They were martyred in the way of God and the progress of Islam. They did not say to themselves, "We are a people who do not want to fall behind such and such a country and government. This is why we have entered the arena of science". Of course, this was one of their motives, but they had another motive which is more important. They were trying to bring honor to Islam and the Islamic government with their scientific movement.
From the beginning of the Revolution, one of the ideas that they bombarded us with was that when Islam dominates a country, the gate of knowledge and civilization will be closed to the people who cherish it. This is one of the accusations that they have leveled at us from the beginning. Well, in the beginning, we had no reason to dismiss this accusation. In 1360s, we could not do anything to dismiss this accusation. The only feat that our youth accomplished was jihad and faith. Well, the world accepted this. It said, "Their faith is good, but in such a society, scientific activity and progress, civilization and development are not possible".
However, our youth proved them wrong. Our scientists - whether this martyr or the others who were martyred before him - proved them wrong. The youth who conquered scientific arenas, introduced new ideas and displayed their ground-breaking identity, their brilliant talents and their great capacities and capabilities brought dignity and honor to the Islamic Republic. Can a country and a system say that they will make progress in science without proving it in action? Well, we used to deliver speeches about this progress, but such speeches are of no value and they will not convince anyone. They should bring their capabilities to the arena and show how this scientific progress will be achieved.
Statements made during a meeting with family of Shahid Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan; Jan 19, 2012
