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Martyr Mohsen Hojaji Is the Spokesperson for All Innocent Martyrs of Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and other Countries

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 3, 2017 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the family of Martyr Mohsen Hojaji.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

 

Today, Hojaji's name has become an outstanding, brilliant and prominent name throughout the country. This is because of the endeavors of your youth and his innocent martyrdom. Of course, all our martyrs are dear and innocent. As well as your martyr – our martyr – there are other martyrs who were martyred in the same manner. The enemy beheaded them and delivered mortal blows to them while they were alive. We have such martyrs. All of them enjoy an exalted position. All of them are dear to Allah the Exalted. However, when a group of people enter somewhere, one of them speaks as their representatives and as their spokesperson. This martyred Mohsen became the representative of all these innocent martyrs. In fact, he became their spokesperson.

Allah the Exalted made this martyr dear and great. Of course, there is a reason why God bestows honor and dignity upon a person. It is not without reason that He does so. There were certain qualities in that youth some of which we might know of and many of which we are not aware of. Because of those qualities, Allah the Exalted made that youth so dear. And when he is endeared, he becomes the representative and spokesperson for all these martyrs.
Thankfully, the people of Iran truly appreciated the value of this. The mass of people which gathered together for the funeral of this youth –in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Najafabad – are very significant. These gatherings are very significant. According to the news that I have received, the day when he was buried, the people in Tehran – including various individuals, men and women, with clothing which was not particularly suitable for this martyrdom and jihad ceremony – had participated in the funeral, holding up the photo of this youth in their hands. It was Allah the Exalted who drew their hearts towards this direction. Allah the Exalted attracted hearts towards this youth. The dignity that Allah the Exalted bestowed on this youth was in fact bestowed on the people of Iran. The people of Iran were dignified with the movement that was launched.

All the martyrs from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and other places who were martyred in the front of fighting against takfiri thugs and the puppets of the US and England are in fact embodied by and reflected in this youth. He became their representative. He became the symbol of innocent martyrdom. He became a symbol. God turned your child, your son and your youth into a symbol of innocent and courageous martyrdom.

It is many years now that the enemies have been trying to make our people turn away from the path of the Revolution, jihad and fighting by benefiting from cultural rifts. You see these things and you are aware of them. The people of Najafabad are intelligent, well-informed and well-read individuals who are aware of other people's motives. All of you have deep knowledge of deployments and allegiances and you know what is being done. There are certain efforts in this country, on the part of the enemies, to consign the Revolution and Imam to oblivion, and to make the clear path of the Revolution get lost among the various paths that exist.

And who are the targets of this attack? Primarily, it is youth. They are trying to separate youth – today's young generation which has witnessed neither the Revolution and Imam nor the Sacred Defense Era – from the Revolution. They are trying to convey non-revolutionary and anti-revolutionary concepts to this generation. Certain efforts are being made to that end. It is many years now that they have been making these efforts.

Despite all these efforts, there is a great popular movement among our youth. The same youth who did not witness the war, the Sacred Defense Era – with the tumult that existed in those days – Imam and the Revolution are attracted to the Revolution in an astonishing manner. I have said many times that today, if our youth are not better and more – in terms of quality and quantity and in terms of their orientation towards revolutionary concepts - than the youth of the Sacred Defense Era and the youth who lived in the 1360s, they are not behind them.

You should not think that in those days, all youth used to join the front lines. This was not the case. During the time of war, some people used to go to the front lines, engage in jihad and expose themselves to all kinds of difficulties and some people used to engage in idleness, decadence and various other actions. Many youths were like this. The number of all our martyrs during the eight-year imposed war amounts to 300,000, 300,000-plus. Well, at that time, the population of Iran was 40 million. Only two, three, four million out of our forty-million population joined the front lines and three hundred thousand individuals among them were martyred. That was not a large number compared to the 40-million population of Iran. So, at that time, it was not the case that all youth were revolutionary.

Today, if you take a look, you will see that the number of youth who are oriented towards the Revolution and who have revolutionary understanding is either larger than or at least as large as the number of youth in those days. This is what I think. And this has existed despite the wishes of the enemy. Well, this should have been proven somehow. Your youth proved this. He showed this. Allah the Exalted made this youth great and dear. He made him a symbol to show that our young generation is like this. He had neither seen Imam nor the era of the war and the Revolution, but he moved towards jihad in the way of God in such sincere and genuine manner. He tried very hard, he begged God, Imam Ridha and his parents so that he would be allowed to go and so that he would be assisted on this path. This is a divine sign. This is a sign from God. This shows the miracle of the Revolution and thankfully, this miracle continues to exist.

You should thank God. In my opinion, primarily you the family of Mohsen Hojaji and secondly, the officials of the country and thirdly, the people of Iran are indebted to the jihad of this youth and the likes of this youth. Everyone is really indebted to this jihadi act. This jihadi act made everyone dear. It made the Islamic Republic dear, it made the country dear, it made Iran dear and it made the people dear. Of course, foreign media do not acknowledge this. They do not want to show it, but those who analyze the events know this and they understand what has happened in the country.

Which mass of people can be compared with the mass of people who gathered in Tehran for the funeral of this youth and who took to the streets? Where in the world does such a thing happen? How often does this happen in our own country?

Another example was the mass of people who gathered in the holy shrine of Imam Ridha (a.s.) in Mashhad. Another example was the great gathering in Isfahan's Imam Square. I saw the photo of that gathering. Another example was the gathering in Najafabad. I heard that that big square was inundated with groups of people. Allah the Exalted attracts hearts and draws them to this direction like this. These hearts are in the hands of God. This is God's work.

He made you dear and this is a consolation for you. The grief that you suffer from is a grave one, but the dignity that God bestowed on him, on you and on the country – thanks to him –is a source of honor and consolation for you, for his parents and for his spouse. You should thank God because of the dignity that He has bestowed on the country through your son, your youth and his spouse.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings