The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei received thousands of university students and academics of Semnan Province on the second day of his tour of the province on Thursday, November 9.
In an address to the audience, the Leader referred to the special qualities of students and the academic community, qualities such as enthusiasm and vitality, great talent, desire for progress, being hopeful of the future and dynamism, as glad tidings for the Iranian nation. He added that these qualities should be accompanied by appropriate planning, prudence, perseverance and incessant efforts as well as defining clear objectives so that the way to the high summits of progress and honor may be paved.
Ayatollah Khamenei further touched on the influence of the will and determination of every single individual in a community on social changes and developments in that society.
"According to Qur'anic verses, the changes and developments are occasioned in a society by the individuals who constitute that community; in other words, the will and determination and character of every individual has an influence on the changes and developments, whether positive or negative, taking place in a society," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic further made a distinction between changes and anarchy. He also differentiated stability from stagnation.
"Changes and developments are quite different from anarchy and destructuring, as is stagnation different from social stability. Thus, what should be aimed at is a stable, but not stagnant, society which benefits from appropriate and constant changes and which avoids sluggishness and inaction," the Leader observed.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei expounded the meaning of national identity. He noted that national identity does not clash with religious identity, but that it is the collection of traditions, wishes and aspirations of a nation.
"It is quite clear that the beliefs and principles of a faithful nation also constitute an integral part of its national identity," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
Further in his statements, the Leader hinted at the plots and conspiracies hatched by global Zionism and capitalism to destroy the national identity of human communities and control and give rise to various changes and developments in those societies.
"Those wielding great wealth and power in the world that had previously established the military North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with the intention of controlling the wealth and resources of nations are now aiming to establish a cultural NATO in order to destroy the national identity of human communities and control and give rise to political, economic, social and cultural changes and developments in those societies by using a wide and extensive network of various media," the Leader told the audience.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that changes and developments in a society should be directed on the right track. He noted that the task of managing the changes and developments in the Islamic society rests with the elites of universities and Islamic seminaries as well as active student organizations.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic also pointed out that progress is the ultimate goal of any proper change and development. He added that a blueprint for progress should be prepared first and, then, the necessary planning and investment should be made.
As regards the criteria for progress, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that there are some international criteria for progress such as post-industrialization, self-sufficiency in basic necessities, increasing productivity, eliminating illiteracy, raising life expectancy, rendering more services to citizens and improving and promoting communications.
"These acceptable criteria prove effective in the process of genuine progress and development only when they are in conformity with the main constituents of the national identity and the ideals of a human community," Ayatollah Khamenei remarked.
Elaborating on the sound foundations of progress and development, the Leader stated, "From the standpoint of the Islamic system, the genuine progress and development, besides conforming to international criteria, should also fulfill certain criteria such as increasing national wealth, administering social justice, raising the scientific power of the nation, promoting moral and spiritual and human values, achieving national honor and dignity, eliminating poverty, corruption, discrimination and unemployment, countering ignorance and lawlessness, promoting social discipline, fostering a greater sense of social responsibility and achieving cultural independence."
Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience that if the above criteria are not fulfilled, the mere compliance with the international criteria for progress will result in a situation, like the one existing in the apparently developed Western countries, in which domestic injustice and bullying against other nations, the production and deployment of weapons of mass destruction such as atomic bombs, the promotion of moral corruption and the destruction of emotions and of family and social bonds are witnessed.
"The Iranian nation would never desire and approve of progress with such features," Ayatollah Khamenei added.
In conclusion, the Leader of the Islamic Republic called on elites of universities and Islamic seminaries to carry out extensive research into the causes of social problems and find clear solutions to those problems and also make those solutions operative. He stated that research and studies of this kind would help to pave the way for changes and developments leading to genuine progress.