The following is the full text of the speech delivered on August 31, 2006 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I welcome all the honorable gentlemen and I ask Allah the Exalted to accept your efforts and endeavors and to bestow His blessings and mercy on everyone.
I express my congratulations on the auspicious occasions of Sha'ban, whether the month of Sha'ban or its Eids particularly the recent Eids and the imminent birthday anniversary of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). I hope that Allah the Exalted helps us to get close to the divine straight path by the blessedness of these holy and auspicious personalities.
I deem it necessary to thank the current members of the Assembly of Experts who held their last meeting and who carried out valuable tasks during their term of responsibility. Primarily, they held numerous meetings - almost two times more than the previous term - they paid attention to important issues in these meetings and they carried out many other tasks. It is necessary for the public opinion inside the country to be informed of these moves and measures. For example, good tasks have been carried out in the secretariat of this assembly such as publishing the Islamic Government Magazine. Many editions of this magazine have been published which involve good and research-based issues.
A research center has been established where certain issues are brought up and examined. In this center, scholarly and expert meetings have been held on issues related to the Assembly of Experts. Moreover, scholarly programs related to the issue of Wilayat-e Faqih and the Leadership have been prepared with the cooperation of the IRIB. These programs have been broadcast for the people.
These are the valuable tasks that have been carried out. The manifestos of the Assembly of Experts in each term are very reasonable and they include important discussions which indicate the orientation of the scholarly and political personalities of the country towards the fundamental issues of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic. I have seen their manifesto in this meeting. Therefore, we should thank each and every one of the gentlemen in this assembly.
What I want to discuss today is the issue of the position of the Assembly of Experts. In fact, the Assembly of Experts is a great source of support for the Islamic Republic. It is the spiritual wealth fund of the Islamic Republic. It is a source of support and a spiritual fund and it should be prepared, energetic and up-to-date when necessary. Countries keep their armed forces prepared. Soldiers in different countries are in their camps and they do not practically do anything, but they keep them for the time they need them. The issue of the Assembly of Experts is like this. If this assembly does not exist, then at the time the country suffers from lack of Leadership, there is no hand to solve the problems that may arise.
This is the assembly whose work solves major problems at that moment of crisis and need. So, this assembly should always exist, it should always be prepared and aware of developments, it should constantly evaluate the important and fundamental issues of the country and it should carry out its main responsibility - which is electing the Leader - when there is the need. This shows the significance of the Assembly of Experts. At the moment of crisis, playing roles is the responsibility of this assembly.
One can see that the regulations which the Constitution has specified for forming the Assembly of Experts are the most reasonable and rational regulations. Otherwise, if it had been the responsibility of the people or a specific group of people to elect the Leader at the moment of need - this was unprecedented - then that group of people would definitely have faced insoluble problems. The Constitution has completely involved the people in electing the members of the Assembly of Experts. It is the people who choose and who create this spiritual fund for the country. And this spiritual fund will carry out the task that it should when necessary. This is the main task and this is how we understand the significance of the Assembly of Experts.
Well, this important position and role brings about certain requirements which are natural. The more important the work is and the more fundamental and pivotal the role is, the more serious requirements will naturally follow it.
The first thing that is considered to be one of the requirements of this position is that we should do something to make the Assembly of Experts trustworthy and acceptable for the people. Any move which leads to the weakening of the Assembly of Experts is the opposite of this outlook. The Assembly of Experts should not be weakened and undermined. The people enter the arena, think, carry out research, consult with other people and vote so that this assembly is formed. Therefore, this assembly is one that is formed by the people themselves.
Eight years ago, when the elections for this term - in which you honorable gentlemen are present - were supposed to be held, there were certain promotions from outside our borders to encourage the people to avoid participating in it. Some time before the beginning of the elections, foreign networks had begun a long program to discourage the people from participating in the Assembly of Experts elections. They wanted to undermine the significance of this election and portray it as useless. They wanted to prevent the people from participating.
As usual, those promotions had some reflections inside the country. Unfortunately, some people inside the country followed those voices in order to make the people drift way from the ballot boxes. This had been done a few months before the beginning of the elections. But, despite all these efforts, the people participated. Eighteen million people - which is a large number - participated in these elections. They cast their votes and thankfully, this assembly was formed.
The people have trusted us. So, their trust should not be abused at all, whether in the different promotions that are done by this assembly - well, we will have such promotions ahead of us- or in the different statements that are made with political and non-political motivations. The members of this assembly should not do what makes people hesitate and what makes them lose their trust in this important, influential and indispensable assembly. This is one of the requirements. We should not allow the trust that the people have in this assembly - they have repeatedly shown their trust in previous terms - to be undermined with unreasonable statements.
Another task that should be carried out is that this assembly should enjoy equanimity and dignity. That is to say, the people who participate in this assembly and who are elected should enjoy the necessary dignity and position in scholarly, political, social and religious areas so that they can satisfy the people on the day they are supposed to make a choice. Therefore, the dignity and equanimity of this assembly is another important issue.
Those who have the necessary qualifications should step forward. That is to say, anyone who feels that they have the capability to do this and anyone who has the necessary qualifications for being a member of this assembly and for satisfying God should step forward and enter the arena. In my opinion, it is a religious obligation for anyone who can carry out this responsibility - only God knows when they should carry it out - in a free and independent way and by observing religious obligations to step forward and enter the arena. We have said this many times about other elections as well. Those who think they have the capability to run for presidential, parliamentary and other elections should enter the arena. However, the Assembly of Experts elections are more urgent than other elections. Those individuals who really feel they have the necessary competence and capability should enter the arena, make themselves available to the people and participate in this important and honorable assembly.
All the people too should consider it their responsibility to participate. By Allah's favor, at the right time, we will discuss certain points with the people about the Assembly of Experts. We have certain recommendations which by Allah's favor, we will offer to the people. It is not late yet. I should briefly say in this meeting that participation in elections is a public duty. Everyone should feel responsible to fulfill this duty. This is another matter that should receive attention for the sake of preserving the credibility of this assembly.
The Assembly of Experts is not a place for pursuing partisan issues and for advocating a specific clique and group. The goal of this assembly and the philosophy for which it has been formed is a completely public and national matter. It is not a place for involving one's partisan motives and political differences. This assembly is beyond these things. Therefore, those who have different political beliefs and opinions can participate in all organizations including this assembly, but the Assembly of Experts is not a place for implementing these motives and for promoting one's party. These partisan motives should be seriously avoided here.
What I can say to you honorable gentlemen about the general conditions of the country is that thankfully, the country is moving forward and making progress in all areas. We should take care not to let some temporary calculations and some short-term and temporary phenomena divert our attention away from long-term outlooks. This should not be the case. We have really moved forward. We have really moved towards the goals of the Revolution.
In the present time, what is clear and tangible in the country is the acceleration of the fundamental activities of the country. To be fair, current officials are moving towards the necessary tasks that have been planned for the country. They are moving towards these tasks in a rapid way and without wasting opportunities. Their orientations and goals are correct as well. The goal of social justice is one that all of us are after. This goal is the philosophy behind our existence. Another important goal is attending to underprivileged and remote areas. These are among our dreams.
Besides, one can see that there are open and active minds with scholarly outlooks among the people who work today in the administration and the executive branch. Apart from their work ethics, we can see in official reports and during the meetings that we have with a number of honorable ministers that their behavior is based on reason and scholarly outlooks and that they do not show negligence in making calculations. In the present time, programs are like this. They are thinking, working and evaluating different issues. They take action and move forward in a constant and incessant way. This is very valuable.
A young, enthusiastic and fresh group of people have entered the arena and are working well. I have heard and seen the propaganda that exists against the current positions and orientations. These propaganda efforts are mostly made by our opponents outside the country and those who are opposed to the essence of the Islamic Republic. These things are in front of our eyes. We watch and listen to all the news in this regard and we know whom the target of this propaganda is and whose minds they want to deceive. The truth is what I said. Good tasks - in the real sense of the word - are being carried out in every area. Well, the result is that a kind of enthusiasm has been generated in the people - particularly youth. The people have the enthusiasm to work, and to be hopeful and optimistic about the future. We can understand and feel this from the meetings that we have with the people and from other sources.
The same condition exists in the arena of foreign policy. Today, our dynamism and enthusiasm in the area of foreign policy are good. We can see this great dynamism and enthusiasm and these vast activities. On many global issues - particularly on regional issues - the initiative is in the hands of the Islamic Republic. The fact that the initiative is in the hands of the Islamic Republic is an unprecedented and unique phenomenon. It is not the case that the Islamic Republic waits for others to say something and then make a response in opposition to or in agreement with them. This is not the case. The Islamic Republic takes action and shows initiative.
Fortunately, the events that have taken place have helped us as well. These events are really because of the divine assistance. The astonishing event in Lebanon is one of these events. The event of Lebanon was really the manifestation of "When you threw a handful of dust, it was not your act, but Allah's" [The Holy Quran, 8: 17]. Like "blocks of iron" [The Holy Quran, 18: 96] God strengthened the divine hands of these youth in a way that this event became so great and important. The army of the Zionist regime was so strong that its powerful neighboring countries could not imagine that they could resist it, let alone delivering such blows to it. Not only was the Zionist enemy in Lebanon stopped but it also received severe blows and it suffered a loss. They received these blows in the face of only part of Lebanese resources. It was disgraced and it failed to achieve even one tenth of the goals that it had set itself.
This is a very astonishing event. The enemies and opponents of Islam and Muslims are not willing to acknowledge it, but we can fully understand this from their statements. They have become shocked and stupefied. It is such a great event that they cannot understand and analyze at all. Of course, they want to discuss and analyze it and see how it happened. But it happened anyway. This was the divine help and assistance and it was achieved with diligence and hard work.
The same astonishment exists in Palestine itself. A few months before this event, it was easy to say that Hamas might achieve victory in the popular elections for forming the administration. Hamas was a group which was pursued by the usurping enemy and by the government that had come to office with the cooperation of this usurping enemy. For several years, this government harassed Hamas. It targeted and murdered their children and old men in the East Bank and Gaza. The leaders of Hamas cannot even show their presence in Palestine and they are under a serious threat. Now imagine that this group manages to assume the office. This was a very astonishing event, but it happened.
Now, the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic government promote the idea that Iran helped and supported Hamas. These are stupid and wrong ideas. What is true is that the people of Iran, the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution were strengthened with these great victories. Everyone knows that these victories were in line with the Revolutionary movement of the people of Iran. There is no doubt about this and this is completely unprecedented. Today, after the passage of many years, this opportunity has arisen for the Islamic Republic. This event showed the entire world the credibility and the dignity of the Islamic Republic, the greatness and influence of the Revolution and the smoothness, clarity and magnetism of the message of the Revolution. Today, the hearts of the youth and the intellectual class in Arab and Islamic countries are full of attachment to these slogans and orientations. One can see and understand this from reports and from the signs and repercussions of this attachment.
Well, this is a kind of help to us and fortunately, we have no major problem inside the country. Of course, the task is difficult. I remember that during the auspicious life of Hazrat Imam (may God bestow paradise on him), different individuals from different organizations - whether ministries or other organizations - went to Imam and made certain complaints. They used to say that there are such and such flaws in certain areas. In response, Imam (r.a.) used to say to them, "Well, the task is difficult". This is true. There is a great distance between wishing and having the capability and between having the capability and achieving. We may want to do many things, but the path is long and it has certain prerequisites. We should not show impatience in the process of meeting these prerequisites. If it becomes clear that effort is being made and that the orientation is correct, we should wait so that by Allah's favor, we can achieve results.
Good tasks are being carried out in the areas that the gentlemen in this meeting referred to. Fortunately, officials are not indifferent towards the moral, cultural and bureaucratic issues of society. They feel the existing shortcomings and maladies and they think about them. They are after curing them and they will achieve results. Of course, some of their results may be correct and some may be wrong. Some of their solutions may be effective and some may not be effective. These are always possible in all tasks. Until we get there, we have difficult tasks ahead of us.
The last point that I would like to raise is the concerns that I have about the issue of slandering during the time of elections in our country. Unfortunately, it is some time now that it has become common. I am really concerned about the orientations that are adopted here and there. This does not mean that the people who do this are many. In fact, there are a few people who do this, but even the activities of these few people damage the environment of society. This is like a gathering of one, two thousand people in a place. Five, six individuals among this group of people have a cold and they always cough. This damages the environment of the gathering. Society too is really like this gathering.
Unfortunately, as soon as the season of elections arrives, some people with different motives begin their slandering. Some people with political motives and some even with religious motives slander political, religious and revolutionary personalities and honorable ulama and seminarians in Islamic seminaries. What is this? This is not acceptable either from the viewpoint of sharia or from the viewpoint of reason. Neither sharia nor reason accept this. If someone is really dissatisfied with the orientation that some individuals has, the way to express it is not to slander and insult them. The way to do this is not to mention the names of such and such people.
The way to do it is to clarify and illustrate. From the beginning, the movement of the Revolution was based on clarification. From the beginning, certain truths were clarified. When one defines light, then darkness will be defined on its own. It is alright to define and specify darkness, but there is no logic behind mentioning the names of individuals and slandering honorable and respectable personalities. If the goal of some people is to blind and destroy a deviant line and orientation, this is not the way. Such behavior will not fulfill the purpose. And it is clear what the viewpoint of sharia is in this regard.
Normally, such moves are not free of unintentional insulting, slandering, lies and ill-informed statements. The Holy Quran says to us, "Why did not the believing men and the believing women, when you heard it, think well of their own people, and say, ‘This is an evident falsehood?'" [The Holy Quran, 24: 12]. Why do you not trust one another? Why do you not believe one another's statements? Well, if you do not believe in someone, you can avoid implementing their ideas and thoughts. But the act of slandering is very bad. What I want to say about the issue of elections is this. Of course, there are other points about the issue of elections, but I will raise them later on. Everyone should take care not to contaminate elections - particularly the Assembly of Experts elections - by creating an environment for slandering, by accusing individuals and damaging their reputation. These should not be done either in Islamic seminaries or in Tehran and provincial cities. This is one of the issues which everyone should pay attention and attach great significance to.
This should be done so that Allah the Exalted opens the path and guides the people and their hearts. The hearts of the people are in the hands of God. It is Allah the Exalted who bestows on human beings hope, motivation and the determination to move towards the right tasks and goals. So, we should ask Allah the Exalted for these things and we should rely on Him. We should carry out our responsibility and entrust the result to God. Whatever Allah the Exalted wants will happen. I hope that what He wants is the product of our intentions and our good deeds and I hope that it is what we want. We should move forward in this way.
I ask Allah the Exalted to guide all of us towards the right and straight path. I hope that He will make our great, revolutionary, religious and intelligent people more capable and successful in carrying out their responsibilities. I hope that He will increase - on a daily basis - the achievements that we can witness in scientific, technological, political, economic and other areas.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings