In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and his pure Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I would like to thank all the dear brothers and sisters here for this useful, necessary action to keep the memory and names of the outstanding martyrs of Azerbaijan and Tabriz alive. They are, of course, unforgettable. Once again you have spoken about them in a better, higher, clearer fashion. What you did is very good and very appropriate. Of course, there was a bit of a time gap between the first commemoration ceremony, which was held several years ago, and this commemoration ceremony. It is appropriate for these kinds of measures, commemorations, tributes, and remembrances to be repeated more frequently, in the same way that we honor the memory of the martyrs of Karbala every year during the month of Muharram. That has been repeated over 1,300 years, and it is not a mundane repetition. It is one of the necessary, useful repetitions for today’s society and for the society of the future.
Well, there are plenty of admirable things to say about Tabriz and Azerbaijan, and I have spoken about this many times during our annual meetings. Regarding the martyrs, the statements of the respected Friday prayer leader and the honorable commander of the IRGC today in this meeting were very good and complete. Praise God, these gentlemen have paid attention to all of the recommendations that I wanted to give and the ones I usually mention, and you have taken action on many of them. Let me just say that one of our duties is to be aware of ourselves, the identity of ourselves. The Iranian nation should not forget its identity. If it forgets its identity, it will be harmed, it will be slapped in the face, and fall behind.
Regarding those who have forgotten Almighty God, He says, “Do not be like those who forget Allah, so He makes them forget their own souls” (Quran 59:19). They forgot God, [so] God made them forget themselves. This shows that paying attention to oneself, one's identity, and one's own characteristics is necessary for every person, nation, and group. Azerbaijan must pay full attention to the identity that has caused it to stand out. The place we call Azerbaijan truly has an outstanding identity among the people of the Iranian nation.
Azerbaijan is the birthplace of martyrs and people who have sacrificed their lives, and this is not just limited to the Sacred Defense. It was the same before that, and it remains the same after that. With regard to matters related to the event of the Islamic Revolution, if we are to look at it, the martyrs of Azerbaijan started from before the Revolution. That is, from the beginning of Imam Khomeini and the Iranian nation’s movement, the behavior leading to martyrdom and the movement toward martyrdom in Azerbaijan began and has continued up until today.
In the case of the Defenders of the Shrines, there are martyrs from Azerbaijan. Of course, the peak of these sacrifices, the peak of showing the high value and character of Azerbaijan, was seen during the Sacred Defense in the figures that were mentioned, such as Martyr Mehdi Bakeri, Martyr Hamid Bakeri, Martyr Tajallai, and Martyr Yaghchian. These were our great, distinguished brothers who went to meet God. Praise God, there are other dear, prominent figures like them as well today.
So, this characteristic of seeking martyrdom and the outstanding behavior that was observed in their sacrifices is not limited to the Imposed War. This wasn’t just during the Sacred Defense. This began before the Revolution and has continued up until today. This city [Tabriz] has two martyred Friday prayer leaders. In other words, out of the five Friday prayer leaders who were martyred and who were among the best of our clerics in the country, two of them came from the city of Tabriz. These things are very important.
What I am saying as a recommendation is that, first of all, do not let the effervesce of the martyrs’ blood abate. Commemorating the martyrs should not be limited to just reminiscing about them. The piety, the sacrifices, the bravery, the shining gem within people like Martyr Bakeri, which drew them to the middle of the field, for example, should be reflected and conveyed to the younger generation to serve as role models for them.
Our youth crave role models. The best role models are these. Some nations, which completely lack this or lack it to a great extent, create and make up their own role models without them even existing. We have these role models before us. Martyr Bakeri should not just be looked at on the battlefield. We should also see what he was like behind the scenes of the battlefield. We should see what he was like when he went to Tabriz University. We should see what activities he took part in during the pre-revolutionary period. That spirit should be seen.
I met Martyr Mehdi Bakeri in Mashhad before the Revolution. He was a high-spirited, enthusiastic, intelligent person who was well able to analyze different events. That is what made him shine like that and draw people’s hearts toward him during the Sacred Defense. This kind of spirit needs to be reflected. If we make films, if we write books, and if we compile and publish books of recollections about him, we must be careful to reflect his spirit in them. This spirit is a constructive spirit. This is the first issue. Do not let the effervesce of the martyrs’ blood abate.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my speech, make these like the mourning ceremonies for Imam Hussain (pbuh). Every year during Muharram, when it’s Ashura, it’s as though you are seeing Ashura before your eyes, the Ashura that took place in the year 61 AH. The events are reflected, and the characters come alive before the eyes of the audience. This must also take place with regard to the martyrs of the Sacred Defense and the 10,000 martyrs you spoke about. This is one point.
The second matter is that you should not forget the families of the martyrs. Unfortunately, many of their parents have passed away. They have joined their martyrs. Make use of the memories and accounts related by those who are available, whether they are the wives of the martyrs, their parents, their colleagues, or their friends.
For example, Martyr Bakeri had a large number of coworkers during the war. Praise God, some of them are still alive, healthy, and prepared to talk about the details of his life that they saw. Courage does not exist only in fighting battles. Courage is needed in self-control, in speaking, in not speaking, in forbearance, and in taking action. All of these things are very important. There are some who had seen and known these martyrs personally. Make use of these people. Interview them. Talk to them. The characteristics of the martyrs should be recorded and recognized in the form of real documentation. This is another matter.
Another issue is that when we are studying the martyrs, the foundation that brought about their ascension should also be identified, that is, the people or those who ignited the first sparks, such as Martyr Qazi Tabatabai. He ignited the first spark and the first movement during the Revolution, for example, on February 18, 1978. He was the one who took the first step, invited people to his area and his mosque, and so on. So the foundation for these things must be identified.
Why is it that after the events that took place in Qom, the next movement took place in Tabriz and not in this city or that city? What feature do these people have that allowed them to produce and raise these kinds of young people and to bring forth these kinds of martyrs? These are very important matters. We are talking about an ethnic identity, a national identity, a religious identity [, etc.]
I once mentioned in a similar gathering of brothers and sisters from Azerbaijan that the late Sattar Khan had a note in his pocket from the scholars of Najaf during the Constitutional Revolution, the events that it involved, and the actions he was taking at that time. He had consulted the scholars of Najaf and asked them a question, and they had written their responses. So, he took action based on this intention. This is very important. What is the foundation for a move? This needs to be clear. This shows us that. If these things are done, then the movement will continue.
I would like to refer to the second tactical airbase (Tabriz Air Base). Well, the 31st Ashura Division clearly included individuals who truly shined. That great movement of the planes, our fighters had carried out that great task in the very first days of the war. Of course, they had taken off from the first base and other bases, including the third and fourth bases. They did this during the first week of the war, and I went to the Majlis [Iranian parliament] and presented a report of this endeavor to the representatives in the Majlis.
These are noteworthy matters. They are extremely important, and God willing, they should be preserved in people’s minds and recorded in the Iranian nation’s historical memory. The most important thing that needs to be done is to record these significant events, these influential, unique phenomena — events that are unparalleled at times — in the Iranian nation’s historical memory.
Our youth and our teenagers should know these things. Of course, we have not worked as hard as we should have, and many of our youth do not know about our prominent figures. They are also unaware of many events. We need to share these things, whether it is by way of official broadcasting outlets such as the IRIB, etc., or by way of the devices and means that are available to people today.
I hope the Almighty God will grant all of you success so that you will be able to complete this great task. God willing, in the future, the time gap between these commemoration ceremonies and remembrances will be less than the time gap that existed between today’s session and the previous commemoration ceremony.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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