Speech [The importance of judgment and its difficulties; a categorical stand against the MKO group]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

This is a gathering of great scholars from the Azerbaijan province and it is hoped that this gathering is graced by the blessings of God Almighty. I deem it necessary to express a few points for you gentlemen as well as the other scholars of the country.

Azerbaijan and its scholars have throughout history been the protectors of Islam and the country and with the grace of God will continue to do so. I have been a witness to the ongoing struggles of the great scholars of Azerbaijan against the Pahlavi regime, in accordance with their divinely inspired responsibility. And although they faced great hardship and even exiles in the course of these struggles, they have finally emerged victorious. Our expectations of the current scholars of Azerbaijan is for them to follow in the footsteps of the Azerbaijani scholars of the past fifty years and just as their forefathers revolted and stood up against oppression and tyranny, notwithstanding all the hardships, we are hopeful that the present Azerbaijani scholars, too, will continue to remain actively present on the scenes, and will focus their attention on the existing difficulties and problems, and will strive toward resolving the problems that we are facing today. Beware that there are some corrupt groups and dirty hands that are standing up against the clergy and the Islamic Republic. The entire nation and the scholars, in general, and the people and the scholars of Azerbaijan- which is the focus of most conspiracies- in particular, should stay alert and should adhere to their responsibility toward Islam and the Islamic Republic. Today, we are faced with poisonous pens and tongues as well as armed groups. We are facing troubles caused by people who are sitting aside and causing problems and obstacles through their pens for those who are present on the scenes, combating corruption, defending the warfronts, or engaging in reconstructing the country. I want to remind the clergy that the issue of judgment has been vested to them as per the laws of Islam. In this regard, I have a few words for those who are busy criticizing the issue of judgment in Iran as well as the judges of the country.

My point to the judges is that they should know that if they do not strive toward solving the existing problems, the issue of judgment will face problems. They should, thus, firstly try and appoint knowledgeable people for this responsibility, and secondly, all those in charge of the responsibility of judgment should bear in mind that they have been given an extremely sensitive and difficult responsibility for which they shall be held accountable. «1» Yours is rather the greatest responsibility in the country because judges deal with the lives, property, and honor of people. They should take utmost care to ensure that, God forbid, no one's life, property, or honor is ruined because of their verdict. This issue is of a much greater importance than it was ever before. If a judge had to commit a crime during the previous regime, it would not defame Islam. However, things are different today and if a judge now has to commit a mistake even unintentionally, or God forbid intentionally, there are going to be people who will immediately attribute it to the clergy, the Islamic Republic, and finally to Islam. Thus, today's judges are responsible for the honor of Islam and the Islamic Republic. Their responsibility is no longer limited to their judgment. Thus, besides its usual aspect there is now another dimension to the issue of judgment which concerns Islam. If a few judges in different parts of the country commit mistakes or if, God forbid, some of them deliberately do something unlawful, this will provide the opponents of the Islamic Republic an opportunity to magnify the issue manifolds and to attack the very basis of the Islamic Republic and Islam with their pens. Therefore, even though the profession of a judge has always been a sensitive one, the significance now is perhaps a hundred times greater. This is what I wanted to express to all those who are engaged in the field of judgment.

I also have a few words for the scholars and writers who have chosen to withdraw from the scenes and to instead sit in their chambers and houses and raise objections over everything through their writings and interviews. I want to draw their attention to the fact that it is easy to sit in criticism. One can simply sit in a corner, find faults, and then criticize. Finding solutions to problems on the other hand is rather difficult. Today, the country needs a few thousand judges; religiously-qualifie judges. These gentlemen therefore need to accept one of these options. The first is that the judicial system be completely removed from the Islamic Republic, in which case there will be chaos everywhere and no one's life, property, or honor will remain safe; this could be one option. The other option is to retain a judicial system similar to the one during the Pahlavi regime, which means that it is irrelevant whether the judge is a Muslim or not. From what I have heard, some of the judges during the previous regime were also communists while some were even alcoholics! Therefore, these scholars could either come up and say that the judges do not need to be clerics and scholars and that it would suffice for them to be like the judges of the previous regime or then yet another option would be for the judges to possess the criteria that have been outlined by religion. These gentlemen are well aware that since the clerics were totally prohibited from involvement in judicial matters, the seminaries of Iran and the seminaries all over the world had stopped training judges. Today, we are left with a shortage of judges although we are in need of them in thousands. Instead of complaining that the Judiciary today has fallen into the hands of young and inexperienced clerics, these gentlemen should come forward and take on the responsibility themselves. Who is stopping them from doing that?! If there are any scholars anywhere in the different provinces who are qualified and prepared to take up judiciary responsibilities, let them be introduced and the judicial council will accept them. That gentleman whose grouse is that our judgments are not based upon Islamic laws should come and take over leading the Judiciary and should introduce people who are qualified for the responsibility of judgment so that they can be appointed as judges. Once the responsibility falls upon them, they will realize that it is not so simple. We have had to start from scratch. If scholars from all over the country as well as the supporters of Islam find that there are some unqualified people in the judicial system they should come up and offer their help and should themselves take over responsibilities. Or then they should introduce people who are fit to be judges. Everyone should try to find people who can qualify as Islamic judges and should introduce them. Wouldn't it be more productive if all these gentlemen offered their help to establish a judicial system in accordance with the demands of Islam? Wouldn't that be more productive than sitting and complaining that the Judiciary has fallen into the hands of young and inexperienced clerics?! Of course these people are not young or inexperienced clerics and we should not forget that sitting in judgment is not a simple task. It certainly is not a simple matter to establish a judicial system in perfect accordance with the demands of religious law and to find appropriate judges. However, wouldn't it be better if these gentlemen helped and supported this process instead of merely meting out criticism? Anyone and everyone can sit in criticism but what we need is help! All these scholars from all over the country whose hearts beat for Islam should come out and identify people and should train them. In the same manner that judges are now being trained in the Qum seminaries, these gentlemen from the other parts of the country who are not so active on the scenes and who have failed to gauge the depth of the problems should offer their help and support toward this religious responsibility. Does their religious obligation call upon them to offer help and support or does it command them to sit in criticism? Are they commanded to offer their help so that judgment is passed as per religious demands or then are they commanded to swear at the Islamic Republic and its judicial system? This is what I request all the scholars from all over the country. Wherever they are, they should help and support the newly-established Islamic Republic. If they found good judges in any of the provinces and introduced them and if the judicial council refused to accept their services, they then have the right to say that we did not appoint the capable judges that they had introduced and instead appointed incapable ones! It will be better for those who have complaints to sit together and find solutions.

I ask all those who oppose this Islamic Republic and are against it if they have any other alternate system that could replace this Islamic system- if it were to fall- that would make the country flourish? Do you know of a group that is aware of a solution, so far hidden by this government that can provide the answer to the millions of war-ravaged people as well as the refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan? Are you aware of the presence of any such governmental alternative? Are you aware of the consequences of all your actions? If this government and if this Islamic Republic falls, your actions will only ensure that the country falls into the hands of the likes of Azhari! «2» These people are all sitting outside the country and are devising plans to return to Iran and to replace the Islamic government with their own rule. Do you have people to immediately take over and create miraculous results in case this government was to fall? Can you present any alternative government that can establish an ideal Islamic government as in the times of the Messenger of God (s) while we are defending ourselves against an imposed war, while all kinds of economic sanctions have been imposed on us, while the foreign governments refuse to settle their dues with us, while they refuse to deliver the goods we have already paid them for, and while everyone everywhere is busy conspiring against this Islamic Republic?! If you have an alternative, come out and introduce it. Show us people who will be able to deliver upon all the responsibilities that this government has not been able to deliver upon.(Show us people) who will be able to provide housing to all the war-ravaged people within a day or within ten days or a month and who will be able to solve all their problems! (Show us people) who will be able to immediately terminate this imposed war and will be able to establish peace without compromising on the dignity of Iran.(Show us people) who will be able to solve all the problems of the country, who will be able to instantly make our agriculture flourish, who will be able to make our trade and commerce pick up immediately, who will be able to Islamize our universities, and who will be able to turn Iran into a paradise! Well, if you have such people, come out and introduce them. Or is it that your only aim is to bring the downfall of this government and to revert the country to the previous system?! If you refuse to or if you fail to introduce such people, it will only prove that it is the Islamic Republic that you are against and that, too, simply because it is Islamic. And that all that matters is that our government should not be Islamic. It could be anything else. What you are seeking is the downfall of the Islamic Republic, regardless of which replaces it! Do all those who claim that the situation today is worse than what it was during the times of the accursed Shah know what they are saying? Do they have any idea of the damage they are inflicting upon Islam? Are they unaware of all the atrocities and sufferings that were inflicted upon this nation- the women of this nation, and the clergy- during the days of the accursed Shah without permitting them to breathe a word? Just because these gentlemen now see that complaints are rife everywhere, do they want to say that there were no complaints during the previous regime, and during those times when people's property was confiscated through force and their lives had no value?! Or is it that the people did have complaints but were only too petrified to voice them?!

If the people had only been permitted for a single day to express all their complaints, you would have seen the volume of grievances! The grievances that the clerics held, the grievances that the businessmen held! The difference between those days and now is that people are now free to voice their grievances. And you all, too, do not stop short of blowing matters out of proportion. Our people in those days were completely stifled and in that atmosphere of suffocation, they did not have the courage to even breathe freely. The previous regime had stifled the voices of the people while today you can openly stand up against the government and point out faults. Would you have the courage to say and write such things during the previous regime? The difference between then and now is that now your pens- may they break by divine will- are free to write and spread whatever you want, even against the sanctity of Islam, without any prohibitions even though you should be stopped. The difference between then and now is that in those days you were hopelessly resigned. And even if you did hold any complaints in your heart, you were never able to voice them openly. But today, you can do, write, and say anything you want and yet you are claiming that this Islamic Republic is worse than the previous regime! Thank God, instead, for this divine blessing! Look at its positive aspects! Look at all the work that has been done for the oppressed, deprived, and weak strata during these last two years instead of overlooking all this service the moment you see a corrupt act somewhere. This is deviation and injustice and invites divine wrath. There are people who are serving this country round the clock. But the past corruption and damage is so great that it is impossible to solve all the problems instantly. Nevertheless, the work that has been accomplished during the past two years was not done during the fifty years of the previous regime! Do not be ungrateful lest, God forbid, all these divine blessing be withdrawn from you and you, once again, end up suffering the lives you had in the past fifty years!

We have and are still repeatedly telling those who are at war with us with their pens and weapons that as long as you have drawn daggers toward the nation and have stood up in arms against Islam, there can be no dialog between us. If you lay down your arms and if you return to Islam, you will be welcomed and supported by it. It is of no use if you simply declare your verbal willingness. Even in your written message, notwithstanding all your claims to innocence, you have been naive enough to threaten us to an armed confrontation. How can we come to an understanding with those who wish to wage an armed struggle against Islam?! If you abandon this stance and this way, and if you lay down your arms, and if as per your claims, you are willing to respect and abide by the laws even though you did not vote for it, and if you accept that any armed struggle against the government and holding arms are against the laws of the country, we too are willing to deal with you in a kindly manner that will exceed your expectations. We want to welcome all the groups with open arms and wish that all the deviant groups return to the Straight Path. This is the purpose of Islam. Islam has been sent to show man and the world the Straight Path of humanity, and as far as it is possible, to return the deviants to this straight, Islamic path. Islam and all the historical monotheistic religions have been sent for the rectitude of mankind. The Noble Prophet (s) would grieve for the mushrikin (those who associate partners with the One God) who chose the path of hell for themselves. «3» Islam is the religion of mercy, the religion of justice, the religion of the law! If you respect the laws of Islam and if you submit yourselves to its dictates, our Islamic country too will accept all of you. And as a cleric, I too am willing to sit in discussion with you all, for not just one meeting but for tens of meetings. But what am I to do if you have taken to arms and are intent upon deceiving us?! Mend your ways and join in with the rest of the nation and lay down your arms and confess to your unlawful activities! Do not make (false) claims of being engaged in defending the country at the warfronts! Do not claim to have been in favor of Islam and the people, always and right from the beginning! This will never be acceptable. Your actions have preceded all your claims and have already exposed you all! You can see for yourselves that there are some deviant parties which we do not even consider as Muslim and yet because they have not taken up arms against us, and only hold different political beliefs, they are free and even have their own publications. So, it is not as if we hold animosity to all opposing groups and parties. Undoubtedly, we would prefer that all the groups and parties returned to Islam as true Muslims and take the Straight Path of Islam. And even if they do not revert to Islam, as long as they do not take up arms against Islam and the Islamic country they can act and express their viewpoints freely. However, your intention is contrary to this. And even if I could have seen the slightest possibility of you mending your ways, I would have been willing to reach an understanding with you and I would have taken the initiative. I would not even have waited for you to approach me. You will never succeed against this roaring national wave. If the nation were to rise up against you, you would be like a mite against this great wave. Return back to the sanctity of Islam! All the promises that the others offer you for the future have already been ensured to you within Islam. You should withdraw from armed opposition and should return all the things that you have plundered off from the public treasury[ bayt al-mal ]of the Muslims and join hands with the rest of the Muslims. You are beloved and respected, but as long as you hold arms in your hands and as long as you threaten us in your messages, your actions will be unacceptable by us. It will be in your best interest to give up opposing the Islamic Republic. If you are the real well-wishers of the people, the nation, the laborers, and the farmers, keep in mind that if ever this Islamic Republic were to, God forbid, face a downfall, it will be the defeat of all the oppressed peoples throughout the world!

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