Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met with the officials in charge of the organization for commemorating the nineteenth demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.). Speaking at the meeting, the Leader referred to the leading role of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) as the core of the Islamic Revolution and said that Imam Khomeini (r.a.) constantly tried to protect the political and ideological borders of the Islamic Republic. "Through his writings and speeches, the late Imam set the boundaries of the Islamic Republic during and after the Islamic Revolution. And the most important point is that we must respect these boundaries and try to protect the identity of the Islamic Revolution," he said. Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met with the officials in charge of the organization for commemorating the nineteenth demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.). Speaking at the meeting, the Leader referred to the leading role of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) as the core of the Islamic Revolution and said that Imam Khomeini (r.a.) constantly tried to protect the political and ideological borders of the Islamic Republic. "Through his writings and speeches, the late Imam set the boundaries of the Islamic Republic during and after the Islamic Revolution. And the most important point is that we must respect these boundaries and try to protect the identity of the Islamic Revolution," he said.
His Eminence described the perfect personality of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) as an charismatic and inspirational model for moving on the right path and added: "At various stages during the Revolution, our magnanimous Imam constantly tried to prevent the Islamic Revolution from being led astray and from being penetrated by foreign agents through protecting the identity the Islamic Revolution, and this is an object lesson for us."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further reiterated: "In order to protect the identity of the Islamic Revolution, our late Imam even used to advice people against using loan words such as 'democratic republic'. He used to stress innovation and the coining of new words within a religious and ideological framework."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Islamic Revolution was itself an innovation on the part of Imam Khomeini (r.a.).
Explaining the difference between wilayat (religious leadership) and government, he said: "Wilayat is power accompanied by friendliness and brotherhood. Choosing this word instead of the word government is supposed to signify that the Islamic rule believes in political power based on religious beliefs. This points to the fact that our Imam (r.a.) was determined to specify the boundaries with other political systems."
His Eminence said that political and ideological boundaries are analogous to geographical borders. He added that if these boundaries are de-emphasized and are treated carelessly, some people may overstep them. "Unfortunately, this has already happened in our country. Due to negligence and lack of concern for protecting the intellectual, ideological, and political boundaries some people - who were initially members of the revolutionary family and who loved Imam Khomeini (r.a.) - gradually and unknowingly crosses the boundaries, and as a result of living outside these boundaries they underwent radical changes," he said.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the boundaries that Imam Khomeini (r.a.) set after the Revolution in ten years' time are the same as the boundaries of the Islamic Republic.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the superior capabilities of the enemies in terms of science, manpower, economy, and propaganda and compared them with the limited facilities that the Islamic Revolution enjoys. He said: "In spite of this inequality, whenever there was a challenge between the Islamic Revolution and the superpowers, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious out of the challenge. And this has happened on numerous occasions in the last 30 years, which points to the fact that Islamic Revolution has great internal power and numerous capabilities."
His Eminence said that the enemies admit to the increasing power of the Islamic Republic in the region and its influence over global public opinion. "That is while we have not made full use of the Islamic Revolution's potentialities. If we make use all these potentialities, we will see that they are a bottomless sea," he added.
At the end of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed his gratitude to the officials in charge of the organizations for commemorating the nineteenth demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini and all the organizations that are active in this regard.