Speech [Problems and difficulties of the revolution and unreasonable expectations]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

It is not that I would not be informed. Individuals and groups regularly come here, relay the condition of their respective regions and send letters. I am informed of most of these external gatherings, these internal gatherings as well as the problems that you mentioned. Contrary to what you said that the newspapers do not reach me, they reach me; the summary of the news reaches me; summary of the state of affairs of the country reach me as well. I am also informed of the problems by district army and gendarmerie and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. I am not uninformed." That they do not let the news of the actual condition reach you," as you said, is the statement the ill wishers uttered. Unfortunately, you also believed in that simple mind of yours. Now, you can see that you are here; and since morning up to now, various groups have been in this very room. There are also assemblies outside; they give their sheets of paper although most of their sheets of paper are things not related to me.

It seems that you paid little attention to the revolutions that have occurred in the world. You consider the revolution to mean changing the prime minister or the president. You know that this Iranian Revolution is a model revolution. Due to the fact that in the revolutions that have happened in the world, and in the last century so many have happened, a satanic power would go and another satanic power would replace it and once a revolution has been started and coup has happened, mouths, hands and pens have been broken by them. During these days as you know a revolution comes to pass in a country and afterwards according to media, all press have been closed and all political activities and parties have been discontinued and ended up to stifling. Every arising revolution such as Russian Revolution and the French Revolution resulted in starvation and multi-million killings. This Soviet Union that is vociferous to be in its 60 th while it is a military kind, yet it is not established. The number of killing men and the people put to death is beyond calculation.

Regrettably, most groups of people do not have enough information about our revolution. They do not know that this revolution is unique. A throng of some 30 million bare-handed people just by the help of Islam and without any war equipment or training moved forward and launched a revolution and what a revolution! All major and minor powers as Soviet Union, England and America in the pinnacle were against us. Arab countries were our opponents too. Just when they understood the victory is in our hands, they voiced their consent. Otherwise, they were our entire opponents and that was the confrontation of Iran against all powers. Due to this revolution, we cut the hands of those who coveted our belongings. They, and also the oil, gas and other natural resources, have valued the market. Now they are standing and conspiring against us.

In such an arising revolution you expect that the revolution is arising like other metamorphosis as replacement of Prime Minister or president. It would be trouble- free forthwith. Is it really to change a Prime Minister? Why do not you ponder that this forthwith event is another subject. This is the opposition of barehanded people to all powers that covet our belongings. These Arab countries, which you have mentioned, were against us. Iraq was against us. Kuwait was too. Let us say that Yemen, Egypt, America, England and others and France also was against us. In this condition, a revolution is arising and crowded them out of the country while they had some interests here. Even now they cannot disregard their interests. Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom can overlook. The other countries cannot either. Then you remark that nothing has been done or improved! Nothing has been changed. Most of what you mentioned is rectifying. However, people do not know. Previously, I also asked what had been done but once the concerned officials informed me it became obvious that this eight-month long government does its best after the victory in this distraught condition and in a ruined country, which is called Iran. Yesterday 35 million people were under duress. It was impossible for you to come here and have such coterie. Talking about politics, society, country and even our nation was not feasible. Do not belittle these things. In comparison to five years ago, the status quo is of great worth. If one hundred captives, once come out of jail they will sabotage, it is while 35 million inmates come out of durance. In this condition, disturbance ends to sabotage. Imprisonment, intimidation and suffocation were excruciating pain with which our people were constantly afflicted. There was no newspaper to write a word of fact. There is nothing on TV or radio except panegyric of Aryamehr. The media were those just in their hands and propagandized for them. To organize a coterie or demonstration was impossible. Managing a gathering of five hundred persons to march and even supposedly to say true subject was not possible during all that time. Do not disparage these things. Five years ago, the people were in trouble, youth were in jails, all people and politicians could not utter a word, clergymen couldn't speak about politics, the press was in suppression of belief and all pens have been broken.

Now, all these things are removed. Once people open their eyes and see they are in the clear and free. Clearly, there are 35 million disparate demands after stifling and lookup. All you are asking is why you do not improve on. Repeatedly you ask me this question. You consider me as the kingpin. I am a theologian. I can just advise. As you see all the government and people are active and shoulder their responsibilities. You do not known how many homes are built, how many public paths are built and how many roads are paved. How many schools does the government or people themselves make? All of these things have been done, but they have ruined this country during 35, 50 if we do not say 2500 years. They have ruined this country by hack, spade and pickax.( Being ruined during 50 years, how can you expect the country to be reconstructed in 8 months )? You, also, have to work. Throw off all disguises! Do not pass the buck and question us. You can declaim that nothing has been done. But just we must explain about our actions. Is this country just for minister? Is this country for clergyman? The country belongs to all people. So we all must be called into question. Do not sit and just nag that they do nothing. They are like you. It is not like the past that everything will be in the hands of special group who pocketed in interests. You would be powerless and cannot do anything. Formerly, all country's interest was in ruling authority or their relatives' pocket. When that was the case, it was people's right to say you pocketed and passed the back. That was so but nobody can breathe a word.

Now the country is for you and we do not have a coercive state to want everything for its own and there is no ax to grind. They are under supervision and they themselves are righteous. It is not true yet that we all young and old sit at home and ask," What do you do"? What's the difference between you and them? What do you do? You have to and so do I. This country belongs to you. Since its benefits are not for a particular throng, so it is wrong to expect just a special group work. The country's benefits and its losses are ours too. The country also is for all but this 6,8,10 months-old baby cannot do as a philosopher. Being as a six or seven-month-old baby, our country is afflicted with excruciating pain and misery and diseases particularly after the victory. So it is too difficult to improve. Once you come here and see what these people say and want. That unmarried man comes here and says I want a wife. That single girl asks me for a husband. Mostly, these letters are of this sort. Those who come here, once come and see mostly they carry letters and parcels. It is while you suppose that they are about crucial and political issues and if we do not get these parcels, we are unknown. Now, my room is about with these letters and parcels. They deem that we raise a revolution to have a wife. We spur a revolution to have a husband. We are raising a revolution to have these things and those things. We raise a revolution and now you have to reform. This was a nation to start a revolution and to make efforts and eradicate this corruption. Now, again, you yourself must do it and do not refer to me. I am like you and one of you. Praise is to Allah; you are young and vigorous whereas I do not possess these blessings. Considering the government as a peculiar importance is wrong. The government is the same as you with restricted power. Now if they want to replace an individual, they have to look after one with clean record for a long time. It is not like the former that you can easily perceive people backgrounds. There were some heavy-handed who were like deadly snake and the government wanted such people and served them. Since now some qualification such as religion, piousness, custody and no fractional inclination are of high importance, it is difficult to find. I know that now there are some inept ones in our offices but finding decent person that works faithfully is an intricate problem. Nevertheless, they are purged and some others are renewed therefore, you should not have irrational demands.

Sir, at this time we want to ask you" what did you do for us?" We made effort and were jailed as good as you, so it is our right to ask you as you do. It makes no difference. All of us should ask what we should do.

But what you should do is to pour oil on troubled waters. Peace is essential for reform. One cannot cover a road with asphalt if there is quarell and disagreements. It is not possible to study at a school in which students are divided into opposite groups jumping into fray nor can one set such a school right. One cannot question why the Ministry of Education fails to work efficiently. Well, there are obviously elements impeding efforts to set right the situation. The Kurdestan Province you see is now so ruined is because a group of parasites affiliated to the detested Phahlavi regime fawning either on right or on left and predominantly flattering the Americans do not allow any work to be done for Kurdish people. Budget was allocated to them, but how can one for example pave the road with asphalt while hordes of these stooges walk around and shoot the relief workers? Can one make school there in such conditions? Can one make, I don't know, a public bath or high school or fulfill the needs of the residents? Well, it is not possible.

Noteworthy services in short while endeavor to keep a stiff upper lip despite these debilitating words that you did nothing. So many works have been done till now. We were baffled by many problems but be careful that they do the drudgery during the eight months in spite of its imperfection. They work in such circumstances and conditions despite sabotage. People do not have any information about these services, however. A group came here from Qum and got informed of the government services such as asphalting and making homes and public baths, etc. Allow me to say although it sounds that foundation services are not as well as it is expected, a lot has been done. But it needs more excessive than this. There are some million oppressed people, some million weak who are the former regime's inherited results. All these homeless that you can see are bequests of the former regime not the revolution. No one dared to utter," We have no water". These words elicited imprisonment. Asking for pavement eventuated in torturing. Now, there is no whip duress, or torturing. So the people protested vocally. The oppressed people speak up about scarcity of water and electricity. So I ask whether this scarcity of water and electricity is the outcome of revolution. Certainly, the answer is negative. It does not concern with revolution, it is traceable to 30 or 40 years ago or more. Now you act as if we owe you something. They are trying to reconstruct. Now it is not right to evaluate their efforts futile. Many places have been plumbed and irrigated by them. Numerous roads were constructed. Myriad of houses has been built. But it takes time to make for some millions. They know that a long way is ahead. Yet it does not mean we overlook their efforts and claim that the revolution is the same as before. If it is so, could you come here and sit! If there were no difference before and after revolution, you would be imprisoned after going out of here. What does this sentence mean? It is just for your discouragement. You must be stable and gain ground. Vigorously move forward as you breached that main barrier and be sure that your country becomes improved. A group of those who are akin to bandits are still here. I remember at that time Ahmad Shah time- we were afflicted to such robberies. Those like Rajab `Ali, Nayib Husayn Kashi and that Mirza «1» and some others you have not even heard their names ransacked everybody's property. They sacked our village. The system of then government in Kashan couldn't do anything. These pillagers came and executed their orders. They ransacked and performed their duties. But in the end, during Rida Khan, all pillagers were confined to one pillager. They were all quelled and a pillager took their place. By the foreigner's order, all of them were quelled and the power remained in the hands of someone who was himself was pillager.

Do not be under the impression that they did nothing. They did a miracle. As you hear this cry, it would be impossible for one to utter one's suffering. Well, this freedom, the gift of freedom, is the most valued concept in the world. Now when you go home, you are not worried lest Savak might arrest your brother, father or husband. You were scared of this. Now you sleep at ease. Neither the security forces nor the govoernment comes to apprehend you. The robbers, plunderers and all those pestering you in the course of history are being arrested one after another, with some of them being punished duly. The guiltless ones are not penalized. Do not believe in the words bandied about by certain elements on the penalties. These words are made by those affiliated to the former regime, suggesting that Islam is basically the same as the former regime. They do not know that it was due to Islam that all the robbers were driven out of the country. It was due to Islam that we are enjoying this freedom. It was due to Islam that in post-revolution period all the print media were granted such freedom. Nevertheless, after the lapse of five or six months, they came to realize that some of these print media affiliated to Israel are weaving plot against the government. Well, based on some rules, it was decided to conduct investigation into the media. Any of them found to be affiliated to Israel would be restrained. You cannot find any revolution in the world like the revolution in Iran. After the revolution there was absolutely no trouble and freedom was order of the day. Gatherings were free, parties were free and people raised their criticism freely.

The point you cited to the effect that developments are not conveyed to me, these are also among the allegations these people make to suggest to the public that I am unaware of what is going on in the country. When I am unaware of things, my words cannot be correct. However, I am not in the dark. You are now here sitting beside me and exchanging words None of them see this. Morning, noon and night people are here. The thing is that there was supposed to be a gathering in the morning up to noon. Then I was to be spared for some time. This is my free time you are now observing. I hope you will be successful. I pray for all you.