The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 25, 2000 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the officials of the Islamic Republic and ambassadors of Islamic countries. The meeting was held on the occasion of Mab'ath.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I congratulate all Muslims throughout the world, all freedom fighters of the world, all those who are after justice, the great and courageous Iranian nation and you dear people who have attended this meeting - the officials and managers in charge of different sectors of the country and the guests from Islamic countries - on the great Eid of Mab'ath.
Mab'ath is truly an Eid. It is a great occasion for celebration, both for Muslims of all eras and for all human beings, providing that they reflect on the message of Islam in an appropriate way.
The Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) be'that opened up a new path in front of humanity. "He it is Who sends His blessings on you, and (so do) His angels, that He may bring you forth out of utter darkness into the light, and He is Merciful to the believers" [The Holy Quran, Sura al-Ahzab, Ayah 43]. The purpose of be'that was to bring human beings out of darkness and lead them towards light. This "darkness" includes all kinds of darkness that form throughout the world in human communities and in all historical eras: the darkness of shirk and kufr, the darkness of ignorance and confusion, the darkness of oppression, injustice and discrimination, the darkness of drifting away from Islamic ethics and sinking into moral corruption, the darkness of fratricide, the darkness of misunderstanding and misinterpretation, and different other kinds of darkness. Islam leads human beings out of this darkness. As human beings learn, move forward, make decisions, think and identify the obstacles that lie in their way, they will gradually discover this path.
Today the world has far more potential than in the past to understand the message of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). The more human knowledge increases, the more likely it becomes that the message of Islam will gain ground. The more powerful people in different parts of the world use brutal tools in order to suppress human feelings and to bring them under their yoke, the more the ground will be prepared for identifying the light of Islam and the more thirsty human beings will become for Islam. Today we see the signs of this thirst for the message of Islam, which is the message of monotheism, the message of spirituality, the message of justice, the message of human dignity. Human beings are enthusiastic about the message of Islam.
Of course, it is the responsibility of Muslims to present this message to the people of the world through our behavior, our words and our determined efforts. Wherever pious members of the Islamic Ummah launch a movement that is accompanied by virtues, Islam will become more interesting in the eyes of the people of the world. Wherever members of the Islamic Ummah show signs of weakness, disgrace and backwardness, this will undermine the position of Islam. Today if capable members of the Islamic Ummah say or do something that shows signs of degeneration, this will be an insult to Islam in the eyes of the people of the world.
Therefore, the responsibility of Muslim politicians is very heavy. The responsibility of religious scholars of the Islamic world is very heavy. The responsibility of influential people in Islamic countries is very heavy. Today is the day when we can uphold the message of Islam in front of the people of the world and in front of oppressed and confused human beings, and we can tell them: "This is your path to salvation. These are the facts."
Today is an Eid for the Islamic Ummah, but this year's Mab'ath has unfortunately coincided with the massacre of innocent people in Palestine. The issue of Palestine is an essential issue. It is more than half a century that the world of Islam has been faced with this great issue. Over these decades, there were times when government officials of Islamic countries and those who were in charge of decision-making could have eliminated this problem or at least they could have prepared the ground for this to happen, only if they had adopted good decisions. Over the course of these years, there have been many cases of negligence. Today is one of those decisive junctures. Today is one of those junctures where the destiny of the Palestinian nation can change in the direction that is favorable to the world of Islam. Why? Because a generation of Palestinians have awakened. It is possible to suppress a political party, it is possible to force a group of people out of the arena, it is possible to discourage a group of people from making selfless efforts and taking courageous actions, but it is completely impossible to discourage a growing generation of people who have chosen a certain path. This is the issue. The generation of people who are shouldering the burden of the Palestinian issue have awakened and discovered the truth.
What is the truth? The truth is that certain powerful and wealthy people as well as certain politicians decided to wipe a people off the face of the earth. They decided to wipe a country off the map of the world. And they think that they have managed to achieve this goal. They killed some people, forced out some other people and suppressed the rest. They started to think that everything was over. But as has been proven by experience, it is not possible for superpowers, for England, for America, for the Zionists, for company owners or for powerful international organizations to wipe a people, not a people like the Palestinian people, a people who enjoy a brilliant historical background, a people who enjoy a rich and deep Islamic culture, a people who enjoy brilliant capacities. The Palestinian people are an outstanding people and there are many talented and great personalities among them.
They made a mistake: they thought that Palestine and the Palestinian people had been eliminated. Palestine survived. The Palestinian nation survived. The Palestinian nation still exists, but they have occupied its territories. They gathered a number of people from around the world, established a fake and bogus nation, chose a name for it and provided it with means of power.
The first step is awareness. This is a fact that the current generation of the Palestinian people have fully understood. They have taken this step and they have realized that the bogus Zionist entity is not invincible despite all the global support that it enjoys. Therefore, they have stepped into the arena.
Today all Muslim governments and peoples have a responsibility to help the Palestinian people as much as they can. I do not claim that the issue of Palestine will be resolved in the short term, but I claim that Palestine will undoubtedly be restored to the Palestinians. The price that is paid might be heavy, but this liberation will happen sooner or later.
One of the factors that plays a role in this regard is the actions of Muslim peoples and government officials of Islamic countries. If we take good actions, Palestine will be liberated faster and the costs will be reduced and if we fail to do so, it will take longer to achieve liberation and the costs will become heavier. It is not just the Palestinian people who will have to bear the burden of these costs: the entire world of Islam will have to shoulder the burden. The people who show negligence and help the oppressor will also have to pay a price. They too will be harmed. Therefore, all Muslims have a responsibility in this regard.
What is this responsibility? The responsibility involves offering support. How should we go about offering support? Support can take different forms: political support, financial support, international support. The Palestinians can be offered different kinds of support. This is a decision that should be made in high-level meetings in the world of Islam. This is a decision that should be made by government officials of the world of Islam, by powerful individuals. If they fail to make this decision, Muslim peoples will feel that they are the ones who should shoulder this responsibility.
Definitely, the Zionist regime is not alone in these crimes. There is no doubt that the United States of America is its accomplice. Anybody who helps that oppressive regime is its accomplice. The consequences might not be visible today, but these things will not be erased from the memory of peoples and from the memory of history.
Our dear people have understood the issue of Palestine with their hearts and souls. They have felt the oppression that the world of Islam has suffered from. They have realized what responsibility they have in the case of Palestine. The Islamic Republic has always been a pioneer in this regard. It has always felt responsible and it has done everything in its power. Definitely, this will lead to great outcomes and we see signs which show that certain realities are becoming more tangible to Islamic governments, that certain Islamic governments are moving closer to the essence of the matter and that they are preparing the way for what is a responsibility for the Islamic Ummah.
I hope Allah the Exalted blesses all government officials of Islamic countries and all Muslim peoples who feel responsible in the case of this great issue, an ongoing issue that we cannot afford to ignore. I hope Allah the Exalted helps and guides all of us on this path. I hope with His great power, Allah the Exalted brings the problem of the Palestinian people - which is a problem for the world of Islam - closer to an ultimate resolution.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings