Speech [The silence of regional governments in the face of Israeli crimes]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Before anything else, I should thank the gentlemen who have come here from the navy and the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry and foreign guests. I hope that God Almighty will favor the weaker nations and curtail the hands of tyrants.

Today, Islam is beset with an affliction; the ears that should listen to the problems of Muslims have become deaf and the tongues that should function for Muslims' interests have become dumb and the eyes that should see the disasters befalling Muslims have gone blind. What should we do with these dumb, deaf and blind people? Do not these regional governments consider the problem of Lebanon as a disaster? Is it not a disaster for Islam and for Muslims of the world? Is the Israeli attack on Lebanon and the incessant killing not a disaster for Islam and Muslims? Does the outright confession of the fact that this disaster has taken place with the approval of the US not get into their ear? If they are not deaf, why do they not hear the outcries and moans of our dear ones in Lebanon? If they are not blind, why do they not see the dead bodies piling on each other every day in Lebanon and Iran and the dear young and old, women, men and children who are mown down in the warfronts and behind the fronts? If they see and consider it a disaster, why have they kept mum? If they love Islam, the Holy Qur'an and the holy shrines, «1» why don't they speak out today when the religious sites are desecrated, and the Qur'an, Islam and the shrines are threatening? Why do they still help? What has happened to them in whose presence these disasters and crimes occur? They not only keep silent but also condone them. They still want to confirm the Camp David Accord, «2» the Fahd Plan «3» and recognize Israel. In whom should we confide these disasters? With governments that have closed their eyes and ears and readily succumbed to the US or with oppressed nations which are in agony under the pressure of these governments?

The Muslim nations should be made involved in these issues, like the Iranian people. The disaster befalling Islam at the hands of the US and its hirelings- the accursed Pahlavi regime- was thwarted by the Iranian nation, the Iranian youth, the Iranian army, the Iranian navy, air and ground forces, the Iranian Sepah-e Pasdaran, the Iranian Basij and tribal people who were awakened and who clenched their fists and drove out the tanks. As long as nations are not so awakened and as long as nations are not so integrated, they should know that they are subject to corrupt governments and to the criminal US and to other superpowers. They command all those treasures and resources. If they refuse for one week to supply oil to these criminals, all problems will be settled. Nevertheless, they fail to do so. To whom should we complain of these disasters except the sacred realm of God Almighty? To whom should we lodge complaint against these governments except the sacred essence of the Almighty? How shall we complain against those who declare Jihad against Iran, which stands against all powers and wants Islam to materialize in the world? However, they are silent against Israel, which has risen up to fight against Islam and openly declares that whatever from the Nile to the Euphrates belongs to it and claims ownership of the holy shrines. Where can we take these pains? With whom can we confide about these tribulations? With whom should we discuss this deadly silence, the silence that sanctions the criminals and encourages the tyrants? Whom should we request to favor us and break this silence? Is your population small? Is your wealth meager? Is your oil insufficient? Are your lands scarce? Don't you command any valid strategic organizations? All resources are there, but one thing is lacking-faith.

The Iranian nation had nothing but faith, which helped them overpower the superpowers. The governments of Muslims in all countries have everything but faith. What caused our country and our nation to emerge victorious was faith in God and love of martyrdom- love of martyrdom in the face of disbelief and hypocrisy for the preservation of Islam and the Holy Qur'an.

These dear guests, who have come here, can convey Iran's message to nations that they should think out a way and not sit idle in the hope that American paws may do something for them. At a time Iran is afflicted with this problem, the ruler of certain Islamic country is thinking of buying camels for his personal zoo! Where should we talk about this disaster? Fourteen camels are purchased from abroad for the zoo of so and so king in the region and carried by plane to his zoo. The big powers are plundering our countries, and this ruler is buying a camel! «4» I don't know when these ears will open! When will these eyes see? When will these tongues speak?" They are deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand." «5» Everything is due to the fact that they do not understand. Deafness, dumbness and blindness are a result of their not understanding.

Thank God, we are victorious on the domestic front. Our combatants from all classes, whether the navy or others some of whom are present here and may God protect them, or the ground and air forces as well as Sepah-e Pasdaran and others are present in the scene and standing against any event. Our country and its great capitals consisting of the youth are sincerely struggling for Islam, the religion of God the Exalted and Blessed. They are present at the scene for any disaster befalling Muslims. The funny thing is that our government suggests you to let our forces go through your country to fight the enemy, the enemy of `Arabs and Islam and has made this one of the peace conditions because it has lost hope in you, but instead you say that for this purpose we should waive everything. Is this not a disaster for Islam? A selfless population who want to fight against the enemy of the Arabs, the enemy of Islam, enemy of the holy shrines, enemy of the entire region, but those whom we want to rescue are not only sitting but also watching indifferently and even are sympathetic to the enemy. They have gone so far as demanding bribe from us in exchange for letting us go through their country to fight for them! This treatment can be likened to a drowning man whom a lifeguard wants to rescue, but the former asks how much the lifeguard would give so that he would give the permission to rescue him!

The Iraqi government has used the story of Israel as an excuse to escape the divine justice and retribution. They say if we want them to give us permission to use the way to rescue them, we should connive at the crimes they have committed against us. This process reminds one of the Qur'anic verse that reads:" Deaf, dumb, blind, so they do not understand." Does it not apply to them? Did the government of Iran say something different from what it is saying today at the time when you thought you were powerful? Iran is making the same statements. The authorities of this country raised the two other subjects because they are disappointed with you. They say the condition for peace is that you let us go through your country. Another condition is that you must leave our territory. Does this not mean that they are witless, sightless and deaf, being resigned to selfish desires?

Our government officials ask: where is the country of the poor people whom you expelled from Iraq and sent to Iran and whom we welcome warmly? One of our conditions is to let them in. Is this an irrational condition? Is this a condition beyond what we set at the beginning? Is asking to permit the residents of a country to their original homeland an excessive condition? No! This is something natural, a corollary to our primary conditions. We have not added anything new.

The cease-fire called by Saddam is the one which be followed by opening fire on people. The way Saddam wants to open for us is a way by which he seeks to rescue himself. He does not want to give way to us to get to Israel. He has considered the sides to the story. If we accept, then reconciliation will find reality and the Saddamites will be rescued. If we refuse, then it will become clear that we don't want to wage Jihad against Israel. We tell them we accept. They open the way and let experts come to investigate into what they have done in this country, what crimes they have perpetrated, and identify the aggressor. Now they want us to forgive their crimes because we want to work for them. These are strange things that history will record. History will record that Iran wanted go to rescue the Arabs, the holy shrines and Islamic countries that are threatened by Israel and fight against Israel, this cancerous tumor, but Islamic governments demanded bribe from Iran for doing so. These are facts that history will record. This is a black mark remaining on the face of these individuals.

As long as Islamic countries and Islamic nations do not set as their model what happened in Iran and do not take to the streets asking their governments to confront Israel, be sure that these deaf and blind persons will not come to their senses. Nations should stand and demand the army and the governments in their region to help the Palestinians and the Syrians who have been subjected to oppression, to remove this cancerous tumor. If they also only watch and wait to see what will happen and remain indifferent and have the excuse that governments should take this action, they will not have a cogent answer to provide before God. Iran is a proof to all countries. God, the Exalted and the Blessed, may present Iran in the hereafter as proof for those who have given in to oppression and succumbed to tyranny and failed to revolt. If they believe in God and the resurrection, they should provide an answer to God Almighty. That day the US and Israel cannot come to their rescue. If they don't believe in such concepts, they should work out an answer for the oppressed peoples of the world, for the future generations. With the approach they have adopted, the future generation will, God forbid, fall into a trap. They should therefore come up eith an answer for them. If they pay no heed to faith-related values, they should consider their value system, their national value and human values. They should not tolerate abjectness under the boots of Israel, in order to rule for a few days. Muslims should rise up and revolt. God has said:" I exhort you unto one thing: that ye awake, for Allah's sake, in twos and singly." «6» Don't say:" I am alone." You should rise by yourself. You should revolt collectively. You should revolt in unison. We are all obliged to rise for God and for the preservation of Islamic countries and against these two cancerous tumors: the corrupt Ba`ath Party of Iraq and Israel, both of which have their provenance in the US.

There is no excuse before the Exalted and Blessed God. Neither you nor we are excused. It is not a good excuse to say you had nothing and you had no power, because you are the most powerful of all. When you get together and shake the hands of fraternity, you will form a big world power. It is no excuse to say you do not have arms, because the weapon you have, is something the world doe not have. You have the weapon of oil. The world needs your weapon; oil is the lifeline of the world. Use the weapon God, the Exalted and Blessed, has given you for the Exalted and Blessed God. Employ the strength the Exalted and Blessed God has given to your arms for God the Exalted and Blessed. May God awaken these governments and grant consciousness to the masses of people who have everything, but who live in abject poverty under oppression. I hope that Iran, which has so far severed the hands of oppressors, can preserve this freedom and independence it has achieved collectively, proceed towards a civilization and transform itself into a free and independent country. I hope that the Islamic countries heed these issues and do not sit idle till it is too late. Today is a day when Israel will be destroyed if Muslims rise in unison. I hope that these governments that Israel says it wants to take will waken up. Israelis consider these territories to be theirs; we see that they are advancing step by step. Rise up against this tumor, which is a threat to the entire region and to Islam. Don't waste time with rhetorics and meaningless, empty words.

I hope that these governments, which care so much for their zoos care for Islam. May God make these powers that work for Islam victorious. May God sanction you, dear youths, who have been present in the scene and worked for Islam since the outset of the revolution up to the present time and in future! I hope God will sanction all the Muslims of the world and they will be freed from the oppressive rule of big powers.

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