Speech [Limits of duties of Guardian Council]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I have some notes that I would like to bring to the attention of you gentlemen. We must bear in mind the future and do not think that we should simply handle the present situation and believe that future has yet to come. We are obliged to guard the future of the system and Islam in addition to preservation of the present situation. We must lay the foundation for the future. Among the subjects that we should think for the future is the situation of the clergy and their educational situation. When I asked about the situation of their lesson, I was told it was good. Of course there is a difference between good students. Type of good is attained by the author of Jawahir and Sheykh Murtada type of and one good is for us between these two is great distance. To train individuals like Sahib Jawahir some groups must be mobilized to educate and prepare themselves to learn religious jurisprudence in traditional form.

Another question deals with the formalities in theological seminaries that are mounting. When formalities are increased content will be removed. When buildings, machinery and apparatuses are increased fiqhi( jurisprudential )power of Islam will suffer damage. That is, seminaries cannot offer Shaykh Murtada and Sahib Jawahir to the society by these instruments. This is a source of concern and I really do not know how to deal with the situation. This formality may cause the clergy to suffer setback. If we compare the life of author of Jawahir with the life of the clergymen today, we would well understand what blow we are inflicting on ourselves. Another story is the story of some Friday prayer leaders and some `ulama' in cities. They cause people to keep away from them by their undue interventions in the affairs of government. If people keep away from clergymen, this causes the clerics to suffer defeat. And consequently defeat for the Islamic Republic. I have said time and again that clergymen should adopt an admonitory approach. They should not rule. We should not act in a way that people would say the clerics could not reach the grapes. Now that they have, they are acting this way. Religious despotism is an accusation, which should not be taken lightly. Radios repeatedly talk about it and accuse us of self-centeredness. The clerics should not act in a way as to give excuse to the enemy. Our intervention should be confined to enjoining good deeds and forbidding the evil acts. If you threaten the governor by saying he should do so and so; otherwise, he would be removed, this treatment weakens the government, also causing people to hate the clerics. We should bear this in mind.

As for your question, I completely favor the Guardian Council and believe that it should be strong and perpetual. Preservation of the council depends to a great extent on you. Your treatment should be so calculated that the council would not suffer in the future as well. You should not simply think of the present and say come what may. Evil forces are working gradually. The US has charted the plans for the coming 50 years. You should think in a way that the council would be protected for good. Your behavior should not be such that causes the Majlis or the government to arrive at the conclusion that you stand against them. The attitude that you are one organization and Majlis is another or you are one entity and the government another will harm the council. You should stand firm on Islamic positions, but not in a way that they infer from your treatment that you interfere in everything. Your statements should be so made that all think you act within your legal limit, without a step beyond or aback. Stay in your legal place without going to either extreme. Sometimes you notice that Islamic interests necessitates that you should act according to secondary laws. Act accordingly. Sometimes you see that prime minister should intervene in an affair; otherwise, Islam will suffer. In such cases, let him act. Necessity requires that the prime minister do an act that others cannot. You should try not to say you want to interfere in all affairs, even in executive affairs. Of course, you know these issues and are acting accordingly, but I remind you of its significance. Notice that if dialogue turns into dispute and standing against each other, the Guardian Council will weaken and destroyed in the future. If the `ulama' previously working in the council were brushed aside, it was because the executive felt they were opposed to them and gradually carried out this mischievous act. Therefore, all of us should all be watchful.

Another subject is the behavior of people towards organizations. Our movement should be such that people understand that Islam has come to make our life both in this and after world, thus granting tranquility. The phrase" our Islam in the past took it easy" is a political question. Islam realized that if it wants to act rigorously with regard to new converts, no one will embrace Islam. It overlooks what they have done prior to embracing Islam. Somewhere I saw that the guild committee has said that all the guilds that were previously involved in profiteering should be punished. This treatment is against Islam and God's gratification. We should not act so harshly. We should think of people. Our people have taken great pain. The common people differ from the affluent class. Our common people established Islam and sustain the troubles of the government. Therefore, we should think of the people and should not treat them severely so that they would leave the scene. Of course, we should not let the corrupt ones to go unpunished. Nevertheless, on the pretext of a mere taking of picture with the former regime's senior officials or one's name being in certain organization or one having gone to see off a certain one, we should not create trouble for people on these accounts. According to the Qur'an works proceed gradually. We consist of 40 or so million and if we are together neither Soviet Union, nor the US could do anything. Therefore, we should protect the people. Majlis, the government, Guardian Council and the rest should protect Iran and the Islamic Republic hand in hand.

May God's peace and mercy be upon you!