In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Greetings to the oppressed and noble nation of Iraq that has suffered, and is suffering the atrocities and treacheries of the ruthless and heretic Ba`ath Party for many long years. You have witnessed the cruelty and the grinding pressure to which the great men [of the religion], the religious reference authorities and the crusaders of your country have been subjected. You and we witnessed what this corrupt regime did to the late Ayatullah Hakim and his honorable sons, and in what a state of distress, in the last years of his life, did that great but meek Sayyid join his illustrious forebears. You also saw his respected sons being jailed, tortured and repressed. You and we witnessed what they did to that great Sayyid, Mr. Sadr and his oppressed sister, and how they tortured them to death. You and we witnessed the cruelties and brutalities they inflicted upon the Najaf Theology Center and the other honorable centers, and how they imprisoned and tortured whole lots of `ulama' and theology students. You and we witnessed how these cruel criminals desecrated the holy shrines of the saints of Islam. You and we saw the regime's henchmen pouring into the sacred courtyard of the Noble Commander of the Faithful (`a) brutally beating the meek pilgrims and firing machine-guns at the holy mausoleum. You and we witnessed the atrocities they committed against the dear pilgrims to the shrine of Imam Husayn on the day of Arba`in. You and we witnessed them driving out whole lots of the innocent and oppressed people from their own country. These refugees are now living safely and respectably in the Islamic country of Iran.
O noble nation [of Iraq]! O unfortunate army under the control of the heretics! It is now more than ten days since the corrupt Ba`athist regime, acting on the orders of the infidel [world] power, launched its savage attack on the Islamic country, your neighbor. It is committing aggression and atrocities against the defenseless cities and your meek Muslim brothers, destroying their homes and shelters and massacring the meek children and women, whose only crime is that they want their country to be an Islamic Republic and the commandments of the Holy Qur'an put into effect. They want to be independent and free. They do not want to live under the domination and oppression of your overlord. They want the resources of their country to be used for themselves and the country's poor. What greater" crime" is there in the eyes of the plunderers, their servants and hirelings!
My brothers in the Iraqi army! Until when do you want to be in the bondage of the infidels and, acting on their orders, be at war with your brotherly, neighboring Islamic country? Until when do you want to fight against Islam, the Holy Qur'an and the Islamic country, and martyr your brothers for the benefit of the infidels? Rise and rid your Islamic country of these criminals. Until when do you want yourselves and your dear ones killed in securing heresy? You are aware that this war has been imposed upon Iran and that we are defending our country; defense that is religiously and morally obligatory. But, regretfully, we see that the infidels and their evil lackeys have pitted two Muslim nations against one another and are waiting to exploit the situation. O officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of Iraq! Do you know what you are doing and for what purpose you are getting yourselves killed? Do they know what army, what massive force of men and what nation, that struggles enthusiastically in the way of God, you are confronting and dragging yourselves into the jaws of death for the benefit of others? Are you aware that the Exalted Lord and the Prophet of Islam feel disgust for those who fight their Muslim brothers and that this act leads them to hell and earns the wrath of the Almighty God? Stop killing your brothers and come to the Islamic country of Iran with your weapons; we will receive you with open arms. O zealous tribes of the Tigris and Euphrates! O fighters and warriors! Rise in the defense of Islam and safeguard the Qur'an and its precepts as it is incumbent upon all the Muslims, men and women, to defend Islam and the Holy Qur'an. O people of Iraq who have experienced, and are experiencing, the atrocities of these mercenaries! Rise like the combatant people of Iran and revolt. Do not fear this heretic party. Know that if you give them time and they find the opportunity, they will destroy Islam and wipe out its traces. They are the enemies of Islam. America, its dependent countries and lackeys have been dealt a blow by Islam. They harbor enmity towards it. Do not expect people like `Aflaq, Saddam and Sadat to relinquish their animosity towards Islam. O distinguished Sunni spiritual leaders and shaykhs! O you great preachers and Muslim intellectuals of Iraq! Awaken the people and rise to protect Islam and Islamic countries; God supports you. You saw that the combatant nation of Iran, with its faith in God and unity of expression, overcame the monstrous satanic power that was supported by all the world powers, and put an end to the influence of the superpowers in its country. The dear Iraqi people and army should know that our armed forces: the brave army, the powerful pasdars, the valorous police and gendarmerie, the devoted Pishmargas [the self-sacrificers], together with the combatant people, the Sipah and the Basij [volunteer corps] warriors constitute a consolidated, immensely powerful force that is standing like an iron barrier in front of all the powerful entities. They will be victorious as their motives for fighting is the Great God, Islam and the Holy Qur'an, and their aim lies in being martyred and realizing Truth. And while our nation is peaceful and fair-minded in accordance with Islamic teachings, and treats its captives in such a gallant and Islamic way as if it is dealing with its own youths, it deals with the enemies of Islam and the aggressors against Islamic country, firmly, tellingly and laudably. In this imposed war which was against our wish, you and we saw how our people made the headstrong enemy realize that they are valorous warriors that swooped upon the enemy like eagles, and whose youths, without fearing anything, dealt it such a blow that if left behind whatever it had and opted to flee. May the day not come when a general mobilization becomes necessary, for if it comes, the world will observe what the power of Islam is and that the power of faith prevails over all other powers. You and we saw how Saddam, after doing all the mischief and bloodshed, and attacking the defenseless cities and the shelterless people, is now suing for a cease-fire. There is no doubt that after committing atrocities, every criminal, every plunderer, wants his adversary to become inactive so that he may summon help from mischievous elements and others of his kind, and continue to do crimes and shed blood after reinforcing himself. But our people and armed forces will not cease fighting until they have attained final victory and taken revenge for the crimes committed by the bloodthirsty Ba`ath Party. They will continue to fight bravely and pay no heed to the ploys of the international plunderers.
You and we have heard that the Shaykhs of the Gulf region and some of the governments of the Islamic countries have sided with the unbelievers in this war between Islam and heresy. They are giving military aid to the criminal, tyrannical Ba`athist government and doing propaganda on its behalf. It is a matter of regret and astonishment that those who consider themselves to be Muslims and are the rulers of Muslim countries have risen against Islam and the Holy Qur'an and have opened fire on the innocent Muslims. They must know that if it is proved that they have done anything against the good of Islam, and if they do not prove their innocence, the Islamic government and nation will carry out their religious duty. I, hereby, warn them to desist from opposing Islam and supporting heresy; and to act according to their religious obligations and observe human values. They should not toy with their destiny. According to the authentic news I have, our armed forces behave in an Islamic and human manner with the refugees. I want them to show greater compassion to the prisoners, especially the injured and the wounded, and to serve them better. And I also want them to bomb the enemy positions as before, although the enemy forces have even attacked our hospitals; and this is the difference between good and evil. We and you are aware that the organs of propaganda of the West and its news agencies are greatly helping the enemy of Islam by disseminating falsehoods, and, sorry to say, such things are also seen in the propaganda organs of some Muslim countries. I am warning the Muslim countries to put an end to such false propaganda and not oppose the honorable religion of Islam. Finally, I pray for and thank all the Muslim and non-Muslim groups, and all the Islamic and non-Islamic nations and governments that have condemned the atrocities of the superpowers and their slavish lackeys, and are helping the Islamic countries and the Islamic Republic of Iran. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the students and non-students groups in the European and other countries that have denounced the criminal Saddam and his masters, and pray for their health and prosperity. And I am grateful to the noble, combatant people of Iran, the armed forces, the security forces, the pasdar brothers and the Pishmergas of Islam, the Revolution Guards Corps, the Basij, the dear clergymen and non-clergymen that have gone to the battlefronts and are fighting devotedly. I also wish to express my appreciation and thanks to the dear ones throughout the country for the praiseworthy material and spiritual assistance they are rendering to their crusading brothers. I pray to the Exalted Lord for the victory of Islam and the Muslims, and await final victory and relief [from the war].
" ... and indeed Allah is able to give them victory". «1» My warm greetings and best wishes to the noble people of Iraq who are with us at heart. I hope that they will pray at the sacred shrines for the victory of Islam and the annihilation of the unbelievers. May God's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you and His righteous servants.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini