Khamenei.ir

Imam Khomeini’s moral recommendations and features

He used to advise us to rely on God. He used to advise us to trust God and to make effort for the sake of God. He himself used to rely on God. He used to engage in supplication and worship. He used to ask God for assistance. One could clearly feel the spirituality emanating from the Imam after the month of Ramadan had ended. He used to make use of every opportunity to get closer to Allah the Exalted and to purify his immaculate heart and soul. He used to advise others to do the same thing. He used to say, "We are present before God." The world is being watched by Allah the Exalted. The world is full of divine manifestations. The Imam used to advise everybody to keep this point in mind. He himself used to observe moral principles, and he used to advise other people to do the same thing. An important part of spirituality in Islam consists of morality, avoidance of sins, avoidance of slander, avoidance of suspicion, avoidance of backbiting, avoidance of spite and avoidance of separating hearts from one another. Our magnanimous Imam used to observe these things, and he used to advise the people and government officials to do the same thing.

Imam Khomeini highly welcomed criticism

The Imam used to advise us against becoming arrogant. He used to advise us against considering ourselves superior to the people. He used to advise us against considering ourselves flawless and above criticism. All high-ranking officials of the country had heard the Imam telling them to be ready and to welcome criticism. All high-ranking government officials had heard him advising them to avoid considering themselves flawless and above criticism. The Imam himself used to act like this. In his writings and his statements, especially at the end of his holy life, His Eminence admitted on several occasions that he had made a mistake in certain cases. He admitted that he was wrong in certain cases. This requires a great character. One needs a great soul to be able to say such things and to admit that one has made a mistake. This was a manifestation of the Imam's spirituality and ethical principles. This is one of the important dimensions of the lesson that the Imam taught us.

Imam Khomeini’s spiritual manifestation was primarily his purity

The primary manifestation of the Imam's spirituality was his religious devotion. The Imam used to do everything for the sake of God. Since the beginning, he used to do whatever he thought was his divine responsibility. He did not spare any sacrifices on this path. This was how he acted since the beginning of the revolutionary activities in the year 1341. He used to move forward with the aim of carrying out his religious obligations. He repeatedly told our people and government officials that what is important is to carry out one's religious responsibilities. We only do our obligations: it is God who determines the outcome of our efforts. Therefore, the Imam's devotion was the manifestation of spirituality in his behavior. He never said or did anything in order to be praised. Allah the Exalted blessed whatever he did for the sake of God, and the effect of his actions became permanent. This is the characteristic of religious devotion. The Imam used to repeat the same recommendation in his meetings with government officials of the country.

Leader’s Speech on the Occasion of Imam Khomeini’s 22nd Demise Anniversary

Leader Visits Imam Khomeini's Shrine

On the occasion of Imam Khomeini's 22nd demise anniversary, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution delivered a speech on Saturday at Imam Khomeini's Shrine in Tehran. The following are selected sentences from the speech delivered at the meeting.

Leader Attends Graduation Ceremony at Imam Hussein Military Academy

Ayatollah Khamenei the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces attended the graduation ceremony of a group of cadets from Imam Hussein (a.s.) Military Academy. Speaking during the ceremony, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran needs people who are faithful, hardworking, innovative and insightful. He added: "The failure of the policies of the Great Satan in the strategic Middle East region and the auspicious revival of Islamic slogans among the protesting nations of the region are the manifestations of what Allah the Exalted has promised for the Iranian nation. And resistance and steadfastness on this path will bring about full divine support."

Leader’s Speech at Imam Hussein Military Academy

How was the IRGC formed?

The Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps was established in the most sensitive and complex conditions in the history of this country, and it was not easy to establish it. This holy organization has been entrusted with difficult responsibilities since its establishment. During the early days, the assets of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps were nothing but faith, motivation and revolutionary enthusiasm. Of course the young members had different qualifications. They were from universities and military centers, and they had qualifications. But they completely lacked experience and were not at all equipped for that difficult arena. Their valuable assets were their faith, their revolutionary enthusiasm, their preparedness for selfless efforts and their willingness to lay down their lives for their goals. And they were successful. Shortly after it had been established, the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps had to engage in serious confrontations. The faithful and young members were faced with real battlefields in different parts of the country and in Tehran. The first war games of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps were real battles. They really had to lay down their lives and enter the battlefields, and this was what they did. Thanks to the revolutionary enthusiasm, all the other requirements were achieved later on. They gained experience. The spirit of innovation started to develop. They learnt whatever they needed. There was enthusiasm for knowledge. They learnt whatever they needed to learn. They used their innovation to develop whatever they needed for their spiritual and material battle, and they had a brilliant performance in the battlefields. They were successful both in the battle against the aggressive enemy and in revolutionary jihad in the highly confusing context of our society at that time.

Leader Meets MPs

Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with the MPs and the Speaker of the Majlis. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence explained that the domineering powers of the world are plotting to weaken Iran's economy, foment discord among government officials and undermine Islamic beliefs.

Leader’s Speech to MPs

Elections are the flag of the Islamic Republic

Elections are the flag of the Islamic Republic. Thankfully we have always held our elections without any delay, much to the disappointment of the enemies. This is very important. Since the first election in the year 1358 up until today, we have had 31 or 32 elections, and all of them were meticulously held on time. During a certain parliamentary election, they did everything in their power to delay the election, but they failed. Heads of the branches of the government joined hands to prevent the parliamentary election from being held on time, but they failed. They made a lot of efforts. They debated the issue and spoke in favor of delaying the election. They published newspapers in this regard. They drew up a petition. They deployed government agents, but by Allah's favor they failed. By Allah's grace, the situation will be the same in the future as well. Elections are important. Elections are a flag of honor for us: they are the symbol of religious democracy.

A characteristic of the Islamic Revolution is that it maintains its purpose

During the 1960s, revolutions happened in almost all North African countries: in Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia and Algeria. But these revolutions did not last long. Either the leaders of the revolutions were forced to leave in one way or another, or they turned into puppets or were replaced by puppets. Material temptations are constantly at work in the hearts of human beings. In the absence of piety, these temptations affect human beings in a short time. The paths start to change. As a result, hopes born of revolutions start to fade because of reactionary attitudes. Such revolutions are a short-lived spring and they finally come to an end. The characteristic of the impressive revolution, you the Iranian people carried out, is that it has not declined till this day [it continues]. This resistance, this steadfastness, this permanence, this commitment to the values that the Revolution brought about for the people: these are the things that keep alive the hope of those who watch our nation.

Leader’s Speech to Panegyrists

With their involvement, Iranian women became a major pillar the revolution’s victory

We have made progress in the Islamic Republic. I am optimistic. I saw the situation of our society before the Revolution. At that time our country, our society and our women were heading towards a horrible and dangerous situation. Because women in our country were imitating European women, in some cases their situation was even worse than the situation of European women. This was the kind of situation that they were promoting. Of course Iranian women managed to overcome this destructive wave because of the religious faith that has been instilled into their hearts. Encouraged by Iranian men, they managed to contribute a lot to the Revolution through their presence and they managed to play an essential role in helping the Revolution achieve victory. And after the victory of the Revolution, the movement of Iranian women has been extraordinary. I would say that the wives and mothers of those who struggle in the way of God are true manifestations of patience and resistance. If you read their biography, you will see how much they have suffered. Of course there were a few such women among the wives of revolutionary activists who went through those hardships, but perfect examples of such women emerged during the Sacred Defense Era. They sent their children to the battlefields. Many of their children were martyred or disabled, but these models of patience and resistance stood firm like a mountain. This is the progress that we have made in spiritual areas. Thankfully our country has made extraordinary progress on political and scientific fronts as well. The large number of intellectual women who teach at our Islamic seminaries and universities - some of whom are fortunately present among you dear audience - shows that the Islamic Republic has been successful. This is my view. This optimistic view makes hearts hopeful about the future. If we continue making progress at this speed, we will definitely manage to overcome the wrong western culture that is prevalent in the world. We should work hard. We should make determined efforts. However, this optimistic view should not prevent us from seeing the weaknesses.

The Islamic Republic questions the west regarding women

I was once asked how we would defend ourselves against what westerners say about the issue of women in our country. I said, "We will not defend ourselves: we will attack them." regarding the issue of women, it is the west that owes us an explanation. It is the west that is oppressing and humiliating women. Westerners pressure women psychologically and emotionally and they insult women's personality and position in the name of freedom, employment and responsibility. They are the ones who should answer for their actions. The Islamic Republic has a responsibility in this regard. The Islamic Republic should clarify its position on the issue of women without standing on ceremony. The position of the Islamic Republic is mainly a protest against the western view and the oppressive western inequation. The issue of hijab and the issue of man-woman relationship become meaningful from this perspective.

West's main strategy regarding women lies upon exposition and corruption

In the west, they are gradually voicing their opposition to hijab in an open way. They say that hijab is the symbol of a religious movement and that they do not want religious symbols to be promoted in their secular societies. These are the reasons that they present for this opposition. I believe what their claims are a lie. It is not a matter of religion. The problem is that the fundamental policy of the west is to promote moral corruption among women and to exploit them, and hijab works against this policy. Even if hijab is not motivated by religious faith, they oppose it. This is the main problem. This issue has resulted in serious consequences for different communities: the break-up of the family and shocking statistics about women trafficking. According to a report that has been published globally - I think the report has been published by the UN - women trafficking is among the trades that are growing fastest in the world. There are a few countries which are worst in this regard and the Zionist regime is among them. Under the guise of labor, marriage and other such things, they collect women and girls from poor countries in Latin America, certain Asian countries and certain poor European countries and they deliver them to certain centers, centers whose names and activities would shock people. All of these things are the result of the misconception about women, the result of the oppressive inequation about women's position in society. The issue of illegitimate children - which is most common in America - and the issue of cohabitation are in fact destroying the warm family environment and its blessings. They are depriving humanity of these blessings. These issues are the consequences of the first problem that I spoke about. It is necessary to do something in this regard. It is necessary to define the position of women and to stand up against the propaganda of the west in a serious way. May 22, 2011

Misjudging the status of women, misjudging family matters make the foundation of problems regarding women

Regarding women's issues in society, there two essential problems. If we can address these two problems, we can hope to find a solution to "women's crisis" over time - in the long or medium term. One of the problems is the misconception about women's position in society. This misconception and wrong attitude started in the west and it is not a very deep-rooted and old issue. We can say that the claims about the inclusion of this issue in the protocols of Zionist intellectuals do not go against the truth. That is to say, if we look carefully, we will see that in the west this misconception dates back to only 100-150 years ago and that the misconception spread to other societies, including Islamic societies. This is one problem. The second problem is the misconception about the family and misbehavior in the family environment. I believe that these two problems have given rise to "women's crisis" which is a critical problem in the modern world. "Women's crisis" might appear to be a strange term. Today the environmental crisis, the water crisis, the energy crisis and global warming are considered as the main issues that humanity has to face. But none of these things are among the main issues of humanity. Most of the main problems of humanity are related to spirituality, ethics and social behavior of human beings towards each other - including the relationship between men and women, women's position in society and women's issues. This is a genuine problem, but they do not discuss it. Those who formulate dominant global policies do not consider this issue in their best interest and maybe they believe that discussing this issue goes against their main strategies. Regarding women's position in society - no matter what you call it - the problem is that they have gradually created an inequation: one side of the inequation is the taker and the other side is the giver. They have divided humanity into these two categories. Men are the taker and women are the giver. This has been gradually established in western societies over several decades using different methods and propaganda techniques. Maybe the process took 100-150 years. I cannot give you an accurate number. This is an issue that deserves to be researched. Later on the problem spread to other societies as well. They defined women as the creatures who should benefit men and they promoted this definition. Therefore, if a woman is determined to distinguish herself in western societies, she has no choice but to make use of her sexual appeal. Even in formal meetings women should dress in a way to appear pleasing to their beneficiaries - namely, men. I believe this is the greatest blow, the biggest insult and the greatest injustice as far as women are concerned. Unfortunately, there is a cultural norm in western culture according to which women are considered the giver and men are considered the taker. Other societies followed the west and made efforts on its path. And this norm has been established in the world. If somebody says something that goes against this norm, they create uproar against him. For example, if in a society women are prohibited from wearing make-up in public places, they will create an uproar. But there will be no uproar in the world if the opposite is done - that is to say, if immodesty is promoted among women in a society. When a society promotes modesty and discourages make-up among women, dominant propaganda machines of the world create an uproar about it. This shows that there is a culture, a policy, a strategy that has been followed for many years in order to consolidate this wrong and insulting position for women. And unfortunately, this has already happened.

A comparison between the status of women in Western families and Muslim families

The situation of western families - in terms of oppression against women and in terms of violating women's rights - is definitely worse than Islamic, Iranian and eastern families. Their situation is not better than us and in certain cases, their situation is definitely worse. But we do not follow them. They are not our role model. We have a lot of shortcomings in our family environments. Addressing these shortcomings requires a legal guarantee for implementation and this is something that has to be done. This is one of the areas in which very little work has been done in the country and it is necessary to do something about it. There is no shortage of Islamic texts and sources in this area. Sometimes we see certain people criticizing Islamic thought and finding fault with Islamic rules such as those related to inheritance, blood money and other such things. This is while these criticisms are misplaced. There are logical and firm answers for these criticisms. However, we, unfortunately, fail to pay enough attention to behaviors in the family environment. This is while Islam has absolutely clear views in this regard. The family environment must be a safe, dignified and peaceful environment for women so that they can fulfill their essential duty of protecting the family in the best possible way.

Leader: Hijab Challenges Western Policy of Exploiting Women

Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with hundreds of prominent Iranian women. Speaking at the meeting, which was held on the eve of the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra (s.a.), Ayatollah Khamenei said that clear opposition to hijab in the west is one of the consequences of the western view of women, further adding: "Westerners claim that hijab is a religious issue and that it should not appear in secular communities, but the real reason behind the opposition of the west to hijab is that hijab challenges and thwarts the fundamental policy of the west regarding women - namely, exploiting women and promoting moral corruption among them."

The greatest insult the western culture made to the woman is sexualization and objectification

If a woman is determined to distinguish herself in western societies, she has no choice but to make use of her sexual appeal. Even in formal meetings women should dress in a way to appear pleasing to their beneficiaries - namely, men. I believe this is the greatest blow, the biggest insult and the greatest injustice as far as women are concerned. Unfortunately there is a cultural norm in western culture according to which women are considered the giver and men are considered the taker. Other societies followed the west and made efforts on its path. And this norm has been established in the world. If somebody says something that goes against this norm, they create uproar against him. For example, if in a society women are prohibited from wearing make-up in public places, they will create uproar. But there will be no uproar in the world if the opposite is done - that is to say, if immodesty is promoted among women in a society. When a society promotes modesty and discourages make-up among women, dominant propaganda machines of the world create uproar about it. This shows that there is a culture, a policy, a strategy that has been followed for many years in order to consolidate this wrong and insulting position for women. And unfortunately this has already happened.

What are the hidden reasons behind the western governments' opposition to hijab?

In the west they are gradually voicing their opposition to hijab in an open way. They say that hijab is the symbol of a religious movement and that they do not want religious symbols to be promoted in their secular societies. These are the reasons that they present for this opposition. I believe what their claims are a lie. It is not a matter of religion. The problem is that the fundamental policy of the west is to promote moral corruption among women and to exploit them, and hijab works against this policy. Even if hijab is not motivated by religious faith, they oppose it. This is the main problem. This issue has resulted in serious consequences for different communities: the break-up of the family and shocking statistics about women trafficking. According to a report that has been published globally - I think the report has been published by the UN - women trafficking is among the trades that are growing fastest in the world. There are a few countries which are worst in this regard and the Zionist regime is among them. Under the guise of labor, marriage and other such things, they collect women and girls from poor countries in Latin America, certain Asian countries and certain poor European countries and they deliver them to certain centers, centers whose names and activities would shock people. All of these things are the result of the misconception about women, the result of the oppressive inequation about women's position in society. The issue of illegitimate children - which is most common in America - and the issue of cohabitation are in fact destroying the warm family environment and its blessings. They are depriving humanity of these blessings. These issues are the consequences of the first problem that I spoke about. It is necessary to do something in this regard. It is necessary to define the position of women and to stand up against the propaganda of the west in a serious way.

Speeches

Leader’s Speech to Prominent Iranian Women

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on May 22, 2011 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with a group of prominent Iranian women in Tehran.

Leader’s View of Islamic Awakening

Leader Urges Development of Islamic Theory on Justice

Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution attended the 2nd Forum on Strategic Thoughts this morning. Speaking at the meeting, which lasted for about four hours, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed the need for serious efforts to formulate a pure Islamic theory on justice.

Leader’s Speech at "Strategic Thoughts" Forum

Leader: Even Enemies Acknowledge Iran’s Power

In a meeting with a group of ordinary citizens, families of martyrs, religious scholars and government officials of Kurdistan province, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the enemies acknowledge the power and glory of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region. He reiterated: "Since the first day after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the propaganda empire of the enemy broadcast as much propaganda against the Islamic Republic as it could, but the Islamic Republic foiled these plots by moving on the path of progress."

Leader’s Speech to Teachers

Leader: Awakening to Continue into Heart of Europe

Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of Islamic Revolution met this morning with thousands of teachers from across the country. Speaking during the meeting, which was held in Tehran on the occasion of Teachers' Day, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the current wave of awakening in West Asia and North Africa is the continuation of the movement started by the Iranian nation. He stressed: "This wave of awakening will definitely continue into the heart of Europe, and European nations will rise up against their politicians and leaders who have totally subjugated them to cultural and economic policies of America and the Zionists."

Leader Warns Against Encouraging Enemies

In a meeting with mayors and a number of other government officials from across the country, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that it is necessary to avoid any action which would upset friends and encourage enemies to cause uproar.

Leader: Progress Is Destiny of Iranian Nation

In a meeting with thousands of laborers from across the country on the eve of International Labor Day, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said this morning that progress is the definite destiny of the Iranian nation.