The following is the full text of the Speech delivered on May 5, 2008 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to a group of people in Kazerun, Fars province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all sentient beings, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate and infallible household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
I am grateful to Allah the Exalted who provided me with the opportunity to be here in this enthusiastic gathering of the faithful, revolutionary people of Kazerun on this trip. In fact, I felt I owed a favor to the people of Kazerun. On my trips to Fars province during my presidential term, I did not find the opportunity to visit this province. I am grateful to Allah who bestowed the blessing on me to visit this city which is one of the most prominent cities in this province and in the whole country in terms of its historical background and its deep revolutionary characteristics. I am grateful to Allah the Exalted who gave me the opportunity to be in the company of you dear brothers and sisters. Thankfully, this gathering is brimful of enthusiasm, spirituality, revolutionary zeal, and deep religious beliefs. This is one of the divine blessings that has been bestowed on you dear people, which is a reward for your long history of efforts for the sake of Allah.
Kazerun has been a memorable and prominent town in the contemporary era. The people of Kazerun played a very important role in fighting the colonialist English government during their invasion of the Persian Gulf. They also figured prominently under the late Ayatollah Kashani (may Allah place him in heaven) during the movement that led to the nationalization of the oil industry. During the uprising that took place on June 5, 1963, Kazerun was among the cities whose people played a leading role. In the last year of the movement and before the Revolution, the youth of Kazerun and the faithful people of this county displayed such steadfastness and staged such an uprising against the evil Pahlavi regime that they were considered among the top eleven revolutionary cities placed under curfew across the country. That is a very important point about this county. Kazerun also offered a number of martyrs during the same era.
Regarding science, literature, and the training of prominent individuals, the history of Kazerun is full of honors. Moreover, the fact that Salman al-Farsi - who was one of the esteemed companions of the Prophet (s.w.a.) and a prominent, immortal figure in the history of Islam - is attributed to this county is a source of honor for Kazerun. Of course, Salman al-Farsi belongs to the entire nation. All the people of Iran, all those who speak Persian, and all those who were praised by the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) in Fars province are proud of Salman. Salman belongs to our country and our nation. The people of Kazerun believe that he was born in this area. The people of Isfahan believe that he was brought up in Isfahan. These two beliefs are not contradictory. In addition to the people of Shiraz, Fars province, Kazerun, and Arzhan plain who rightly believe that the holy name of Salman al-Farsi is associated with them and besides the people of Isfahan who rightly believe that this divine individual was brought up among them, all Iranian people - living near or far from these areas - are proud of this personality.
"We must not say that Salman is from Persia, we must say that Persia belongs to Salman" [speaking in Arabic]. Faith, knowledge, struggle for Allah's sake, and perseverance in order to achieve the source of the truth raised his position so much so that the Prophet (s.w.a.) said: "Salman is a member of my household." The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) considered Salman to be a member of his household. Salman is considered to be superior to such great companions [of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.)] as Abuzar, Ammar, Meghdad, and many others. Salman sought the truth and insisted on it. That is what gave him such a character as Salman. This is an object lesson for us. This is a model for the Iranian youth.
Similarly, the selfless efforts, sincerity, and adherence to the right ideology - that have not been easy to gain - make the people of Kazerun a model and imprint on the minds of those who are interested in the fate of this country. These are what I consider to be noble. I insist on these values as a criterion to distinguish among Islamic values. From an Islamic point of view, men and women as well as the youth who live in Kazerun must insist on these values in order to be considered noble. They must insist on resistance, steadfastness, and adherence to what they have identified as right and affectionately followed. This is the source of honor. "The most noble among my Ummah are the companions of the Quran and those who spend their nights in worship." While others consider the wealthy and powerful people as noble, Islam has a different yardstick to determine nobleness. Those who exert more efforts for the sake of Allah, those who adhere more to divine principles, and those who tread this path more sincerely are considered to be nobler by the Almighty. I would like to express my heartfelt and sincere respect for you dear people of Kazerun. As you express your kindness to me and the government officials, I should tell you that my heart is also brimful of the same affection for you.
As I said, the people of Kazerun have been devotedly supportive of the Revolution. As a result, the people of Kazerun and Fars province in general were not popular with the evil Pahlavi regime. This province was considered an insufferable province. Just take a look at Shiraz and see the signs of the cultural efforts of the evil regime as well as its efforts to give birth to a radically different culture. Then compare those efforts with the efforts that a government must make for a province like Fars in terms of reconstruction. You will realize that the evil Pahlavi regime paid no attention to the development of this province and building the infrastructure necessary for its progress. There are no proper roads. The province has been suffering form the lack of water.
Building dams, roads, and major industries all across the province has been treated with laxity. Despite being at the heart of the country and enjoying such historical grandeur, this province is considered among underprivileged provinces in terms of its transportation system. That was because they did not want to do anything about these problems. There was no sympathetic attitude on the part of the Pahlavi regime to help solve the problems in this province and the country at large. There was a different attitude. There were other concerns involved.
The day railroads were introduced into this country, the first thing that occurred to everybody was that the railroads had to connect the capital city to the Persian Gulf through the central provinces - that is to say, Fars and Isfahan. That was the most natural thing that they could have done in this country. But they did not do so. An English political writer who is a politician himself - and is linked with the same colonialist government that acted against the interests of this country - has confessed in his book that the railroads in Iran had to start from Tehran and go through the central provinces - that is, Fars and Isfahan - connecting the capital city to the Persian Gulf. However, they did not do so.
First, I believe that positive things have been done regarding the roads in this province after the Revolution. Second, railroads that connect this region to water sources and to other parts of the country will, by Allah's favor, be built by the Islamic Republic. We will definitely do this. This is the right of Fars province, and it must be done. Thankfully, positive steps have been taken on all fronts - industries, building dams, major industries and so on - especially during the recent years. Like in other provinces, different administrations ought to provide such production services in this province as well. The people of this province deserve these services. And by Allah's favor, the administrations will do so.
The Iranian nation made use of its whole being in order to achieve this great ideal. In fact, it was during the Islamic Revolution that the Iranian nation felt it had an identity. What the enemies and the implacable enemies of our nation have always sought to do was to destroy the identity of this nation. When a nation feels that it has no identity, it can be subjugated easily. They deny such nations' potentialities and internal power in order to gain full control over them. That was the policy they doggedly pursued and strengthened on a daily basis during the miserable era in which the Pahlavi regime made strenuous efforts to bring about a radical cultural change in this country.
The Islamic Republic reversed the trend, and now the Iranian nation feels that it has an identity. It gained an Islamic identity which gave rise to the present Iranian identity. The Iranian nation feels that an Islamic and Iranian identity is what the nation has to regain. The Iranian nation should specify and plan for its ideals on the basis of this identity. The nation feels that it must make sincere efforts on the basis of this Islamic identity. This is what our nation has been doing well. I do not at all believe in what the prophets of doom keep saying, and I reject what they are saying. Knowing about the different issues that trouble our country and our great nation, I can see with my own eyes that after the passage of almost three decades since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian nation and its youth have become more reflective and experienced regarding the principles of the Revolution.
Revolutionary enthusiasm can be likened to a flame. The flame may die down, but the firewood which started the fire has a greater effect than the flame itself. The flame will die down, but it is those enduring fires - which are the source of blessings for a nation - will increase on a daily basis.
Today, the enemies of the Iranian nation are frustrated. They wonder how to deal with the movement of this nation. I would like to say something to the dear people of this region and to you dear people who have gathered in this place: the enemies of the Islamic Revolution - that is, not the US government alone, but the whole global arrogance network and the masterminds behind the current oppressive economic powers who determine the fate of governments - are those who have strong ties with the Zionist network both in the US and in other countries, some of whom are commonly known as the proponents of democracy. The governments that are in contact with this influential and powerful global network of arrogance consider the Islamic movement and Islamic awakening as opposed to their illegitimate interests. These are our enemies.
These enemies have used all the means at their disposal in order to confront the Iranian nation. They never refrained from doing anything that they could during the last 30 years. If there was anything they did not do, it was because they thought it would do them more harm than good. Otherwise, they did whatever they thought was not harmful to them. They imposed economic sanctions on us. They launched military attacks against us. They caused coups d'etats in our country. They found those who were too weak to resist temptations in different parts of the country and made them their own allies. They used such people as their mouth piece and broadcast propaganda against the Islamic Revolution through them. They even joined forces with the communists living in this country.
American arrogance, which considered Marxism and Communism as its arch-enemies in the world, looked for the old puny communist in different corners of the country in order to confront the Iranian nation. They joined forces with these communists and those had leftist tendencies in the vain hope that they would be able to do some harm to the Iranian nation. But they failed in all these attempts, and the Iranian nation defeated them.
Today, we must know what plots this frustrated enemy is going to hatch against the Iranian nation. We must stay vigilant. Those who are familiar with the conditions of the time will not be harmed by unexpected threats. If we know the situation, the enemy, and the plots, we will not be caught by surprise. The Iranian nation must realize this fact.
I should tell you that our disagreements are one of the things that the enemies trade on today. The disagreements among various political tendencies, provinces, tastes, and religions are one of the ways in which the enemies can foment schism among us. Of course, they are seeking to hatch these plots in the Islamic world. Recently, I read a report - that was written a couple of weeks ago - in which it was explained that the English parliament has asked the administration to look for and emphasize the points on which different Islamic denominations do not agree. That means fomenting schism and causing war among various denominations. As I explained, they are pursuing the same policy through other ways inside the country.
Keeping our youth preoccupied with immorality is one of the methods that they use. Several years ago, I told the youth of the country that the future belongs to them and that they must go after science and scientific innovation. Young university students responded favorably, and our experienced academics moved forward in this arena with their presence on the scene and with their diligence. When we take a look at the scientific progress of the country, we see that this progress is very significant and promising compared to 10 or 15 years ago. The situation will be the same in the future. Keeping our youth preoccupied with carnal desires and with obsessions that divert them from the main path the Iranian nation has opted for is one of their plots. They do not want our youth to be religious, pious, and moral.
We must make ourselves immune to such things. The Iranian nation can and, by Allah's favor, will defeat the enemies through its unity, solidarity, sincere efforts, and its serious attitude to the great movement of the nation towards the peaks of perfection.
Allah the Exalted has always assisted us during the last thirty years. Considering different eras, one can observe the presence of divine assistance to this nation. The fact that the US government - which is the embodiment of arrogance - has been afflicted by different issues is one instance of this assistance. The failures of the US government are not a trivial issue. Just consider the past seven or eight years. They were defeated regarding the Palestinian issue, and their efforts to erase the memory of Palestine form the minds of nations. They were defeated in their attempts to control the destiny of the Iraqi people. They failed to form the autocratic government they intended to install in Iraq.
Two or three days ago, the American presidential candidate declared that the US invasion of Iraq was carried out in order to have access to the Middle East oil reserves. The remarks of this candidate have caused uproar in the mass media of that country. That is while I have been saying the same thing all along. The day the US was preparing the ground for this invasion and the day they invaded Iraq, I openly declared that they were lying and that they had no intention of liberating the people of Iraq. I declared that they had come to Iraq in order to enslave the Iraqi people. Saddam was the lesser of the two evils for the Iraqi people. I said that they were here for oil, not just the Iraqi oil, but for all the oil reserves in the region. They came here to gain a base in the Persian Gulf by force and not through diplomacy. Americans came here for these purposes. Now this Republican candidate makes this confession and says that he has a new plan which will help America dispense with Middle East oil so that the country is no longer forced to send its youth onto the battlefields. This means that the American nation detests its government's move - the invasion and occupation of Iraq - so much that their hatred makes a presidential candidate focus on this issue as an electoral campaign.
Is this not a failure for the US government? Could there be a greater failure for them? Their efforts to overrun Palestine and Iraq ended in failure. They even failed to overrun Afghanistan which was a less powerful country. They were unsuccessful in implementing their plans in Lebanon. Despite all these facts, they keep threatening others. Instead of accepting the realities, the superpowers usually resort to threats to intimidate other countries.
The Iranian nation discovered this secret. The Iranian nation will not be intimidated by the threats of the US and other powers, neither will it be awed by the intimidation and idle talk of other aggressors and bullying powers. I would like to make a point here: dear faithful people of Kazerun and enthusiastic youth of the country, not being intimidated by threats is an important characteristic. Such bravery is a unique quality. It is a great advantage to be aware of one's capacities. But none of these qualities is sufficient. They are necessary, but not sufficient. We should all work hard. Both the government and the nation should work hard. This country should act as an Islamic model for other nations. Economic and cultural issues should be considered carefully by the officials, the people, and all the youth. Everyone should feel responsible in this regard.
And if we are to obtain positive results from this sense of responsibility in the country, and if government officials are to shape the future of the country in a way that suits the grandeur of Iran and the holy Islam, the bonds between the nation and the officials should remain strong and sincere. Those who foment schism among our people and try to develop gaps between the nation and the officials act against the interests of this nation - no matter who they are.
The Iranian nation should preserve its unity and sense of mutual trust. "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]. Trust one another completely, and move ahead in a joint effort. I assure you that Allah the Exalted will bless such a nation, and such sincere hearts and steady steps.
By Allah's favor, the Iranian nation is ready on all fronts. The country's officials are ready too. They are ready to render services to the nation. The Iranian nation and the officials can and will overcome all the problems. Beware of what our enemies say. They say the Islamic Republic will no longer be in power after a certain period of time. But I should tell you that they will never see the downfall of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian nation will proudly stay on and strengthen its position in the world on a daily basis.
We will not live forever, but you dear youth should remember that we are treading the path of Islam and God Almighty. You should never disregard the path of Islam and adherence to Islamic principles if you want this ancient and blessed country, which is the cradle of culture and civilization, to reach the position it deserves in the world and act as a model for other countries. I hope the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) will benefit all you dear people.
I would like to thank you all for your kindness, and for the gathering which you held. I hope Allah the Exalted will constantly bestow His blessings upon you residents of Kazerun, and upon all Fars Province. I hope Allah the Exalted will bestow His mercy and blessings upon you all.
O God, enlighten the pure hearts of these dear youth and people, and the faithful men and women with your guidance and assistance. O God, exalt the Iranian nation and bestow triumph over the enemies upon us. Dear God, bring defeat and humiliation on our enemies. O God, make the holy heart of the Imam of the Age pleased with us, and put us among his loyal soldiers. Dear God, exalt the pure souls of our martyrs and our Imam (r.a.) on a daily basis.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.