Speech [Mission and role of the radio and television; shattering the flimsy power of superpowers]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I thank the respected friends present in this gathering and hope that all succeed in acting in compliance with God's gratification. As you said, this propaganda machinery was employed in the past to spread corruption. To transform it into an apparatus for presentation of healthy programs calles for great efforts. I appreciate the gentlemen for the struggles they have made to this end and thank God many improvements have been made. However, we should not be content with what we have achieved. We should endeavor to acquire what we do not have. We should not be impressed by any power and propaganda in the world. We should be independent in all affairs and do the works by ourselves. We should not expect foreigners to work for us. Foreigners all try to sabotage our plans; they will not work for us. Formerly, the situation was like this. However, they said they wanted to work for Iran and thus entraped Iran and did what you saw.

The broadcaster serice today increases your responsibility. Formerly, propaganda consisted of the fact that pulpiteers and `ulama' preached for a limited number in a mosque or the limited location they had. Today, this medium is spread across the country. I do not imagine there is anyone not having access to the radio; everybody manages to listen to the radio. Even those who are doing farming in the desert listen to radio. As you said, television coverage is increasing. Furthermore, these media, especially the radio, reach many outside the country. Therefore, they can deviate millions of people with a minor deviation and lead millions of peoples astray with a minor mistake. They can also guide millions and hundreds of millions of people if, God willing, they stick to the cause of guidance and Islam.

They, therefore, the media which we should not regard insignificant. They are the media by which many people inside and outside the country can be corrected if they are correct or corrupted if they are corrupt. On the one hand, their responsibility is great and on the other of great value because they are means of guidance. These media are very important for Islam and Islamic Republic. Islam wants to employ these madia greatly in the cause of Islam and make great propaganda in the cause of Islam. Voice of the Islamic Republic that reaches most of the countries should guide people and present Islam. Today all the groups abroad are using propaganda through the radio, television and the press against Islam. It is not the question of Iran. If it were simply the question of Iran, it would not be so important. They are confronting Islam, not Iran. They have realized that Iran wants to present the real image of Islam to others. It is different from what the westerners or the deviants have presented so far. They know Iran intends to implement in its true sense and present this real image to the outside world. This is a big threat for the big powers. As you see, they explicitly say Islam is a threat and they are right. It is a threat to corrupt people, plunderers, thieves and bullies. However, Islam wants such things not to prevail in the world. Islam wants all to live in peace and harmony. If we say we want to export Islam, it does not mean that we fly planes to attack other countries. We have neither said such a thing nor can we do it. However, what we can do is that we want to present Islam as it is employing the media we command such as the radio and television, the press and the groups going abroad. If it is presented as it is, all will accept. Man's nature is healthy and if something is suggested, one's nature will accept. Moreover, the powerful people are afraid of this concept. Therefore, we have a great duty. No only we alone but also all Muslims, no only you alone but also all social strata in Iran and abroad who are committed to Islam have a great duty. We have a great duty, that is presenting Islam to people, and the world as it is, as ordered by God Almighty and as provided in the narrations and the Qur'an. This can be more effective than thousands of thanks and artillery. That which is accomplished by guidance transforms people's heart. This art is what Islam and its laws can manage and not thanks and artillery. The latter cannot do anything. You see that despite the fact that big powers command those powers, they are suffering defeat in the world every day.

Compare the situation of the US in the past with that in the present time, and that of England and other powers. In the past, the US fancied itself to be a master in Iran and other Islamic countries setting things right with a word. If, for instance, the king of a country and president of an Islamic country wanted to visit the US, he had to make efforts for a long time to get permission. When he visited, it took quite some time to meet the president. This was the situation. It could do anything with just an order. Today, the US condition is such that they escaped from Lebanon despite the fact that most of Lebanon is in the US hands, its president sides with the US and many political groups favor the US, this small number of Muslims forced the US to flee albeit in the name of relocation. They called it relocation! This is escape. Why don't they use the correct name? After escaping, they started shelling people heavily from outside the borders. This shows the utmost desperation of a country to flee a country and mombard it from outside the borders. This is utmost desperation for the US. Although they have realized this issue, they do not want to admit it. Still they are making the old claims. The US president said:" We don't let the Strait of Hormoz be closed." He imagines that today is like the past to give permission and his permission is effective. Now it is the people of Lebanon that did not let you stay there. It is the people of Iran that did not let you stay here. It is the people of Iran that should give you permission. This biggest mistake is that they do not know who who they are dealing with. When they dealt with the governments and the nations did not get involved, they would push forward their works at the hands of governments, which were their servant, as is the case in many parts where governments are their servants and people are indifferent. However, where they deal with the people, they suffer defeat. In Lebanon, for instance, only part of the population is the field, and the rest of people are either on the US side, or indifferent, but this minority caused the US to flee the country despite the fact that the US president and other top officials always insisted on staying in Lebanon. Now, you see they escaped and called it relocation. Iran is different from Lebanon. In Iran the government, people and all strata are together. In Lebanon, government is opposed to the people. In Iran all strata of people are in accord with one another. No power can confront such a nation. Nations are standing; they are standing like Iran and they are sacrificing everything in the cause of Islam. No government can press a nation that is sacrificing everything in the cause of Islam and its youths are every day making sacrifice in the cause of Islam.

Today the situation is different from those days. They should shake off those mistakes from their minds- the mistake that the present situation of the world is the same as that in the past, the mistake that confrontation with the nations is like the encounter with governments. They make these mistakes.

They might understand but do not want to admit it. From this aspect neither the Soviet Union, nor the US and other powers can confront the nations. They can confront the governments as they did in the past. From the beginning they planned to bring governments under their domination, used them as their servants, and did whatever they wanted through them. Today, however, the situation has changed. The world today has awakened. The oppressed people of the world be they in Latin America, the Soviet Union, Central America and other places have awakened. Oppressed people of the world do not accept those things they used to accept in the past. Today, powers should listen to nations. They do not understand that they should not sit and say they permit or not permit. These expressions of giving permission belong to those days, not the present day. The talk of military attacks or invading a country has lost its sense these days. You launched military attack and observed what happened. The Soviet Union carried out its military attack and is still continuing with it and sees what is happening. Although in Afghanistan only on group is fighting, the Soviet troops have been brought their knees. They should revise their opinion; they should understand that today differs from the past and people are different from governments.

Therefore, we should let people all over the world know that today the situation is different from the past. The oppressed people should rise up and take their revenge on the oppressors. This is attainable. Muslims should be united. Unfortunately, many of the Muslim rulers sabotage the plans. Muslims should close their ranks. If they do so, they will creat an indominatable force, not comparable with any other power. One billion believing people differ from one billion disbelieving ones or 100 billion disbelieving people. You saw that a small population in Iran with no weapons but faith worked a miracle that has impressed the whole world. Therefore, you are in charge of broadcasting propaganda, those who preach to people, and the people who go to abroad should present Islam and argue that this is Islam. God willing, it will be welcomed.

Of things, I deem necessary to remind today, as it might be late tomorrow, is the question of elections. As I have said repeatedly and as others have also pointed out, no one has a monopoly over elections; neither the clerics, nor the political parties no any other group. Election belongs to the entire people. People determine their own destiny. Election affects your destiny. As I have heard, some individuals have gone to universities and said that intervention in election amounts to intervention in politics and this is the right of the mujtahids (religious authorities). Up to now, they said mujtahids should not interfere in politics because it was in sharp contrasts to their right. However, they suffered defeat there, and now say the opposite of their previous claims. The same motive gives rise to these statements. Moreover, their claim that election is a political issue and the political issues are the domain of the clerics is wrong. Election determines the fate of a nation. That is, the destiny of the destiny of this nation in both worlds depends on this election. The views of some mujtahids cannot replace the elections. Is it sensible to let a few hundred mujtahids in Qum and other cities decide and ignore the rest of people? This is a plot. For hundred years, they schemed by suggesting that clerics and religion are separate from politics and thus reaped many profits. We suffered greatly. We are still suffering from this mentality. Now they saw that plot was defeated and has concocted another one; that is, election is the right of mujtahids, election or involvement in politics is the right of mujtahids. The universities should know that in the same way that a mujtahid should interfere in his destiny, a young student should also interfere in his destiny. There is no difference between university students and theology students. All are together. This statement at the university is indicative of a plot aimed to disappoint the youths.

Be vigilant! Be attentive! They want to do the job with their plots; they cannot do anything by military intervention; they want to do their work with mischief. At that time, their mischief was to suggest that politics was separate from religion, as a result of which we suffered lossed and they reaped much profit. This plot has been defeated. Now they suggest that politics is the right of mujtahids; that is, only 500 people should interfere in the political affairs in Iran, with the rest going after their own business. This implies that people should get preoccupied with their own business and have nothing to do with social issues. Only a number of old mullas (clergymen) should interfere. This plot is worse than the previous one for Iran, because that plot brushed aside a number of the `ulama' though subsequently a large layer are also set aside, but this one brushes aside the entire people. They do not want to get mujtahids involved in politics; they want to destroy the mujtahids at the hands of people. Universities should notice that if there are individuals in universities engaged in mischief, they should not be deceived. The students should interfere in the election. The election determines the destiny of those who are there. It is the duty of the nation to interfere in something around which their destiny revolves. It is not the concern of one or two layers; all should interfere. The mischief now in progress, as I have been told, aims to disappoint our youths. Thwart this mischief and actively participate in the election. You can either directly choose someone without consulting others, or side with a party whose words and candidates you prefer. Anyhow, we should never be negligent of the trick of these traitors. They are constantly brewing plots because they have received a blow from Islam which they will not forget any time soon. They want to retaliate, but know it is impossible to do it by force. It is just a bunch of hot air that they happen to say they want to do so by force or military attack. They know that these claims are just nonsense. If they want to do something, it can be done through the people, university, bazaar, workers, factories, and similar places. They want to hit where it hurts. If you want things for God or people or for your own life, you should notice and not be deceived by these words and actively participate in elections. I hope that you will be successful. I hope you will be healthy and happy and continue with your work, as it is an enormous and a very important task.

You see that today propaganda can do everything in the world. You see that Saddam has become so miserable, its propaganda is like that and other pro-Saddam propaganda is like that. That poor man has become so desperate goes begging here and there. He desparately sues for peace. He does not want to make peace. He wants to delude. He has become desperate and the mass media apparatus everywhere say Iran said so and Iraq said so. He is quoted in detail, and they also few words from others. Recently, the say now things have become critical and the US might interfere, doing such and such. This is just rhetoric. Saddam is at the end of his rope. Neither the US nor others can keep him. I hope that this cancerous tumor in the land of Muslims an that cancerous tumor in Israel will be uprooted and the people of Iraq can hold their destiny in their own hands and that the people of Iran can go ahead with power.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!