On the occasion of Imam Khomeini's 22nd demise anniversary, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution delivered a speech on Saturday at Imam Khomeini's Shrine in Tehran. The following are selected sentences from the speech delivered at the meeting.
"Islamic Awakening was an epic which the Imam (r.a.) was waiting for. The Imam had predicted the awakening of Muslim nations, just as he had predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union."
"Due to his wisdom, the Imam had concluded that the slightest flexibility and retreat against the enemy would result in the enemy's further transgression."
"If we were to destroy the security of part of our society because of political differences of opinion and in the name of revolutionary sentiments, we would stray away from Imam Khomeini's school of thought."
"If a person or a movement turned their back on Islamic and revolutionary values in the name of rationality, they would be deviating from the path of the Imam."
"If we insult our brothers in the name of revolutionary sentiments and justice, we will stray away from the Imam's path."
"Those who want to distance our society and youth from politics by recourse to piety are making a mistake, and they are suffering from a deviation."
"At the holy shrine of the Imam and in the presence of his soul and the souls of our martyrs,I testify that our nation has preserved its path."
"The enemies think that the demise of the Imam has triggered the collapse of this holy system. The funeral ceremony of the Imam and the impressive movement of the Iranian nation in support of the decision made by the Assembly of Experts caused the enemy to make 10-year plans. In the year 1378, the people foiled this plot in one day."
"Iran supports any movement which is popular, Islamic, anti-America and anti-Zionism. We do not support any movement which is provoked by America and the Zionists."
"The people of Bahrain are living under absolute oppression. They want to present the movement of the people of Bahrain as a tribal and sectarian movement. The issue of Bahrain is not a Shia-Sunni issue. The issue is that the Bahraini people have been deprived of their basic civil rights on their own soil, and they are just claiming their rights."
"The Movement started by the people of Yemen and Libya and the oppressed people of Bahrain will definitely result in victory. When the people of a country awaken and when a nation feels it has the power to do something, nothing can stop them."
"Those who wanted to wipe Palestine off the map of the world made a mistake. Palestine will survive. Palestine will not be eliminated or disintegrated. Palestine will definitely return to Islam and its people."
"The victory of the Egyptian people was a brilliant and unique victory. The Egyptian nation is a prominent nation in the Arab and Muslim world. The Egyptian nation is vigilant. The great movement which the Egyptians carried out regarding Gaza and the Rafah crossing was a valuable movement which should be continued."
"The solution to the issue of Palestine is to hold a referendum among the people of Palestine."