The following is the speech delivered to a group of students and prominent scientific figures by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I would like to express my gratitude to the dear youth who have attended this meeting - which is full of youthful dynamism and which is based on rationality and thought - in this hussayniah today. When accompanied by religious thought and piety, this dynamism and rationality can solve all the problems that face all countries. I hope that dynamism and rational thought will increase among you dear youth and students on a daily basis.
Some good points were made in this gathering. I listen carefully to all the statements made by the youth, students, and other people who take part in such meetings. I listen carefully and try to make the best of the points that they raise. I was listening carefully to what was discussed and I think the statements were very pithy and useful today. This meeting can show us the average level of rationality enjoyed by our students. This is not to say that you are representative of all our students across the country. However, this meeting is indicative of the high level of logical thinking, insight, and problem-solving abilities in our universities. That is very interesting to me.
Our friends mentioned a number of points here. Of course I have made some notes and I will discuss them if I find the opportunity today. It appears that some of the things that I have in mind can be expressed through a discussion of the points that you raised. Maybe it is a good idea to go over the main points you made.
One of our dear friends said that a new generation is about to emerge. That is absolutely right. Of course this new generation is not the first to emerge after the Revolution. There was another revolutionary generation before. That generation used their capable hands and solved some of the problems. That generation was also a generation that had been raised in a revolutionary environment. Revolutions act like a mould: They shape the nature of things and individuals. Revolutions are like that. Some people may think that this is a myth, but it is not a myth. It is a reality about revolutions. They transform the nature of things. This transformation is not just limited to social norms. On the contrary, it primarily affects the inner thoughts of people. Therefore, the heart is the first to be influenced by these changes. The young generation that was 15-18 years old was put to the test during the Revolution and on the battlefields of the Sacred Defense. They were a revolutionary generation. I agree with you about the emergence of a new generation. I can clearly see the signs.
A number of questions have been raised. What is the mission of this new generation? What are the requirements? Who is going to lead them? These are all good questions. I think these are real questions. They have not been formulated to foster skepticism. There are clear answers to these questions. The Revolution was not started in order to replace one government with another. In order to form the Islamic Republic, a nationwide movement was created on the basis of an idea - that is, Islamic ideology. That is what I believe and I am ready to support it. In fact, the truth of this idea has already been established. I believe prosperity can be achieved only through the teachings of the divine prophets. Islamic teachings provide the best way to achieve prosperity. If it had not been for these teachings, man would not even have achieved the current level of material progress, let alone spiritual transcendence and peace of mind. Peace of mind can prepare the ground for spiritual transcendence. That is the way to achieve prosperity.
We were in need of a long-lasting movement in order to implement the ideas introduced by the prophets. That is the goal of our Revolution. We wanted to form an Islamic community, an Islamic country. We did not just seek to form an Islamic government. We started the Revolution in order to create a reality - that is, a group of people who live in accordance with the teachings of Islam and enjoy the positive outcomes of this lifestyle. That is still our goal. In fact, we have not yet achieved this goal. Of course, we never expected to achieve such a lofty goal in 30 years. That is a long-term goal. We must try and work hard in order to achieve this goal. That is the responsibility that lies on your shoulders. That is the mission of the new generation. You must try to help your country form a genuine Islamic community. You must consider this as your guiding principle. That is the best way to propagate this idea in the world. This is the mission that the new generation has to undertake. In theory, this goal is not very hard to achieve. Of course it is a monumental task in practice and requires youthful dynamism and motivation. That is our goal. We want an Islamic country. When an Islamic country is formed, the country will be a better place for the people to live in. Of course this goal is not the same as the goal sought by materialistic governments.
Materialistic governments try to improve the living conditions of their people. That is to say, the rate of progress in those countries is desirable only in statistical terms. However, their material progress is not balanced. As you know, the richest people live in the US which is a rich country. However, the poorest people also live in that country. The poor die from cold and heat there. They starve to death. There are some people who cannot earn enough to feed themselves unless they work day and night. That is not the kind of prosperity that man would look for. That is not the kind of prosperity that a nation would desire. If you look at their GNP, you will see that it is 10 times more than other countries. But that is not a good measure of prosperity. Not everyone lives a comfortable life. That is, there is no equality in materialistic countries even in terms of material possessions, let alone spiritual aspects of life. They lack peace of mind. They do not pay enough attention to God. There is no piety or moral purity. There are no such things as leniency, mercy, and hope. There are many other things that are lacking in materialistic countries.
That is not the kind of progress that an Islamic nation and community would look for. The prosperity that an Islamic community requires is not just limited to material progress. An Islamic community must enjoy both material and spiritual progress. I mean there should be no poverty in an Islamic community. We must have justice, piety, morality, and spirituality in our Islamic community. That is the goal that we must seek to achieve.
One of our friends touched on some reasons and concluded that the future of the student movement is going to suffer from ambiguities. I would say that there are no ambiguities. As it happened, the same young man mentioned the responsibilities of the student movement and what this movement has to do. There are no ambiguities. You should just pursue these goals.
There remains one additional question: Is it only the students who have to bear the brunt of the responsibility to achieve this great and lofty goal? Is it only the student movement that has to take on this responsibility? The answer is a definite no. The student movement implies that there are active students who want to use their physical and intellectual abilities in order to push the country towards progress. The greatest portion of this responsibility lies on the shoulders of the government officials and prominent figures. Prominent scientific and political figures as well as intellectuals have to shoulder a heavy responsibility in this regard. However, the student movement also has to take on a heavy responsibility. One of the responsibilities of the student movement is to make intellectual efforts. I mean they must engage in thinking.
I believe one of the requirements is that the students of Islamic seminaries and university students should work collaboratively and hold some discussion sessions to reflect on different issues. Promoting appropriate thinking can result in the same outcomes that we expect from our students regarding scientific and technological progress. That means 'flourishment'. That is 'innovation' promoted through the right move and the right orientation. That is one of the requirements.
Specifying the principles is another requirement. We have a number of principles that have to be observed. That is to say, our principles must not be compromised in the name of intellectualism. Principles provide us with the standards that can show us the right path. It is wrong to assume that principles are like walls that can prevent man from going astray. That is not the case. Principles are a set of standards. There is only one straight path that can lead man towards his goals. This straight path has to be discovered. No one is forced to follow the straight path. Principles do not confine anybody. On the contrary, principles act as a set of directions, reminding man that he will achieve his goals if he adheres to them. If we violate the principles, we are unlikely to achieve our goals. There are two problems with the wrong path. First, it does not lead to the goals we intend to achieve. Second, it results in a waste of time because we lose many opportunities.
During the last 100-150 years, some people have claimed to promote reforms and progress in the country. They really led our people astray. They committed a great sin. We did not achieve our goals during the past 100-150 years. Besides, our time was wasted. [When this happens] many generations have to be ruined before realizing that all the efforts have been wasted on the wrong cause. Then the new generation has to go back and start all over again.
Once they had convinced our people that the only way to achieve progress was to emulate the Western people. Research was not considered to be a good subject for imitation, only the appearances. Our women were convinced to abandon their hijab and our men were convinced that they should wear a special type of clothes. As you know, once it was obligatory to wear a special type of hat. Those who did not observe this law were prosecuted. Our traditional costumes were banned. Everyone was forced to wear the uniform clothes that had been imported from the West. They claimed it was for progress. The progress of our country was reduced to wearing a suit and a tie. Renunciation of hijab and adoption of Western customs was considered to constitute an instance of progress. Just think about the magnitude of the harmful effects of such shameful actions. But they did not feel ashamed. On the contrary, they felt proud of their actions. They presented our people with the wrong prescription for progress. They led our people astray. Principles are there to prevent these mistakes.
One of the students leveled some explicit criticisms at a number of individuals and organizations. Such criticisms are characteristic of students. Those criticisms might be valid or invalid. Of course, I am not going to judge what he said. But the fact that a student expresses his views explicitly and does not hold back his views is very pleasing. The worst problem for students would be conservatism and holding their views back out of so-called consideration for others. Students should express their views explicitly. Of course, being candid should be accompanied by truthfulness and accepting one's mistakes - if it is proven that one has made a mistake. This should be the dividing line between you - sincere and pure-hearted students - and politicians. You should express your views openly. Of course, you should be honest in what you say. And if it is proven that you made a mistake, you should be quick to take your words back. In my opinion, this is one of the best characteristics of students.
There was a criticism against the IRIB. It is sometimes said that criticizing the IRIB is equivalent to criticizing the leader. They say this is because the IRIB chief is appointed by the leader. If this is to be the criterion for criticism, no one can be criticized - because the head of the judiciary is appointed by the leader and the president is also inaugurated by the leader after he is elected by the people. If this is to be the case, no one should be criticized. This is by no means the case. Firstly, I have to say that the IRIB is not run by the leader. This is a point which I wanted to clarify. The IRIB is run by the IRIB chief. I also criticize the IRIB in many cases. I agree with most of the criticisms you expressed against the IRIB. There are probably other criticisms which can be leveled against the IRIB. I receive reports from different sources about the IRIB. Although I do not watch and listen to the programs as much as you do, I am well-informed about their performance. I also criticize the IRIB in some cases and point out their weaknesses. I even argue with the IRIB officials in certain cases. They shoulder certain responsibilities and are responsive to the criticisms that are expressed. Sometimes their answers are right and sometimes they are not acceptable. You have the right to criticize the IRIB, and criticizing the IRIB officials does not at all mean denigrating the leader. You can express your criticisms. There is nothing wrong with doing so.
One of the friends asked about the Imam's viewpoints and how we could gain access to them. I believe the answer is very clear. The Imam's viewpoints have been gathered in a collection. Fortunately the Imam's speeches have all been gathered in a collection. You can infer his viewpoints from his speeches, just like any other speech from which one can infer the speaker's viewpoints. However, this inference must be logical. The correct way to do so would be to study all his speeches and examine them carefully. One can infer the Imam's viewpoints based on the collection of his speeches. Of course, this is not going to be easy. What we need to do is clear. This requires interpretation which you - the youth - are well capable of. Qualified people should study the Imam's words and infer his viewpoints.
Let me make a point here. As some of the friends mentioned, we are entering the fourth decade of the Islamic Revolution. Of course, a social system which has only existed for thirty to thirty five years is not yet fully developed. If there are logical and timely transformations in such a system, the system will not lose its efficiency soon, not even after a hundred years. However, there is no doubt that a social system, which has existed for only 30 to 40 years, is not yet fully developed. What does this mean? This means that we still need to gain more experience. This means that we still need to work harder and make more efforts - regarding the fundamental issues - to reach a steady and fully-developed stage.
I previously said that we need to promote progress and justice in the fourth decade of the Revolution. Justice and progress constitute our goals and are among the main slogans of the fourth decade of the Revolution. By progress, I mean progress on all fronts. This includes both material and spiritual progress. I do not deny the fact that we need to make material progress. This means that promoting the standards of living, creating job opportunities for the people, and making technological and scientific progress will not go unnoticed. These are important goals which should be pursued in order to avoid poverty, unemployment, and inflation. There is no doubt about that. However, we should not limit ourselves to these sorts of progress only. We also need to promote Islamic and human morality, clear thought, faith, and an increasing sense of motivation to make progress.
As I mentioned, we should avoid treading the wrong path. Sometimes the solutions we are offered to help us make progress will only lead us astray. I previously mentioned one instance. The progress that we made during the Pahlavi era was in fact regression and brought us to a standstill in some cases. Of course, we cannot address this issue now for lack of time. That was a model for progress that led us astray. Being enchanted with appearances only and following Western models will result in what happened during the 60-year rule of the Pahlavi regime.
Treading the wrong path could happen during our time as well. We should be careful not to fall in this trap. Unlike the first case, sometimes there is no mention of a particular model for progress and the nation's Iranian and Islamic identity is not denied either. However, there is a sense of disappointment in regard to making progress among the policy makers and experts in different fields. That is to say, they think it is not possible to achieve the level of progress achieved by the West. They describe such views as realistic. They reason that Western countries have reached such an advanced level of scientific progress and have made such great achievements that make us unable to catch up with them. They keep saying: "Western countries have developed so many theories in different fields such as humanities as well as social and political sciences. They have introduced and developed so many new theories and innovations, and we can never catch up with them." They have such an attitude towards progress in the country. I have come across such people on many occasions during the past thirty years. They try to convey the message - whether directly or indirectly - that we need to make progress, but should only follow the Western model in order to succeed. They say we can never catch up with Western countries, let alone outperform them. So why should we ever bother ourselves trying to catch up with them? This is also an instance of treading the wrong path.
This means that Eastern nations - our own nation for instance - and Muslim nations must always follow the Western model and never have any hope in being able to catch up with Western countries. We should never adopt such an attitude. This is a very dangerous and harmful aberration which is nowadays being promoted by some academics, political intellectuals, and preachers. This attitude goes against human experience. Has God Almighty created a particular group of people intending them to be ahead of the others at all times? Is there any historical fact to prove such a thing? Were these advanced nations not backward nations a few centuries ago? Have you forgotten the Middle Ages in Europe? The Middle Ages were a dark period for Europe. That period was the era of ignorance in Europe. But this was not the case in Iran and other Muslim nations. The era they refer to as the era of ignorance in Europe was the era of grandeur and political power as well as philosophical and scientific progress in Iran and other Muslim countries.
Such an attitude towards progress is very dangerous. There were some people who said that our efforts were fruitless while we were trying to make progress. However, you see today that we have made great progress in many scientific fields. The Muslim and Iranian youth entered the scene with great motivation and managed to catch up with other countries. They could even outperform other nations in certain fields. Considering the time spent for making such progress, the rate of progress has been even higher in our country. Therefore, holding such attitudes is dangerous and is a sort of aberration. We should never get disappointed. According to Islamic, religious, and Quranic principles, humans should make efforts in an organized and non-stop manner in order to achieve their goals.
It is time for prayers. I hope God Almighty will bless you so that you can emerge victorious out of this challenge. You are students and your country is going through a critical period. I hope you will be able to contribute to the country's progress and emerge victorious out of this great test.
O God, bless these dear youth and save them for our country. O God, make our youth successful in all fields. Dear God, bestow Your spiritual blessings on these pure-hearted youth in the holy month of Ramadan. Dear God, make the Imam of the Age pleased with us all.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.