Speech [The necessity of being united against the world powers; attending to the deprived regions of the country]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Although my doctors have told me not to speak too much, and though I have spoken all at once to various groups just today, yet I find myself unable to listen to the doctors and not mention certain things to our brothers and the distinguished clergymen of Kurdistan- a place where they underwent much hardship- considering that they have come here. You know that just as there was oppression in Kurdistan- where you used to experience it during the taghouti era- there was oppression everywhere as well; it was not exclusive to Kurdistan. There was oppression also in Baluchistan, Kerman, Fars and Khorasan. It was the same all over the country. The basis of the taghouti monarchy was oppressing the people, plundering the country's resources and handing them over to the enemies of Islam and Iran. Thank God that the oppression and oppressors were rooted out by the magnificent efforts of all the people, form Kurdistan to every other place in the country. Any oppression existing today is the legacy of that same oppression. It does exist in certain regions, especially in those of our Kurdistani brothers. We are not unaware of certain intrigues that are developing even now. I wish to ask the people who claim to profess Islam but are busy in hatching plots against it, who tell the people- the Kurds, the Kurdistanis- that they profess Islam and such things while they are actually busy in plotting against these deprived people of Kurdistan and the non-Kurdistanis, as to how they can make such a claim. This( kind of )Islam that causes them to hatch plots in league with the enemies of Islam, and to act against it, the Muslims and the Islamic nation, is not the Islam of the Noble Messenger. It is not the Islam of the Qur'an that was revealed to him and which came for him. The basic principle of the Prophet of Islam who brought the Qur'an which, together with his Sunnah (Traditions), forms the basis of Islam, is brotherhood and fraternity. A believer must be like a brother to another believer. This is a Qur'anic command «1», which tells you to desire for your whole nation whatever that is good and of benefit to your brother. The believers in every country are brothers. Just like a person does not sit by watching when danger threatens his brother; if any brother, any brother-in-faith, in any corner of the world faces some danger, another brother who is in that part of the world must not remain indifferent. He should act if he is able to do so. But in case he cannot, he should prepare the grounds for eliminating the oppression at some time. How can one who professes Islam, who says that he is a Muslim and claims to be concerned about the nation, sit in some place with some people- the deviationalists and the ones who do not believe at all in Islam- around him, and associate with them and arrange with them to bring the foreigners to Iran and make them dominate these Muslims, whether the Kurds or non-Kurds, that live here?

The ones that are thinking about doing this ought to realize that even if they muster all their forces, they cannot resist a people that collectively cry out" Allahu Akbar". They are futilely thinking about creating dissension. The Muslims are brothers. They will not allow the malicious propaganda of certain corrupt elements to divide them. The notion that Shi`ahs and Sunnis are different has arisen from ignorance and the propaganda of the foreigners, just as they cause various people among the Shi`ahs themselves to oppose one another, and also place one group of the Sunnis against another group.

This is the day when all the Muslim groups are confronting the satanic powers that wish to destroy the very basis of Islam; the powers that have realized that it is Islam that poses a threat to their interests; that the thing that spells danger for them is the unity of the Islamic peoples. This is the day for all the command of Islam and the Holy Qur'an. Engaging in dispute in any form is prohibited by the Holy Qur'an. Otherwise, disputing gives rise to lassitude and drains a person and the nation of vigor and energy. This is the command of the Generous Lord. Those who want to sow discord and cause disputes and such things while professing Islam, have not discovered that (real) Islam; they do not believe in the Islam whose Book is the Holy Qur'an and whose heart is the Ka`bah. The ones who believe in Islam accept the Holy Qur'an and its contents; the one that states that all believers are brothers. They ought to perform all that brotherhood demands. Brotherhoods demands that in case some misfortune befalls you, all the brothers, wherever they be, should feel sympathy for you. Everybody should be happy when you are happy. Brothers, be careful. They want to divide the brothers by means of various designations and the things that they are spreading and propagating. This creation of divisions among the brothers will result in the foreigners dominating everybody and the emergence of the previous situation in which all of you, all of us, from the capital to wherever you went, were subjected to oppression and persecution.

Brothers, be vigilant. In their mosques, at the Friday prayers and among their congregations, the respected clergymen of Kurdistan should be mindful of alerting the people of their locality so that they are not deceived by the alien-worshippers who want to sow discord, and after doing so, to make us go back to that previous state of affairs, and for the domination by the foreigners to be re-established. Everybody must be conscious about this.

Giving further consideration and attention to the deprived regions

You know that many of these difficulties that our country and our government have, were created by the same people that were in Kurdistan, Balouchestan or other places. They did not give the government an opportunity to do its utmost attention to the country's affairs. Rest assured that today there is no law in our country, the Islamic government and the Islamic Majlis that discriminates between one and another. Just as the Qur'an has stated that all the believers are brothers, our Islamic government, Islamic Republic and Islamic Majlis are all following this same command now. Do not think that one region is given preference over another. Yes, the places where the people are poorer are given priority. All these problems that this respected gentleman has mentioned are acknowledged. And we also know that these difficulties have not been removed in the way they should have. But they did not give us the opportunity to do so. Eliminating problems necessitates an area becoming safe enough. They can become busy with their work only after security has been established. They did not give any region the opportunity to enjoy security. We now see that though Kurdistan is a bit calm, certain people, some groups and troublemakers are still carrying out their (mischievous) activities and are killing people. You know that the prime consideration is that security prevail throughout the country, especially at the borders where security ought to be greater. Greater attention must also be paid to places where the troublemakers are more in number. Security will prevail, God willing, after which all these issues that the gentleman has mentioned will be considered and effectuated. That no distinction be made whatsoever between one sect and another is just what is expected of the Islamic country and Islamic law. All (the believers) are brothers and are partners in everything: they share in one another's grief and also in one another's happiness.

I hope that the `ulama' of those regions, of Sanandaj and the whole of Kurdistan, and also all our other brothers, the distinguished `ulama' of all the other regions, make the people aware of the fact that our unity of expression and reliance on Islam brought us victory, that our cries of" Allahu Akbar" made us victorious. And the same" Allahu Akbar" is our weapon even now. The unity of expression brought us victory, and the same unity of expression is our weapon even now. I am your servant and I pray for all of you. I hope that God the Blessed and Exalted will grant prosperity to you and the deprived people of the world.

May God's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.