Speech [Reviewing the performance of Pahlavi regime]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank all the different groups who have come here so that I can meet them in person. I hope all of them, who are involved with the war and at the service of the warfronts, are successful in the same way that they have so far fulfilled their duty to Islam and the country, continuing with their services so that, God willing, their country, their dear country gains full independence and freedom and is relieved of the evil of the wicked. God willing, you all will be successful.

I would like to touch on some issues dealing with the former regime in the presence of a number of the honorable tribal people and staff of the radio and television here, issues which have been brought about through obvious planning in the past 50 years. It is not, however, possible to discuss all of them. I hope that our historians, who are men of learning, will consider these 50 years and see in this span of time how this father and son impoverished this country.

Let us make a cursory survey of these organizations that could possibly bring about positive changes in this country or stand against the big powers, and see how these groups and organizations trifled with this country and how they proved their servitude to the superpowers. We should cast a glance at political centers and look into the economic and social centers of this country, military power, propaganda groups, print media and groups that could be of influence for this country such as the tribal people. Let us see that in the course of the past 50 years or so, how they treated the sources of influence that could stand against superpowers.

When Rida Khan came, he donned an Islamic guise and gradually took power. As attested to by England, he was brought to power by the British government. At that time, power was vested with them and he was their agent and commissioned to crush the organizations that could possibly take up resistance against the big powers as much as possible employing various procedures. Following him, his son, who in my opinion was more wicked than his father, followed suit, but in a different form. The first aim Rida Khan had in mind was to crush the clerics. In the name of reform, he launched his plans. He started implementing his plans, from the outset to the end, in the name of reform and the advancement of the country. Foreign agents and big powers, who had done extensive studies in this country, noticed that one of the groups that could mobilize the people in the face of foreign powers was the clerical institution. First, they began to undermine them and then quash them. If you consider the then print media, the then mass media, the then writers and speakers, or study whatever has remained of them, you will see that all mass media and print media and the radio and television and theater and all the organizations that could correct things in a country rose against the clerics serve the purposes of the aliens and that corrupt regime. He personally forced the agents to suppress the clerics using different guises and pretexts. The print media and mass media worked to discredit the clergy and separate them from people. This is itself a long history to relate. Those who look properly into the history of 50 years can understand what the matter had been. His followers also made great efforts to crush Islam and shatter the power of Islam. All groups of writers who were devious, broadcasters who were devious, the mass media were all at their service and protested against Islam. In their newspapers, I saw myself, that they insulted the Prophet of Islam. This was one group whom they considered likely to mobilize people against the interests of foreigners and superpowers.

Another place that they fought against, but in a different form, was the universities. If universities were Islamic and national, those who graduated could enter the Majlis and form a government and sap the influence of aliens in this country. They pounded the universities as well though in a different method. They did not storm the universities and close them down; rather, they drew up plans by training instructors and professors who served them to make universities affiliated with foreign powers and with England at one

The graduates who continued their education outside Iran and brought souvenirs were all at the service foreigners. This was how they liked it. Of course, among them were some who were different but were in the minority. This was the status of our educational centers.

The Majlis or parliament was one of the centers- the center of politics of a country, the center of legislation of a country. Employing pressure and different schemes, they stacked the Majlis with people who, except for a few of them, were all at their service. Gradually, the minority was also dismissed. I know no deputy in the last Majlis-after they killed Mudarris-who ever called for Islam. They took the control of the Majlis, forcing it to serve the aliens. The government also followed suit. The government that was installed this Majlis and acted on the order of that king and pseudo-king brought individuals who were all at their service. The radio, television and propaganda machinery were all at their service. If one reads the then newspapers or listens to the cassettes of that time if they are available he realizes that they either had to be at the service of aliens, particularly the US, or indifferent. The centers they set up for young people to feast and drink, the shops that were provided for the sale of foreign films and products and the wine shops were not set up without an ulterior motive. They were created based on a pre-determined plan aimed at stripping the youth of their identity and attracting them to follow their line of thought. If it were not possible to carry out their plans in universities, they would do it in centers of debauchery, making the youth indifferent and uncaring or apathetic to their country. Whatever they wished to do, they did. Centers of pleasure, cinemas satisfying the sensual desires of the youth were prevalent making the youth aloof to whatever happened to this country, not caring for the fact that aliens were looting the treasures of the country and plundering its oil, etc.

Another thing was the army. The army manned by tens of thousands of foreign advisors, who acted as big brothers, could not be a useful army for its country. This army was useful for another country for it was at the service of others. This is also another lengthy story about which men of letters should study and write. This was the tale of the army.

Regarding the tribal people, one of the things they considered likely was that the tribal people might rise against them. The tribal people believed in Islam and wanted Islam to be realized and were thus likely to stand against them. Rida Khan wanted to either wipe out the tribal people and was highly successful in his attempt, or train persons among them to deviate the tribal people through covert and malicious tactics. Many of them lived abroad or resided in Iran but were devious. They were responsible for undermining and demobilizing the tribal people insidiously. All these helped this country to be what it is today.

On the one hand, factories and farms and fields were totally destroyed in the name of reform. Iran which could, in proper circumstances, exports millions of tons of agricultural corps, is now stretching its hands before others for a staple of wheat! This was among the plots and crimes that the regime committed against this country. The factories were directed by individuals who did not let persons who were there from among Iranians to learn the ropes. Foreign experts came and took control of key jobs and the people there were rendered to serve as footmen!

If you set foot in any center or any place, you will see that aliens had gained a foothold there. This was the case in the former regime. Thank God, nowadays this is not the case. If one entered this country and visited the bazaar, the tracks of aliens were there. If one had been a man of understanding, he knew what the matter was. If he visited the bazaar, he would see foreign tracks there. They wanted to corrupt the bazaar. If he visited universities, again he would see their footprint there more than in other places. They wanted to distort the universities. If one inspected the army, he would see their foothold there. If he inspected factories, he would see their tracks. If he visited the Majlis, the government, everywhere, their foothold was there. They had influence everywhere, pulled the country towards the West or East with all their power and made our country dependent and defeated. If the country remained in their control a few more years, it would be incorrigible.

The Blessed and Exalted God has favored the nation, the Muslims and the country and awakened all. Despite the fact that, perhaps most of the people were indifferent to the issues I just mentioned, they suddenly realized that the US wanted to destroy us. This was what the entire country heeded: the US wanted to colonize us and ruin all our prestige, our Islamic prestige, our national prestige and our treasures.

This was an issue that was reflected throughout the country and people came to believe it. It was believable, because people realized everything. The spirit emerging in the country was a favor from God. No one can claim that he brought about such a thing. It was impossible for one man to awaken everyone from the newly-speaking child to the old man on his deathbed to this fact that we wanted to be Muslim, and we wanted our country to be free, independent and Islamic.

This was an unseen hand caring for the country and awakening the entire nation of the country. Today, this country of ours, thank God, is such that wherever you go you observe devotion to Islam. Wherever you go, among tribal people, you realize that tribal people have been relieved of the heavy burdens imposed on them by the former regime, and have turned to Islam. Visit the remotest village in this country, wherever you wish, and you will see the young and old cry out that they want independence and freedom and criticize the US and aliens.

These devious people who want to play the devil inside and outside the country are very foolish! They have lost their common sense. Their love of name and fame has blinded them, stripped them of insight. They do not know that in a country with this state of affairs, in a country whose people cry and rush to warfronts and love making sacrifices, one cannot commit mischief one cannot result people and one cannot stage a coup.

A country all of whose armed forces seek martyrdom and all of whose military and disciplinary forces, its armed revolutionary guards, all its tribal peoples, join the war, all welcome martyrdom, cannot be challenged by a several hundred men or more or less.

Their mistake is that they can neither understand the power of Islam nor their own nation. For this reason, they work out childish plots, foolish schemes in their imagination. In any field they wish to conspire, they do not know that the vigilant eyes of this country oversee their work from morning till night. They do not understand these issues. Thus, they fall into dangerous situation. They want to deceive our dear children. These children, girls and boys, who have been deceived should study and see what situation they are in and what situation our country is in; what situation the government has and what they have; where they have taken refugee and what the government says before them.

I hope that, God willing, this strong morale prevailing in this country, this Islamic and monotheistic moral existing in this country would remain in force and we would hand over the country to its original owner, the Imam of the Time (s). God willing, we all will attend to his presence and hand over the country and nation to him. May God make you, us and the whole nation and all the Muslims successful to perform our Islamic duties.

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