A group of intellectuals and scientific and literary elites of Kerman Province met the Grand Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on the fourth day of his provincial tour on Wednesday, May 4.
The participants in the meeting expressed their views on various social, scientific, literary and political issues. They also underscored the loyalty, deep faith and strong devotion of the Kerman residents to the Leader, which they described as a token of the Iranian nation's strong attachment to Islam and the revolution.
Following the expression of views and opinions by the participants in the meeting, who included several university professors and eminent scientists, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the audience. He expressed pleasure over meeting the scientific and literary luminaries of Kerman Province, which he called the land of elites and intellectuals.
The Leader described the meeting as a symbol of the high regard and great honor that is expressed by the Islamic system for intellectuals and elites of various branches of knowledge. He also noted that the meeting was aimed at providing the elites with a platform to express their views and opinions on various issues.
"The expression of views and opinions by the intellectuals and elites of various scientific, literary and cultural spheres will surely prepare the groundwork and create enough momentum for putting their views into action," the Leader told the audience.
Further in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to elites as precious spiritual assets to society.
"In many parts of the world, spiritual assets are evaluated in terms of how much money their capabilities can bring in. However, from an Islamic perspective, spiritual assets possess intrinsic value, while the utilization of scientific, literary, artistic and cultural capabilities to improve material life is also regarded as permissible," he stated.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic went on to say, "The elites of various branches of knowledge, government officials and all related organs should try to promote and disseminate the kind of culture in society which does not evaluate science and art based on the amount of money they can produce, but which considers science and art to possess intrinsic worth and merit. This is the kind of culture that can help the country achieve real progress and development."
Elsewhere in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the Islamic Revolution prepared the groundwork for reviving the historical identity of the Iranian nation.
"We have restored our glorious identity through a new outlook which is the product of our revolution. We believe that we are able to open new horizons in the fields of science and technology and innovate and achieve progress in different branches of knowledge. This is also what our religion Islam expects us to do," he told the gathering.
Referring to the scientific achievements of young Iranian scientists over the past two decades, the Leader of the Islamic Republic further stated, "Although some pessimists may not accept this, the Iranian nation and our young talented scientists, who are characterized by self-reliance and self-confidence, are going to open new frontiers in science and technology and make Iran outstanding in the world through appropriate planning, perseverance and incessant scientific efforts.