Speech [Comparison between the Islamic Republic and the Pahlavi regime]

Reciprocally, on the occasion of the arrival of the New Year I congratulate you, gentlemen, who are the epitome of an oppressed and selfless nation and to all people, Muslims and oppressed people of the world and hope that this year will mark the dawn of great victories- the greatest of which is spiritual victory.

Let me touch on the dimensions which found reality last year and about which the gentlemen had discussed. Last year was the year of the test of powers, test of pens, test of tongues and test of anti-revolutionary activities in its wider sense outside and inside the country. Outside the country, the superpowers and their affiliates and inside the country different groups altogether tested and we also tested the powers as well as the domestic and foreign propaganda operations. If the Islamic Republic of Iran were similar to other republics or regimes, with all the all-out propaganda of all groups inside and outside the country and the domestic and foreign conspiracies, we should have tolled the death knell for the Islamic Republic. However, the tests enlightened the testers and us. Although they do not mention such things, but became clear that a nation like the Iranian nation which wanted to survive under the great banner of Islam would not be harmed by such conspiracies, with these schemes concocted by those powers and their surrogates inside and outside the country. This is not a mere claim; it is an objective fact, a palpable thing. At the outset, they said this Islamic Republic could not endure more than two or three months. Then they brought in Saddam who presumed that within one or two weeks he would occupy Iran. Those who were waiting to see our country in trouble, could only think of their own gains, and were in the lurk to deceive the nation, hold the veins of our people and once more make the country dependent on the US or possibly on the Soviet Union. They tried all sorts of experiments: they experienced a military invasion, domestic plots and explosions and the like. All were tested and we see that today the Iranian nation is more integrated than the previous years. We promise that, with the will of God, the Blessed and Exalted, this solidarity will become more stronger and that the groups who have been cheated or fallen prey would join the nation and work for their own country.

Today I make a passing comparison between the organizations in Iran and all the things in practice in Iran and those at the time of the former regime in reply to those who say that the time of Shah was better than today and to those who wish the world" Islamic" be removed from Islamic republic and those who shed crocodile tears for Islam and I know their innermost feelings. In a country whose administrators and those in charge of the government have a say in the formation of a government there are different organizations, which I will compare.

Let me begin with the president. The gentlemen who say that the Shah's time was better are actually saying that say Mr. Khamene'i is crueler than the Shah! They want to say that Mr. Khamene'i is plundering the assets of this nation inside and outside the country more than those who did at the time of the Shah! This is what they are saying! Let them compare our present president and the president prior to him with the presidents in the entire world and with the kings who plunder the property and take the lives of people. Can these be at all compared? I address those whose eyes and ears are shut because of their carnal desires and are unable to discern the limitations of their inner emotions. If they insist in saying so, then declare his properties, say, palaces and villas and the like he has plundered and is busy acquiring.

Then we come to the Majlis. Let us compare the deputies in the Majlis from the speaker Mr. Hashemi along with other gentlemen in the Majlis with the previous Majlis and the best organization, the government and the Majlis at that time and compare them with the Majlis run by Rida Khan and Muhammad-Rida Khan. Which Majlis speakers can be better than the present Majlis speaker? Which of the candidates of the people are better? Yes! In the course of the Constitutional Movement very valuable individuals were in the Majlis. However, in the recent 50 years we have not seen a person who truly represented the people of Iran. After the Majlis, in which the late Mudarris was a deputy, they sent agents and arrested and martyred him after all those tortures as soon as the Majlis term expired. Do you know any other Majlis which really represented the nation and one elected freely by the people? If you know, well, it is not necessary to tell it right now because you may say," We are afraid to mention this in public." Tell me privately. We will not disclose your identity!

We come to the Guardian Council. No guardian council has ever existed during the entire course of the Constitutional Movement except in its early days when there was some sort of a guardian council. So, we did not have a guardian council. Are you saying that this present era is just like the previous one because we do not have a guardian council?!! Or if we do, are the people the same as these people of those days and those who were involved in (forming) the council? You cannot say this either because we did not have a guardian council then. Are you saying that the non-existence of the guardian council which derives its existence from the Majlis, which, in turn, derives itself from a republic, is better? If you still insist in saying so, then put it down in writing.

And about the government. I can claim that from the time when government was formed in the world up to the present day, no government existed like ours. In those days, there were few individuals in the Majlis who attempted to rectify the activities of the Majlis but, generally speaking, I can say that when it comes to governments, we did not have, or have not had, one like the present one. There were kings or monarchs the best of whom only raised mild objections against plundering the country. Once, the last prime minister at the last days of Dr. Amini came there and I asked him," how is it that an individual like other people who has nothing becomes rich after joining the government? Where has this wealth come? How has he become so rich? Well, he had no answer, and he did not reply. Perhaps he is now answering to God.

Now let us talk about the judiciary an the quality of judgment. At what point in time were such people members of the judicial council? If you know and we are unaware of, well, remind us, and explain how justice at time of Muhammad-Rida and Rida Shah could have been better than today. Let us know if justice at that time was better than what it is today. I do not want to discuss the justice at that time, but you know the situation and what type of individuals ruled and passed judgment on the life and property of this country. Now you say the judicial council given reality by the `ulama', is worse than the former judicial organization! With all the defects we have and we cannot remove the imperfections so soon, the present judiciary and present judiciary establishment is, nevertheless, incomparable to the previous one. If you say it is, tell us how. Collate the country's chief justice at the present and the one of the previous regime as well as the prosecutor generals of the present and former times. What you say that it was better at the time of Muhammad-Rida than today is something incomprehensible to me. The things were the way they had been.

Well, let us turn to the issue of the army. Was the army at the time of Muhammad-Rida better than this army we have today? Was it better than the present army which is making sacrifices and offering its blood in battlefields and is defending the country? If you know any one of the army men, or major generals, anybody of higher of lower rank, who would do such deeds in the previous regime, introduce them. However, you cannot introduce any. You call the present city police force worse than the one in former regime. Have you forgotten how head of police force in Qum treated your grandest scholar and how little regard he had for you? Have you forgotten how a government agent treated you when he came to Qum and the Shia center? How did they treat you? And today (you are saying that) everywhere the police are worse than the ones at the time of Muhammad-Rida?! Did we have any forces like the revolutionary guard corps at the time of Muhammad-Rida, in days prior to him or in the course of history? Did we have such revolutionary guards? If we did, let us know as well.

The gist of the matter is that the gentlemen are either uninformed or unaware of the issues. They attended a mosque and taught some lessons without being aware of other aspects, or, are informed but want to object. You, who say that the time of Rida Shah was better than today's, what status did you have at the time of Rida Shah? No only you, but also our late Shaykh (may God's peace be upon him) was in terrible situation. In one case, perhaps the case of the abolition of the Hijab, the late Shaykh (may God bless him) - the late Aqa Shaykh `Abdul-Karim (God's peace be upon him) wrote a note to Rida Shah, and warned him about the issue. He did not reply. The prime minister said that it was communicated to the attention of His Majesty, who replied:" You had better mind your own business." When a policeman came to this religious city with so many religious people and clergy, he did whatever he wished with you and nobody dared to utter a single word.

Is the present police force similar to that at the time of Rida Shah or Muhammad-Rida Shah? Why should we not know the value of God's blessing? I ask the gentlemen:" Well, all of them have some sort of deviation, but if they are destroyed, do you think you will be put at the helm of the country? Will they say" Minister so and so, gentlemen come and govern?" If this Islamic Republic is defeated, will a republic better than this Islamic Republic come about? Do you know of anyone to administer after they are destroyed? You know that everybody's eyes are fixed on those who would come and govern here and bring the country to a worse condition than it was at the time of Muhammad-Rida. You know that if this republic is destroyed, this Majlis is destroyed, this president is destroyed, an agent from the US will replace him. He will have a holier- than- Pope attitude like the sanctimonious chief of police of Qum during the time of the late Mr. Burujerdi «1». He might have a pseudo-holy appearance but he will destroy and deal such a blow to Islam that it can never ever recover. Can you imagine what you are doing? Can you sit one night and reflect what blow might be dealt to Islam if you weaken this nation, this government, this Majlis and the like?

I claim that the likes of the Iranian nation, Majlis, government, president, judicial council, Guardian Council have not existed since the dawn of the history of the world up to the present day. The best epoch in Islam was the age of the noble Prophet of Islam. At the time of the noble Prophet (s) when he was in Mecca, there was no government at work. When he came to Medina and launched the government, do you know how these sanctimonious people in Mecca and Medina, the very same people who professed their devotion, treated the Prophet? Do you know that the Qur'an has a verse in this regard? Have you read that the Prophet ordered them to go to war and they did not and when they did they returned with an excuse? «2» Where can you find the likes of these revolutionary guards who weep to go to the warfronts and get martyred? Tell me. In the early days of Islam, people, excluding a handful of devotees, were not comparable with our revolutionary guards, with this military and disciplinary force. Which nation do you know has stood so firmly despite all the difficulties, sufferings after having offered so many martyrs, so much blood and enduring so much affliction and misery? You know what Iraq, Koufah, Mecca, Medina and their people were like in the early, brilliant years of Islam. During his time, the holy Prophet was more desolate and oppressed than he would have been today. People did not obey him; even his intimate friends did not obey him. At the advent of Islam the Commander of the Faithful (`a) was more oppressed than any ruler at any time (in history). He was subject to so many adversities! Those very sanctimonious ones stood against him, arguing that he had to submit to their decision. The Qur'an was placed on spears. They threatened him that if he did not accept their demands, they would do such and such. They forced him to accept. Then they declared him an infidel, compelling him to repent because he had become a disbeliever «3». This was the situation in the early days of Islam. Afterwards, his government fell into the hands of the Umayyads and the `Abbasids and you all know what the situation was like then? Later on it fell into the hands of other rules.

Which time do you know that was like today? Why do you not appreciate God's blessing? Why do you not thank God for living in an age with such people? You live in an age when there exist such a Majlis, such a government, such a president and such pasdars. Gentlemen why have you closed your eyes (to realities) and allow frustration to invade your hearts and leveled these criticism? We do not want your cooperation, but what will you do with your divine obligation? Why are you sabotaging an oppressed government that all countries have attacked and carried out sabotage against? Your friends too have followed suit. You know that your sabotage is not very effective. I am really sorry for those of you and some other people who say they want genuine Islam. That wretched man «4» says they want genuine Islam, not the Islam that says the hand of the thief should be cut! Is the Qur'an not the genuine Islam? If this government is overthrown, if the Islamic Republic is destroyed, Islam will be so isolated that it cannot be revived for good unless at the reappearance of the Savior (the Shi`ite 12 th Imam). Perhaps you also want to say we should encourage an oppressive and disbelieving government for oppression to aggravate so that the Savior would reappear! Well, this is a method! Do you think such people do not exist? Such people argue that it is meaningless to have a government and that a just government should not at all be established. You should prevent (the establishment of) such a government so that the Savior would come.

I hope that the Exalted and Blessed God will favor this nation and guide to the right path those who are opposed to the Islamic Republic and Islam. I hope that the New Year will be an auspicious and blessed year for the nation. In this year we and the nation must cooperate and reconstruct the ruins. I hope that these youths, these children, these teenagers who have been deceived and who imagine that this republic is preventing genuine Islam from being established will be awakened. On this presumption, they have been deceived and they became blind and deaf to the truth and ignorant of issues and embarked upon such dissident acts. I hope that they will be enlightened and unite and work shoulder to shoulder with people. I hope that all those in charge in the government cooperate with each other, be friends with each other, and people who are in the Majlis should promote friendship. All of you have one purpose; you all want Islam to be realized. Why should we bear resentment towards one another?

Brotherhood is one of the maxims that the holy Qur'an has decreed, enjoining the fact that believers are brothers both in this world and in paradise, and are sitting opposite each other in thrones." As brethren, face to face,(they rest) on couches raised." «5» I hope that these norms find reality here in this world to be reflected in the other world. We know that the unseen form of whatever we do here will be reflected in the hereafter. We will be afflicted with our own deeds there in the next world; nothing will be given to us from outside. It is we who set up the foundation of that world. It is all your deeds that are given back to you. «6»" And whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it then." «7» It does not mean that he gains the reward, but that sees himself." And whoever does an atom's weight of ill will see it then." «8» Man will see the evil of his misdeeds. Our deeds, our beliefs, our morality, all will be reflected there. I hope that you will strengthen your brotherhood here so as to be reflected there and we will be brothers. Hostility is for the people of Hell, as put by the following verse of the Qur'an:" Lo! that is the very truth: the wrangling of the dwellers in the Fire." «9» One of the afflictions the people of Hell will suffer is the enmity prevailing among them, the war and hostility they wage, lunging at each other like dogs! One of the great characteristic of the people of Paradise is brotherhood, friendship and love, which should be nurtured from here. Why should we be opposed to our brothers-in-faith, brothers who are all righteous and good and who want to serve? Let us suppose that someone's vote differs from the other. There is a difference of opinion among fuqaha as well. I hope that brotherhood among government, Majlis, the three branches of power and all the army men will be reflected in paradise where all are sitting as brothers in thrones in front of each other. May God grant success to all!

I hope that this year will be a good year, the year of construction. The previous years were all constructive and taught us good lessons. Some people passed the examination and some others failed. I hope that in this year even those who are opposed to each other in the Islamic Republic will be a bit more tolerant, reflect and will see that if this republic does not exist we should be either swallowed by the US or the Soviet Union. There is no other option. May God have mercy upon Islam, and upon the Islamic Republic everything of which is better than all periods of time. There are, of course, defects, which you should remove with the help if each other. May God grant you all health and happiness! Happy New Year to all!

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