In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ploy of the enemies of the Revolution to spread differences and hypocrisy
I thank all the brothers who have come here from afar- from Gurgan, from Gonbad, from Balouchistan, our Sunni as well as Shi`ah brothers, and I pray that all of you may succeed, by God's will, in establishing the interests of Islam in our beloved Iran.
As you brothers are well aware, foreign hands as well as some elements that pretend to be concerned about Islam are at work to eliminate this revolution that intends to safeguard the interests of the entire nation, in general, and the interests of the agriculturists, the laborers, and the oppressed strata of our society in particular. They intend to, once again, bring ruin to this country that has been granted to us by offering hundreds of thousands of martyrs, by creating rifts and disunity. It is, therefore, incumbent upon all of us to remain alert and to either thwart their conspiracies or to ignore them completely. There are some groups that intend to create rifts in the society in the name of" Shi`ah" or" Sunni", in the same way as the agents of America conspired in Ta'if in order to serve the interests of America, followed by the Soviet Union, and planned to create dissension between brothers. Following suit, there are elements that are implementing the same plans within our country, too, oblivious to the fact that if, God forbid, these big powers were to ever return to Iran, they would make sure that neither does Islam, and nor the Sunnis or the Shi`ah survive. If they, God forbid, succeed in returning to Iran once again, since their interests have seen damage at the hands of the Sunni and the Shi`ah brothers, and because a unity between them has not worked in their favor, know that this time they will ensure that they destroy the very foundation of Islam which is a common ground between these two groups. Remain alert brothers! And remember that if those who are trying to create differences between the Shi`ah and the Sunni brothers are the agents of either America or the Soviet Union they may not take your good counsel and if they are not connected with them and if they truly wish to serve Islam, the Muslims, and their Islamic country, then they should know that creating dissension will not serve their purpose. They will succeed in their aims only by fostering harmony between the various groups; and everyone should try to protect this harmony that has, by the grace of God, been achieved in Iran.
Attaining the sublime Islamic goals through unity and peace
We can steer this country toward the sublime goals of Islam through unity and peace and can rescue these oppressed people from all the oppression that they have suffered throughout history. If there is no peace, there will be no agriculture. And without peace, the industry will not gain momentum. Without peace, it will not be possible to implement the necessary reforms for the benefit of the oppressed peoples. You can see that since there is turmoil in places like Kurdistan and Khuzestan, some of which has even been caused in the name of Islam, the government has not yet succeeded in achieving any positive results there. This is because a violent environment does not permit those who wish to offer any services to succeed within all the turmoil. How can agriculture thrive in an environment in which the deviant elements set the crops on fire?! How can the industry be implemented and thrive in environments in which the workers are compelled to go on strike and to indulge in inhuman acts?!
O my brothers! O my Sunni brothers! O my Shi`ah brothers! Do not forget that the roots of corruption that had suppressed you and had trampled upon you violently throughout history and who have been and are, by the grace of God, being eliminated from among you, are trying to cause differences between you under various names and are active throughout the country, trying to succeed in their plans, only wishing to let this country be devoured either by America or the Soviet Union. They are active all around you, more so in the north of the country. They are also active in Tehran and have many unions here. Many of those deviated elements, some of whom also have past criminal records, have emerged again and are actively making mischief.
What harm have you ever seen through peace, through Islam, or through the Islamic Republic, or the Holy Qur'an to prompt you to work so determinedly against them and, in the name of Islam, to unintentionally or then, God forbid, intentionally conspire against them?! Do you think that all your conspiracies are hidden from us? No, that is not so! There is a lot of evidence against you. Give up all these talks and all these (deviated) unions and all these conspiracies! Our Islamic nation that has given young martyrs for the cause of Islam will never allow a fistful of people who were the mouthpieces of the previous regime to start all over again, thinking that they now have a good opportunity to attain their objectives. God forbid the day when our nation decides to confront these elements that are dealing blows to Islam either in the name of Islam or under such names as" Sunni" and" Shi`ah"! This nation is well aware! Do you think that a nation that has gone through such great trouble to establish an Islamic Republic would give you a free hand to bring destruction to it through foreign hands and to recreate conspiracies like the one in Ta'if?!
A warning to corrupt dissension-causing elements
I warn the people who intend to spread corruption here. We know them (and can take action against them) but we prefer that they should return to Islam and should wash their hands off treachery toward Islam in the name of defending their own rights. Everyone's rights, including the rights of the Sunni and the Shi`ah brothers as well as the officially recognized religious minorities have been incorporated in the Constitution and Islam, too, respects their rights and treats them with Islamic justice. Stop spreading conspiracies and causing turmoil through your gatherings! Do not neglect the call to Islam and the Holy Qur'an. Causing dissension will, God forbid, lead to foreign domination and with foreign domination all your interests will be at stake. The enemies of Islam and the Holy Qur'an are lying in wait. The people who cannot tolerate to see the progress of Islam as well as those who have been slapped by Islam are lying in wait. If, God forbid, you intend to cause internal dissension in the name of" Shi`ah" and" Sunni" we will then have to discharge our duty and introduce the corruption-causing elements to the Sunni and Shi`ah brothers and to the entire nation. The need of the hour is that at a time when we are involved in this war and as the big powers are supporting our invading enemy and as Saddam is employing every possible means to destroy this Islamic Republic, that too in the name of Islam, our brothers should be wary of corruption-causing elements who, at times, indulge in creating turmoil in Tehran, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. I warn these people to focus their attention on Islam and on the interests of the Muslims and to be wary of foreign-hatched conspiracies and to refrain from causing further differences, because that would be indulging in an unforgivable sin; and if I ever do realize that it is now my responsibility to confront them, it will not be in their interests. My wish is to bring progress and prosperity to this country in an atmosphere of brotherhood, peaceful coexistence, and harmony.
I am hopeful that our dear farmers who have come from various far and near places like Gonbad, Gorgan, and others can, as they said, work in a peaceful environment and salvage this country from dependence on others. All the farmers of this country should stay alert and should ignore and drive away the people and groups that approach them with the intention of causing despair among them. Only within a peaceful atmosphere and by abiding by the laws of Islam and the Qur'an will your success in worldly affairs as well as the affairs of the hereafter be guaranteed. Do know that having an Islamic Republic is in everybody's interest. If these corruption-causing people give us a respite they will see for themselves that the government and the nation are one in Iran and can work jointly to make the country advance and progress and be liberated from being dependent on foreign powers. By the grace of God, Islam will be established here in its truest sense and we will achieve the welfare and the peace and harmony that Islam has professed for people.
The need for a peaceful environment in the universities
O my dear, beloved ones! It is absolutely necessary to remain alert and watchful. Today, they (our enemies) intend to cause dissension and despair among people and in the universities. I have to reiterate that Islam and the Islamic Republic fully support the universities and the academicians and experts who serve Islam and this country. Our only demand is that there should be no conspiracies in the universities. I assure all the university teachers and the academicians who are committed to serving their country and desire to train our youth with their expertise that Iran and Islam supports and protects them and that they should endeavor and cooperate with the commission that has been set up for the cultural revolution in order to turn our universities into peaceful places of real learning and skill. If there is no peace and tranquility in the university it cannot accommodate the expertise of the scholars and you respected university teachers will not be able to teach and train your students effectively. In the absence of peace in the universities and the other academic places it would not be possible for the experts to transfer their knowledge to our youth and to turn them into thinkers and experts. What is of utmost importance in this country at present is peace and tranquility everywhere; among the farmers, in the factories, within the industries, and particularly in the universities. Since the universities are the source of knowledge for our youth they need to have peace. Of course, a study of" humanities" needs to have committed human beings. A person who is not committed to the laws of Islam and its very foundation of monotheism can only cause deviation which is not acceptable. As regards other university courses, the respected teachers are expected to focus on their teachings without getting involved in conspiracies. It is very natural for these teachers to have different motives, but those respected university teachers who wish to serve this country and transfer their knowledge and expertise to others should bear it in mind that a university is a place of learning and should be free from issues that harm the country. They should only engage in the sort of a commitment that a university teacher is expected to have even if they have varying motives. Such university teachers are qualified to serve in the universities and none of us should oppose them, provided it has been determined that they are not deviated and do not intend to make the foundations of this Islamic Republic shaky or to compel our youth to indulge in unbefitting acts.
I do hope that in this year some departments in the universities will reopen and the respective university teachers will commence their activities and, by the grace of God, this country will have peace and harmony. And I also hope that this war which has been imposed upon us by the superpowers will, God-willing, come to an end soon and the criminal elements are put where they belong to. I pray to God Almighty for health, prosperity, and dignity for all of you and, once again, remind you to safeguard your Islamic brotherhood that has been gifted to you by the Holy Qur'an. It is only in an environment of Islamic brotherhood that you can save this country and, more importantly, protect our dear Islam.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.