The following is the full text of the speech delivered on May 14, 2009 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with Kurdish tribal chiefs in Kurdistan province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
This meeting is a very warm and friendly meeting thanks to the pure and enthusiastic hearts of our dear tribesmen. What the dear brothers said about our dear Revolution and loyalty to the principles of the Revolution is among the heartfelt beliefs of this humble person. Since the beginning of the Revolution until today, we have never had any doubt about the loyalty of the zealous, religious and courageous tribes of this glorious and magnificent area. What you dear brothers said - particularly what the honorable and eloquent host said about this humble person - is, in fact, about the Revolution. This humble person is a single drop in the great sea of this great Revolution and these great people.
Whatever the people of Iran have and whatever achievement our people, the officials of the country and self-sacrificing individuals have made originates from Islam, this great Revolution and the endless blessings and mercy that Allah the Exalted has showered on our people. Thanks to these blessings, our people managed to launch this great movement.
I am very lucky to be present among you. I had met with the dear and courageous tribes of these areas on my trips during the war and even before the beginning of the Sacred Defense Era. However, today's gathering - the tribes of three provinces have gathered in this meeting today including West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces - is a meaningful gathering. This gathering has a message and it speaks eloquently.
A people can find their lofty position among other nations in the world only when they speak to the world with their actions and with their presence. During the 30-year era after the Revolution - particularly in sensitive eras - our people have proved themselves with their actions. National glories are not things that can be proved with claims and slogans. In these actions, you courageous tribesmen of this region are considered to be among those who played sensitive and outstanding roles.
As Imam (r.a.) said, "Our tribes are the resources of the Revolution". All our tribes are border guards and guardians of the traditions, identity and national dignity of this country. There is no doubt about this. However, because of their geographical and political position and because of the sensitivities that occurred throughout our eventful history, a number of tribes found the opportunity to prove their identity, truth and efficiency in practice. And you my dear ones are among these tribes. Today, you spoke, but you took action in previous eras and in recent years. Your actions are the manifestation of the truth that you told today.
Due to its special geographical location, Kurdistan and the Kurdish area of the country have been a target of the enemies' plots since the beginning of the Revolution. It was a target of these plots even before the beginning of the imposed war. The enemies of the Islamic Revolution had many hopes in this area. Certain personalities who were related to the taghuti regime showed their presence in this area hoping that they may be able to benefit from the support of our courageous and religious tribesmen and to deliver a blow to the Revolution.
We witnessed these things and we were aware of them. There is a difference between a tribe that is living peacefully in its area and a tribe that is the target of the enemies' plots. For the former, there is no plot, provocation and malevolent act. Of course, this tribe is at the service of the Revolution and the country. But the latter has to stand firm. We will not forget this resistance. The memory of the people of Iran, the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic has recorded this resistance. It has been recorded. Our tribes guarded the borders. You protected this area very well.
There were different tribes in this area. Some of these tribes had historical and territorial differences among themselves. Some of these tribes were Shia and some were Sunni. They had denominational differences as well. The enemy looked at these facts as an opportunity and he wanted to use them against the Revolution, but the tribes of this area disappointed the enemy. You frustrated him and this is very valuable.
My dear ones, the people of Iran launched such a movement in the Islamic Revolution that it became a starting point for a change, a new outlook and a new line in the intellectual movement of humanity. This movement was beneficial not only to the region but also to the entire humanity and it will be strengthened from now on too.
We spoke about the role of Islam, but what Islam wants for people and their happiness is not particular to those who believe in it. Islam says that we should stand up against bullying and oppression, that we should not be afraid of the pressure of bullying powers and that we should be vigilant in the face of the plots that are hatched by malevolent individuals and bandits of people's lives. Islam says that people should go back to their nature. It is a supporter of the truth and justice. These things are cures for humanity's pains.
Throughout history, humanity has suffered from oppression, injustice and discrimination. Human generations have been slapped by the bullies of history. One day, these bullies appeared in the form of Pharaohs and Korahs. One day, they appeared in the form of Abi Jahls and Abi Lahabs and today, they have appeared in the formed of bullying powers. The danger that these people cause is more than the danger that the pharaohs caused. The harm that these people cause is more than the cause that all oppressors caused throughout history. They are equipped with all tools of oppression, hypocrisy and deception.
Today, the enemies' propaganda throughout the world - not our enemies, rather the enemies of humanity - is trying to introduce them as humanist and philanthropic individuals. These people are very dangerous. The Islamic Revolution rose and stood up against such a dangerous camp and it succeeded.
This is a very great opportunity for the people of Iran. We children of this country and this land should be proud that Allah the Exalted planted this holy tree - with His own hands - in our country, our people and our hearts. This honor belongs to the people of Iran. We managed to hoist the flag of Islam which is the flag of justice, fairness, wisdom, national progress, kindness and equality. It was the Iranians who hoisted this flag. The enemies of humanity - arrogant powers in the world - have used all their power to lower this flag and cut off this hand, but they have failed. In this holy effort, our dear tribes in this area played a very important role.
The piece of advice that I want to offer you today - of course, I see that you are thankfully so vigilant that you probably do not need these pieces of advice - is that the issue of this area in the present time is security. You have managed to ensure security, but you should strengthen this capability in yourselves. You should always feel this heavy responsibility on your shoulders. And I ask you to share this sense of responsibility with your children and young members of your family.
This country and these people should continue this movement. Enmities will continue to exist and we should become more vigilant on a daily basis. Of course, the enemy entered the arena with all its power and he could not do anything. By Allah's favor and permission, he will not do anything and he will fail from now on too. However, this will happen only when we are vigilant and awake.
If we show negligence, if we become busy with trivial issues and if we forget about the main issue - which is protecting the dignity of our people and this holy system - by paying attention to trivial issues, the enemy may deal a blow. In Nahjul Balaghah, the Commander of the Faithful said, "The warrior should be wakeful because if he sleeps, the enemy does not sleep" [Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 62]. If you fall asleep in your trenches, this does not mean that your enemy has also fallen asleep. He may be awake and take advantage of the fact that you have fallen asleep.
Today, we are aware that the enemies of the Islamic Republic are hatching certain plots behind our borders. We are also aware that the Kurds on the other side of the border consider themselves to be Iranians. We know that among our Kurdish brothers on the other side of the border, the friends of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution are not few in number. Perhaps, it can be said that these brothers form the majority of Kurdish people.
During the imposed war, our religious youth made the most of the power and vigilance of our Kurdish brothers on the other side. Today, whenever they come to Iran - they travel to our country and they always speak to us - they always speak about the greatness of the uprising that the people of Iran sparked and about the trust that they have always had in us.
We know this, but it does not mean that the enemy has forgotten about penetrating, hatching plots and creating rifts. They are busy working on the other side of our borders. By hatching plots, creating discord and adopting unfair methods, they are trying to strike a blow whenever they can. This requires vigilance. The vigilance and preparedness that I speak about is not necessarily military preparedness. What I mean is mental preparedness.
The enemy may not be able to do anything in military areas and he may not have any hopes in this regard, but he may want to find a means to achieve his sinister goals through cultural, political and security areas and by training spies and penetrating the beliefs and firm faith of the religious men and women of this country.
This threatens our security and security is the basis of progress in any country and area. A number of job opportunities were lost in this province and in its neighboring provinces - in western and northwestern areas of the country - because of the insecurity that the agents and mercenaries of the enemy had caused in this area. Although it is true that the Kurdish people put up a courageous defense, the energy that was expended on the military could be expended on construction. If this had been done, this area would have been far ahead of the condition that it has today.
Of course, many things have been done. We know this and the people of this area are witnessing these things up close and they are aware of them. However, what should be done and what could have been done is a lot more than what has been done until today. The same is true from now on too. The more security we enjoy, the more chance we will have to work, produce, construct, progress and offer services.
This area deserves a lot more than this. The natural resources and the rich and great sources of wealth that exist in this area - both its natural and human resources - are very valuable. These dear tribes are centers of outstanding and prominent talents. These talents exist in this area. Of course, we have witnessed them - with our own eyes - in other areas as well.
Your youth are such talents that the country can feel proud of in the future. We can be hopeful about this. These talents should be cultivated. Developing services and educational tasks and promoting literacy and knowledge among all the people - including the people who live in tribes and those who live in different cities - can provide us with this opportunity for the future of the area.
My dear ones, we have great hopes. Experience tells us that we should be hopeful and confident about the future. Our experience is showing this to us in a very clear way. There was one day when our enemies vainly thought that they can uproot the Islamic Republic. The heart of our friends throughout the world was shaking as well. The hearts of believers in Islamic countries and the religious youth who had pinned their hopes on our Revolution were shaking. They were worried about what might happen to this newly-established and young system.
Our stupid neighboring enemy - Aflaqi and Ba'athist Saddam - entered the war with this stupid assumption. They thought that they would achieve everything, but the Revolution slapped them across their faces in a way that all of you saw what happened to them. The enemies who were even greater than Saddam had many hopes during these many years. They hatched certain plots, they created many myths for themselves and they had many hopes, but all of these proved to be vain.
They thought that the Islamic Revolution would either be destroyed or it would not be able to manage the country even if it survives. Contrary to their malevolent plans, the Islamic Revolution survived, became rooted and impressed everyone both in the area of science and technology, and in the area of different social and political achievements.
Today, among the different governments that have emerged in the region - some of which have come to power with military dictatorship and some of which are ruling over their people with hereditary and monarchic dictatorships - the Islamic Republic has created a new hope in the region with religious democracy, with the genuine presence of the people in electing executive and legislative officials at different levels, with their presence in different other arenas and with a close relationship between the people and officials.
You should know that our meeting today - in which the two sides are showing kindness to each other and in which the hearts of both sides are full of love for each other - has no equal in at least the countries that we are familiar with. Of course, we do not know about those countries which are located far from us, but I do not think that such a thing exists in these countries either. People from different social backgrounds feel that they have a close and familial bond with the officials of the country. The officials of the country too love all people from different social backgrounds. This is genuine love and it does not exist in any other part of the world.
If you see that such and such a government - which is dependent on America and which is seemingly Islam, but which is an ally of the Zionists in reality - and such and such a dictatorial and arrogant system do not stop committing malevolent acts against the Islamic Republic even for one single moment, this is because of these characteristics with which the Islamic Republic has managed to find a place in the hearts of their people.
Today, if you pay a visit to Muslim and Arab-speaking countries, if you become close to the people who live there and if you pay a visit to their markets, they will show kindness to you and they will treat you well if they know that you are Iranians. When your officials go to these countries, the people give them a warm reception if they are allowed to do so. There is not such a thing in any other part of the world.
The leaders of our country, our youth, our students, our academic personalities, ordinary people and people from different social backgrounds go to these countries and the people there chant a slogan for them and show their love and support like the people in a city of Iran. They gather around them and say salam. This shows the influence of our Revolution on the hearts of Muslim nations. This is what makes the governments that are opposed to Islam and the Islamic Republic angry and nervous.
What we have comes from God's blessings. We should learn from Islam and we should not become arrogant. Being arrogant is an introduction to slipping up and losing. We should consider what exists to originate from God's kindness and blessings: "Whatever good happens to you is from Allah, but whatever evil happens to you is from your own soul" [The Holy Quran, 4: 79].
Whatever shortcoming exists here and there comes from our own performance. We should be careful about our performance. We officials should be more careful and each and every person from any social background should be careful in their own way. And considering your position, you great personalities of Kurdish tribes and cities have heavy responsibilities as well. As you have thankfully acted well until today, you should ask God to help you act in same way in the future too.
You should preserve your unity and you should strengthen the relationship that exists between yourselves. The Revolution belongs to you, the country belongs to you and the officials are your children and your servants. You should consider them to be part of you and you should consider yourselves to be part of them. Preserve your vigilance and awakening as much as you can and you should know that by Allah's favor, the future belongs to you and to the people of Iran.
I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow His blessings, kindness and mercy on all you dear ones.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings