This is a very pleasant and attractive meeting that is marked by vitality and enthusiasm, as it is being attended by intellectual Basiji youngsters. Intellect, pursuit of higher education and qualities characteristic of the youth together with the spirit of Basiji culture give rise to a novel and exciting combination. You represent this culture and combination and paradigm.
Basiji culture means progressiveness in all basic areas of life. The real meaning of Basij is keeping one's presence on the scene. However, such presence is not only required at the time of the enemy's military aggression, but Basiji students should also keep their vigilant and strong presence on various scenes at all times.
They should be present on the scene when the people's national and political identity is threatened, or when the nation's culture and deep-rooted beliefs are despised and insulted. Even when the young generation feels that the country is plagued with scientific retardation, and that some remedy should be sought to make up for this retardation, it is time to come on the scene.
The progressiveness of Basiji organs, especially of Basiji students, means identifying basic social needs and deficiencies and making incessant efforts to fulfill those needs and fill the vacuums. The ignorant and negligent individuals who are preoccupied with their own trivial personal concerns will not be able to observe such needs and requirements.
The next step is preparedness and readiness to make sacrifices. Not everybody is willing to forego comfort and tread a difficult path. Only determined and persevering individuals are willing to forgo worldly comfort and pleasure and work for the betterment of their society.
Basiji students should also be characterized by another feature, which is expecting no reward for their services. Any individual who is motivated by his or her own genuine incentives to help others and serve his or her society expects no recompense and remuneration from others. Indeed, any reward would belittle and detract from these genuine incentives and services.
These are the features of Basiji culture and Basiji individuals. All nations need such dedicated individuals who make selfless and altruistic efforts for the betterment of their society.
Besides the above qualities, Basiji organs should have the necessary ability to perform their tasks. It is true that during the Iraqi imposed war, our Basiji forces also included some 70 year-old individuals. But it is clear that mostly youngsters have the necessary vitality, dynamism and power to tread difficult paths. Thus, Basiji organs should also be characterized by youthful vigor and vitality.
Knowledge and intellect constitute major components in all arenas, especially in the arenas where efforts are made to redress and atone for scientific retardation. Committed intellectuals and Basiji students are mainly identified by their mental products and ideas.
Even before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, modern Islamic ideology was the dominant ideology in our academic circles, and those who propagated Marxist ideas in our universities and higher education centers could not defend their ideological foundations in their discussions with our intellectual Muslim students.
Therefore, the different arenas that Basiji students are expected to enter include scientific arenas and the scenes of presenting new thoughts and ideas, the arenas of construction and serving the public and the arenas of countering political and military aggression against our country and nation. It is clear that any individual who aims to enter all these different arenas should be knowledgeable, intellectual, competent and proficient.
I said at a meeting in one of our universities a few years ago that broad-mindedness was born sick in Iran. You will agree if you take a look at the history of broad-mindedness in this country. Historical realities indicate that broad-mindedness in our country was born sick and dependent on outside powers.
Now I would like to say that the concept of modernity in our country was also born sick, flawed and feeble. What was the meaning of modernity in Iran in the past? In late Qajar period and under Pahlavi regime, modernity meant blindly imitating and copying the West.
Those advocating this type of modernity imported the old views and ideas belonging to the 19th-century France and Britain into this country, despite the fact that nearly one century had passed since those views were presented in Europe, and also in spite of the fact that most of those ideas had been seriously criticized or even rejected in Europe itself.
Is this modernity in its real sense? It should be called regression and degeneration rather than modernity.
What is modernity in its real sense? Modernity is progressiveness. You should try to identify the existing vacuums and find out how those vacuums can be filled in the best possible manner. You should make use of your mental capabilities and try to fill the gaps and fulfill the requirements. This is called progress. This should and can be done in all areas of life, including social and political areas.
Modernity and worldly progress should be combined with spirituality and moral values. The outcome of a society in which scientific progress and development is devoid of spirituality is the Western world today, where justice, morality, benevolence and respect for human rights are missing and where the prevalent logic is the law of the jungle, a logic that regards the taking of any action by powerful countries as something permissible. Proceeding on this path will definitely result in the Western world's collapse and downfall.
Modernity in its real sense, which aims to open up new horizons in life, has been recommended by Islam. In fact, Islam has called on Muslims to take the initiative in every arena. This is possible only through perseverance, insight, mental and physical exertion, striving, firmness of purpose, strong determination and having no fear of risks and dangers.
Who is expected to be in the vanguard of this campaign? Considering the real meaning of Basij, which means the body of individuals who are characterized by their strong will, religious zeal, intellect, initiative and creativity, we come to the conclusion that it is our Basiji forces that should spearhead this campaign.
The Student Basij Organization is featured by all these noble qualities. Our Basiji students are expected to make every effort to fill the gaps and meet the basic requirements of our society through mental and physical exertion and by exercising prudence and discretion.
I strongly urge you to avoid going to the extremes and combine your efforts with deep insight and awareness. Even your religious acts and prayers should be based on knowledge and understanding. In your daily prayers, you should aim to seek proximity to Almighty Allah. Your religious gatherings should be characterized by devotion, remembrance of the Almighty and pure religious feelings. Avoid superficiality in your religious beliefs and acquire a profound knowledge of Islamic thought and ideology. These are the key to success.
An individual whose religious belief is deeply rooted is motivated by his faith to act in various arenas. If there is a need to go to the battlefield, he is the first to go there. When he returns from the battlefield, he protects his belief in the face of various storms. This type of individual has a deep-rooted faith. We have many such individuals who have a Basiji frame of mind.
One of the main features of Basiji thinking is the thirst for justice. A Basiji individual seeks justice. Seeking justice is not only limited to chanting mottos and raising slogans. The intelligent Basiji students should call for the implementation of policies aimed at administering social justice, and they should prepare the groundwork for the realization of justice through their efforts and legitimate demands.
Attaining any lofty ideal and any noble objective has a certain procedure. The wise and intellectual Basiji students should try to find out about these procedures.
We have a strong logic. The realities of our society have also verified the soundness of our logic. Despite the fact that our nation has suffered many hardships during the past years, including sabotage, the Iraqi imposed war, the infiltration of some unqualified individuals into government organs and the lack of determination on the part of some executives, whenever we have acted in conformity with our Islamic and revolutionary principles we have made considerable progress.
There have been remarkable industrial and scientific achievements and breakthroughs in various fields in our country. Wherever there has been a considerable achievement, we can see that a dedicated and faithful manager has been in charge.
On the contrary, wherever there has been an obstacle to progress, the obstacle has been created by self-interest, corruption, discrimination, nepotism and favoritism, which in turn stem from a lack of dedication and commitment.
My dear youngsters! The future of this country belongs to you. You are future managers and executives of this country. You should try to increase your knowledge and boost your competence and capabilities, so that you will be able to undertake your heavy responsibilities in the future and ensure prosperity and development for your country.
Presently, we are approaching the upcoming presidential election in our country. What bears great significance with regard to this election is massive public participation, a high voter turnout on the Election Day.
The intellectual and knowledgeable students are able to play an influential role in our society, and they are expected to make every effort so that a high voter turnout may be ensured in the upcoming presidential election.
Public participation is of great significance in our country, since this participation is necessary for the progress and also for the protection of our country. But of course if a large group of people do not go to the polls on the Election Day, this does not mean that they are opposed to the Islamic system.
Those who do not vote in order to show their opposition to the Islamic system constitute only a very small percentage of our population. Most of those who do not go to the polls are either too busy or lack motivation or are not really aware of the importance of their participation in the election. These are the ones you should try to motivate.
You should try to maximize public participation in the upcoming election. You are intellectual and broad-minded students and know the criteria for electing the next president, criteria such as competence and efficiency, deep faith in Islam and the revolution, belief in justice, not discriminating in favor of the rich and against the poor and also liveliness and vitality.
Therefore, you should try to find out which presidential candidate meets these criteria to a greater extent and is able to face different challenges. Also, another criterion for electing the next president is whether he is influenced by the enemies and whether his election is welcomed by the enemies or not.
The officials of the United States, who are used to prattling, have once again started saying that such-and-such a candidate should run in the presidential election in Iran and such-and-such a candidate should not! These morons do not know that whatever they say, the Iranian people will act contrary to that.
They are saying why there is supervision over the presidential election in Iran, or why a certain candidate is not able to run for the presidency. U.S. officials pass such remarks despite the fact that in Western countries themselves, the most rigid and complicated kinds of supervision are enforced, and there are numerous hurdles in the way of taking up top government positions. This is the reason why for the past two hundred years no individual from outside the two mainstream parties in the United States has been elected president.
Besides, in European countries, the political parties that are called the opposition are not really opposed to the political system and constitution of those countries. The so-called opposition groups differ with their governments only on minor issues, as they all believe in the same principles and tenets.
Those Western political groups that are really opposed to their governments have no chance to voice their opposition. The reason is that the media and the propaganda apparatus are all controlled by ruling parties, and they present their political atmosphere to the world the way they want to.
Despite so much restriction, inequality and unfairness in their political sphere, Western countries are raising objections at the existence of the Guardian Council in the Islamic Republic.
There are certain criteria by which the qualification, competence and efficiency of presidential candidates should be judged. There should be a government organ in charge of performing this task. This has been stipulated in our constitution.
You are well aware of those criteria. You should try to find out which presidential candidate adheres to Islamic and revolutionary values and aims to promote social justice and fill the gap between the rich and the poor, which presidential candidate is competent and energetic enough to accomplish these objectives.
Fortunately, youngsters constitute a major portion of our population; therefore, it is advisable that a sprightly and dynamic atmosphere be created in the executive branch of our government.
Another criterion that should be observed in the upcoming presidential election is that the Iranian nation, as the late Imam Khomeini often stressed, should act contrary to what the enemies want and recommend. The reason is that the enemies try to promote their own interests, not those of the Iranian people.
The mouthpieces of the arrogant powers that are casting aspersions on the 7th Majlis are the ones who had no objections to the absolutely handpicked parliament under the former Pahlavi regime. Presently also, they approve of the regimes which have no general elections but which serve the interests of the arrogant powers. They are opposed to our Islamic Consultative Assembly because it does not serve their interests.
The arrogant powers seek to further their own interests. Thus, whatever they suggest and recommend is in line with their own interests and contrary to the interests of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic. Therefore, the Iranian people should heed the criterion presented by our late magnanimous Imam Khomeini and oppose what the enemies recommend.
I hope every one of you will be healthy and successful in life. May Almighty Allah protect you and keep you safe for your parents. I hope you will all have a bright future and serve our country and nation in the best possible manner.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings