The following is the full text of the speech delivered on August 21, 2006 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the participants of the 19th International Conference on Islamic Unity.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I would like to welcome all the brothers and sisters who have attended this meeting. I extend my congratulations on the occasion of Mab'ath, the appointing of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), the source of light for human history. Also, I would like to congratulate all of you and all Muslims on the brilliant victory that our brothers in Lebanon achieved over the Zionist regime, which was in fact a victory for Islam. Our brothers in southern Lebanon acted as the vanguard of the Islamic Ummah against the Zionist aggressors.
This meeting is a great and important meeting. You have gathered here from different parts of the world of Islam. There is no doubt that the future of the Muslim world will be determined by the plans of the outstanding scholarly, religious and political personalities of the world of Islam. If the people who have attended this meeting and other outstanding personalities of the world of Islam look at the Islamic Ummah from a critical and compassionate prospective and look for a solution, the Islamic Ummah will have a good future. If we fail to identify or carry out our responsibilities, for many years the world of Islam will suffer from the same afflictions that it has been suffering from so far. We have a heavy responsibility to shoulder.
Your topic of discussion is Muslim minorities in non-Islamic countries. Of course, this is an important subject: the International Forum for Proximity of Islamic Denominations and outstanding personalities of the world of Islam should focus on this issue and make plans for it. I am grateful to you for what you have done in this regard, but the point that I would like to raise is that our primary issue in the world of Islam is unity of the Islamic Ummah. If we manage to overcome the plots of the enemy, if we manage to foil his plots to cause division, many of our problems will be resolved, and the problem of Muslim minorities is among the problems that will be resolved.
We are suffering from a deadly malady and we need to make efforts to cure this malady. The disputes that exist in the world of Islam, the existing lack of harmony and the efforts that are made to fan the flames of hostilities are a very dangerous malady.
This malady might have existed in the world of Islam over the past eras, but today political hands are after exacerbating this malady. We can see the examples of this in the world of Islam, which makes one tremble with fear. We are not afraid of our outer enemies. The awe of America and other arrogant powers has not struck fear and doubt into our hearts. Hostile military activities, propaganda campaigns, political efforts and economic hostilities have not and will not put us in a passive position, but this inner malady of the world of Islam makes us tremble with fear. It is necessary for you to cure this malady.
Since the time the flag of Islam was raised in Iran and the Islamic Republic was established with the aim of achieving Islamic goals, the enemies of Islam started to make careful plans to foment discord and they have been pursuing those plans, because when Muslims gained a sense of dignity and honor, when Muslims realized that it was possible to raise the flag of Islam, when the spirit of Islamic identity was revived in them, when Muslim masses started to shout Islamic slogans everywhere, the arrogant powers realized that their illegitimate interests had been seriously jeopardized in this vast Islamic region.
With a population of one and a half billion people, with its numerous geographical, climatic, natural and human resources, with the unique resources that it enjoys, the world of Islam can form a great alliance. Today it is more than two hundred years that western colonials have been lining their pockets in this region, both during the era of colonialism and during the era of neocolonialism when this region has been used to further the political goals of the arrogant powers, whose leader is America. If the Islamic Ummah unites, if Muslims show their power in the real sense of the word, if genuine Islamic independence is achieved in this region, the enemy's economic, political and cultural hegemony will end. They do not want these things to happen and they will do everything in their power to prevent such things from happening. Fomenting discord is the way that they have found useful and unfortunately this malady has penetrated the world of Islam. I ask you to pay serious attention to this issue.
We repeatedly mention "Islamic unity". All of us speak about it. All of us speak about Islamic brotherhood. In fact, a group of outstanding personalities in the world of Islam truly feel this sense of brotherhood. For example, the spirit of brotherhood is prevalent in this meeting: all of us consider each other as insiders and we do not feel that there is a distance between us. This is a truth, but this gathering is not truly representative of the world of Islam as far as politics, government and the people are concerned. The enemies continue sowing the seeds of discord among members of the Islamic Ummah, and impure politicians, wrong prejudices, failure to see the bright prospects that lie in front of the Muslim world and locking ourselves in a small world prepare the ground for the spread of these prejudices.
Some of the friends who spoke in this meeting referred to the issue of Iraq. Notice what is happening in Iraq. Today in Iraq and in certain other countries, groups of Shia and Sunni Muslims have been pitched against each other. They are fighting each other, thinking that this will help them move closer to God. Why? Who has instilled these wrong motives into them? After all, Islam does not promote these things.
Try to translate Islamic unity into action and prepare a charter for unity, one that is approved and sanctioned by all religious scholars, all Muslim intellectuals and all outstanding and pure political personalities of the world of Islam, so that no Muslim dares to excommunicate monotheist speakers who belong to a different denomination or political party, so that all Muslim brothers stay together.
By Islamic unity, we do not mean that all beliefs and Islamic denominations should become identical. The clash of Islamic denominations and beliefs, the clash of philosophical and fiqhi beliefs is an arena for scholarly work, an arena for fiqhi debates, an arena for philosophical debates. After all, each sect will have its own set of beliefs, but it is possible to keep philosophical and fiqhi differences away from the arena of daily life and politics. What we mean by unity of the world of Islam is that we should avoid disputes: "Do not quarrel for then you will be weak" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Anfal, Ayah 46]. There should be no quarrelling. There should be no discord.
The Holy Quran says, "Hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Imran, Ayah 103]. It is every Muslim's responsibility to hold fast by the covenant of Allah, but the Holy Quran goes beyond this demand and says that we should hold fast by the covenant of Allah "all together", not alone. And this unity is another religious obligation. Therefore, besides holding fast by the covenant of Allah, Muslims should stay united and cooperate with each other. We should gain an appropriate understanding of this obligation and we should carry it out in an appropriate way. There is another holy ayah which says, "Therefore, whoever disbelieves in satan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Baqarah, Ayah 256]. This ayah interprets the previous ayah for us. What is the right way to hold fast by the covenant of Allah? Through having faith in God and rejecting taghut.
Today the regime of the United States of America is the greatest taghut in the world because it created Zionism and it has been sanctioning it. America replaced the previous greatest taghut, namely England. Today the invasions of the US regime and its sympathizers and allies have put the world of Islam in a difficult situation. On its way to spiritual and material progress and when adopting positions, the world of Islam has been under pressure from America and its allies and sympathizers. For example, during the Zionist regime's attack on Lebanon over the past month - which resulted in a great Islamic epic by Hezbollah and divine assistance was bestowed on them - America openly entered the arena of war and did not limit itself to verbal, financial and political support: it provided weapons and military assistance for the Zionist regime. In fact, this war was started by the Americans. Today the Americans are the greatest taghut in the world.
In many parts of the world of Islam, people have faith in Allah the Exalted, but they do not reject taghut. Rejecting taghut is necessary. Without rejecting taghut, it is not possible to lay hold "on the firmest handle, which shall not break off" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Baqarah, Ayah 256]. We do not call on governments and peoples to start a war with America. We are only calling on them to refuse to surrender to America, to refuse to cooperate with the enemy of Islam and Muslims. One way in which they can refuse to cooperate with America is to preserve the unity of the Islamic Ummah and ignore their tempting offers which would undermine Islamic unity.
We believe that today the most important issue of the world of Islam is the issue of unity. If we achieve unity, we will be able to achieve progress in scientific and political areas. You see what pressure the enemies of the world of Islam are exerting on Iran regarding the nuclear issue. They know that we are not after an atomic bomb. They are only unhappy that an Islamic country is achieving scientific and technological advances, an Islamic country which has shown that it will not surrender to America's policies, that it is not afraid of America. They believe that our Islamic country should be prevented from achieving progress in the most important area of technology in today's world, namely nuclear technology. This is why they are pressuring us. Of course, we have made our decision. Over the past twenty seven years since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian people have realized through experience that reliance on God, patience and selfless struggle are the only way in which they can put an end to the plots of the enemies. We have been following this path until today and we have reaped the benefits. By Allah's favor, we will continue this path with all our power. We can already see the outcomes of following this path.
Dear brothers and sisters, today the world of Islam is in an exceptional situation. One can say that the world of Islam has not had a similar opportunity over the past centuries. Today we have a great opportunity. Muslim peoples have awakened. The wave of Islamic Awakening has spread to every aspect of the world of Islam. Muslim peoples have become aware of their rights. Many Muslim leaders are full of grudges against the arrogant powers although they may not show this, and this is something that we can see clearly. In many Islamic countries, Muslim leaders, politicians and government officials, are very unhappy about the behavior of America and other arrogant powers. This is a great opportunity for the world of Islam and it is necessary to make use of this opportunity. One responsibility falls on the shoulders of politicians and another responsibility falls on the shoulders of outstanding intellectual and cultural personalities. The latter responsibility is as important as the former responsibility. Religious scholars, intellectuals and outstanding thinkers of the world of Islam as well as opinion leaders who can speak to the people, have a great responsibility to shoulder and they should help the people appropriately understand what power Muslim peoples enjoy.
For centuries - since the emergence of colonialism to the present time - the arrogant powers have tried to convince Muslim peoples that they are not capable of achieving anything, that they are incapable of confronting the arrogant powers. Of course, colonialism has managed to instill this belief into many Muslims over a long period of time, and the treachery of certain Muslim politicians has played a role in this regard. This misguided belief resulted in great afflictions for the world of Islam - most importantly, the issue of holy Quds and the issue of Palestine.
It is nearly sixty years now that Palestine - the house of Islam and the original qiblah of Muslims - has been taken away from its owners and the Palestinians are living as refugees in other countries or they are living in their homes in Palestine under the pressure of that shameless usurper regime, which is sanctioned by the enemies of Islam. This great tragedy took place because Muslims were not aware of their capabilities. If the current wave of Islamic Awakening in the world of Islam existed in the 1930s and 1940s, that event would not have happened in Palestine and the usurper English government would not have dared to take an Islamic country away from its people and give it to foreigners. Today we should gradually make up for the loss we have suffered, and this is possible through planning, this is possible through adopting wise and calculated actions, this is possible through determined work. With a tendency towards inaction and subjugation, the world of Islam will never achieve its goals. The world of Islam and the Islamic Ummah will never achieve their goals if they fear the enemy and lose faith in the power of the people.
The million-strong crowds that you see in Islamic countries are a source of massive power, and if this power is activated, no foreign power will be able to stand up against it. One example is the recent event which took place in Lebanon and Allah the Exalted provided us with ultimate proof. The event that took place in Lebanon and the clear victory that Hezbollah won, provided us with ultimate proof. That victory was a true example of "how often has a small party vanquished a numerous host by Allah's permission, and Allah is with the patient" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Baqarah, Ayah 249]. Of course, the enemies of Islam denied the power of the people and made politicians lose faith in the power of their people. I believe one of the achievements of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) was that he discovered the power of the people and he made use of it. He put his faith in the people.
The conditions of Iran were not good before the victory of the Revolution. The people did not have a sense of responsibility towards the country, the enemies had dominated our country, Iran had become the stronghold of Israel, a place where leaders of the Zionist regime would rest: they would come and plunder our resources and use our country to further their political and financial goals. The day when certain Arab countries decided to use oil against Israel, the Shah of Iran relieved the minds of the Zionists by saying that he would provide them with oil. This was the situation of Iran at that time and nobody was hopeful. When our magnanimous Imam (may God sanctify his pure soul) made determined efforts to start this battle, he was relying on nothing but the power of the people. He identified this source of power and relied on it, and Allah the Exalted transformed the hearts of the people. Allah the Exalted has full control over everything: "So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Anfal, Ayah 17]. When the hearts of the people became aware of this truth, they stepped into the arena and the foundations of the power of the Shah's taghuti and dependent regime were shaken and the Islamic system was established in our country. Iran is located in the most sensitive part of the world of the Islam, and America and other arrogant powers had mainly pinned their hopes on the Shah's monarchy.
It is necessary to be aware of the power that the people enjoy. The people enjoy massive power. In order to bring this power into the arena, it is necessary to be sincere and to make determined and selfless efforts. If the people step into the arena and if politicians and leaders of different countries move closer to their people, no power will be able to stand up against them and nothing will threaten them. Of course, without jihad and without tolerating hardships, one will not achieve anything. Therefore, the Islamic Ummah should tolerate certain hardships so that it can reach its noble goals. These are important responsibilities that we shoulder in the world of Islam.
We are thankful to Allah the Exalted who has guided the hearts of the majority of the Muslim peoples, outstanding personalities and religious scholars towards the right path. Basically, you should try to prevent peoples from losing hope. You should not let the enemies convince Muslim peoples that their future prospects are bleak. You should try to prevent the arrogant powers from casting their heavy shadow over our hearts and our willpower. You should not let discord make us weak. Unfortunately one can see today that the words of America and England are being repeated by certain politicians of the world of Islam. They repeat exactly what the enemies want and they fan the flames of the Shia-Sunni conflict and other sectarian conflicts in the world of Islam. This is exactly what the enemies of Islam want. It is necessary to counter these things.
I pray to Allah the Exalted to make us successful in whatever that satisfies Him, and I hope that He helps us carry out our responsibilities. In the Islamic Republic, we are truly happy about the fulfillment of divine promises and we constantly see divine promises being fulfilled. Of course, they threaten us. We have been faced with constant threats. Threats are not new to us. They have threatened the Islamic Republic since the beginning of the Revolution, but the Islamic Republic has managed to counter these threats through its resistance and we will continue doing so in the future. The people of any Muslim country, who stand up against the threats of the arrogant powers and do not lose their confidence, will witness victory with their own eyes. They will witness the fulfillment of divine promises with their own eyes.
We extend a hand of brotherhood towards all Muslim peoples and towards all intellectual and political leaders of the world of Islam, and we ask them to further strengthen this bond of brotherhood. We hope that Allah the Exalted helps the world of Islam achieve more victories in different areas.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings