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 untainted, pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
Welcome dear brothers, dear sisters, respected officials of [Khuzestan] province, and our dear, honorable religious scholars. I extend my congratulations to you on this blessed Eid, the grand celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). God willing, this meeting coinciding with this historic, important day will bring blessings to your efforts. Some of these efforts were mentioned, and we saw some examples here of the artistic work and other activities that have been carried out. Praise God, the memory of our martyrs has filled the atmosphere of our Hussainiyah. I extend a special welcome to the families of our dear martyrs.
Remembering the martyrs not only serves as a lesson for us, it also serves as a source of inspiration. It is also a duty. The Iranian society and nation is greatly indebted to the martyrs. The least we can do is to honor the memory of these honorable individuals. Your efforts, that is, organizing this event to honor the memory of the 24,000 martyrs of Khuzestan, which is a very large and significant figure, is very appropriate and timely.
I would like to say a few words about Khuzestan. During the Sacred Defense, which was a great test for the Iranian nation for eight years, Khuzestan played the role of a front trench. This is very important. [Khuzestan] was truly a resilient front trench. Khorramshahr was in one way, Abadan in another way, Dezful in one way, and Ahvaz in another way. The resistance of different cities like Shadegan, Hamidiyyeh, Susangerd, and other cities — some of which we have seen up close, and some we have only heard about — is truly considered to be an extraordinary and sometimes unparalleled phenomenon in the history that we know.
The Arab and Bakhtiari nomads, along with the Lurs, truly played an important role, and so did the people of Dezful under those strange bombings! The cities of Dezful, Ahvaz, Abadan, and Khorramshahr, which was the center and heart of the resistance in Khuzestan, [all bore the brunt of the resistance in this province]. These sacrifices eternalized the names of Khuzestan and these other cities, and this resistance is what determined the fate of the Iranian nation in this great test.
I have mentioned this before that Saddam assumed that just because a part of the population of Khuzestan were Arabs, they would welcome them [the Iraqi Baath regime] with open arms. [But] the opposite happened. The Arab families, both inside the cities and in the villages, [didn’t welcome them]. In one of the operations, which was around noon time, we went to a village to perform wudu [the minor ablution] and to pray. There were only about two or three Arab families living there. In that desert, in that dangerous area, and in the midst of the enemy forces, they chanted slogans in favor of the Islamic Republic. Furthermore, the women, men, and children welcomed us as we performed wudu and prayed. That is how Khuzestan responded in this region. The courageous generals, the valuable commanders of the army, Martyr Jahanara, Martyr Ali Hashemi, and Martyr Sayyid Hussain Alam al-Hoda, each one of them became national figures through their resistance and their steadfastness as they were engaged in all kinds of activities there.
Another point about Khuzestan that I have also mentioned previously is that Khuzestan became a manifestation of the solidarity of the Iranian nation. In other words, people’s lives, hearts, bodies, and determination from all over the country came together in Khuzestan to defend Islamic Iran. Of course, the war zone extended from the north to the south, but the primary target of the enemy and the main battlefield was this sensitive, important area of Khuzestan.
This is where the Iranian nation showed itself. Khuzestan became an epitome of the demonstration of the prominent qualities of the Iranian nation. This is what it means to be a lesson for others. Significant achievements were made during the Sacred Defense due to the unity of the people's hands, hearts, actions, efforts, thoughts, and determination. This serves as a lesson for us, both now and in the future. In all important matters, we must unite our determination, join hands, and stand together in body and spirit. This is the lesson. All the provinces of the country sent their best youth to Khuzestan, and from them the outstanding youth of the Iranian nation ascended [to heaven].
These events have taken place in Khuzestan during the time of the war, prior to that, following it, and have continued up to the present day. What I want to say is that aside from being rich in natural resources — such as in agriculture, oil, and industrial production — because of its very important history, Khuzestan is also a source for the formation of culture. It serves as a source of unforgettable lessons in culture and identity for the Iranian nation.
In each of these areas, some of which we have seen up close and others we have heard of — in northern Khuzestan, in the Dasht-e Abbas region, in Khorramshahr, and beyond — various events have taken place that could be the subject of hundreds of documentaries, films, television series, and books. These need to be recorded in history. Now, our friends there [in the exhibition near the Hussainiyah] and here mentioned that four films have been prepared. That is very good, but 400 films need to be produced [on this topic] and this can be done. It is possible.
No matter how much you reflect on the events in Khuzestan, when you come to know the details, you feel that there is a void waiting to be filled by a widespread cultural movement. Consider the various events that took place in Khuzestan including the iconic operations such as Fath al-Mobin, Beit al-Moqaddas, Kheibar, and all the other great operations that took place. From behind the scenes of these operations, to the depths of them, and the results of these operations, each of these can be the basis for rich, cultural, artistic works. This is one point to consider.
Another essential, important point to note is that what took place in Khuzestan was a combination of the people's efforts and their Islamic faith. That is, the upholder of determination of the people, the bravery of the youth, the sacrifices made by parents and spouses — all of these elements came together in Khuzestan — was Islamic faith. In other words, the significant occurrences in Khuzestan, which can serve as an example of the entire country, were brought about due to a combination of Islam and the people, Islamic faith and the determination and efforts of the people. By observing this reality, one becomes aware of the exactness of our great Imam [Khomeini] in choosing the title "Islamic Republic." Imam Khomeini knew both a republic and Islam, and he also clearly knew the public of the Iranian nation.
We have seen no other prominent figures — whether in our time or previous periods —who have sensed, known, and recognized such deep understanding and trust in the people like the magnanimous Imam. He spoke about the Iranian people from the very first days of the Revolution. In 1341 AHS [1962], which was the beginning of the [Revolutionary] movement, Imam Khomeini would point to the southern deserts of Qom with his hand and say that if we tell the people of Iran to come here, they will fill the deserts of Qom (Sahifeh-ye Imam, 1: 87). He knew the people. Even in those days, there were some who said “these people cannot be trusted,” but Imam Khomeini believed in the people.
In addition to knowing the people, Imam also knew Islam with a comprehensive, complete, progressive viewpoint. Imam viewed Islam as a school that could elevate and enlighten the souls of human beings, fostering the growth, progress, and enlightenment of the human race. He believed that Islam was sufficient for governing the human race. He did not view Islam as merely a calling to prayer from the minarets, worshipping in the mosques, and mending the hearts of individuals. He understood Islam to be something that should be active and effective in the field of politics, in administration, in governance, and in guiding humanity as a whole. This was the idea of Imam: "Islamic Republic."
You see, this is a very precise perspective. This is what led to those miracles in Khuzestan, sparked this great movement of the system of the Islamic Republic, and paved the way for its progress throughout the country. And it is still continuing.
This mindset, which combines a Republic with Islam, has been able to make the Islamic Republic stable. This mindset has preserved and protected the Islamic Republic. It has made it stronger day by day. The problem that the enemies of the Islamic Republic have is that they have no insight. They fail to understand the public of Iran and Islam. They conspired against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. They conspired and plotted, and they made predictions. They predicted that the Islamic Republic wouldn’t see its 40th birthday.
That is what the Americans said. They were convinced that their plans and conspiracies would succeed. [However], much to their dismay, the Islamic Republic’s progress has not been halted. The country has not stopped moving forward. Islamic Iran did not succumb to their aggressions. It did not succumb to their tricks, and it proudly persevered on its own path. We overcame many obstacles, and with God's will and power, the Iranian nation will continue to overcome the many other challenges that currently exist.
Let’s speak about Gaza. Today, the Islamic world truly mourns for Gaza. Everyone knows about the atrocities in Gaza committed by the evil, oppressive Zionist regime, this rabid dog. These events have shown two things. The first thing is the strength of Islamic faith. The resistance displayed by the Resistance forces in Gaza, which disappointed the enemy’s hopes of being able to eliminate them, stemmed from the power of Islam.
The patience demonstrated by the oppressed people of Gaza during the bombings and the pressures that were brought on them was due to their Islamic faith. So, this is where Islamic faith manifested itself. As you have probably heard, according to the news reports, many young people in Western countries, in the US and Europe, have started reading the Quran in order to see what it is in the Quran that has inspired the people who believe in it to be able to demonstrate this kind of resistance in the face of these horrendous, immense problems. Islam has manifested itself.
The second thing is that Western civilization has revealed its true nature. Despite their preaching about humanity and human rights, Western civilization has shown itself to be deceitful, hypocritical, and filled with lies. They oppose the execution of a criminal. For instance, when a murderer who has killed several people is to face retribution and has been given the death penalty, they start raising a commotion against his execution and saying that execution is bad. However, when 30,000 people have been executed by the Zionist regime over the course of three or four months, they close their eyes as if nothing has happened. Some of them, not even all of them, raise the question, “Why is Israel doing these things and slaughtering people.” They say this verbally, but in practice, they continue to support [the Zionist regime], providing them with weapons and necessary goods.
The United States shamelessly vetoes the resolution for a ceasefire for stopping the bombing of the people for the umpteenth time. Western civilization has shown itself here. This is the true nature of Western civilization. Western culture, Western civilization, and these well-dressed Western politicians, this is their true nature. On the outside, they appear with a smile on their faces, but on the inside, they are like a rabid dog and a bloodthirsty wolf. This is the true nature of Western civilization. This is the liberal democracy of the West. They are neither liberal nor democratic. They are liars. They do what they want with their hypocrisy.
We hope that, God willing, people around the world will gain a better understanding of the facts in these various events and learn more about Islam and the West. And we are certain, we are sure, that this Western civilization and its misguided values will not prevail. It will not continue, and, God willing, the culture based on truth and the correct reasoning of Islam will ultimately triumph over all of these. That day will come soon, by the will of God.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
