In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Greetings be upon you Aba-Abdillah and upon the souls who stayed by your side. I send you God’s eternal greetings for as long as I live and for as long as days and nights last. I hope that God will not make this my last Ziarah for you. Greetings be upon Hussain, upon Ali ibn al-Hussain, upon the children of Hussain and upon the companions of Hussain.
Ashura manifests the summit of jihad, self-sacrifice and martyrdom in the way of God
I am very grateful to Mr. President and the honorable ministers for their statements. This year, Government Week has coincided with the days of Muharram and the ten-day Ashura period which is a summit of jihad and martyrdom. The Ashura event manifests indeed the summit of jihad, self-sacrifice and martyrdom in the way of God. As it happens, this week’s occasion – Government Week – is an occasion for jihad and martyrdom. In other words, our two great martyrs, Shahid Bahonar and Shahid Rajai, were people who engaged in jihad and for that, Allah the Exalted bestowed on them martyrdom as a reward. As we were witness to their activities up close both before and after the Revolution, those two personalities worked for God and endeavored hard. They worked for God while they were surrounded by many difficulties and they did not think at all about personal interests. They were not after enhancing and building a reputation for themselves. These are important and outstanding qualities. So, this way of working and endeavoring is definitely approved by God and martyrdom was their right and their true reward. By Allah’s favor, they have an exalted position before Allah the Exalted today.
Government Week, an opportunity to assess one’s performance, to examine one’s strong and weak points and to inform the public about one’s performance
Well, Government Week is an important and noteworthy week. It is an opportunity to review and to remind one another of the one-year services of the administration. It is an occasion for assessing one’s performance, to examine one’s weak and strong points – as every administration has certain strong and weak points: we should criticize ourselves more than others and before others criticize us – and it is an opportunity to update the public. This is very important as well. Well, today, very big and important news was relayed to us by the honorable President and the ministers, many of which were new to us. Discussing this news with the people and presenting an assessment of them is important. You should speak to the people both about the achievements and the difficulties: both what you managed to achieve and what you should have done but could not do. The people like it. If you can discuss all the aspects of the issue, this is pleasant and delightful to the people.
In particular, you should do so in your direct contact with them. You should address the people directly as much as you can. Of course, there are restrictions these days, but you should explain things to the people on television and in your direct contacts with them. Moreover, this should be done all the time. Such explanations and clarifications are not particular to Government Week. They should be done continuously. The people become pleased at sincere reports. They become hopeful and happy.
The significance of the administration’s last year of service as that it is the last opportunity to serve
The next point which is noteworthy is that from today on, the last year of the administration’s term begins. The last year is very important in different ways. The first reason is that you who have the blessing to work for your nation, your country, God and Islam should know that this is the last opportunity. This final year is the last opportunity that you have. Of course, you might have certain responsibilities in the future, but in this special and very important responsibility – the macro-management of the country in various areas and divisions – the final year is your last chance. Therefore, you should make the most of it as much as you can. A year is not a short time. You should not think that a year is a short time. This is not the case because one full year is a long time. Well, as you know, in certain countries there is a common practice. In our country too, it is common as well. In the beginning of a certain responsibility, the honorable heads specify a 100-day period of time in order to carry out certain tasks during that period. And after that, the people, the press and others will make a judgment on the basis of what has been done. So, it becomes clear that one can accomplish many tasks in 100 days. A year is comprised of three one-hundred days as well as another 65 days. So, it is not a short time.
Leaving good memories behind for future administrations
Besides, you can leave as a legacy for the next administration some fundamental tasks that might not completely come to fruition in your administration. You should do something to make future administrations speak highly of you and in glowing terms. Take the case of reforming the budget structure for instance. This is a long-term and important task. We can equally think of reforming the banking system, the tax system or amending the law of implementing the policies on Article 44 of the Constitution. These are memorable and fundamental tasks whose effects will remain in the future.
Being serious in pursuing the tasks promised
One of the important issues in the last year is to make an effort to finish what has already begun or what has been promised. Well, the honorable Minister of Housing has promised to finish 400,000 – Mr. President stated that it is 600,000: so much the better - housing projects until the end of the term. This is a very good achievement and it is not a minor one. The fulfillment of these projects will transform the area of housing. In the present time, housing and accommodation is one of the major problems of the country, but with this project, a serious knot will be undone and a great feat will be accomplished. Another is the projects which are to be inaugurated by the Ministry of Energy. Fortunately, these projects are carried out week by week. You should seriously pursue and carry out all these projects until the end of the year, as you have planned so that they will be fulfilled. These are infrastructural projects.
We can also mention the policy to build refineries. I have heard that it is being implemented. Of course, it should have been implemented a lot sooner than this. Since years ago, I have always advised administrations to engage in building refineries, but there has been a delay in this regard. In any case, this policy exists now. Very well! you should pursue it as it is very important. Perhaps, in the future, we will be able to do something to make our main profits from valuable oil be transformed into the exportation of oil whose value-added belongs to us. In other words, it is we who will refine it. For example, we will produce gasoline and petrol and we will export it. Exporting value-added oil is easy and the price is higher as well. Moreover, the country will earn more revenues out of it.
We can also refer to the projects related to knowledge-based companies. They should be seriously pursued until the end of your term. Knowledge-based companies are a blessed phenomenon for the country. Another project that has begun concerns the actions related to the health system, in particular the actions related to the confrontation of the coronavirus. Very important measures with good management have thankfully been adopted in this regard. You should continue and seriously pursue these measures. As was pointed out in the meeting, some of these measures will have long-lasting effects: measures such as the manufacture of medications or other such measures. These are very important matters. As for the issue of increasing agricultural production, which has been promised, this is a very important matter as well. The actions taken in this regard are among the administration’s achievements. Therefore, you should pursue these tasks in the last year as much as you can. In particular, the extensive scientific tasks that are being carried out in the area of the coronavirus should seriously be pursued in the last year. Therefore, the last year is an important one and you should not look at it as just additional and surplus time.
A few points about the economic issues of the country: well the reports delivered by Mr. President and ministers primarily focused on economic matters. I too wish to raise a few points about economic matters hoping that they will receive attention:
1. Production, the main key to create employment, to reduce inflation and to increase the value of the national currency
The first point is about production. Well, as I pointed out and as the friends in the meeting said, production is the main key to creating employment, to resolving livelihood problems, to reducing inflation, and to increasing the value of the national currency. In fact, production is the mother of all these improvements. We should work on production as much as we can. I have frequently discussed the significance of production and this year’s slogan is a surge in production as well. What I want to stress is that there are certain obstacles in the way of production and it is not the case that we will be able to easily move towards boosting production or bringing about a surge in it. There are certain obstacles and therefore, you should address and eliminate them.
The thought might cross the minds of the gentlemen in the administration that the obstacles are not in their hands. For example, foreign sanctions are not in their hands. This is true: some obstacles are like this and they are not in our control. The confiscation of our oil revenues and our financial resources, the ban on the sale of our oil to a large extent and the ban on imports – we need machinery and components – these are not in our control. However, there are many obstacles that are related to domestic matters. These obstacles seriously prevent us from boosting production and bringing about a surge in it. It is possible to eliminate these obstacles. I would like to mention some of these obstacles:
The obstacles in the way of bringing about a surge in production: 1.1: Unnecessary imports
One is the issue of unnecessary imports, on which I have placed great emphasis. Producers write many letters to me and come to visit me in order to make a complaint in this regard. Some of them are interviewed on television and they voice their discontent. For example, there is a factory that is manufacturing a certain product that the country needs and it has put its hopes on domestic clients. As it happens, the main client is most often the administration itself. However, the factory sees that the counterparts are imported somehow into the country. Of course, the counterparts might have better quality and they might be cheaper, but they cause the factory to go into bankruptcy anyway. So, these unnecessary imports are really dangerous and a grave problem. Sometimes, they import luxurious products which are not necessary at all.
I have heard that about half a billion dollars – according to the reports that we have received – were spent on the importation of a luxurious American cellphone in the year 1398. Of course, it is the private sector that has done so, but the administration should stop this. This is one of the obstacles.
1.2: Smuggling
One of the obstacles is smuggling. Preventing smuggling is in our own hands. One cannot expect others to do it for us. All the organizations of the country – primarily executive organizations followed by the organizations affiliated with the judiciary branch and the ones affiliated with the Armed forces – should seriously prevent smuggling in cooperation with one another. The figures in this regard are really shocking. The research conducted by the Majlis, which was read out in the open session of the Majlis, says that the volume of smuggling reaches an astonishing 5.25 billion dollars. This is a very high figure. This is based on a report by the research committee of the Majlis.
1.3: Problems related to the manufacture of components
One of the obstacles is the problems related to the manufacture of components. It is frequently said to me that there are no pieces and components for such and such a machine and that foreigners will not give them to us. Well, we, fortunately, have a component-manufacture movement in the country that has become established. It is a few years now that the component-manufacture movement has been launched by different divisions in the Armed Forces, in the Ministry of Defense and in other divisions. Very well, you should ask the centers that engage in this task and the centers that do research on these matters to build the components that are needed and they will be able to do it. I would tell you that we have fortunately managed to manufacture very delicate and complex components in the Armed Forces. Some components which were presumably impossible to manufacture were actually manufactured. Therefore, we should benefit from this component-manufacture movement.
1.4: Lack of Coordination in downstream organizations
Another obstacle is lack of coordination and harmony in downstream divisions. The ministers at the top coordinate with one another and they do certain things in cooperation with each other. Some of these measures were reported here today, but in downstream divisions, there are sometimes strange and weird cases of disharmony. For example, in a televised program, a consumer of steel complains that they do not give him steel sheets. He needs these sheets and as it happens, the sheets are produced inside the country with good quality. Such people are producers in downstream sections of steel. For example, they manufacture household appliances and they need steel. We can equally mention consumers of petrochemical products. There are many downstream factories that need petrochemical products. They come to visit us saying that they do not sell these products to them or that they are sold to them at an exorbitant price or with certain difficulties. When they broadcast such news on television at night, we listen. All of us usually listen to the news. In my opinion, when a minister hears the news, he should call, that same night, the area and division which has made a complaint and arrange a meeting for the next day. Then, they should go and solve the problem until the afternoon. We can really solve the obstacles in the way of production like this. Of course, some problems are more complex and they cannot be resolved in the space of one morning to one afternoon. I am aware of executive problems to some extent, but many problems can be resolved with a one, two-hour meeting. Therefore, the obstacles in the way of production should be resolved. This is one issue.
1.5: Bureaucratic mazes in granting permits
Another obstacle in the way of production, which has fortunately been reflected in your reports, is the issue of granting permits. They say that the time required to grant them has been abridged. This is very important. The process of granting permits really involves strange intricacies and complications. They say that it lasts 72 days, but in certain cases, the process to grant them has taken much longer than 72 days. Well, we should work on this area. The issue of granting bank facilities and other such issues should receive attention as well. We should remove the obstacles.
1.6: The exportation of raw materials or bulk goods
I wish to add another complementary point about the issue of production which is not totally irrelevant: It is about the exportation of raw materials or bulk goods, an example of which I cited before in the case of oil. One of our problems is that we export raw materials without manufacturing any product or creating any value-added for our country, our investors and our laborers. Our precious minerals and stones are exported outside the country and they will turn into products and then are sold. Sometimes, the stones that we have sold in its raw form are imported into the country at a price several times higher. I have frequently stressed the issue of mines and the precious stones that exist in our country and that are unique or have few precedents in the world, according to what I have heard.
We can also refer to the soil of Hormoz Island – the valuable soil that exists in Hormoz Island – South Khorasan’s saffron and the dates in warm regions. Well, Iran’s dates are really unique. A few years ago, an official in an Arab country sent us a pack of dates as a gift. They usually send things as gifts. Then, I showed it to the cabinet members of those days. I said that this is like “sending caraways to Kerman” [an expression in Farsi meaning doing something redundant as Kerman has the best caraways]. The best center for dates is our country while they send us dates as gifts! However, they do it in nice and beautiful packages, but we do it with wicker and other kinds of packaging. Of course, recently, packaging has improved, but you should improve these matters as it is important. A few nights ago, I saw on television that coriander is being exported in bulk and after that, it is sold at a very high price once it has been processed. So, one point that I wished to say about production is about the elimination of obstacles in the way of production which includes these cases.
The necessity to form a special team for removing the obstacles
Of course, I suggested before that there should be a special team to identify and eliminate the obstacles in the way of production: a team appointed by the heads of the three branches because it is related to all of them. After that, the honorable heads expressed their approval and mentioned that it is a good task. I do not know if it has been formed yet or no. If not, it will be good to form it so that they will work day and night and remove the obstacles in the way of production, God willing. This is because production is more important than everything else in economy.
2. Investment
The second issue that I want to discuss about economic matters – this goes back to production as well – is the issue of investment. Investment is a very important matter for boosting the economy and production and for bringing about a surge in production. The essence is investment. It has been many years in our country that investment has been facing serious hurdles. There is not enough investment. What should be done is to try to increase investment. According to what I remember – there are reports about this and I have received them as well – it has perhaps been 10 years now that we have been backward in the area of investment. We should do a number of necessary tasks in this area:
2.1: Completing half-finished investments
The first task that is very important is that we have made major investments in some areas that are not finished yet, that have been abandoned in the middle of the work or that progress very slowly. The first task is to revive these investments. In other words, we should bring them to fruition. When an investment is abandoned in the middle, this means that some money has been spent from public funds and at the country’s expense while there is no yield and no output for that. Therefore, we should bring it to fruition so that the people will be able to benefit from this investment. No big project and investment in the country should remain idle. Primarily, this is the responsibility of the Budget and Planning Organization and secondly, it falls on various other organizations.
2.2: Encouraging investment
The second point is that you should encourage investment. This is because investment should primarily be made by the private sector. The administration should merely invest in those areas where the private sector cannot or is not willing to invest due to unprofitability. Otherwise, investment should be made by the private sector. Today, the private sector has resources at its disposal. There is no shortage of money and funds in the country. You see that the issue of money flow and its abundance is on everyone’s tongue. Therefore, there is money and investors should be encouraged to invest. And there are different ways to encourage, ways that are no secret to anyone: Problems related to tax, permits and bank facilities should be eliminated. These are tasks that everyone knows how to solve, but the point is that everyone should decide and endeavor to do so. By Allah’s favor, investment will be encouraged. This is another issue.
2.3: Channeling the money flow towards production
I have discussed the issue of channeling the money flow in a public meeting and I have discussed it in private meetings with officials as well. We should channel the existing money flow towards production. In the year 1397, I said in the same meeting with cabinet members on the occasion of Government Week that they should assign around-the-clock group of experts so that they would examine the ways to the management of money flow. The existing money flow should be managed and channeled towards production, which is, of course, no small task, rather it is a difficult one. It requires special methods. I said that a select group of people should embark on doing this. I do not know if this group of people have been formed or not. If not, there is still time to do it. By Allah’s favor, this should start so that the existing money flow will move towards the real part of the economy – production. This is another matter.
3. The necessity to increase the value of the national currency
The third issue that I wish to discuss concerning the economy is the issue of the value of the national currency. Of course, this is not irrelevant to previous sections. The value of the national currency is obviously something that is related to the growth of production, to the development of the country and to economic growth in the country. It is primarily related to these issues. Nonetheless, there are some matters on the periphery. Of course, if we manage to boost production, national currency will naturally be strengthened. If we can strengthen the economy, national currency will naturally be boosted and an increase in the value of the national currency will exert an extraordinary impact on the livelihood conditions of the people. It directly affects the people’s livelihood conditions, but as well as these long-term tasks – strengthening the economy is not a short-term project – there are some short-term tasks as well.
One short-term task is that as it has become clear is that there are malicious interferences in the area of foreign currencies that bring about the devaluation of the national currency. Some interferences are malicious, but some are not malicious, rather based on profiteering. It has been announced that 27 billion dollars from exports have not returned to the country. Well, this is an important issue. Of course, sometimes, when such revenues do not come back to the country, there are reasonable explanations, but sometimes, they do not return because some individuals use the revenues to buy land and real estate and other such things in such and such a country. These actions are not acceptable. There are certain reports saying that in one of our neighboring countries, the highest buyers of real estate are Iranians. Well, this is not acceptable at all.
Or if they want to use these revenues to import unnecessary products – luxurious and completely unnecessary goods – this is not acceptable. I cited an example in this regard: they have imported a luxurious cellphone from the US and they have spent half a billion dollars on it! I am surprised that they have not imposed a sanction on such products while so many sanctions have already been imposed on us. These courses of action are really not acceptable. One problem is this and another is the unreasonable decisions made by certain organizations. Of course, the Central Bank has fortunately done good activities in this regard and they are pursuing them. Everyone should help the Central Bank. In my opinion, all executive organizations should help the Central Bank because the issues of currency, the devaluation or appreciation of national currency are connected to its policies. Therefore, everyone should help so that the Central Bank can fulfil its duties. Fortunately, good tasks are being carried out in this regard.
The necessity to set up information databases
One of the issues that has been recommended to me and that I have discussed many times with some officials in charge is the establishment of information databases in these areas. It has been many years now that certain rules have been passed to implement it. Some of them have been set up, but some have not. Setting up information databases and connecting them to one another will help the administration to gather the necessary information in these areas. These databases are as important: databases such as the system of obtaining investment permits, the tax system, the system of combating against smuggling goods and currency, and the system of combating against money laundering. These systems are necessary for all the reforms that you want to carry out. Besides, they help you in your daily affairs as well.
4. Economic matters should not be tied to foreign developments
Another matter on the economy, which is very important in my opinion – and which is the last point in this regard – is that the economy of the country should never be tied to foreign developments. In other words, you should not delay making economic plans until sanctions are lifted or decrease in number. This should not be the case. You should assume that sanctions will be in place for 10 years. Economic planning should be done on the basis of domestic resources and – as I have said many times – on the basis of growth from the inside and reliance on domestic capacities. It is not good to say that if the elections in such and such a country will have specific results, such and such things will happen. It does not matter how such elections pan out.
We should formulate the country’s economic plans according to our domestic issues and resources. It would really be a grave strategic mistake to make the economic issues of the country dependent on foreign developments. We should not rely on foreign developments. They can make whatever decision they like. One day, they might make a good decision and another day, they might make a bad one. If they make a good decision, we will benefit from it, but it is not the case that we make our economic plans dependent on their decisions. This is another important matter.
The significance that cyberspace has and the necessity to establish the National Information Network
There are other matters in the country as well. One issue on which I would like to place great emphasis is the issue of cyberspace. Well, cyberspace is very important. Some gentlemen have certain viewpoints about cyberspace. They say that it has become part of people’s main life. I agree with this. In the present time, cyberspace has really turned into an inseparable part of people’s lives, let alone for the existence of an electronic government and other such matters. There is no doubt about this, but what I wish to stress is that cyberspace is being run and managed from the outside and without us controlling it. This is the main discussion. Cyberspace is not like some flowing water which one can use in whatever way one likes. Others are channeling it towards the direction that they like. They are running this virtual space.
Well, when we know that some people are channeling and directing cyberspace while we are the ones in charge and while it affects us, we cannot sit idle in the face of this. We cannot leave our people hanging who are in contact with cyberspace so that they will be controlled by the managers who are behind the scenes in the area of cyberspace. Powerful international elements are extremely active in this regard: They are active in the area of news, analysis of data and various other areas. Thousands of things are being done in cyberspace.
That is why I stress the issue of National Information Network. When we formed the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and the National Center of Cyberspace and when I insisted that it be formed and that the honorable heads of the three branches participate in it and make decisions, it is because of the significance of this matter. This issue cannot be ignored. I can see that the matter has not received due attention. Well, in the present time, the National Information Network has certain constituents and sections, each of which should be implemented in the specified time. However, we see that they are not implemented in the specified time and that they are behind schedule. Another issue is that there are fundamental policies in the area of bandwidth, each of which has been announced many times. Well, these policies should be observed and these are my firm demands on which I place great emphasis.
Appreciating the value of rendering service in the Islamic Republic
Another point that has nothing to do with economic issues and the like, but that is very important in my opinion – it is the last point that I wish to discuss with the honorable participants: it is not only addressed to the executive branch, rather it is addressed to all officials in the country including the officials in the executive, judiciary and legislative branches or the divisions that are affiliated with them – is that you should appreciate the value of rendering services in the system. Rendering services in this system is very valuable. Of course, rendering services is valuable everywhere. If every Muslim renders a service to individuals and to humans in general in every part of the world and at every level, this will be rewarded by Allah the Exalted, God willing. However, in the Islamic Republic, this is not the only blessing. Rendering services in the Islamic Republic will involve another important point and that is the fact that your services, your moves and your endeavors will help present the model that Islam wishes to exhibit – a model for creating and running society. This is very important.
The total fiasco of the model that capitalism presented and of the products of western civilization
Well, western civilization displayed and brought to the arena certain models on management and on the establishment of a society, a political system and a government. Communism – socialism, communism and all kinds of socialist governments that were established in their fashion – did so in one way and capitalism, so-called liberalism and the like did it in a different way. These are western products which have been defeated. Today, these are the products of western civilization, which have failed. Today, the products of western civilization in managing society and humanity have failed. The former vanished and as for the latter, its camp and its troops are in a state of chaos and turmoil, as you are witnessing.
The glorious summit of this western paradigm of capitalism is the United States which is in a dire situation and which is a failed model in the true sense of the word. Human values are being trampled upon more than ever in the United States. They are going to revive these values with such governments! Let us forget about religious values. Let us forget about spiritual values which they do not pay attention to in any way as they do not feel for these values. Even if we want to speak about human values – the values that the human mind can understand: the issue of security, health and justice – they are being completely trampled upon in this dominant western paradigm and they are doing it more than everywhere else. In the US, the rate of crimes is higher than anywhere else in the world. This is what they themselves are saying. These are the figures that they themselves are releasing. In the US, class inequalities are terrible. The US is a rich country, but the greatest part of this wealth belongs to only a handful of men. They are a handful in the real sense of the word. The largest segment of the wealth belongs to them.
The number of the hungry, the desperate and the homeless is comparatively larger than all other countries in the world. Of course, I do not mean the very poor countries that exist in Africa. I am speaking about the common advanced countries in the world – whether those which are considered as developed or those who are considering as developing countries. The number of the poor and the homeless is larger than in all these countries. According to what presidential candidates said in their explicit statements – whether recently or in the past – one out of five American children is hungry. These phenomena are really unique in the world.
The high degree of intellectual decadence in the utopia of those who worship the west
The insecurity that one feels in US cities is unrivaled in the world. When a youth walks on the street, he is not sure if some psycho, some drunk man or some angry person, that might suffer from certain complexes, will not aim his gun at him or that he will not kill him alone or in a company of other people. As you see, the figures on American crime are astonishing. One becomes perplexed at their severity and at their increasing number.
Well, these figures are related to what is happening inside the US. Of course, the US’s domestic problems and the managerial issues of capitalism in the US are much more than this and it requires a separate discussion, but besides these domestic problems, what they are doing in the world is terrible as well: murder, plunder, warmongering and causing insecurity are among the common things that the Americans do. Notice that today, US footprints are easily seen in Syria, in Palestine and in Yemen. Today, they are committing these crimes in such countries and just recently, they were doing them in Iraq and Afghanistan. They continue to do some of their actions in such countries. Before that, they committed such crimes in Vietnam and before that, in Hiroshima. One can see the signs of American and western crimes – primarily American – everywhere in the world. One can understand the degree of their intellectual decadence from their choices and elections. Notice which individuals and personalities have been brought to power in the US as the main rulers and which personalities they are showcasing to the world, but the world is rejecting and humiliating them. This place is the utopia of westernized individuals! This is the same utopia that westernized individuals – some of them in our country and some in other countries – look at as a point of reference and as a utopia. These are the US’s characteristics. Human models are like this.
Faith, knowledge and justice: the three main elements that the Islamic model is founded on for the establishment of a system
Islam has its own independent model. In sum, the Islamic model for creating a system and society is a model comprised of faith, knowledge and justice. These are the three main elements. Faith means a pure monotheistic belief which affects both the construction of human characters and of that of society and its general shape. It manifests itself in individual actions and in social formations. Knowledge with its infinite scope – both divine knowledge and natural sciences, in which westerners showed their skill by conquering and dominating nature – are the things that are praised by Islam. After this stage, individuals transcend to a higher stage: knowledge about human identity, about otherworldly life and about divine sciences superior to these. Knowledge includes all these areas. As for justice, justice is meant in its general sense: economic, judiciary and social justice: in other words, justice in the real sense of the word. This is what Imam has taught to us.
Of course, we are backward in all three areas. We have not made good and proper moves, but this is the model anyway and one can see it in the slogans, statements, directions and moves of the Islamic Republic in the past 41 years and in the personalities that it has built until today. An example is our great martyrs. An example is Shahid Beheshti. Another example is Shahid Rajai. Yet other examples are Shahid Bahonar, Shahid Motahhari and Shahid Soleimani, the recent martyr. Such is the Islamic model. With your performance, you can sweeten, promote and highlight this model for people throughout the world or God forbid, you can do something to make it lose its appeal for people. So, service in the Islamic Republic is like this. Such service is not only about helping humanity, a certain group of people or the country. What is important is that with our work, with our actions and with our services, we are in fact portraying the real face of Islam and of Islamic model. And this model exists. Whether the arrogant want it or not, this model has emerged in the world.
And they are afraid of it. Their main enmity is because of the fact that this model is a model that does not accept their main and definite principles. Their managers and leaders suffer from deviation and narrow-mindedness on the main issues of life and the model presented by the Islamic Republic – the Islamic model – does not accept this and it pursues the straight path and the path of the truth in defiance of the path of evil. This is why they show enmity. The grudge that the US and some others hold against the Islamic Republic does not originate from the existence of such and such people and the absence of such and such individuals in a certain position and responsibility. They are opposed to the essence. Of course, they make some tactical moves. The performance of the officials in the Islamic Republic should manifest this model.
The Commander of the Faithful’s advice to the Islamic community
I want to cite a piece of advice offered by the Commander of the Faithful (God’s greetings be upon him) which is important for our present-day conditions. In Sermon 34 of Nahjul Balaghah, Hazrat says, “By Allah, those who leave matters one for the other are subdued.” Hazrat swears that if believers stop helping one another, they will be defeated. The Arabic word “takhadhul” means refusing to help one another and abandoning each other. This is what the word means. Hazrat swears and says, “By Allah, those who leave matters one for the other are subdued.” It was addressed to the people living at that time, but it is actually addressed to the entire humanity. Believers should help one another. They should support, defend and aid one another.
You see that the enemy is scheming against you. They are constantly plotting against you. They are really doing it in a constant manner. One can see these schemes and plots. Sometimes, they think that their schemes are invisible, but they are easily visible and one can see what they are doing. Well, you should devise schemes against theirs as well. You should not stay passive and silent, nor should you surrender because he is always plotting and we should not surrender in the face of his plots. In the same sermon, Hazrat Ali says to his people, “You are intrigued against but do not intrigue against the enemy!” It says that they are conspiring against you, but that you refuse to do the same. This should not exist in an Islamic society. If they intrigue against you – in other words if they conspire and plot against you – you should plot, scheme and intrigue against them as well.
Well, I hope that you will be successful.
A word of gratitude to organizers of mourning ceremonies for observing health protocols
I wish to express my gratitude to the organizers of mourning ceremonies, most of whom have thankfully observed the regulations until today. It is possible that some have not observed the regulations, but I advise them to do so from now on. However, both the organizers, the honourable eulogists and panegyrists observed these health instructions and the recommendations offered by the National Anti-Corona Headquarters. I wish to stress that everyone should observe them. I hope that God will reward everyone, that they will receive the attention of the Master of Martyrs (God’s greetings be upon him), and that the people’s mourning ceremonies and their enthusiasm and zeal will be accepted by God and the Imams (greetings be upon them).
Once more, I wish to thank the personalities who have helped the people against this dangerous and vicious virus which has tens of faces and countenances. I hope that God will bestow success on all of them, God willing.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
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