Revolutionaries are those who are prepared to sacrifice themselves. Therefore, we should not confine revolutionaries to those individuals who stayed with Imam Khomeini (r.a.) during the time of revolutionary activities and those who knew him. This should not be the case. The Revolution is a flowing river. All those who have lived throughout history with these characteristics and who make efforts on this path are revolutionaries although they might not have seen Imam Khomeini (r.a.). You youth are an example of such individuals.
It is wrong to think that when we say that such and such a person is a revolutionary, this means that they are extremists. Or when we want to refer to revolutionaries, we use the term “extremists”. This is wrong. Being a revolutionary does not mean being an extremist. These dual words which are the foreigners’ souvenirs and which are claims made by the enemies of Iran should not have a place in Iran and in our political culture. They divide the people into extremists and conservatives. We do not have such a thing as extremism and conservatism. They refer to revolutionaries as extremists and they refer to non-revolutionaries as conservatives! This is a foreign dualism. They repeat such things in their radios, in their propaganda and in their speeches, but we should not repeat them. Revolutionary is revolutionary.
It is also wrong to expect all those who are revolutionaries to act in a single revolutionary manner or to expect them to show a particular degree of revolutionary behavior. This is not what we should expect. As we clergy say, there is room for degrees when it comes to who is a revolutionary. It is possible that a person has a better performance when it comes to revolutionary concepts and activities, and that another person does not have such a good performance, but the latter is taking the same path. If we accuse any person who does not have a good and complete performance of being a non-revolutionary and anti-revolutionary, this is a mistake.
It is possible that the value of a person’s movement is a hundred, and that the value of other individuals’ movement is lower, but all of them are taking the same path. The important thing is that their movement should be in line with revolutionary criteria. The important thing is criteria. The important thing is that even a person who does not move forward in a completely resolute manner should have revolutionary criteria. If these criteria exist, then that party is a revolutionary no matter if it is an individual, a group of individuals or a government and organization. The main point is that we should know these criteria.
There are certain criteria for being a revolutionary. I would like to mention five criteria in this meeting. Of course, more criteria can be mentioned, but for the moment, I will mention five criteria for being a revolutionary. We should try to have and preserve these criteria wherever we are. A person might work in art, another might work in industry, another might work in politics, another might be involved in scientific activities and yet another might be involved in economic and commercial activities. It does not make any difference. These criteria can exist in all of us people of Iran.
These are the five criteria which I will expand on later:
The first criterion is commitment to the main principles and values of the Revolution.
The second criterion is aiming at the ideals of the Revolution and making great efforts to attain them. We should identity the ideals and lofty goals of the Revolution and then we should make efforts to attain them.
The third criterion is commitment to the independence of the country in all areas – including political, economic, cultural, which is the most important one, and security independence.
The fourth criterion is showing sensitivity in the face of the enemy and the enemy’s plots and plans, and refusing to follow him. The enemy should be identified, his plans should be understood and following him should be avoided. As I said recently, the Holy Quran has referred to this refusal to follow the enemy as a “great jihad”. I have spoken two, three times about this matter.
The fifth criterion is religious and political piety which is very important. If these five criteria exist in someone, then they are definitely a revolutionary.
Statements made in a ceremony marking the 27th demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.); June 3, 2016.
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