Speech [Need for educating young theology students for judgment and propagation]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I would like to thank the learned gentlemen who are in the business teaching in Qum and Tehran. I hope all are useful for the future of Islam and property fulfills what is their duty.

Unfortunately, our universities and seminaries had many shortcomings from one aspect. They could not remedy those shortcomings. If universities had not originally intended to push Iran into the trap of big powers, they were gradually dragged towards this matter. Those in charge trained our dear youth the way they desired and then sent them abroad to be worked upon it. When they returned many of them were entirely opposed to religion and many of them could not do anything even though they were not opposed. At any rate, this was the situation of university. Religious sciences schools, which we collectively called Faydiyyah, were lacking in other respect. They did not directly take control of seminaries as they did in case of universities, and they could not do so. Despite all difficulties during Rida Khan Reign and there were grave difficulties, seminaries tolerated the situation and trudged a long. In the next regime, the situation was the same. Actually, we had been confined to a series of books and certain beliefs. The books would often deal with issues such as cleanliness, trade and prayer. Nothing beyond these was mentioned. Judicial sciences and canon of punishment or compensation were considered exotic disciplines. Of course, our mentors have written about such issues in detail, but since they were out of the jurisdiction of seminaries, and they did not exercise judgment, canons of punishment, compensation or relation were not practical, so they were not discussed; we were confined to books and, to the same extent, to education. On the other hand, although the aliens and their agents did not have any direct control over the seminaries, a special propaganda had been carried out in long years to the effect that seminaries should be totally separate from social and political affairs. We could not mention the term politics in seminaries. Affairs of Muslims and things related to the Muslim community mere out of the question.

Now that we are, thanks God, free from those shackles, we should note that today seminaries differ from the past ones. Today, the world has undergone drastic changes and looks as if it is a single family. The speech I am delivering might be reflected in the US after two hours. This is the case with other events taking place in Iran, which soon spread, all over the world. For instance, if someone makes up sound in this gathering, the voice of his sound reaches the US sooner than it reaches the end of this hall. This is the situation. It looks as if the whole world has been compressed into a very small area.

Today, we cannot think as in the past. Formerly, our propaganda was restricted to Iran. At times, the `ulama' visited other places. This rarely happened. We need more propaganda abroad then we do here inside the country. You see that today all propaganda is against Islam. In the name of opposition to Islamic Republic, Islam is condemned. Islam has been presented differently. Formerly, there was not much need to foreign languages; today this need is urgent. In fact, the schools' curriculum should include living languages of the world. This should be one of the things to be seriously considered in seminaries that want to propagate. This is an urgent need of our time. It is not like in the past when our voice did not go beyond the borders of Iran. Today we can remain in Iran and propagate in all parts of the world. We can preach our faith everywhere. Moreover, today visiting all parts of the world is an easy and ordinary matter. Preachers should be trained. Our seminaries and universities should be ones that can propagate worldwide, in all countries of the world.

Thank God, those bonds fastened to our beliefs have been undone. Today, all strata of the nation are engaged in education. Many women have now joined seminaries in Qum and other cities. Wherever they are, they are busy with educational activities. This is something, which has been realized in this revolution. In those days, restrictions were so tight that women were denied the right to join a ten-member gathering to discuss ideological questions. Today, they can preach Islam in all parts of the country while observing all aspects of Islam. They can co so in foreign countries! We lagged behind in these matters. Today, we should compensate; we should remove the shortcomings.

Nowadays neither do we have enough preachers nor enough judge. There are only a few. Our country does not have as many preachers as it needs. The seminaries cannot keep up with demand. There not enough judges either. The seminaries do not have, they have not trained judges, there are a number of old people who do not seek such careers. We should now train the younger generation to practice judgment and to preach. Judging is a sufficiency obligation and we must train enough people so that this obligation is met. It is also necessary for us to preach. It is one of our obligations to preach Islam. What is there in the Qur'an should be preached everywhere, and it requires a good command of languages.

You cannot go to England and preach for them in Persian language. Can you do so in neither the US nor the Soviet Union. You should preach in the language of the native people. This is among the necessary things that we could not mention in the past. Now this is among the necessary and obligatory things that should be practiced.

While I appreciate the gentlemen who are engaged in such affairs, render services and make sacrifices, I request them and all the theological seminaries wherever they are to gird up their loins and make up for the failings of the past. I request them to train preachers and judges. Islam needs these things. Without these, it is not possible to preach and practice Islam. So, with all this propaganda against us, we should carry out our own propaganda. We should send as many preachers abroad as we can afford. I hope you will all succeed at university and seminary to train a large number men and women for preaching.

You see that the world has now risen up against us. You see that what commotion they made for shooting down a South Korean plane. Obviously, shooting an aircraft and killing ordinary people is an unforgivable crime. Yet the US is siding with such things. One should see what the matter is. The US is preaching, its president is making speeches and talking about an unforgivable disaster that has occurred. This same America has caused similar disasters in other countries. This is the same America that forces Iraq to commit worse kinds of crime in Iran, while keeping mum. What has Iraq so far done against Iran? How many people of these two countries have been killed? How many residential area has the Iraqi regime bombarded? These civilian places had nothing to do with the war. Subsequently, they claim Iran targeted certain places which is just a lie. Different radios quote Saddam as saying," since Iran targets civilian places we have to retaliate and hit the military places." But all the radios know that they have targeted the cities which have nothing to do with the military. After any defeat, Saddam has launched an attack, killing innocent women, men, children, the young and old. The US has remained silent, because they are philanthropic! They like American-type of people. They favor the people who are of use to them. If this practice had been done by the US itself or Iraq that shot down the Algerian aircraft and killed a number of civilians and one of the ministers, the US would have shown no reaction. However, the US is now mourning because a plane belonging to South Korea has been shot down. This mourning is to condemn the Soviet Union, not at humanitarian purposes. Human beings are not of any value in the view of these two superpowers. These powers do not care a fig about human beings unless when they bring them profit like milky cow.

You see today what is going on in Lebanon. Now that you and I are sitting here, they are making a bloodbath in Lebanon. The usurper and brutal government in Lebanon, this treacherous Amin «1» has afflicted the Lebanese people. Israel has also afflicted people there. Instead of the US, they are causing this blight. However, we have not heard the US saying a single word. The US has send its marines to help the criminals but in a different guise. Perhaps they themselves create the sceneries. They throw two crackers, injure one or two people, then these Israelis search the houses and arrest the youth, put them in prison or kill them. These crimes are committed everywhere in the world and the US is aggravating the situation.

More deplorable is that Muslims are sitting idly and watching. This second puppet that has come, the Yitzhak Shamir «2» who has come and wants to be prime minister has explained his program from the outset. He has announced that greater Israel should find reality and that Palestine should vanish. All the places now in the hands of Israel is now separate from Israel. Greater Israel stretches from the Nile to Euphrates covering all the `Arab-populated regions including Hijaz and Egypt. All these countries just stand by and watch; a large number of them cooperate with Israel, or want to recognize it.

These are the disasters, which have occurred in our century. Unfortunately, Muslims, i. e. Islamic governments are indifferent. These governments don't let their people talk about such matters. The world is indeed in a suffocating climate caused by the two superpowers. Look at Afghanistan wherein Soviet troops create disaster every day. Of course, Afghan people have so firmly stood against them that they may regret occupying this country. It's the same story in Palestine and Lebanon and everywhere: America is present and involved in crime. Now a plane has crushed with a death toll of 160 or 260- and we are sorry about this- but the US is not sorry like you. You are sorry although you did not know them, because they were humans, innocent people who became victims of the Soviet. You regret because they are human beings, innocent people, and victim of Soviet Union. However, the US is not sorry because they are human beings, but because it has found an excuse to force out the Soviet Union from the scene, and provoke the world against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union will also find an excuse tomorrow and wil do the same to the US. O, God! Engage the oppressors with the oppressors. Plot of the aliens to undermine Islam in Iran has failed and we should pay close attention to world issue.

Today we should not think what Iran is like. We should think what is going on in the world. We should think of our duties towards the world. They created this imposed war, a plot that the Zionists hatched. On the one hand, they struggle to prevent Islam from being realized. If Islam takes root in Iran, it will naturally find its way into other countries in which case the programs of the Zionists will be disrupted. The US and Soviet Union will no longer be able to hold their grip over Islamic countries. Therefore, they struggle to restrict Islam within the borders of Iran. If they can, they will try to deflect public opinion in Iran. They are now struggling to obtain their first goal of overthrowing Islamic Republic and replacing it with an American-style Islamic Republic. Of course, there will be no talk of monarchy. The name of Islamic Republic will remain as it is, but it will be of the American type. This is what some people dream, but will never succeed to realize. Iranians are all determined, men, women, the old and young are resolute not to let the US and Soviet Union into Iran. Their second goal is to confine Islam to Iran. They have embarked on massive propaganda to the effect that in Iran children below the age of 15 or 14 are forced to join the battlefields and the Human Rights Watchdog has raised objection. These people are sitting to listen to VOA, BBC and other radios. They know about everything, but they raise such issues to condemn Iran. These foreign radios know what is going on in Iran; they know all about Iraqi aggression against Iran and the oppressions inflicted on Iran and Iraq. They know all these issues, but humans are not important to them. They want to realize their own dreams. Their purpose is to malign Islam, the Islamic Republic the Iranian people so that the idea of spreading Islam will never cross someone's mind. I hope they will fail in this attempt too.

We are duty-bound to preach Islam in the world. Islam has been ill treated. It is estranged in the world. We are a small group. Our propaganda is imperfect. We are short of money. However, they command all the mass media apparatus. They lavishly spend on propaganda against us. Nevertheless, we should not be disappointed. With this small number, we defeated that satanic power, Muhammad-Rida, who was backed by all powers. We defeated him with the effort and diligence of the Iranian youth and were able to dethrone him. We will implement Islam in Iran as wanted by God. We are making progress in this attempt. We no longer allow others to dominate Iran. I hope that in the same way that these changes took place, through the efforts of universities and seminaries we will bw able to have extensive propaganda, so that in a short time all the world will be filled with the Islamic manifestations.

I implore God almighty to grant health and happiness to the gentlemen. I hope that the gentlemen will be successful in the lawful attempt they are engaged with. I pray God to curtail the hands of criminal big powers from Iran and hope that the true Islam will reverberate in the world.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!