In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
I extend my felicitations to the blessed presence of the Imam of the Age- may our souls be sacrificed for him- and the noble and victorious Iranian nation at the beginning of the third year of the victory of the Muslim Iranian nation.
During the past two years, this beloved nation has witnessed many sad and happy events including its great victory over the satanic powers and the establishment of the Islamic rule in all its aspects; the elimination of the aggressive and covetous domination of the right and the left blocs and their loyal stooges; the freedom of the pious scholars and the committed intellectuals from the infernal prisons; the closing down of the centers of widespread corruption and deviation of the youth; the expulsion of the pompous, corrupt, and destructive military advisors and overlords; the executions of the criminal, treacherous, and greedy leaders; the expulsion of treacherous, opportunistic, and criminal parasites; the astonishing transformation of the various strata of our beloved nation from sheer apathy to commitment toward Islam and the country, which has been demonstrated in the course of the holy war with the satanic powers and their lackeys, and particularly Saddam; thousands of development projects and the formation of training centers in the rural areas for the masses that had been kept backward; the eradication of suppression and the creation of an atmosphere of freedom, as well as many other achievements that cannot all be enumerated here. Alongside these positive achievements, our country has also faced some bitter problems like the armed uprising of the parties supported by the evil forces; the plunders and the massacres of our Muslim Kurd, Turk, and Balouchi sisters and brothers; the disorder created by the treacherous mercenaries that have infiltrated into the various strata of the society and government bodies, and unfortunately at times, the youth who lack awareness of the Islamic governance and consider their wrongdoings as Islamic behavior; and most importantly, the imposed war and the inhuman attack of the criminal Ba`ath regime of Iraq resulting in the plunder and massacres of our innocent inhabitants of the border areas and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of our beloved sisters and brothers; as well as some other tribulations which are the unavoidable repercussions of every revolution. However, with the grace of Allah Almighty, these repercussions have been negligible compared to the other revolutions- including the ones that have taken place in some other Muslim countries- even though some misinformed and delusive elements have and are magnifying them out of proportion and are either knowingly or unknowingly contributing to the defeat of Islam.
Now that, by the grace of Allah Almighty, the great Islamic Revolution is entering the third year of its victory and is progressing against all odds and despite all the attempts of its ill-wishers and the corrupt groups which are the agents of either the East or the West, who had hoped to see the defeat of the Revolution in less than six months, and were looking forward for our nation to get disillusioned and turn its back upon the Revolution so that the doors would open once again for the lackeys of the previous despotic regime and the criminal America as well as the other plunderers who are lying in wait with their evil conspiracies to take undue advantage of the situation, our great nation should work for increasing solidarity and unity of expression. Today, the awakened Iranian nation is witnessing great human and Islamic cooperation all over the country and the sacrifices of wealth, life, and beloved ones for the victory and for the expulsion of the Ba`athist unbelievers from its beloved country; and the venomous pens of the malicious enemies and the negligent friends have had no adverse effects upon the morale of the masses of the millions of noble Muslims of Iran and the world. At this point I deem it necessary to draw your attention to the following points:
1. My first humble word of caution is to the orators and the writers, both from among the clergy as well as the members of the press and the mass media. My dear ones! As you all know, your achievements including the elimination of the taghouti regime and its replacement with the establishment of Islamic Republic has not come to you easy and has in fact been achieved at the cost of the blood of thousands of young believers as well as the sacrifices of thousands of those who have been invalidated and handicapped, for which we shall be indebted to them all our lives. Do not squander off this great divine blessing for a small price. You honorable gentlemen who contributed to the victory of the Revolution and to whom Iran and Islam belongs should try to employ your pens and your tongues in serving the cause of the Revolution and to ensure its freedom and independence under the aegis of the Islamic Republic and the grand banners of tawhid and Islam. Put in all your efforts in boosting the morale of the nation and strive ceaselessly against the invectives of the deviated elements aimed at demoralizing the nation. Refrain from demoralizing those who are at the service of the Islamic Republic because that would amount to serving the interests of the world imperialists who are lying in wait to take undue advantage of your pens and your words.
It would be most unjust if we just stood aside and hurt the illumined hearts of the beloved Islamic youth from the army, the revolutionary guards, the gendarmerie, the basij, the police, the tribal volunteers, and the other dear ones from the various cities and rural areas of the country who are sacrificing their lives and their blood for the cause of Islam and the Muslims. Take an honest look to compare our contribution toward Islam and the Islamic country with that of our dear selfless youth from the universities, the theological schools, and the rural as well as the urban areas, right from laborers to the traders. Right from the onset of the Revolution it has been this cadre of people that has shouldered all the burdens and responsibilities and have selflessly offered their lives and it is to them that we owe everything we have today.
Our true leader is that twelve-year old boy- whose tiny heart is much larger than hundreds of our pens and words- who threw himself with a grenade under the enemy's tank and destroyed it, and attained the sweet blessing of martyrdom for himself.
O God, forgive me! Our beloved children and youth are sacrificing themselves for our welfare!
2. I remind the personnel of the army, the revolutionary guards, the gendarmerie, the basij, the police, and all the paramilitary forces that you are divine soldiers and are engaged in the service of Islam and in the protection of the Islamic country. The Muslim Iranian nation deeply appreciates your services and believes you to be an inseparable part of itself. No other country in the world today shares such a strong relationship with its armed forces. The army and the police that severed their ties from the taghouti regime and joined the cause of Allah with all their fervor, at a time when the price of any sort of rebellion was no less than death, have delivered upon their responsibility toward Islam and their country and have earned the satisfaction of Allah. Similarly, our beloved revolutionary guards and the other paramilitary forces that made our sacred revolution victorious with the support of our great nation can hope to stand with their heads held high in the divine presence for bringing honor to the Islamic Republic.
My beloved ones! Stay alert because there are ungodly people who intend to create a rift between you and the nation in order to drag the Revolution to its destruction and to enslave the country to the superpowers. Stay away from the evil instigation of these agents of the East and the West with all your might and resist them powerfully. Although the armed forces should be politically aware and should never act blindly, they should, however, refrain from getting involved in the affairs of the politicians because their involvement in political affairs could provide the seasoned politicians with an opportunity to create rifts among them and to attain to their ultimate goal of enslaving the country and could destroy the foundation of the Army which can only serve the country effectively under complete internal unity. O you dear personnel of the armed forces who are determined to serve your country! Beware of any involvement in political games because you will then be deprived from serving your homeland and will be dragged either toward the East or toward the West! Any political games will only force you to take sides and will make you cynical toward some sections of the nation and will eventually take their toll after creating rifts among you.
Today the entire nation has faith in you and considers you to be at the service of Islam and the country and extends its support to you. As you can see, behind the warfronts, millions of people- young and old, female and male- are engaged in action and service for your victory. Our orators and speakers today feel deeply toward you. In case deviated people infiltrate among you and try to disillusion you about the clergy and the religious people in order to create a rift between you and the nation, you should know that they only intend to achieve their own evil goals. Stay alert and drive away such devils! It is necessary for you to strive with all your ability to maintain unity among yourselves. Keep in mind that there is no distinction among the armed forces and all of them are engaged in making sacrifices for God, Islam, and their beloved homeland and those who intend to create a rift among the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Army and the other cadres of the armed forces do not have the welfare of their homeland and Islam in mind. And they are only waiting to, God forbid, disintegrate you from within before striking the final blow.
3. My word of caution to the clergies who are serving in the courts of law, in committees, in the Jihad for Reconstruction, and in other official bodies is not to interfere in affairs that they are not qualified for and that do not concern them because besides the fact that such interference would be illegitimate, it would also result in the disillusionment of the nation at the hands the clergy and would cause a rift between you and the nation. This is to be counted as a big blow to Islam and the Islamic country and will be among the unpardonable major sins. The devils who instigate you to indulge in such interferences are the sworn enemies of the clergy and Islam and by such actions they aim to eventually achieve their evil goals following which they will isolate you and will drag the country to destruction. Any kind of interference in administrative affairs or in the processes of appointment and dismissals or in similar affairs, except those who have been directly authorized by the government to do so, amounts to illegitimate interference and will lead to turmoil in the affairs of the country and should, thus, be strictly avoided.
My greatest fear is that some of the young clergies who are responsible for safeguarding the honor and dignity of Islam and the clergy may end up portraying very distorted pictures of Islam and the clergy through their actions even if they are well meaning. I dread that the devils who are sitting ready with their venomous pens to blow things out of proportion in order to bring down the Islamic Republic may blame the Islamic Republic for the misdeeds of some individuals and may bring ill-reputation to the Islamic Republic under the pretext of saving Islam.
4. There is no doubt that there have been many instances of unauthorized interferences by some so-called" clergics" as well as some others who have given themselves the undue permission to interfere in the affairs of the country. The authorized officials of the country should seriously prevent such interferences and the proficient writers and orators should also strive for the same by providing brotherly advice and healthy criticism. However, this should not be done in a spiteful manner and out of personal malice or in order to distort the image of the Islamic Republic which is itself a major sin because not only are such actions futile but they also end up invoking detrimental reactions. Unfortunately, instead of offering healthy and positive criticism and guidance some of the writers and orators are seeking to disappoint people with the Islamic Republic through their spiteful criticism. Such people have resorted to slander instead of constructive criticism and are themselves caught up in destructive action instead of forbidding it. May Allah guide all of them!
5. I once again warn the world, and Iran and the region in particular, against the dangers of America. All those who have united against the Islamic Republic of Iran have direct or indirect ties with America. The Iranian nation should resist this danger with all its determination. As soon as America found that the military attack on Iran through one of its agents- i. e. the Iraqi government- only ended up strengthening the unity of our people, it once again resorted to escalating the internal differences in Iran. The heroic Iranian nation should foil this evil plan through its unity like it did with their earlier conspiracies.
6. The threat of international communism should not be treated lightly. Although the superpowers are blatantly sucking the blood of the oppressed peoples under different pretexts, notwithstanding all their claims, and are only concerned with their own material welfare, the threat of communism is no less of a threat than Western capitalism and the Iranian people should stay aware of their conspiracies.
7. Today Israel and its close ally, Egypt, are contemplating upon the formation of a central nucleus in the region for the extermination of the Muslims and their lofty values; and now even Iraq and some of the heads of the countries of the region have consented to this plan. It is for almost twenty years now that I have been warning against the dangers of international Zionism. Not only has its threat to all the liberation movements of the world and the Islamic Revolution of Iran not waned but also I believe that these greedy leeches have equipped themselves with various tactics and are taking steps toward ruining the oppressed peoples of the world. Our nation as well as the other free nations of the world should stand up with courage and awareness against their dangerous conspiracies.
8. I once again extend my support to all the liberation movements of the world and sincerely wish that they will succeed in attaining freedom for their societies. And it is hoped that the Islamic government will come to their rescue whenever necessary.
9. My message to our great nation and to the great masses of people at whose blessed hands the great victory was attained and who brought about the revival of Islam in this century and to whose invaluable services we are indebted is that this great miracle of the century and this unique victory and this Islamic Republic needs to be safeguarded and protected. And that can only possibly be through your able hands that are supported by Allah, the Omnipotent. Your beloved great nation selflessly sacrificed everything for the satisfaction of God and gained this grand celestial blessing. Effort and forbearance will be required to ensure the safety of this achievement. The wicked elements, perhaps most of them belonging to the affluent stratum of society connected with the previous regime, intend to dampen your spirits through rumors, fabrications, and deception and to deprive you of this great achievement that fell into your hands through the sacrifice of the blood of the martyrs and our beloved youth. They wish to cause despair among you through excuses like the shortage of petrol, kerosene, sugar, and such things only in order to deal their final blow. Indeed, falling prey to such rumors and deceptions is rather a blow to your human dignity. These blind-hearted people think that you have sacrificed your youth and your beloved ones to gain petrol and kerosene and that you are serving Islam and your beloved homeland only to fill your stomachs! Drive away such people who are the enemies of your honor and dignity and do not allow them to succeed in their conspiracies. Take your inspiration from the struggles of the great Prophet of Islam (s) and his companions and the hardships and shortages they faced and yet made Islam victorious by sacrificing their lives and their blood. Follow in the footsteps of those great souls and strengthen Islam and protect your beloved homeland. Reject malicious people and do not fear anything, for you have God's support. I pray to Allah Almighty to support Islam and the Muslims and for the speedy victory of the army of Islam over the unbelievers. May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini