In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and his pure, immaculate Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
Welcome. I am really very happy that once again I have the opportunity to have this meeting with a number of the country’s academic elites. I would like to thank our dear friends for what they presented. They spoke about some important, noteworthy issues, yet I would like to mention two points about the gentlemen’s statements.
The first point is that almost all of these issues, with perhaps one or two exceptions, are executive matters and executive matters must be followed up by executive agencies. Of course, we will follow these up as well. I suggest these matters that have been discussed here be edited, possibly summarized or reviewed, and we will pass them on to the responsible officials in the executive branch. However, when you have meetings with the country’s executive officials — who are fortunately active, and fortunately we currently have a president who is hardworking and good at following matters up — mention these matters so that, God willing, they can be done. This is one point.
The second point is that there were certain periods when there was a large separation between the academic elites and government officials, whereas this is not the case today. Today, many young people like you are present in significant managerial positions in the government, either at the level of the ministry, at the level of the deputy ministry, or at the level of middle management. So why don’t these discussions get transferred there? The same brothers and sisters who used to stand here and share their opinions as you are doing are currently present in the country’s managerial bodies. They are still young. They are not old or middle-aged. They are young like you. Why aren’t these people connected to each other? Why hasn’t a link been created so that these ideas can be transferred? You need to think about this in the different organizations in the country.
For example, the issue of the automotive industry was raised. There are currently many young academic elites who are actively present in the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade. Raise the issue of the automotive industry there. It is an important matter. Or one of the other topics that was discussed here was about the underprivileged regions of the country. Well, the government has created a special department that deals with issues related to underprivileged regions. There are a number of young people who work there. I believe there are even some students who are active there. So raise these issues with them and follow the issues up. Don’t just limit yourselves to giving a speech here.
Of course, the opinions you expressed were very good. God willing, we will look into these. I’ll ask them to follow these up, we’ll follow them up. I may even discuss some of these issues with the honorable president myself, but I believe that you should enter into these fields more practically.
Regarding the issue of the academic elites and scientific progress, I have written down two or three points that I would like to share with you. The first point is that scientific progress began in the country about two decades ago or a little before that, and it had a good start. In other words, it created some movement. A couple of slogans became common in the student and university environment such as “crossing the national scientific frontiers” and “a software movement.” These slogans that were common in those days were very influential.
So a movement and an effervescence was created in academic environments and fortunately this continued. That is, this wasn’t something that quickly arose and then subsided, it continued. As a matter of fact, a scientific leap forward was initiated in the country. This is a reality. After the issue of scientific advancement in the frontiers of knowledge was brought up and several slogans became common in academic institutions, that’s when a scientific leap forward truly began. This took place in such a way that the world’s centers of statistics in the field of scientific issues of that day said that Iran’s scientific growth rate was 12 or 13 times more than the average global growth rate! Well, this is a very important matter. This took place.
At that time, that is, a few years before that, I spoke about something in a number of academic and university meetings. I said that it has been said that our scientific growth rate is high, but this should not make us overly proud. We should not become overly proud that our growth rate is this high now, because despite this growth rate, we are still behind when it comes to knowledge. We are behind in science when we compare ourselves to the world of science.
Of course, I have spoken about this “being behind” at times. I don’t want to repeat that or speak about that. We are behind. The reason for our being behind is that for a long period of time, during the rule of taghuts [tyrants] and the oppressive, autocratic sultans — whether the Pahlavi or the Qajar — this country, which has such a rich scientific, cultural history was at the bottom of the list in the world in terms of academic ranking. It had nothing; it was nothing.
What I want to say today is this that we must prepare ourselves for entering a new season of scientific progress. It is true that we have made a scientific leap forward, we have made good scientific advancements, we have attained high scientific rankings in some fields, and our scientific ranking in the world is relatively good — these are all true — but today, the country’s scientific institutions need to make an innovative move so that we don’t fall behind.
We have made progress, but so have others. There were even some countries in the region that were behind, but were encouraged to make progress after they saw how Iran was improving. When we look at the statistics today, we see that they have come a long way as well. The fear exists that we will fall behind in the global scientific race. This is a serious fear. You know this and I have said many times before that "knowledge is power.”
If we want our country to be protected from the usual harms experienced in other countries of the world, one of the first, important matters we need to pay attention to is scientific advancement. If we fall behind, we will be vulnerable. We must struggle to not fall behind. Included in these initial efforts that we need to make in order to not fall behind is making material investments. In other words, the government should invest in scientific areas and for making scientific progress. And I have said many times that this is not an expense. As a matter of fact, this investment paves the way for extra revenues, revenues that are many times greater. We should also encourage and provide the means for the private sector to invest in scientific areas.
Therefore, both material investment and investment in the form of scientific innovations are necessary. What this means is that scientific environments should strive to increase ingenuity and innovations and they should search for shortcuts. This is what we need to focus on. An investment that is both material and spiritual is needed. So, my first point is that the country's scientific community and the country's academic elites need to start a new move, a new leap forward. This new leap forward should be made with the support of this government, the cooperation of the young officials who are present in the government, along with your own efforts, the assembly of you the academic elites — some of whom are present here today. This was the first thing I wanted to say.
The second point is about the current opportunity that our country has. Yes, a nation with talent can grow, but it does not always have the opportunity to do so. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings about the future. No, I believe we have a bright and promising future ahead of us. There is a bright horizon ahead of us. However, our own experience and history tell us that we should make use of the present. We need to make the best use of the current situation and the opportunities that exist.
Sometimes, what happens is that in the path of a nation — in any sector, such as its political, social, or scientific sector — there are steep slopes along the way. There is a will to go up these slopes, but the ability is missing. That is how it is sometimes, because the infrastructure and facilities that should be there are not there. The determination exists, but not the ability. Sometimes the determination isn’t even there due to despair, self-doubt, the lack of a belief in our potential, or not understanding the situation. Therefore, sometimes there are cases where there is not even determination to take action. There were even times, such as during the period of Taghut [Pahlavi], when they considered progress or climbing this steep slope to be completely impossible! In previous periods, there truly were times when they would say that things were definitely impossible.
The story about a “lulehang” and the prime minster during the Shah’s regime is well-known. You must have heard it. Back then there were discussions about the oil industry and about the independence and nationalization of the country’s oil industry. That was before Mosaddeq took office. It was during my childhood, but I still remember it. At that time, there was a minority in the Iranian National Parliament, led by Dr. Mosaddeq, who insisted that we should nationalize the oil industry. The British controlled our oil, so they said, “Let’s nationalize it.” The prime minister at the time [Razmara] gave a speech and said, “What is this they’re saying about nationalizing the oil industry? Is the Iranian nation capable of managing oil? We aren’t even capable of making a proper ‘lulehang!’”
Do you know what a lulehang is? A lulehang is an ewer made out of clay. I’d seen them. Back in the olden days, they would make ewers in some villages. It was common to use copper, tin, and the like to make them, but [in some villages] they would make them out of clay. [Razmara] said, “We are at the level of being able to make clay ewers. We are at the level of lulehangs. Can an Iranian manage oil?” This became famous at that time. Now, [you might ask] what was the situation of oil at that time that needed to be managed? It was the Abadan refinery. The thing that needed to be managed was the Abadan refinery. They said that an Iranian cannot manage a refinery! That was what they believed. Now similar things happen, but not to that degree. In different stages, determination to take action becomes weak.
When I look at the country’s general situation today, I see that thankfully these problems don’t exist anymore. We have both the determination and the capability to move forward. This “capability” that I am talking about is not a slogan. It is a reality. Now, pay attention to these statistics! The statistics are clear. We have millions of young people who are either postgraduates or undergraduate students. Several million! Is this asset an insignificant thing? And many of them, if not all, are motivated people. A revolutionary spirit exists in and permeates the country.
The statements made by these dear young people here that, "We are ready; we have suggestions," are very valuable. So there is determination, there is motivation, and there is both the resolve and the ability to make progress. So let’s use these things. If we fail to use this opportunity that is at our disposal today, that is, the opportunity of existence of determination and capability, we will be doing an injustice to ourselves. Who should use this opportunity? The officials, the academic elites, and the scientific centers should all use it. If we don't, we will be doing an injustice to ourselves. We will be doing an injustice to our country and our history.
We are all responsible. I am responsible, officials in the government and in the executive branch are responsible, you young people are responsible, the respected ministers in the scientific institutions, and those who work in the scientific centers are also responsible. We should all strive to make this scientific movement, this new thing that I expect — that is, an innovative movement, shortcuts, a new leap forward, a new rise ahead — to take place. This responsibility lies on all of our shoulders.
Speaking about responsibilities, I have made a note of a third point that I would like to share with you and that is that knowledge brings responsibility, just like all other assets and wealth. Having assets brings with it responsibility. Intellectual assets, financial assets, and assets of power all bring responsibility. The Almighty God has assigned a responsibility for every asset that He has given you. Knowledge is one of these valuable assets. When you have knowledge, this knowledge makes you responsible.
What do we mean when we say, “It makes you responsible?” This means that you should use your knowledge and the credibility that this knowledge gives you for the benefit of the people. There are times when a scholar can use the credibility that he/she has in society in a field other than his/her own field of knowledge and specialty for the benefit of the people. This is a responsibility. If you gain an academic rank in nuclear science, medicine, physics, management, or any other science, this naturally creates a responsibility for you in two ways. What this means is that both the science itself should be at the service of the people, and also the credibility that you obtain because of this knowledge.
This famous quote by the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)], completes the story in this context, “The Almighty God has taken a covenant from the scholars and scientists that they should not tolerate two things, the greediness of an oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed” (Elal al-Sharaye, 1: 151). They should not tolerate the avarice of an oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed. We need to react and respond.
Today, in the case of Gaza, we all have an obligation to respond. We must respond. Some people are hungry, some are being bombarded, and there are people being martyred in the hundreds. In these various fronts that exist in the world and in the country, scholars — both in the university and in the Islamic seminaries — need to, first of all, strive to recognize the truth, to make the truth clear, and to stand by the truth. Being indifferent or viewing things indifferently is not permissible for someone who is a scholar or a scientist.
The next point is regarding this commonly used method which I have repeatedly spoken about before, and that is the issue of scientific articles. I have discussed this issue two or three times before. I thought that the reminders given previously would be enough and the necessary changes would be made to correct this issue, but I have heard otherwise. In my opinion, there is no logic behind making the publication of research papers a condition for a faculty member’s promotion. It is really difficult to accept this.
I have no doubt that we should share in, be a part of, and participate in the scientific competition in the world. This should definitely be done. However, I do not see any logic behind requiring our professors and the faculty in our universities contact famous scientific journals and research centers in the world to be tested and ranked in order to get a promotion. That’s what publishing research papers means. It means determining your scientific rank according to a certain research center. I say this is not logical.
Yes, writing research papers is good. I completely agree that some of our country’s distinguished professors should conduct research in their own fields of study and publish prominent, highly cited papers in the world’s most prestigious journals and research centers. This should happen. But in my opinion, it is not logical for us to make the publication of an article a mandatory requirement for a promotion or to make this a rule for all the professors. Of course, good articles can raise the country’s scientific reputation and ranking. That is true. Appropriate methods should be found, and scientific management institutions of the country should devise ways to prevent the country’s scientific reputation from declining in global rankings.
Regarding articles and theses, I have said many times that the purpose of scientific articles, research articles, theses, and dissertations should be to help solve the country’s problems. That is the main purpose. Let’s not forget the point I mentioned a few moments ago that it is necessary to participate in the world’s scientific competitions, but the real goal is to help solve the country’s problems with the articles and scientific research.
All the issues that were mentioned here today — regarding the environment, regarding traditional medicine, and regarding automotive industry — these are issues that our country is facing and these problems exist in the hundreds. If we want to solve these problems with a scientific approach and using scientific methods, we need this research and these articles. Therefore, our articles and our students’ theses or dissertations should focus on these problems in order to solve them.
All fields of study, including healthcare, housing, security, nutrition, family, the environment, reforming governmental structures — reforming governmental structures is one of these topics — and international communication are all appropriate fields for scientific work and research. This is how it should be. We should not limit ourselves to journalistic work, where we just write articles in newspapers about topics such as international communications, political issues, and the like. We should not rely on these things. Proper scientific work should be carried out.
The final point in this regard is about our officials’ duty. Fortunately, the ministers, the First Vice President, and other officials are present here today. What I can briefly say in this regard is that the officials must work to make the academic elites feel useful and beneficial. One of the reasons behind these migrations and leaving the country, which is being discussed by the people and the press and some exaggerate in this regard, is that the academic elites feel that they cannot do anything here.
As I have mentioned previously, the academic elites have two expectations from the country’s administration. The first thing they expect is to have a job, to be employed, and to have a career. The second thing they want is to have the opportunity to continue their studies and education. One of the things that draws the academic elites to leave the country is that they have the opportunity to do research, to make progress, and do these sorts of things in some other countries. We should provide them with this opportunity along with employment here. What I want to say today is that if we were to summarize the expectations of the academic elites, their expectation is that they want to feel that they are useful for the country.
There are ways to do this. Fortunately, knowledge-based companies were mentioned two or three times today, and I have made a note of this. One of the best ways for the academic elites to feel that they are useful is to create knowledge-based companies. Knowledge-based companies lead to the country’s economic and scientific progress, they create exuberance in the country, they preserve our academic elites, and our academic elites are used for our country. Therefore, I insist on supporting knowledge-based companies.
And one of the ways to support them is by no longer importing from abroad the products these companies are making. I have recently received some complaints from knowledge-based companies where they have said, “We have made this product, but the administrative departments that are the consumers of this product import it from abroad.” Why? We must learn and get used to using domestic products, especially the government organizations that are often the important customers of these products. This matter, which is being repeated so often, is addressed to us first, the officials themselves, the government organizations, and the administrative departments. They should use domestic products and prioritize the products of knowledge-based companies.
Well, I’ve finished what I wanted to say. [But] I would like to say something else briefly, share a word with you, about the current events that are taking place in Palestine and Gaza. In the case of Palestine, what the world is seeing is the genocidal crime of the usurping regime. The entire world is seeing this. When the officials of some countries spoke with Iranian officials, they defended the usurping Zionist regime, saying in protest, “Why have the Palestinians killed civilians?”
First of all, this statement is not true. Those who are in the settlements are not civilians at all. They are all armed. Now, suppose there were some civilians. How many civilians were killed? This usurping regime is killing a hundred times more women, children, the elderly and the young — all civilians. The military forces don’t live in these buildings in Gaza. The military forces have their own places. And they [the Zionists] know that they [the people in these buildings] are civilians.
They choose crowded centers and strike there. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza up until now. In just these few days! This crime is being seen by everyone in the world. They must be prosecuted. The current usurping government of the Zionist regime must definitely be prosecuted today. They must be prosecuted, and the US government must realize it is responsible in this matter.
What numerous intelligence reports show us is that current policy these days — that is, the Zionist regime’s policy during the past week — is being formulated by the US. They are the ones making the policies. What they [Zionists] are doing is based on US policy. The Americans should pay attention that they are responsible for this. They’re responsible. The bombings must stop immediately. The Muslim nations are angry. They are truly angry.
You are seeing signs of this. Crowds are gathering [in protest], and not just in Muslim countries, but also in Los Angeles, in the Netherlands, in France, and in other European countries. In Western countries, Muslims and non-Muslims are gathering together. And it’s clear what’s happening in Muslim countries. People are angry.
If these crimes [by the Zionists] continue, the Muslims will lose their patience. The Resistance forces will lose their patience. No one will be able to stop them at that point. They should know this. They shouldn’t expect others to stop this or that group from doing these or those things. No one will be able to stop them once they have lost their patience. This is a reality. Of course, no matter what the Zionist regime does, it will not be able to compensate for the disgraceful defeat that it has experienced in this matter. [Attendees chant “Death to Israel!”] well, you said the final sentence. Thank you.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
