Speech [Misunderstanding of the opponents of Iran of the power of faith and Islam- poisonous propaganda of the enemies against Iran]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank you brave youths from all classes, from the military, the foreign ministry staff and the families of the martyrs of Amol, and I pray to God, the Most Blessed and Exalted, to grant health and happiness to all. A mistake that all these groups opposed to Iran and Islam make is that they have not seen an Islamic government and a regime that all its components are integrated, a government composed of people and an army from people; therefore, they are not acquainted with this mode of government. The only such system existed in the early days of Islam, but was soon replaced by other systems. In their mind, they always envisage governments such as the government of Hitler and Rida Khan and other inhuman and non-Islamic persons who are not bound by any school of thought and compare governments existing in the world to the government that exists in Iran. They do not understand that this mode of government is different from others. Therefore, in their wrong mentality, a coup is possible in this country; in their wrong mentality, sabotage is effective in weakening the morale of this nation or a military attack against this country and this nation can work. They, even those who were in Iran at the time of the revolution, did not understand Iran, nor did they understand the power of faith and Islam. They believed that Iran, due to the revolution accomplished therein, with a disorganized army and dispersed people, and a confused state of affairs in the country could be overcome within a few days, if a power stood against it. These mistakes arise from the fact that they claim to understand Islam, but they actually do not. They claim that they know societies, but they do not. The point was what I stated that in a society like today's Iran such developments had no precedence or if they did, people were not aware of them. Therefore, every one of them in their ignorance and lack of political outlook and understanding of Islam and our society collaborates at a corner and concocts a plot. In this group's imagination, they want to restore Iran to a monarchical system- a large number of them has such imagination- or transform the Islamic Republic into a democratic republic. These people consist yet another clique. On the whole, they do not want Islam. Even those who claim to be Islamic do not want Islamic government in the form now existing in Iran. They do not want the government to mingle with the people and the army to be in the bosom of the nation and the nation to be in the bosom of the army. They want a regime to be governed by a minority led by one at the top and people who are subservient to him thanks to the bayonet. It is a mistake to think that such a government can survive in this without the bayonet we do not have such a government. The masses of people and nations, the million-strong masses of people do not approve of their governments. They have not experienced a system in which all people become combatants in case of war. And they do not know that in case of an economic sanction all people unanimously think of self-sufficiency and the experts and specialists try their utmost to get rid of dependence on foreign powers. And I assure you that Iran will be more stable if such pressures persist for a bit longer. They failed to have cognizance of even the civil servants, those who work in factories, workers who are engaged in the cultivation of the farms in an Islamic regime. They compared Iran with some Arab countries or some Eastern countries; it is based on this outlook that they enter into this line of reasoning. And this is because they are not armed with the weapon that is in the hand of Iran. They do not know this weapon and that weapon is faith, the weapon of unity, the weapon of Islam and the weapon of the holy Qur'an. All have converged under the flag of Islam, the Qur'an and unity. However, they deny the unseen divine confirmations; they cannot understand them; they cannot open their eyes and see that at every corner of Iran an extraordinary thing occurs that cannot be done by ordinary human hands. They came to Tabas and imagined that they could come and deploy forces and under the pretext of rescuing the hostages invade Iran. But God, the Blessed and Exalted, sent the sands and winds and defeated them.

They cannot and will not understand that Iranian troops ranging from the army to the revolutionary guards corps and other armed forces are moving forward armed with faith. All (world) powers were arrayed on one side and the power of faith stood against them on the other, and the power of faith did and will overcome them. They have not seen a society in which Islam exists and has been established in order for them to understand. Nor have they seen such a society in books so that they would understand. Their feeble mind cannot fathom what an Islamic society means. While they have read in history that very small groups and the very small army of Islam overcame large powerful arrogant governments such as ancient Iran and Rome which was the victory of faith, they played into hands of the Westerners who Westernized them and carried out propaganda against Islam, against faith and against Prophets. They neglected faith and Islam and on account of this negligence they got engaged in sabotages. If those who were in the woods had understood Islam, they would not have attacked Amol. While this attack was a cause of grief and claimed the lives of a number of our brothers, it made these inhuman groups understand that raising hue and cry was not the way to convince people to join their movement, as they had imagined. How can Muslim people, who are attached to Islam, are fond of the Qur'an, consider martyrdom an honor and whose almost every family has sacrificed a martyr and consider this an honor be agitated by a handful of bandits and a number of individuals who have no smattering of the Qur'an and Islam nor do they have faith and disturb a city of such faithful believers? It became clear that the case was not the way they imagined to be. Saddam or those who had impelled Saddam to attack Iran did not know Iran, and, the power of faith and Islam and he (Saddam) attacked Iran and fell into this trap. Now they are in a frenzy to get out of this trap but they cannot.

Extensive propaganda that you know is being spread from (foreign) propaganda horns has recently gone to such extent as to say that Saddam wants to make peace but Iranians have refused this proposal. Iran will not withdraw from the stance it has adopted, and will see what way he (Saddam) suggests and what Iran will say about it. They are saying these while they know that our premier, our president, our Majlis speaker and our foreign minister all reiterate to have foreign observers come and see what we have to say and see whether we want peace or Saddam? If a thief comes to somebody's house and loots some of his belongings, occupies his house and burns some of his properties, is it fair to make peace between him and the owner of the house in a way that the thief can have a share of the house? Do you mean that so much damage that the thief has inflicted be ignored? Should so much loss he has inflicted be ignored? If the victims do not ignore it, then they are not peace-lovers! Do they mean that a country which has been attacked, aggressed upon, robbed and plundered by bandits, burnt and destroyed by the enemy and had some of its youths killed should accept the peace offer of such an aggressor? They say," We are in this country, have occupied part of it, but you still come and make peace between us! Which human being can accept this kind of peace? Is this called peace at all? Iran says as long as you (the aggressors) do not leave our house, as long as it is not made clear that you are responsible for the crimes you have committed and as long as you do not compensate the losses you have inflicted on Iran and the reparation verdict is not issued, peace is meaningless. It is because without these conditions and at a time when they occupied part of our territory and then by claim to it, peace become meaningless. The losses that Iran has suffered, especially the human losses as well as the material ones are very important. They inflicted these losses and now they come and invite us to make peace. Can we make peace when they want to annex part of our land to their country and change the borderline. Is this peace? We tell all Islamic countries, all `Arab and non-`Arab countries, we say we assign the Qur'an as our arbiter. The Qur'an is the heavenly book of Muslims, whom other people do not have. We set the Qur'an as the arbiter. We set a verse of the Qur'an as the arbiter and the wise men of the world, persons who want to make peace between us judge according to this verse and we will abide. Saddam says and confesses that he is Muslim, although we consider it unlikely. Other Islamic countries which say they believe in the Qur'an, and surely their governments will most likely say the same thing send their representatives, and we will open the Qur'an, the Chapter Hujurat and read one verse and say let us act according to this verse. The verse reads:" And if two parties of believers fall to fighting then make peace between them. And if one party of them does wrong to the other, fight that which does wrong till it returns unto the ordinance of Allah; then, if it returns, make peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loves the equitable." «1» We tell the world to come and see if we are in Iraq's soil or Iraq is in our soil! If we are in Iraq's soil, you fight us and if Iraq is in our soil, according to the Holy Qur'an Iraq is mutinous and you should fight the rebellious country. We are not hoping you will fight the aggressors but at least condemn them. If you do not act according to the Qur'an to fight and drive the aggressors out of an Islamic country by bayonet, at least condemn them. If you do not condemn them, at least remain silent or neutral. What has happened to those who neither heed the Qur'an nor the rule of reason, nor even care a fig for international norms?

Accusing Iran of cooperation with Israelthe matter is. They have so much subservience to the US, so much subservience and fear! You offer your resources to the US, have good relations with it and seek its pardon and give him good service and dance to their tune. In spite of the fact that we are a weak nation and have a population of 35 to 40 million, have limited arms and weapons many of which were looted by plunderers during the revolution who hid them and are now using them against the people, we have stood against all countries that want to aggress upon our country. We have stood against all powers that want to oppose us and oppose Islam. Regrettably, many of these Islamic countries, instead of fighting Israel, instead of their extending hand in unity with Iran to bury Israel, which has fixed its covetous eye on Muslims, and whose plan is to occupy all lands from the Nile to the Euphrates Israel claims to own Mecca and Media and nurtures other ambitions, but Islamic government have done nothing to stop it, are trying to recognize it and have concentrated all their propaganda against Islam and the Islamic Republic. The moment we say we will not take a single step backward from our borders and from what we have said from the beginning, you will see that instantly a voice is raised from somewhere that peace is no longer possible because Iran is not for peace. What are the conditions we have said? Is it other than the fact that he should go out so that we can sit and reconcile with him? We say the rules of Qur'an are the arbiter. All Muslims should fight against him so that he would leave. If after the war, Saddam yields to the commands of Islam, then they can all sit and negotiate peace- a peace based on justice. Let Muslims come and see. They should not waste time on propaganda. The interesting point about their propaganda is that it is so distorted and full of contradictions that nobody can believe it even if it is true. These propaganda horns blare out a new thing every day and air obviously distorted matter. They have lost their credibility in a way that anyone hearing such and such radio would say the radio told a lie. The radio that says that Iranian women and men have turn their backs to the Islamic government, and have detached themselves from this government, or quote some corrupt individuals who have escaped and have not been able to stay in Iran on account of their corruption, as saying that the youth and expecting women, children and others are killed in the streets every day, whereas the these terrorists themselves are perpetrating these things. They cause all this tumult and then say Iranians are doing it. It is right that Iranians are causing all the problems, but which Iranian? The Iranian who has risen in the name of Mujahid-e Khalq against the people and in the name of Fada'i-ye Khalq against the people, they are Iranian but are not human.

Brothers! We should protect ourselves; we should not wait for foreign powers to help us. We passed up their help." We do not hope in you doing any thing, so (at least) do not cause mischief." If they want to cause sedition, we will confront them. We should take care not to be defrauded. Taking care of our business means that the military and other armed forces- the disciplinary forces, army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and tribal groups- should be united; there should not be any difference. I advise all these forces and their commanders that they should not join any political party or group. If the army or the Islamic Revolutionary Guards corps or other armed forces join a party, that day we should toll the death-knell of the army. Do not associate with any party or group. Basically, your religious duty is either to join to a party or enlist in the army. You are free to withdraw from the army and join up a party. It is up to you. However, keeping both the army and the party implies that the army men should abandon their duty as army men and involve the army in political games. If you are a member of a group a party, leave that group or party even if it is a group composed of very good people, or a party that is a superb one. Nevertheless, subscription to a party is not permissible for the army, for the revolutionary guard corps, for the military or law enforcement forces. They will be corrupted. I advise those at the helm of the army and those at the helm of the revolutionary guard corps that they are duty-bound to shove the army, revolutionary guards and other armed forces out of (political) parties. If any of them is linked to a party, he should be told wherever he is. The same rule applies to the revolutionary guards and other armed forces. They should not tend towards any political directions so that they would be consolidated. If you do, you will eventually break up and finally stand against each other and will disturb the establishment and weaken Islam. Your duty is to be united without having subscribed to any party or group, whatever it might be. You will not, God willing, join corrupt groups, or seek affiliation with even very good groups. You should be independent and without association with any (political) group. You should be independent and of the party of God, the most Exalted. All the people of Iran are duty-bound to be together. If there are parties, they should coordinate with the people of the country and the people of the country should consider themselves as brothers-in-faith with them. The different Islamic groups should not interfere in the affairs of the army either and should not have any men in it so that we can have competent and strong armed forces. The entry of politics into the army leads to the defeat of the army. You should know this and it is not permitted by shari`ah. I command you to stay either with the army or a party; there is no second choice; it is not possible to be enlisted both in the army and a party. Or you can be like other people whatever they are.

I advise all those who raise their voice against the Islamic Republic to have no more of it! You evaluated your power and came to realize that it is not possible to confront an Islamic power. You have assessed yourselves and realized that it is not possible. Now that you face reality, why are you showing obduracy? Give up obstinacy and get yourselves engaged in another business. I tell Saddam that I have one solution for him and that is suicide. In the same way that Hitler committed suicide after suffering defeat, commit suicide like Hitler if you are man enough.

Brothers and sisters! I said we should restrain ourselves. We should not expect anything from others and turn our attention to God. So far, whatever victory you have achieved was because you trusted in God's power and your own power, which is derived from God's. And because the New Year is approaching, I would like to give the entire nation a piece of advice. While we are war-striken, while we have been left with so many war refugees, so many patients and, so many disabled people in hospitals, each of you and some of your neighbors have offered martyrs, you should celebrate the New Year's festivities somewhat in moderation. You should consider all the layers of people who have struggled for Islam who have offered martyrs and who are families of martyrs or are hospitalized as your own family. You can withhold excessive celebrations that you have previously planned. During the nowrouz holidays visit the hospitals and speak affably to the war refugees and attend to them and alleviate their sufferings. If you wish to be a free strong nation, reduce the extravagance prevailing in the past times. During New Year share your joys with your friends, your nation, your people wounded in war, the disabled of the war and the war-ravaged people and the war refugees from everywhere. They are all your brothers and sisters in faith. Reduce a little bit of your merry-making and extravagance and pay others more respect and visit them more often. They are noble and prominent people; they have offered martyrs, disabled ones; they are maimed ones of the war; they have survived the acid test; their mothers have stood the test of time with their martyrs in whom they take pride:" I have another son; take him to the battlefield." We feel mortified before them; we feel ashamed before them. We should treat them in a way that they also enjoy the New Year festivity. Your celebration will persist when you share your happiness with them. I hope that our nation across the country would act according to this advice and win God's gratification.

I pray to God to grant health, happiness and victory to the nation. May you all be prosperous and triumphant!

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