Members of the Islamic Society of University Students met the Grand Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Thursday, February 3.
Members of the Islamic Society of University Students met the Grand Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Thursday, February 3.
Speaking at the meeting, the Leader referred to liveliness and vitality, physical strength and mental power, moral purity and innovation as some of the main features of youngsters. He stated that when such features are combined with scholarship and higher education, faith, piety and devotion to God, a highly valuable and influential result would be obtained. He added that such a result is a divine blessing that should be persevered.
Elsewhere in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the negative consequences of the domineering policies of the colonial powers for the Iranian nation in the past. He noted that even at the present time, the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic are targeted by the hostile measures of the arrogant powers because of their support for the oppressed and their resistance to the oppressors.
"The arrogant powers, in a real but non-military war, are trying through whatever means possible to deprive the talented Iranian people of their power to innovate and make progress and bereave them of their possessions. However, the Iranian nation has not only stood up to the bullying powers, but it has also helped the Islamic world realize that it is possible to successfully confront the global arrogance," he remarked.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic further referred to the warm welcome accorded by other nations to the senior Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami, who was warmly received during his recent visit to several African countries. He stated that the secret of the memorable welcome accorded by other nations to the Iranian officials lies in the attractiveness of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and in the fact that the Iranian people support the oppressed and defy the domination sought by the arrogant powers. The Leader noted that the Iranian nation and officials, relying on divine assistance, are determined to continue their resistance against the hegemony of the arrogant powers.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the fate of certain nations in the old colonial era and under neocolonialism. He stated that in the neocolonial era, the arrogant powers pursued the same old objectives but this time by using propaganda tools and by trying to mentally and psychologically influence other nations and hire their intelligent and influential figures.
The Leader further compared the United States to one of the major heads of the seven-headed dragon of arrogance. He said that corporations and Zionist and non-Zionist capitalists who constitute the brain of this dragon have installed the incumbent U.S. president to further their interests. "George W. Bush is the fifth U.S. president who intends to uproot the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic, but he will be able to do so to the extent that Carter, Reagan, Bush (the father) and Clinton did," he pointed out.
Turning to the domestic front, Ayatollah Khamenei described as "really surprising" the Iranian nation's achievements in some areas and said that such achievements have drawn the world's attention to the Islamic Republic. "However, it should be noted that fulfilling all the objectives of the Islamic Revolution requires constant efforts by several successive generations," he added.
The Leader referred to the young university students as the managers and architects of the country's present and future and pointed out that the faithful and pious youth shoulder heavy responsibilities in this regard. He also described the academic environment as an environment where intellectuality, modern thoughts as well as idealistic and futuristic tendencies prevail. "The lack of knowledge about political, economic and social issues as well as domestic and international developments is by no means approved of in an academic environment," the Leader remarked.
Ayatollah Khamenei further hinted at the need for cooperation between different student associations and their brotherly ties and solidarity. He pointed out that science and research, political insight and knowledge about social affairs, dynamism and vivacity characterizing the youth, reliance on God and cherishing hopes about the future would help to materialize the significant role of students in determining the fate of their country both at present and in the future.