In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First of all, I would like to welcome the dear brothers and sisters. Your presence has made this symbolic meeting lively. You scholars and scientists from different universities of the country have honored me with your presence in this Hussayniah.
As I said several years ago, this meeting is symbolic and, at the same time, businesslike. It is symbolic because it shows that the Islamic Republic cares about knowledge as well as knowledgeable people. I want this meeting to be a symbol of the Islamic Republic's respect for scholars, ulama, scientists, and academics. And in fact, that is the Islamic Republic's genuine attitude. We show humility when we see knowledge. Naturally, scholars who have this knowledge should also be treated with respect.
This meeting is also businesslike because it provides a brief opportunity for some people from scientific and academic circles to discuss what is important to them. Fortunately, this opportunity is provided for them every year. I myself consider what our friends say in such meetings as genuine expert views. Some of the issues that are discussed should be pursued by the Leader's office, and my office does pursue as many of these issues as possible. Some other views should be sent to the relevant centers - such as the High Council for Cultural Revolution - or the ministries in charge of academic affairs. And we do send these views to those centers and follow them up.
The views expressed by these gentlemen are treated with respect. Of course both this year and in previous years, some points were raised about the current political and social issues of the country. Unfortunately, there was a lack of time. Certainly, today our friends did not have the time to discuss all of their views regarding current issues. They did not even have the time to point out what is necessary. They just made some points using the short opportunity provided for them. I will also mention a few points in the brief time that I have today.
One of the points that I would like to discuss is related to knowledge, universities, and similar issues. First of all, I ask the government officials who are present in this meeting to note down, consider, and pursue the recommendations that some of our brothers and sisters made here regarding academic issues, research, and similar things. This is not to say that the points raised here have not been considered yet or that this was the first time they were pointed out. Clearly, that is not the case. The comprehensive scientific plan of the country, which was discussed by some of our friends, was proposed several years ago, and it has been considered by the High Council for Cultural Revolution. Of course executive officials have not been notified of any legislation in this regard. The comprehensive plan has only been discussed. Or, for instance, the comprehensive cultural plan, which was discussed today, has also been pointed out previously. But when I see that a professor, a scientist, or an expert describes these things as requirements of the day, it shows that what we have so far discussed has not been put into practice yet, which means there are a lot of things to be done. Take this point into consideration. We made a decision and talked about it. But, in practice, we have not done what we were supposed to do.
For instance, when we see that some professors express their views about the comprehensive scientific plan of the country or suggest that there is no access to a comprehensive scientific plan, it is obvious that all our efforts regarding this comprehensive scientific plan have been left incomplete. That is because several years have passed - it is three years now since this idea was first proposed - but the relevant executive organizations have not been notified of any legislation yet. Our scientists do not have the comprehensive scientific plan of the country. It is obvious that we should work faster. Obviously, we should follow up the plan more seriously.
Even if these gentlemen did not refer to the lack of a comprehensive scientific plan, a brief look at the general scientific plan in our universities would reveal that this comprehensive scientific plan is lacking. According to the reports I have received and according to informed experts, academics, and government officials, the progress planned in different academic fields is not fair, appropriate, and consistent with the requirements of the country. In some areas, we have made notable progress. In some other areas, no progress can be detected! This is wrong. This state of affairs is due to the lack of a comprehensive scientific plan. Certainly, any progress in any field would be valuable to us. Any progress is valuable for our country that is decades behind the scientific advances of the world, a backwardness that was imposed on us during the reign of taghut [that is, government that is not sanctioned by God]. There is no doubt about this. But if we want our country to achieve a high scientific position in the world and if we want to institutionalize science in the country, we should make a fair and appropriate balance in different academic fields - be it education or research. That is one of our requirements.
The next decade - starting from this year - was named "the Decade of Progress and Justice". Undoubtedly, science and promoting science are one of the main foundations of the next decade. In fact, this name was selected due to the scientific advances that had been observed in the country. That is to say, there was this hope that we could achieve notable progress and make a quantum leap in scientific fields in a matter of ten years. We were hopeful that this scientific progress would compensate for some of our backwardness. Therefore, the issue of science is very important.
I would like to re-emphasize the point that was raised by some of our friends today. I would stress that first, research should be the focus of our efforts, and second, it should be steered towards fulfilling the requirements of the country. That is to say, we should carry out the kind of research that we really need. I have repeatedly told our friends at the High Council for Cultural Revolution that we should not think of publishing papers in ISI journals as the criterion for our scientific progress. I may have raised the same point with you too. We are not sure if what they encourage and respect is exactly what our country needs. We ourselves should decide the subject of our research and our research papers. Of course it is necessary to internationally present our research, and we will do so. The bottom line is that we should do research on the basis of our requirements.
I would like to add that according to the reports I have received, out of about 3.5 million students studying in our universities, about 2 million study human sciences. In one respect, this figure is alarming. How much indigenous and Islamic scholarship is available now for human sciences? How many books have been prepared for human sciences? How many professors with an Islamic worldview are available now to teach sociology, psychology, or management? Why do we accept so many students in these fields? This is upsetting. Many of the fields of human sciences are based on materialistic philosophies. Many fields are based on considering men as animals, on the idea that man has no responsibility towards Allah the Exalted, and on the lack of a spiritual outlook on man and the world. It is not a good idea to translate their works in human sciences and teach our youth the works produced by westerners. We would in fact make the youth suspicious of our divine and Islamic principles and our values by our university syllabi. This is one of the things that has to be taken into account by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, the High Council for Cultural Revolution, and all other decision-making centers of the country, including universities and non-academic organizations. In any case, that is a very important point. That is all I wanted to say about our universities.
Some of our friends said today that the current scientific and cultural mechanisms of the country are not good enough to fulfill the needs of the country. My experience tells me that increasing the number of organizations will not help us solve the problems. We can establish new organizations. We can, for instance, form a team of academic experts. But when the number of bureaucratic organizations becomes too large, such organizations will not help us achieve our goals. We should make the existing organizations more efficient. For instance, the people who manage the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology should pay more attention to the large-scale management of the affiliated organizations. In those affiliated organizations, they should install knowledgeable, efficient, faithful, revolutionary, courageous, and innovative individuals who know how to manage manpower efficiently. Similarly, as I have constantly stressed, the High Council for Cultural Revolution should facilitate its relationship with our elites so that it can benefit from their views. In order to promote science and research in the country, the existing organizations should be strengthened.
Regarding the issues related to universities, science, and promotion of science, I would say that science is one of the essential things that we should pursue in "the Decade of Progress and Justice". And everybody, including university professors, should feel responsible in this regard. It is very important for our professors to be present in universities for teaching and for holding individual consultations with their students.
The esteemed emcee pointed out at the beginning of this meeting that the Islamic Republic should constantly support the academics of the country. I firmly believe that we should do this. That is to say, supporting university professors should be our policy. But in return for the government's material and spiritual support, the academics should really feel responsible towards students, the future of the country, and reforming the educational system - which certainly needs to be reformed. They should increase their knowledge. They should let their students benefit from their knowledge.
The second point that I would like to discuss is related to political and social issues. I do not want to discuss political and social issues in detail. As you saw, the country was put to a determining political test. And as some of our friends said, the Islamic Republic managed to overcome the problems. I have pointed out previously that such events are not unexpected. To be precise, such events are not at all unexpected. That is to say, we expect to face such problems for a number of reasons: the duty that we believe the Islamic Republic should fulfill, the mission that we believe Islam should accomplish, the way the Islamic Republic has been defined, the way the Islamic Republic has defined itself during the past thirty years, the vigilance of our people and our youth, and the inevitable existence of freedom in the country. This freedom should exist in the country according to Islamic principles, and we believe in it. Our belief in freedom is not a tactical decision. We genuinely believe in freedom. We believe in the kind of freedom defined by the Islamic Republic, not by westerners. We consider their freedom as a kind of deviation. In the west, there is no freedom when freedom is necessary, and there are no restrictions where restrictions are necessary. This is totally unacceptable to us. We will not stand on any ceremony with the west in this regard. We believe in freedom, the way it has been defined in Islam. Of course Islamic freedom includes freedom of expression and freedom of thought.
Therefore, these events were not really unexpected. What is important is that the honorable and faithful people who are committed to the lofty goals of the Islamic Republic should know what to do in case of similar events. That is what makes it necessary for me to talk to you academics in person. Of course I do not want to discuss this issue in detail. A few days ago, I told the young students who had gathered here in this hussayniah that we are currently faced with the enemy's soft war. Of course the students also mentioned the same thing repeatedly. They talked about the soft war before I did, and all of them knew about this war. I added in my speech that students are the young officers of this soft war. I did not liken them to soldiers because a soldier only carries out orders. A soldier is not allowed to use his own initiative, and he must only take orders from his commander. I did not liken them to commanders of large military units because such high-ranking commanders engage in large-scale planning and decision-making. A young officer serves on the battlefield. He takes orders and, at the same time, he can see the battlefield with his own eyes. He can gain first-hand experience of the battlefield. Therefore, students can be likened to young officers. That is the role young students should fulfill. In fact, young officers serve on the battlefield, and they can use their initiative. Because they are out in the field, they can assess the situation and make appropriate decisions within predetermined frameworks. What is the role of our university professors in this analogy? In the case of the social, political, and national issues of the country that require vigilance and insight, you are the senior commanders of our young officers. You are the commanding officers who should take care of large-scale issues. You should identify the enemy appropriately, try to uncover its goals, and infiltrate into its camp and engage in large-scale planning on the basis the information you gain. That is the role that high-ranking officers should fulfill at different levels.
The academics who can fulfill this role are the ones whom the Islamic Republic considers competent both in the present situation and in the future. That is what is expected from the esteemed academics. You should teach your students to engage in critical thinking. I do not mean that you should just tell them about Zeid and Amru of the world of politics. No, I would not recommend this. Introducing political figures will not help solve any problems. You should teach them how to engage in critical thinking. You should infuse them with the energy and enthusiasm to work. How? You should give them hope. Fill the classroom and the academic atmosphere with hope, hope of a bright future. Despair is the worst thing that can happen to a generation - making a generation say "what is the use of that?" This gloomy attitude - lack of hope in a bright future - is a deadly poison that affects all activities, including social, political, scientific, and research activities. The people who made ground-breaking discoveries in different fields could never achieve anything if they were hopeless. Hope is a great driving force that can push people forward. The enemies will do a lot of harm if they manage to make our youth lose their hope in their country, Revolution, future, government, universities, scholarly prospects, and career. I believe it is essential to infuse our students with hope. You should create a promising and dynamic atmosphere of growth for your students.
Another measure that has to be taken in the case of different social, political, and scientific issues is to provide our students with the opportunity to express their views. There is no reason to be afraid of our students' views. The free debates which I touched on should be held in universities. If these important technical debates about political, social, intellectual, and religious issues are held among experts in appropriate places, the problems that may be caused by discussing these issues in public will undoubtedly be prevented. It is not possible for all people to control themselves when they are talking in front of other people. Talking in front of other people can throw some people into deviation and degeneration. It can make them commit many mistakes. And unfortunately, that was what we saw. When they are talking in front of a large number of people, many of the people around us may say something that they do not really believe in deep in their hearts. They get carried away. That is too bad. If these technical, intellectual, and controversial issues are discussed in free debates, they will certainly cause fewer problems. That is all I wanted to say in this regard.
As for the issue of spirituality that some of our friends touched on in this meeting, I strongly agree that the academic atmosphere must be filled with spirituality. Spirituality will ensure the feeling of security, which was appropriately mentioned in this meeting. We should increase the spiritual commitment of our youth as much as possible by encouraging them to remember God, pay attention to the "ghaib" [the unseen], strengthen their commitment to religious teaching and sharia, and obey divine orders. The more our youth adhere to religion, and the more they remember God and ask Him for what they need, the less negatively their thoughts and actions will be affected and the more their society will benefit from them.
I hope Allah the Exalted will help you and I - as well as all faithful people - to identify and tread the right path on the basis of our responsibilities. By Allah's favor, we will achieve the results we want.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings