The following is the full text of the speech delivered on February 2, 2010 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to a group of professors and officials of the University of Tehran.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
This meeting has been very enjoyable. In particular the points that were made by the gentlemen in this meeting were very useful. They spoke about the humanities, interdisciplinary fields, and issues related to agriculture - I would like to know the details about the agricultural plan that was discussed today. They also spoke about science and research. The reports presented by Dr. Rahbar, the president of the University of Tehran, were also very useful and promising. It would be very good if these advances were reported to the people. The public do not really know how much contribution the Islamic Republic has made during the past 30 years to furthering human knowledge, research, quality of scientific work, scholarly articles, and scientific innovations. They do not really know how much the Islamic Republic has tried to increase the number of universities in the country. One of the elaborate lies that the enemies of the Revolution have been promoting since the beginning of the Revolution is that the Revolution is opposed to knowledge. This is while the Revolution is in fact based on knowledge. I will explain this point briefly later on in my speech. Therefore, it would be very good if these reports were published.
This meeting is a very good opportunity for me because this gathering is special. The managers and prominent and influential figures of the best university of the country have gathered here. In fact the University of Tehran should be called the University of Iran. It has always been an inspiring and pioneering university, and by Allah's favor, it will play even a more important role in the future. The officials of this university have attended this meeting, so this is a very good opportunity for me to talk with them.
I would like to say a couple of things about the offer that Dr. Rahbar made. He offered me an honorary doctorate. I am honored that this university made such an offer to me, but being a seminarian is enough for me. When I was young, I promised God that I would be committed to my seminary background and would show this commitment in my words and actions. I prefer to remain committed to my seminary background. I prefer to continue my studies in Islamic seminaries and keep my promise to God. It was very kind of you to offer me an honorary doctorate, and it is an honor for me. But I cannot accept it. I wish you success.
There are some points that I would like to mention. Of course as experts, you are already aware of these points. I have been stressing them for years. We need to work harder because we have fallen behind. We must admit that we have fallen behind. The Islamic Republic is not just an ordinary country among tens of other countries in the world. Of course as I once said in a gathering, the area of our country is one hundredth of all the other countries put together. And our population is also about one hundredth of the world population. But we will not be satisfied with that level of influence in different issues. We have a mission. Islamic Iran's mission is far more than this. This is not to say that we want to conquer other countries and expand our territory. By no means. Conquest would never cross a faithful Muslim's mind. The issue is our mission towards humanity. Humanity is suffering from great problems today, just as it did in the past.
We all have a responsibility to our families, hometowns, and homeland. And if we fail to do whatever we can to help, we have committed a sin. If we are able to alleviate a problem that our nation is suffering from, but we fail to do so, we have committed a sin. The same is true of our responsibility to humanity. If we notice that the people of the world are living under an oppressive and illegitimate political system, we have to do everything we can to save them, otherwise we have committed a sin. If we notice that a large portion of the world population is suffering from hunger and abject poverty, we have to do whatever we can to help them, otherwise we have committed a sin. This is the view that we should adopt on the issues of humanity as well as global issues. If this is what we are supposed to do, our country must be powerful. Our people and government must be powerful. If we are not powerful, we will be under the influence of superpowers. Then we will have no opportunity to influence even our own neighbors and fellow countrymen, let alone the entire humanity. Therefore, it is necessary to gain power. But this power will not be gained through military weapons or even through production and technological progress.
I believe there are two factors that determine national power of a country. One is knowledge, and the other is faith. Knowledge is a source of power. Knowledge is a source of power in the modern world, just as it was in the past. It will always be a source of power. Knowledge brings about power, wealth, military might, and political power. According to a narration, "Knowledge is power. Anyone who gains this power can rule and anyone who does not will be ruled." That is to say, there are two sides to the issue. If you have knowledge, you can gain the upper hand. If you do not, you will be overpowered. There is no middle way. Therefore, someone who has knowledge will gain the upper hand over you and will interfere in your affairs. There are many such narrations in our Islamic teachings. The second factor is faith. Of course faith is a different issue, and it requires a separate detailed discussion.
Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize knowledge. The advances that were mentioned in this meeting are very important. These advances have been made thanks to the freedom and freedom of thought that the Islamic Revolution brought about. Otherwise, if we had remained under the pre-Revolution autocracy, we would not have achieved any of these advances. That is to say, the passage of time alone would not have resulted in these advances. The system of government was autocratic and dependant. Sometimes it is possible to make progress in a dictatorship. For example, there may be someone like Napoleon at the top - he was a dictator in his time, but he established academies. Great scientific advances were made in France during the 14-15 years of his rule, and maybe the French did not make as much progress in the next 70-80 years. The advances that were made under Napoleon are still a source of honor for the French. After all, Napoleon was a clever person. He loved his country. He was hardworking and wise, and his companions were also wise. But some other times there may be a dependant and servile dictator at the top. We suffered from this problem for many years. This problem was there in one form or another during the Pahlavi era as well as the Qajar era. Our country was also dependant on foreigners during the Qajar era, only the form of our dependence was different. That is to say, during the time when colonialism was at its peak people like Nasser al-Din Shah were ruling our country. Unfortunately, we were under the yoke of domination. Such tyranny deprives the people of freedom, and it leads to dependence, as a result of which foreigners are given the opportunity to dictate their own policies. That tyranny and dependence would have prevented us from making progress. We owe the current advances to the Islamic Revolution. If we want to continue making progress, we need to work hard. We need to make efforts. Universities have a major role in this regard.
There is a point that I would like to mention about the University of Tehran in particular. One of the gentlemen called me an "academic". I am not an academic, but I have maintained my relationship with students and academics since a long time ago. Sometimes there was something that I had to do at the University of Tehran, and whenever I went there I felt comfortable. In spite of the fact that my clothes and my turban did not seem to have anything in common with the academic environment of the University of Tehran, I felt I was in a familiar and comfortable place. Some of my friends among the clergy told me that they had the same feeling. Maybe this was the reason why the people who were in charge of making preparations for Imam Khomeini's (r.a.) arrival decided to protest inside the University of Tehran after his arrival was delayed. It was not sheer coincidence. It was indicative of a spiritual bond with university, especially this university.
I will never forget the day I went to the University of Tehran with the late Mr. Beheshti. We went through the eastern gate. One of my close friends who was a religious scholar at that time - and is fortunately present in this meeting - had previously arranged for me to go in through the eastern gate. This was because we were not allowed to go in through the southern gate, which was the main gate. We went to the mosque inside the university. There was a small chamber at the back of the mosque. I do not know if that small chamber is still there. Since the first day I started a magazine called "Nashriye-ye Tahasson" from that chamber. These close bonds are rooted in my ideology, in my past experiences. That is to say, I had a positive attitude towards universities, and I felt comfortable in academic environments. Later on the University of Tehran was selected as the venue for Friday prayers for the same reason. It was possible to do something else, but it was the University of Tehran that was selected for this purpose. Up until today the people go to the University of Tehran every Friday to say their prayers, and this is a very important point.
During the first and second year after the victory of the Revolution I used to go to the University of Tehran once a week. I used to go there and meet and talk with the students. I think I stayed at the mosque inside the University of Tehran for more than a year. I used to go to the University of Tehran and talk with the students in the mosque. I used to answer the students' questions. The University of Tehran is undoubtedly a leading center of scholarly work. Thankfully, it is also a notable center from a religious and spiritual point of view - that is, in terms of the second factor. This should be appreciated.
What I am trying to say is that if knowledge is as important as I said, then the University of Tehran should make intensified efforts to be even a better pioneer in scientific matters. The efforts should be intensified.
There was a mention of scientific inventions in this meeting. There have been a number of inventions in the country. I may be better informed of the latest scientific advances in the country. This is because I constantly receive various reports in this regard. But to be honest, I am not satisfied with this level of progress. The advances that have been made are not satisfactory. These things can only be discussed in such meetings. When I say I am not satisfied with the advances we have made, I do not mean that we could have made more progress but failed to do so. No, it is possible that nobody is to blame and that it was impossible to make more progress. This may be true, but the fact that it was impossible to make more progress is itself truly unsatisfactory to me. There is a long way to go before we reach the point we are supposed to reach. I do not have unreasonable expectations. I am not saying that we must be among the most advanced countries in the world in a matter of 10 or 20 years, but this should be our goal. It may take 50 years for the country to break free from scientific inferiority. This is the meaning of generation of knowledge. Knowledge is not a product, so production of knowledge cannot be like production of goods. Many requirements have to be in place before we can engage in production of knowledge. But we should reach a point where we can push back the frontiers of human knowledge and achieve new areas of knowledge.
Knowledge is not limited to the areas that man is currently pursuing. There are undoubtedly many areas of knowledge that will be discovered in the future. Actually, many of the current areas did not exist until a hundred years ago. Many of the fields of the human sciences that were mentioned by our friends today did not exist until a hundred years ago. Nothing was known about those areas, and no research had been carried out. Man has far more capacities for progress, and the world holds far more secrets for us to uncover. We should reach a point where we can make as much progress in these areas as possible and discover as many things as we can. Of course we should use knowledge as a means to help humanity achieve salvation. This is the difference between the Islamic view of knowledge and the materialistic view. We want to acquire knowledge in order to help humanity achieve salvation, growth, self-actualization, and justice. We want to acquire knowledge in order to help humanity realize its old dreams.
I have repeatedly stressed that establishing justice has been among the oldest dreams of humanity. People have been suffering from injustice since ancient times. There is still injustice in the world - modern injustice, armed injustice, unchallengeable injustice. Today in the modern world there are injustices that nobody is able to object to. As soon as someone voices their objection to these injustices, they are silenced through the use of modern technologies and modern communications. Just take a look at what they are doing to the Islamic Republic. What is the Islamic Republic saying to deserve this? What does it want? What is the reason behind all this propaganda, obstructionism, and plotting? The Islamic Republic is neither after conquest, nor after harming people of the world. The Islamic Republic wants to help humanity to achieve spiritual prosperity. It has a message for humanity. They know this, and that is why they are pressurizing us so much. There are such injustices in the world today. Science should fight this injustice. Today science is in the service of this injustice. Today science is at the service of the most oppressive individuals and communities. This situation has to change. The Islamic view of science is spiritual. We want science for this purpose, and we have to make efforts to acquire it.
The issue of culture should be stressed very much in universities. I think this is an important point. We should attach a lot of importance to the issue of culture in our academic environments. Of course knowledge is the primary mission of university. There is no doubt about this. But students should be encouraged to develop the view I discussed today, and this is practical.
One of the gentlemen who spoke here said that solidarity should be developed among all our people. This would a very good achievement, but it is not easy. There are certain requirements that have to be met. But providing cultural education for students since the beginning is something practical. University management can achieve this goal through planning. This goal can be achieved through text books, careful selection of professors, and various programs that are arranged for students. But this should be done in a very subtle way.
The issue of culture should be handled wisely. Acquisition of knowledge is a culture. If we pay attention to the issue of culture in our universities, then our students will be enthusiastic to acquire knowledge and carry out research. They will not just try to get a degree. Similarly, our professors will not just go through the motions of teaching. I have received many reports from universities that some professors teach certain courses just because they have to. This is while teaching should not be viewed as a simple duty. Teaching is a matter of love for knowledge and interest in educating students. This is how teaching should be viewed.
Professors should act in a fatherly and brotherly fashion, and they should not abandon their students. Fortunately, this is the dominant mood in our Islamic seminaries. That is to say, this is among the characteristics of our seminaries. The teachers are completely ready to answer the questions of their students. They are always ready to help their students carry out research. Some students go to their homes after the class, and they sit down and ask questions or debate. They talk to each other for an hour or more. This is a good relationship. This requires cultural education and cannot be done by issuing orders.
As you know, every year I arrange several meetings with our esteemed academics. Professors should wait in their rooms to answer the questions of their students after the class. I have repeatedly stressed this point in my meetings with our academics. Our academics have also stressed this point on some occasions, and four or five years ago the government introduced certain regulations in this regard. You know as well as I do that those regulations are not observed appropriately. What is the problem? The problem is of a cultural nature. Similarly, regarding the issue of research some of the gentlemen said in their speech that our men, women, professors, and researchers are enthusiastic about research. This is a very important point. The most important discoveries of humanity are the ones that were fueled by curiosity and selfless efforts of researchers. These discoveries have not been made by issuing orders or spending money. Sometimes the researchers were in a very difficult situation, and they spent many years to achieve what they did. Of course their discovery might have brought about prosperity, fame, money, or other advantages for them, but their enthusiasm about research and their curiosity were the main factors behind their discovery. It is necessary to develop this culture.
As you know, nations have some distinct characteristics. Some nations have general characteristics that may be related to their historical and geographical backgrounds as well as various other factors. We should develop the spirit of curiosity, enthusiasm for research, and perseverance among our people. There is not much of this spirit among our people. The same is true of teamwork, which is not among our national characteristics. For example, just take a look at our sports activities and compare them with European sports activities. Our national sport - namely, wrestling - is an individual sport. Even in our Varzesh-e Bastani [traditional Iranian martial arts] which is collective, everybody trains alone. You know that when people step into the gaud [the pit at the center of a Zurkhaneh] of a Zurkhaneh [the place where Varzesh-e Bastani is practiced], they do not exercise collectively. Sometimes they do certain things together, but basically everybody trains alone. It is not like football or volleyball in which the players cooperate with each other. Therefore, it is not collective. This is a general national flaw, and we need to resolve this problem. We need to infuse our people with the spirit of teamwork. Whose responsibility is this? It is our universities that should promote teamwork. Therefore, our universities should pay attention to cultural issues as well as scientific issues.
We can educate our youth to be patient, contented, active, and research oriented. We can educate them to be lenient, rational, fair, and punctual. We can educate them to have a tendency towards teamwork and sense of responsibility. We can also infuse them with the opposite characteristics. The nineteen- or twenty-year-old youth who enter university can really be trained like this. We can make plans in this regard, especially during their BA studies. You can train a generation that has these characteristics. This requires planning. It cannot be done through putting up posters, issuing orders, or doing similar things.
Just as you need to make macro plans for scientific work, you need to make macro plans in this regard as well. And these macro plans have to be made inside our universities. We cannot have them prepared for us by people outside university. It is not possible to do this by issuing orders. It is necessary that universities themselves do them. I am saying these things in order to help prepare the ground for universities to work on the issue of culture.
Of course religious work - that is to say, developing a close relationship with religion and experiencing the joy of worship - is an important part of cultural work. One of the vices of Pahlavi regime was that they broke the bond between our educated people and religion, the Holy Quran, Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, and Nahjul Balaghah. After the Revolution the same tendency prevailed to some extent among our educated people. Of course thirty years - about a generation - have passed since the victory of the Revolution, and many things could have been done during this time. But we continued the same trends that had been set during the Pahlavi era.
Dear friends, I believe that developing close familiarity with the Holy Quran and reflecting on the duas that are historically valid - such as the ones in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya and many other duas - have a very important role in increasing the depth of our religious knowledge. It is very important to increase the depth of our religious knowledge. Some people may take part in congregational prayers, Itikaf, ceremonies for mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.), and religious demonstrations, but religion may not have permeated the depth of their hearts. For this reason, they may stray away from their path when they encounter the slightest difficulties. I have seen many such cases. During the early days of the Revolution there were some people who seemed to be more religious and moral than we clergy were. But as I said, they lost their way as soon as they faced a challenging situation. It became clear that they were not firm enough. Therefore, it is very important to increase the depth of our religious knowledge. It is very important to develop close familiarity with Islamic teachings. This requires cultural work as well. Increasing the depth of our people's religious knowledge is something that requires propagation. There should be someone in charge of this, and you are the people who should be in charge. No one else can propagate religious knowledge more appropriately. That is to say, you managers of research groups are in charge of this. This cannot be done the way bureaucratic things are done. It is not possible to infuse a scientific or research center with religious knowledge through bureaucratic means. You should think about this seriously. These are very important points.
Another matter that I wish to mention is the issue of political activities in universities. As you know, I used to believe that the spirit of political activities should be kept alive in universities because it can fill the youth with dynamism. We need dynamic youth. A university that is not involved in politics and is totally indifferent to political issues will be devoid of enthusiasm and dynamism. It will also become an appropriate place for the growth of dangerous intellectual and behavioral microbes. Therefore, it is good if universities are involved in politics. But the meaning of political activities in universities should not be misinterpreted. Participation of universities in political activities does not mean that universities should become a place that can be abused by political movements, groups, and elements to further their political goals. We should not let this happen. If such a thing happens, you will lose your influence on your students, and some opportunists will step in and pursue their own goals. Good examples and analogies can be mentioned in this regard, but I do not want to explain this point too much. For example, it is not possible to stand by and watch while some people use your young child to rob your house. Political activities have to be planned, especially at the University of Tehran. The University of Tehran is a pioneer among our universities in terms of its history and achievements. It is a pioneer in political activities as well. Of course there were not many universities before the Revolution. There were very few universities in the country, and they were not politically active. Some of the faculties of the University of Tehran were a strategic place to express one's political tendencies, and they are still like this today. Therefore, you should take care not to let the enemies take advantage of this place.
Some people are sensitive to the word "enemy". They say, "Why do you use it? Why do you repeat it so much?" Even though I repeat the word so many times, some people still suffer from lack of vigilance and fail to realize what the enemy is doing to them. I repeat the word so many times, and this is the result. What would happen if I did not repeat it? Allah the Exalted uses the word "Satan" many times in the Holy Quran. How many times have the words "Pharaoh", "Nimrod", and "Qaroon" been repeated in the Holy Quran? How many times have the names of the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) enemies been mentioned in the Holy Quran? The story of Satan has been repeated in the Holy Quran. It would have been enough if Allah the Exalted had narrated the story once. The reason I repeat the word "enemy" so many times is that one should never let down one's guard against the machinations of the enemy. The commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said, "When you fall asleep, the enemy will not fall asleep." If you fall sleep in your stronghold, it does not mean that the enemies are sleeping in their strongholds as well. It is possible that the enemy is awake while you are asleep, in which case you are finished. We must not let down our guard, but you see that some people are careless enough to do so.
There was a great lack of vigilance during the post-election events. I call it lack of vigilance because I am not a cynical person. I am optimistic, and I have a positive attitude towards other people. Bad things were done immediately after the election. And now they are suffering from the consequences. As a protest to the results of the election, they called on the people to take to the streets. Why? What kind of logic was behind that decision? Why did you call on the people to protest in the street? Is it possible to resolve an issue as important and as subtle as the election in the street? Is it possible to resolve such an issue through pressure? These things were indicative of great lack of vigilance. When they do such things, they create a sanctuary for the enemy - they create a sanctuary for those who want to create uproar. These things are indicative of lack of vigilance. That is to say, as far as politics is concerned, lack of vigilance can sometimes be as harmful as treachery. For example, when you shoot a gun and the bullet goes through the heart of a person, it does not really matter whether or not you did it intentionally: The person you shot will die. Whether you shot him intentionally or not does not affect the outcome - he will die. You may have mistaken his chest for a bull's-eye, but it does not matter. The mistakes people make are sometimes like this. One may make a mistake, but whether or not it was an honest mistake may not matter as far as the end result is concerned. What can you do to protect the academic environment against these problems? This is a very important point. The students and some professors need to be convinced of this.
As I have repeatedly explained, it is very important to pursue knowledge in universities. The gentlemen who spoke today raised the same point. What they said about scientific issues was very useful, and I absolutely agree with them. But I believe political and cultural issues are very important as well. Of course these issues are not particular to the University of Tehran. They are true of all our universities, but the University of Tehran is the peak. That is to say, when you do something, you will naturally set a model for other universities. I hope you will preserve your role as a model.
I hope Allah the Exalted will bestow success on all of you. I hope He will approve of what you do. By Allah's grace, we will manage to fulfill the responsibilities that we are shouldering. It is possible to do everything with assistance from God. Everything is possible if one is determined. Fortunately, after the Revolution you have experienced these things in different arenas, including political and scientific arenas. Whenever we stepped in, we relied on God and on our willpower. And Allah the Exalted removed the obstacles from our path. By Allah's favor, the ten-day Fajr ceremonies will be auspicious for you and the Iranian nation. I hope Allah the Exalted will associate the immaculate souls of our magnanimous Imam and our martyrs with His saints in the hereafter. I hope the holy heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) will be satisfied with us.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings