentlemen are here in Tehran doing mischief! Enough is enough.

May God assist you and make the revolution successful! Fear nothing whatsoever! No one can defeat you and May you be successful long as you trust God and follow Islam as your way. May God protect you and may you be successful!