Speech [Praising the personality of martyrs Raja'i and Bahonar and the nation's resolution in furthering the revolution]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

The logic of our nation is the logic of believers, the logic of Qur'an:" We are from God, and to Him shall we return". «1» No power can challenge this logic. No one can ever confront a nation who believes in God and who sees return to Him as the ultimate desire. The blind-hearted can never confront one who embraces martyrdom as one does one's dear ones. The blind-hearted people make one mistake; they do not understand Islam, faith and our Muslim nation. They think by assassinating our personalities they can confront this nation. They were blind to notice that whenever we have offered a martyr, our nation's solidarity has been further strengthened.

A nation which has risen up against all bullying powers in the world for the sake of Islam, for the sake of God and for implementation of the Qur'anic rules, cannot be pushed back by assassination. They think the mentality of believers and our rising nation is the same as that of the Westerners and the westoxicated individuals, who think of nothing except worldly gains.

A nation whose leaders have sacrificed their lives for their goal, that is God and Islam, from the very beginning and from the advent of Islam will not be destroyed by such attempts, and will never show laxity. Our dear nation has read in history that Imam `Ali ibn-e Abi Talib (s) received the fatal sword strike on his holy forehead by one of these people, who resembled Muslims, but who was detached from Islam. «2» As our nation has sacrificed Imam `Ali (s) for the sake of Islam, it would not be important to offer martyrs like these, although the event and the martyrs are so dear to us.

Mr. Raja'i and Mr. Bahonar were the two martyrs who had fought side by side against corrupt powers. That late martyr Raja'i told me he had been alongside Mr. Bahonar for some 20 years. God so willed that they should fly to Him together. One who believes he will return to Him and who considers martyrdom as the deliverance is the most exalted among people. The martyrs Islam has offered ever since the advent of Islam are more exalted than all people in current century. Islam has offered prominent personalities like Imam `Ali (s), Imam Hasan (s) Imam Husayn (s) and his faithful disciples (s) and our other Infallible Imams (s), all of whom devoted their entire lives to Islam and its preservation. We should follow suit and do our best to preserve the dear Islam, which has been entrusted to us.

While martyrdom of these two honorable men is difficult for me to tolerate, I know that they have joined the Exalted Friend and are in peace. They no longer suffer such difficulties in which we are still embroiled. They have achieved their ultimate goal. From this aspect I congratulate their families and the great Iranian nation who have offered such martyrs. Although their loss is difficult for us to endure, our country and our nation have stood with full force to offer such martyrs. They have no way for retreating and never think of laxity. The blind-hearted ones who have thought that the Islamic Republic would collapse with the absence of a few personalities, they know nothing about Islam, are unaware of faith and indulged in material allurements.

We should find out the incentive of those resorting to such acts. Are they motivated by the idea to establish a regime for this nation under the leadership of a group like themselves? Have not they realized that those who have deviated from Islam, who mastermind the terrorist activities, ans encourage their agents to carry out acts of sabotage have no place among the Iranian people?

Since our government and those at the helm are from the people and not from among the upper class, our nation is calm. The people's heart is at peace, because they know even in the absence of these martyrs, there are other volunteers for martyrdom in the scene. While feeling awfully sorry about the loss of these martyrs, who were precious personalities for us and for this Islamic Republic, we have committed people to replace them. We have believing people committed to Islam, not to mention the nation which will never retreat in such matters, and is ready to protect the Islamic Republic against any harm.

In time of the previous regimes- the monarchies- if a king got killed or died, the country would be disturbed. The point behind such crises was that the king and his agents had committed so much injustice against the millions strong masses that as soon as the king died the people would rise up against the government. But the situation in our Islamic Republic is such that the people themselves appoint a person as their leader and the nation itself pushes him aside. In case one is martyred, the people elect a new one. Here the people consider themselves as a part of the government, and consider the government as their own. They consider their devoted president as their own and themselves the same as their devoted president. Therefore, even if the president is martyred, if the prime minister is martyred and if any other official are martyred, our nation will not turn a hair. They would merely choose others to replace them.

Now if you look at our country, the capital Tehran, with the multitudes of people concentrated in the vicinity of its (Tehran) University as well as the other cities like Tehran and make a comparison between this republic and the other republics in the world, and between the Islamic Republic and the previous regimes in this country, you will notice the differences between them. If a prime minister got killed in Iran in the past the people and the merchants would not show any reaction except jubilation and mery-making. Today when two honored martyrs have left us, the whole country is mourning for them. The nation will maintain its solidarity, just as it has already done. Tomorrow when presidential election is announced, the entire nation will rush to the polls to cast their votes.

I know there are figures abroad right now that are opposed to this Islamic Republic, and I should rather say opposed to Islam, and they will immediately start their propaganda campaing, believing that with the martyrdom of these two personalities crisis will overtake Iran. They may claim that people are indifferent, if not happy. They unleash such propaganda blindly. However, you see that people are mourning in every large and small city, every street, alley and bazaar in the country. I was just informed that the population around (Tehran) University today was greater than the number of the people when the 72 personalities were martyred. Such is our nation. If later on, too, some of our personalities are, God forbid, be martyred, our nation will be the same as is today. The important point is that when a job is performed merely for God, not for people, such a job will never fail. A country will suffer disruption with the death of its personalities if people feel attached to individuals. But a country that has trusted God, risen up for God and chanted the slogan of `Neither East Nor West, Islamic Republic' from the beginning and with the cry Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest) the young and old women and men have come to the scene and luanched the revolution, such a nation will remain on the stage, because God is present. If Raja'i and the others are not among us, God is present.

In a war at the outset of Islam the hypocrites spread the word that the Prophet (s) was martyred, but some argued," If you worshipped the Prophet, he has been martyred; therefore, go and take care of his martyrdom. But if you worship God, He is there even after the Prophet's departure." The Commander of the Faithful,(Imam `Ali (s)), sacrificed his life for the sake of Islam and was martyred, yet Islam remained alive. Imam Husayn (`a) sacrificed his entire close relatives, his faithful disciples, and himself, and after his martyrdom Islam gained greater strength.

Since the nation trusts God and has risen up for Him, it will not show laxity after martyrdom of a number of our officials, no mater how prominent they are or how difficult it is for us to tolerate. Neither will they want to think that with the loss of some individual, the country is going to undergo problems.

God Almightly has been with you ever since the beginning and will support you as long as you remain on the scene as you have been so far. Our armed forces in the warfronts should note that they are fighting for God, not for the president or the prime minister or others. They should further strengthen their hearts and continue their campaign and struggle harder as the corrupt people try to inflict losses to the country.

You should never assume that they do such acts out of their strength. Even a 12- year-old child can carry a bomb to a certain place and leave it there to be exploded later on. This is not a show of strength, but sign of extreme weakness. I consider Ibne- Moljam «3» a braver figure than these munafeqin, because he- May God curse him eternally- did his job in the presence of the people. These munafeqin do not even possess the manly characteristics of that beast. They act like thieves, doing their job stealthily. That `Abbas Aqa, who assassinated the Iranian chancellor «4» near the parliament and later on turned the gun at himself once he noticed that he would definitely be caught, was a brave man in my eyes, but these munafeqin are cowardly people. These who fled from here and issue orders from abroad to assassinate people stealthily follow the thesis of cowardly people.

I hope this nation will maintain its presence on the scenes the same way that it resisted in its confrontation with all powers. On those days, men, women, the young, old, children and grown-ups resisted clench-fisted against oppression and kicked the big powers out of this country into Hell. Today they are resisting and tolerating all such hardships. Their logic is, `we are from God and to Him shall we return. ' We, who are from God, and know that whatever we have belong to God, are spending our lives in God's way and therefore fear nothing. We never assume that the end of our lives in this world is the extreme end and there will be no business from then on. Those should feel scared of death that think the hereafter and resurrection are in this world. They assume that Bithat occurs in this world and consider it the Bithat of the ummah, not that of the prophets (s). They also deny the hereafter. Those should be scared of death who prefer animal death to human death. But our youths and our leaders who are prepared for embracing martyrdom, have no fear of martyrdom. Our nation has seen many cases like these and has offered hundreds and thousands of martyrs and disabled of war in recent past and is still standing firm. The likes of these gentlemen who were martyred are dear in our sight, but they have flown to God. We have other devoted people who seek martyrdom.

I hope that our nation will further strengthen its solidarity and be present on the scene more than before and hand over the like of these leftovers of the former regime. The disciplinary and military forces, particularly the city police force, to work more resolutely in restoring security. I wish you all success and am sure that you will all be successful.

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