Thousands meet with Ayatollah Khamenei to mark anniversary of 1978 Tabriz Uprising

The enemy is weak and our officials should not be deceived by him

The following is the full text of a speech delivered on February 18, 2019, by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, during a meeting with the people of East Azerbaijan. The meeting was held at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in commemoration of the anniversary of the Tabriz uprising of February 18, 1978.

 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, immaculate, chosen, infallible and purifying household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth

You are very welcome dear brothers, dear sisters and ulama, outstanding personalities, honorable families of martyrs and enthusiastic and peerless youth of Tabriz. Indeed, the people of Tabriz – in particular, the youth of that city – are unique and peerless in the country. I am very happy to have thankfully had the opportunity to meet you at this Hussainiyah on one of the days of Allah – the 29th of Bahman which is truly one of the days of Allah.

First of all, I would like to say that this day of Allah was created by the people of Tabriz. Days of Allah are days during which Allah the Exalted manifests Himself in a special manner. Sometimes, people’s intentions, determination and willpower create such days. The people of Tabriz created this day on the 29th of Bahman of 1356 with their determination and insight – I will expand on this matter later on.

Of course, that was not the first time and it was not the last time either. Our recent history is imbued with the important participation of the people of Tabriz and Azerbaijan on important matters and in significant and determining events. If you look at the post-revolutionary era – the first events after the Revolution, of course, you youth do not remember those days – the people of Tabriz worked a miracle in the true sense of the word. The plot which had been orchestrated by the enemy in Tabriz was foiled by the people of Tabriz themselves and they did so in the best way possible. 

Everyone was worried about what would happen in Tabriz. The anti-revolutionary enemies had assembled their troops with the aim of separating Tabriz from the Revolution. However, Imam said that the people should not be worried because the people of Tabriz will respond to them on their own. And this was exactly what would happen. Later on, during the Sacred Defense Era and the subsequent events, after that in the year 1388 and following that, on the 9th of Dey – the whole country staged a demonstration on the 9th of Dey, but the people of Tabriz did so on the 8th of Dey, one day sooner than everyone else – the people of Azerbaijan thankfully played a leading role.

My dear ones, you should play a leading role in the second phase [of the Revolution] as well and you will do so, God willing. The people of Tabriz are proud of this day of Allah – the 29th of Bahman. Notice that this is an important point. This is very important. There are some people who are weak, desperate and inactive. They might have made a revolutionary move one day, but they are now ashamed of their past under the pressure of the enemy’s plot and more importantly, due to worldly temptations. However, the people of Tabriz are proud of their revolutionary past, like the majority of the Iranian nation. They are proud of it and they hold their heads up.

They say that it was they who established the tradition of arbaeens [the 40th day commemoration after a death], which is a revolutionary movement. They are right and they are proud of it. The very essence of your gathering here – this great and enthusiastic gathering, marked by the large presence of you youth – is one of the pivots and signs of this grand and significant pride and honor.  

Well, I would like to raise certain points about the 29th of Bahman, which is the main issue that I want to raise. However, before that, I wish to raise two points in this opportunity that I have.

The first point is that at the end of my [recent] statement, I thanked the people of Iran for the 22nd of Bahman rally. However, to tell you the truth, that expression of gratitude was completely insufficient compared to what the Iranian nation deserves. The Iranian nation accomplished a magnificent feat in this year’s 22nd of Bahman rally. I will tell you that according to the report that was delivered to me, the turnout was much higher than previous years. This was the case all over the country or in 98 percent of the cities of the country. In certain cities, this increase was 50 percent, in some cities, it was 40 percent and in some other cities, the increase was 30 percent.

The enemy sees this movement, but he denies it in his propaganda. In his propaganda, he says that only “thousands” of the people came to the streets. They do not say that millions of people – overall, tens of millions of individuals – poured onto the streets. They do not mention this, but they understand it well enough. The enemy understands this and the whole world knows that a country whose people are in the middle of the arena in such a united way will come to no harm from the enemy’s plots and tricks. Everyone knows this.

Your presence at the political and revolutionary scene of the country and the commemoration of the 22nd of Bahman of the year 1357 throughout the country was an important political and security move which was made by the Iranian nation. One should thank God because our hearts are in His hands: “Legs have moved on Your path and heads have turned towards You.” Our hands are stretched towards God and hearts are in His hands. It was God Who brought the people to the arena and therefore, we should be thankful to Him. We thank our dear people from the bottom of our hearts as well. The people chanted the same slogans: the slogan of “Death to America.” As I said the other day, this does not mean the American nation. On the 19th of Bahman, I said who this slogan refers to. Now, I would like to say that “Death to America” means death to imperialism, to aggression and to transgression against the rights of nations. This is what it means.

With this slogan, the people made an intellectual, well-informed, humanitarian, significant and meaningful move throughout the country. It is really necessary to express our gratitude. Some people are weak and inactive and they say that the Revolution has weakened. However, it is they themselves who are weak and they extend it to others. It is they themselves who have lost their heart and as a result, they think that the people are the same. They ascribe their own weaknesses to the people, but this is not the case. The people are those whom you witnessed on the streets on the 22nd of Bahman.

May God show His mercy and grace on you, on the Iranian nation and on those groups of determined individuals who defend their revolution, their government, their identity and their country in such an insightful manner. This was the first point.

The second point is about the dear youth who laid down their lives on the path of the country’s security. Well, on the face of it, the issue is that 20, 30 youth were martyred and one might argue that we have offered many martyrs [and this is no big deal] but this is a noteworthy point. This should raise our awareness about the price that we pay to ensure security. Notice that some individuals who benefit from security in their business, in their art, in their sports activities, in their education and in all aspects of their life show ingratitude. The security that we enjoy in our lives is achieved at this price. It is achieved at the cost of losing our youth – our best youth.

May God send His greetings to the youth of Isfahan. May God’s angels send their greetings to them. May God send His greetings to the martyr-nurturing people of Isfahan who organized that astonishing burial ceremony for those youth the day before yesterday. The people of Isfahan are also among the pioneers of this movement. This is a very important achievement. We should not forget how security is ensured: the security of our borders, domestic security, the security of roads and cities and the astonishing endeavor to ensure the safety of all those people who show their presence on the 22nd of Bahman.

Is it a minor achievement to ensure the safety of that large crowd on the 22nd of Bahman with all the events that occur there? Is it a small achievement? Who are the people who ensure this security for us? Do we appreciate their value? Do we know them? May God send His greetings to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and other forces of security – the Police Force, the Army and other forces which sacrifice themselves in such a manner. This revolution, this national dignity and this security have been achieved thanks to their self-sacrifices.

As for the Tabriz uprising, the 29th of Bahman demonstration was truly an uprising. It was an uprising in the true sense of the word. Of course, it occurred in one city, but it affected the whole country. It drew everyone to the arena and it led to that great and popular Revolution. The important point about the Tabriz uprising – which was blessed by God – was that the people of Tabriz showed their awareness of time. This is the first point. And they managed to act on time. This is the second point. These two points are very important. These two elements are very significant in all personal and social events. We should be aware of time and when we do so, when we realize that it is time to act, we should take action on time. If we do so, success will follow. If we are not aware of time, if we ignore the requirements of this issue and if we fail to act in a timely manner, then every move will be of no avail.

An example in history is the group known as the “Tawwabin.” The Tawwabin were the group of people who regretted their negligence about what had happened in Karbala where Imam Hussain – the Holy Prophet’s beloved grandson – was martyred like that and many events ensued. Following that, the Tawwabin sparked an uprising. They gathered a large contingent and they embarked on confronting the government and the result was that all of them were martyred and slaughtered, but were the actions of a hundred of them as effective as the actions of a black servant who was martyred in Karbala? Were the actions of a hundred of them as effective as those of Habib ibn Mazaheri who was martyred in Karbala? The answer is no because they did not act in a timely manner. If you wished to defend Imam Hussain, the Holy Prophet, the sanctity of Wilayat and of the truth against the falsehood of Yazid, you should have shown your presence on the day of Ashura. You missed out on the right time.

This is history. There are such examples in history. There are numerous examples in our history. I do not forget the beginning of the Revolution when Imam entered the country on the 12th of Bahman. He said in Behesht Zahra, “I will form a government.” He promised to form a government and the ground was completely prepared. Well, I do not remember exactly which day it was: it was either on the 14th or 15th when Imam summoned us. It was the Revolutionary Council – us – which was in charge of preparing the ground for the formation of the government. I was a member of the Revolutionary Council as well as certain other individuals. Imam sent for us. We went to meet with him at Alavi School.

He said to us, “Did you do it? Notice that this is the right measure. What have you done about it? What have you done about the formation of the government? Why have you not taken the initial steps?” This is what awareness of time and seizing opportunities means. Then, one, two days after that, Imam appointed the members of the interim government. He issued an edict and things continued like that. This is awareness of time.

The success of the people of Tabriz – it was God who blessed your move – was due to awareness about the developments of the times. They understood that it was time to strike. The ruling government provoked the people with the mistake that it made. And it made another mistake on the issue of Qom – when it martyred a number of people from Qom. So, the ground was prepared. How should one put this prepared ground to use? The best opportunity was to mourn on the 40th day [after the event in Qom]. The people of Tabriz understood this. The 40th day arrived and it turned into an emblem of the movement, the uprising and the Revolution. They seized the opportune moment and they used it in the best way possible. So, God blessed this movement. This is a lesson.

My dear ones, today, the Islamic Republic enjoys the best opportunities. Today, there is the opportunity to work. Today, there is the opportunity to move – a movement by the government, by the nation and by officials, each in their own area and within the scope of their own duties. Today’s youth should move and seize opportunities. Today, the conditions are suitable: we have a large population, a large country and so many capacities, some of which I mentioned in my statement. The capacities of the country are much more than the ones stated in our documents, writings and speeches. Every corner of the country – including your Azerbaijan and Tabriz: this was correctly mentioned by the honorable Friday prayer leader – is a sea of various economic, scientific, social, artistic and other such capacities. Every place in the country is a sea of capacity.

These capacities should be recognized and utilized. Who should do so? We officials should do so. It falls on us officials. Of course, when I say, “officials”, this does not mean that youth have no responsibility in this regard. When I spoke about “fire at will”, this is what it means. It means that all youth and all pious groups should do whatever possible – in different areas – within the laws and interests of the country. They should not wait for anyone. Our enemy is weak too [Audience chants, “We are all your soldiers, Khamenei. We will all obey your orders”]. [Speaking in Azeri] I know that already. You have said this before and I am aware of it. I hope that God will bestow His blessings on you and that He will protect you.

Well, there are certain capacities in our country and our enemy is weak today. Notice that I have repeated many times – I do not want to be naïve – that the enemy cannot be considered weak and desperate. In other words, we should not ignore the enemy’s strong points, but when we take a close look, we see that the enemy has many problems. The main enemy of the Islamic Republic is arrogance which is manifested by the transgressing US regime. Today, they have many problems. They have problems both in domestic and foreign areas. The heads of their country have conflicts and they have differences with one another which can be seen in news. The US government has vast and staggering debts to their own people and to foreign countries. Their debts amount to trillions of dollars! They have serious social problems.

According to the documents which have been released by themselves – these are not pieces of information that we obtained, rather they are based on their own information: this has been mentioned in their press and in some documents which have become available to us - their people and their youth suffer from [an epidemic of] depression and suicide. In the United States, murder is committed more than all other countries in the world. A large number of murders are committed every day in the US. The people are killed by one another and by the police.

Another problem is addiction and drugs. A hundred billion dollars are spent on drugs annually. The US spends 50 billion dollars – this is based on their own statistics – to combat narcotics in the country while their efforts are of no use. It is of no use. Drug consumption increases on a daily basis in that country and therefore, they have serious problems.

These problems have led to their current situation in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, as can be witnessed by all of you. These problems have made them enraged. That is while those weak-minded politicians – or as you mentioned, first-rate imbeciles – become furious against the people of Iran and show this by abusing and insulting our people. They go to great lengths to do something: for example, they hold the Warsaw Conference, but they get nowhere with it. They invite their allies and mercenaries – the weak governments which are intimidated by them – to Warsaw in order to make decisions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it yields no results [Audience chants, “Death to America” and “Death to Al-e Saud”].

All these are signs of the enemy’s weakness. Therefore, the enemy is weak. When the enemy is weak, he rants and raves a lot and he kicks up a great deal of fuss, but such fuss should not make officials lose their hearts and it should not make youth make mistakes by thinking that they have such and such power because this is not the case. The day when this Revolution was a weak sapling, all of them joined hands to uproot that weak sapling, but they failed. Today, that weak sapling has turned into this strong, pure and great tree and therefore, they will not be able to do a damn thing.

Hazrat Zainab said to Yazid, “Use all your tricks and make all your endeavors, but by Allah, you will not be able to blot out our memory”. She said to him that he could use all he wanted, but that he would not be able to do a damn thing [Audience responds with, “Allahu Akbar”]. Of course, the reputation of many heads of apparently Muslim countries was damaged during recent events. Their reputation is gone! Those who sat down at the same table with the Zionist regime in Warsaw and other such places and joined hands with the Zionists and the Americans against Islam, Muslims and the Islamic Republic do not have a good reputation among their own nations – including the Arab governments in Persian Gulf and some other governments. They do not have a good reputation among their own people. They are like that.

What I want to say is that we enjoy the freshness of our 40th year anniversary and we have the necessary preparedness and power for moving forward. We have resources and capacities. All the problems that exist are resolvable. The problem of high prices is resolvable. The decrease in the value of rial is resolvable. The problems related to domestic production are resolvable. All these problems can be eliminated. Some patience, acumen, unity, solidarity and seriousness in our moves are required. All these things are required. Our resources are very good and the enemy is weak and by Allah’s favor, he will weaken more and more.

This opportunity should be grasped in the same way that you people of Tabriz did on the 29th of Bahman of 1356 by delivering your blow and doing your job. I urge you youth – this is because the future belongs to you and because the country belongs to you – to build and prepare yourselves in psychological, physical and scientific areas and in the area of managerial capability. The country should be run by youth. They should benefit from the elderly’s advice and experience, but it is youth who are the engine of the country.

As I said, youth should prepare themselves in psychological, spiritual, moral, scientific, educational and physical areas and in the area of managerial and organizational capability. Youth committees should prepare themselves as the future of the country belongs to you and you should be able to lead it and help it reach the peak [Audience chant, “Oh liberated leader, we are prepared, we are prepared”]. I hope that God will protect you and help you show this preparedness in practice and continue this movement with stability, which is very important. This is my advice to you youth.

And my advice to the officials of the country is that they should gain a correct understanding of the enemy and that they should not be deceived by his tricks. The enemy enters in different ways. Sometimes, he shows his teeth, sometimes he shows his fists and sometimes, he smiles. All these gestures have one meaning. When he smiles and when he shows his teeth, these two gestures are not different from one another. Both these gestures mean enmity: “Rank hatred has already appeared from their mouths: what their hearts conceal is far worse” [The Holy Quran, 3: 118].

The feeling that they harbor in their dirty and spiteful hearts – against Islam, Muslims and particularly, the Islamic Republic – is far worse than what appears in their statements. They should not be deceived by the enemy and they should not accept his guileful words. Today, you can witness that westerners are using deceitful methods in the true sense of the word. As for the US, the US has exceeded deceitful measures and it is wielding its sword in a completely explicit manner.

The Europeans are acting in a deceitful manner. I do not want to say what our officials should do. Executive officials should think and take care not to be deceived and outmaneuvered by the enemy. They should not create problems for themselves and for the people by hoping that they can achieve something. They should not be deceived by the enemy, nor should they be intimidated by him. They should know that God’s hands stand above others. Allah the Exalted advocates and supports a people who help His religion and thankfully, our people will do so in the future.

We are greatly indebted to our dear martyrs. You should keep alive their memory. When the honorable Friday prayer leader mentioned that we should keep in touch with the families and relatives of martyrs and commemorate the great names of martyrs, this is a very good and fundamental task. Martyrs’ names, families and reputation should be enhanced on a daily basis. These are the main criteria for this path and fortunately, our youth are, have always been, and will always be ready. God’s mercy be upon our magnanimous Imam and on our great martyrs.

And I will tell you youth that by Allah’s favor and grace, you dear youth of ours will see the day when everything that I said and repeated time and time again will be reflected in the life of all you, God willing [at this point, a gentleman in the meeting says to the Supreme Leader, “Hazrat-e Agha, travel to Azerbaijan”].

I hope that God will protect all of you. My heart is there even if my body is not. I hope that you will be successful, God willing.

Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy

 

Tags

  • 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
  • Bahman 22
  • European countries
  • Iran
  • Warsaw Summit
  • ZionistRegime

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