Speech [Appreciating Martyr Beheshti's personality; struggle and jihad in Islam; the shameful acts of the hypocrites]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I welcome you gentlemen who are here from the" Jihad for Reconstruction" and wish you success in every respect. «1» (Yesterday's) expected incident has been very tragic for our nation. (The victims of this incident) had prepared themselves to serve this country and as far as I knew them, they were among the virtuous and committed people. The most prominent of them was the late Martyr Beheshti. I knew him for more than twenty years. I was aware of the depth of his knowledge, his virtuosity, and his commitment. What pains me the most is not his martyrdom- martyrdom was too small before his greatness- it is the persecution that he suffered in this country that most hurts me. The enemies of the Revolution focus their attacks on those who are the most competent, committed, and effective in this Revolution. All through his life, he was the target of the attacks of foreign powers and their internal lackeys. He was subjected to shameful accusations. They wanted to portray him as an oppressive dictator. I knew him for more than twenty years and contrary to all the unjust accusations of these people throughout the country and all the" Down with Beheshti" slogans that were called out against him, I considered him as a committed, scholarly, and religious person who loved the nation and Islam and who was useful for our society. Do you think that these people who have taken on government jobs did and have nothing better to do? All of them were committed people who held public honor. They held honorable positions in the eyes of the clergy. It was not as if they came here to reap advantages just because they had nowhere else to go. May God deal justly with all those who wished to monopolize upon power and to sidetrack Beheshti, Khamene'i, Rafsanjani and others like them from the scenes! Mr. Beheshti and others got martyred in this gruesome incident- and hastened toward God- at the hands of the American agents and those regarding whom, if you had only gone through their book," Shenakht", «2» you would know that they did not believe in any of the Islamic principles." And we, too, shall God willing join them."

There have always been two paths from the onset of Islam right up to today. One path belongs to those who seek the easy way in life and are only focused upon finding a victim to exploit in order for themselves to survive. And the Muslims from among them would even pray to God although their main focus was always upon easy living. Such people could also be found at the onset of Islam. When the Doyen of the Martyrs, Imam Husayn (`a) wanted to venture upon his great journey, some of them advised him against it. They told him that since he was safe where he was, he should stick to routine life. Some of them also objected as to why a small group needed to revolt against a big power. So this has been a trend throughout history. Right from the onset of the Islamic movement there have always been such people who have given the topmost priority to personal comfort and ease. They believed that their duties were only confined to praying, fasting, sitting at home and reciting the litany, contemplating, gossiping about the deviants, and making allegations. This was the path of one group of people. They only believed that since man is to spend a few days in this world all he should do is to relax and spend time in prayer within the confines of his home. They had confined Islam to acts like praying, fasting, et cetera. And beyond this, neither did they have a proper understanding of Islam and nor did they give it any importance. All they did was to sit at home, witness everything, and criticize others.

Right at the onset of our movement, a prominent personality had mentioned that" the Iranians have gone crazy"! In his interpretation, it was" craziness" to revolt against Muhammad Rida and to stand up against oppression. A certain businessman, who was present at his home and heard him mention this, said to him:" Even so-and-so are involved in the Revolution, while some of them have even attained martyrdom", to which that famous person said:" This is their stupidity! No one goes onto the streets and stands up before machine guns"! Once the SAVAK documents were exposed, it was discovered that this same prominent person had actually sent out a ring for the safety of Muhammad Rida while our youth were being killed on the streets. This is the same group regarding which Imam `Ali (`a) has said that" all they are concerned about is to fill their stomachs with fodder" «3», just like animals. They give the topmost priority to the demands of their carnal desires. They say their prayers, observe fasts, and deliver upon all their religious obligations; however, they believe that man should not place himself into any kind of" danger". And what this noble Islamic nation has done was" craziness" from their viewpoint.)followed another school of thought. If our Infallible Imams (`a) were to compromise with the tyrants and the oppressors, they would have been greatly respected! Even the caliphs were prepared to honor them in every way if only they stopped inviting people to their path. It was not coincidental that Imam Mousa ibn Ja`far (`a) spent many long years in imprisonment. Similarly, some of the other Imams (`a) would never have had to face exile or be summoned from Medina to wherever the caliphs resided; «4» if, like the other common people, they spent their lives in studying, teaching, and worshipping God besides the tomb of the Messenger of God (s). If they, too, had held such beliefs, this religion would never have been the one to stand up against oppression throughout history. These two paths have always existed throughout history. Thus, these two paths have been there right from the beginning of creation; the path of commitment to Islam and struggle against tyranny, and oppression; and the path of dictatorship, satanic powers, and compromise.

Throughout this movement, I have seen people who were" pious" and" learned" and reputable but who chose to lead a safe and easy life of seclusion, from the very first attack of the SAVAK in which they troubled and tortured some people. Some of them chose to sit aside silently while some of them complained but still chose to sit aside. In any case, they somehow compromised with the regime of those days. Those who prepared themselves right from the beginning to fight oppression knew very well that this battle involved hardship, imprisonment, and even martyrdom. Some of them faced imprisonment and suffered great torture but the moment they would be freed, they would begin their opposition all over again. This was because they followed a certain school and a certain path. The path that had been charted out through the prophets (`a) right from the beginning of this world. The prophets (`a) who were thrown into fire and were sawed up but who would have been revered greatly if only they had moved away from their chosen paths! These people who involved themselves in such affairs knew very well that any kind opposition during the times of Muhammad Rida would mean imprisonment and torture. And yet they would choose to face imprisonment and torture and would continue their activities as soon as they were released.

We should not think that these superpowers have left us alone. A nation that wishes to remain alive, self-reliant, and free and does not wish to be dependent, enslaved, or subjugated should be prepared to face everything. If the nation wanted to live an easy life, the times of Muhammad Rida would have been better for them, during which they could have come in the afternoons and prayed behind their congregational leader following which the prayer leader would go off for his own work while they could have gone ahead with their own business. This would be seeking an" easy" life. And that regime would still have survived while you would have been spending your days in eating and drinking and lazing in resorts and such other routine activities. However, is this man's only responsibility?! Can man also make up some lame excuses for God? And let us suppose that one does manage to make up some lame excuse like" if we were to involve ourselves in such activities, all the countries and individuals dependent upon America and the Soviet Union from all around would have troubled us from within and outside the country, killed people, planted bombs, invaded the country, et cetera", fine, but what is our responsibility? Is it our responsibility to forego the path of Islam and the path of the prophets (`a) and to choose a safe and easy life? And add a few more days to our beastly lives? Should we not be any different from the animals? The animals, too, have their own remembrance and glorification of God, «5» but all they think of is their fodder. Should man, too, be the same? Should he give in to all kinds of indignity just to live for a few more days in comfort?

This is the kind of life that some people have chosen for themselves while our youth and you gentlemen who are the members of the" Jihad for Reconstruction" are striving day and night in serving this nation at the warfronts and behind them. Should they sit aside and claim that these people have gone" crazy"? Should they sit aside and declare statements? Should their" intellectuals" deliver speeches condemning them? Well, they sit along with their friends and engage in discussions and chart out certain" religious obligations" for themselves. However, would they also be able to do that in the presence of God? Is it, God forbid, also possible to deceive God? They may possibly be able to deceive us and you. They could either approve of the crimes that are taking place in our country today or they could be against them. And if they approve of such crimes and think that those who attain martyrdom deserved to die and maybe even claim that they were" corrupt" people who should have been eliminated, would they also be able to say this in the presence of God? How will those people who believe in God and yet do not condemn such crimes answer Him? Are those people who have secluded themselves and are lying-in-wait and are playing around with the lives of our youth and children and who place bombs into their hands to plant them here and there and to get involved in sabotage activities, even human beings or are they beasts who do not dare to come out themselves and so send these children to commit sabotage? Do they think that our nation has undergone this Revolution at the behest of certain individuals?

Try all you can to eliminate the Prophet of Islam (s) from the scenes! Try all you can to eliminate God Almighty from the scenes! Try all you can to eliminate the divinely-appointed Imams (`a) from the scenes! Try all you can to eliminate the Shi`ah school from the scenes! The Shi`ah as well as the other Islamic schools have gone through all these experiences. The Shi`ah school is the school of confrontation and sacrifice and this is how it will always remain. However, at certain times (in history), the time was not ripe for some people (to revolt actively against oppression) even though they were all striving to make it possible. And then came a time when active revolt became possible and took place. And, today, such a great and popular Revolution has taken place and our nation is prepared to face everything. Now do you think that you can succeed in eliminating the nation from the scenes by planting a bomb and assassinating a certain person, no matter how great he is? Or will you only succeed in enraging the nation further and making it more powerful and determined? You would need to first take away this (belief) "God is the Greatest" from the people!

Depriving the nation of a few of its popular personalities will not dampen it spirits. It will only enrage it further and will add to its unity and determination. You will never succeed in sidetracking this nation from the scenes by assassinating a few people and by placing bombs. This entire nation is active on the scenes everywhere and stands in opposition against you. You are mistaken in believing that you can stand up against this nation in which when a youth has lost both his legs (in sacred defense) and is brought to me on a stretcher, he still requests me to pray for his martyrdom or in which a mother who has sacrificed a son comes up and declares that she is willing to sacrifice another son in divine service and a nation in which its youth perform the supplementary night prayers at the warfronts and strive on the divine path and consider it a great honor and has, thus, cast aside an undignified" easy" and opportunistic life and spends his days and nights in the trenches in the scorching weather, without any water and still goes ahead and do you think that it will give up with my assassination or the assassination of the others like me!

Why are these people who claim to be the supporters of the masses and speak endlessly about their courage and spirit of combat lying in the safety of their homes and coercing our children to go out and plant bombs? Why are they doing such a foolish thing? Is this because you think that with such activities our nation will give up and will vacate the scenes for you all? You are gravely mistaken!

When the army chiefs had come over to visit me a couple of days ago, they seriously requested me to ask the individuals who approach me with proposals for peace not to take the trouble to do so! They said:" We shall never give up. We have entered into this imposed war like Husayn (`a) and are willing to attain martyrdom like him". I have repeatedly advised these fathers and mothers and these misled youth to firstly prevent themselves from becoming the stooges of the criminals. I have repeatedly advised these misled youth to study the behavior of the leaders of these groups. None of these corrupt leaders are active on the scenes. They are all hiding in the safety of their homes and their basements and have manipulated you all into going ahead and risking your lives and taking the lives of others so that they can then come out of their hiding and pave the path for the return of America. Open your eyes a bit! They think that our nation will give up with the foolish efforts that they have been making and by assassinating our competent leaders. Our nation has many more competent people who can replace them. They had in any case entered the scenes to sacrifice their lives and our nation, too, has entered the scenes to attain martyrdom. If we and the nation wanted to give up the moment something undesirable took place we would never have entered the scenes in the first place. Do you think that a nation in which a young boy is willing to get crushed under a tank that he attacks with his motorcycle will give up with the assassination of one or two or even a hundred or a thousand people? They will need to make bombs equal to the total population of this country and equal to the number of youth and soldiers of this nation. Such a nation cannot be destroyed by furtively placing bombs in some building and by assassinating one or a few selfless people committed to Islam. This nation is a vast ocean and can easily replace those who get martyred at your hands. This roaring wave is still there until it disappoints America and other powers that have their greedy eyes fixed upon this country.

Such childish acts that only prove their weakness and prove that they are breathing their last breaths will not make us give up. If we had come in order to obtain an easy living, we would have given up as soon as a few people had been assassinated. Muhammad Rida had killed many thousands of our people on the streets and yet they did not give up. Even now, everyday our committed brothers from whom we should take our lessons are getting killed at the warfronts and are being replaced by others.

You are in grave error and are committing foolish acts. One day you propose to have an open discussion but when its scheduled time arrives, you flee off. Another day you request to appear on the radio and television and when you are given the permission, you do not show up. Some other day you claim that your desire is to strive for the masses and yet put a match to the crops of the people. You destroy all those factories for the sake of the people! You incite these masses to pour into the streets and chop off their heads, for the sake of the people! Who are these" masses" for whom you are committing all these acts? If you had the power, you would ruin the lives of the people. Are those masses you claim to be serving other than the Iranian nation? You have stood up against this Iranian nation and are inviting others to stand up against these people. Do you want the masses to stand up against themselves?! You invite criminals and other corrupt elements to act against the people and when you cannot succeed in confronting them you resort to planting bombs. All these things show that you do not have the spirit of combat and that you simply make tall claims and neither do you believe in open discussions in spite of all your claims. There is no trace of Islam in your book and you interpret all the Islamic principles under a worldly perspective. You have distorted everything and are making claims to Islam. What is that Islam that you are talking about? Our nation will not get fooled by you anymore. If only those who had spent time in prison with you had to come on radio and television and expose your crimes the masses would know what beasts you were and are.

We cannot take strong action against them because there could be some misled youth among them. However, our nation should keep its eyes open and should stay alert over any suspicious activities. The nation should not wait only for the revolutionary guards to take action. All of you are the guards of Islam. The entire nation is the soldier of Islam and all of you should remain vigilant and should be watchful over all suspicious activities. If you ever find or doubt anything suspicious, you should inform the closest center. Do not be negligent over these matters. Even as the Prophet of Islam (s) lay on his deathbed, he had prepared his army outside of Medina to confront the kuffar. All those who confine Islam to eating, drinking, praying and fasting and do not bother to involve themselves in the affairs of this nation and society, as per to a Prophetic saying, are not Muslims. And those who are not active on the scenes and are indifferent to the affairs of the Muslims sit aside and criticize those who are serving actively on the scenes. All the groups and individuals should consult their own consciences. Are they joyous over this recent incident in which so many of our youth attained martyrdom? And I do know that some of them are.

I would like to share a few words with our brothers who serve in the courts and who are prison heads or jailors. They should not lose their calmness over such incidents and, God forbid, deal with their inmates- even the ones belonging to these corrupt groups- with un-Islamic violence and should instead deal with them calmly and respectfully. Our courts should scrutinize all these cases carefully and should interrogate and put them on trial and should ensure that all their actions are firm. However, no one should think that now that a group of our people have been killed at the hands of these groups, we have the liberty to, God forbid, treat the inmates who belong to these groups in anti-Islamic ways. And I do know that this is not done even though some of your ill-wishers make accusations against you. On the one hand, they refuse to condemn those who have committed such crimes and have killed innocent people on the streets and instead try to even justify their acts, while on the other hand they are totally indifferent to the atrocities that are inflicted on our society and are perhaps even happy over them.

May God Almighty make all of us virtuous! May He grant us victory over the caprice of our souls! And may He grant us and our nation further determination! Everyone should remain active on the scenes while maintaining peace and calmness.

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