Today, the religious motivation of the people is being confronted from all sides. Their goal is to destroy faith – first youth’s faith and then the faith of people from various social backgrounds – under different names and in different ways. This is what is being done by the enemy today.
Religious understanding is necessary as well as religious faith. Religious faith should be accompanied by understanding. What is religious understanding? It is the same thing that the late Moddares said: “Our religion is the same as our politics and our politics is the same as our religion.” Our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) too highlighted and implemented the same concept. This is one of the elements of power in our country. Today, one of the main recommendations that American and English intellectual boards think about and work on and one of the main recommendations that they present and teach to press, media, internet, political and other such activists is that they say that political religion should be opposed.
In other words, this is a promotion to separate religion from politics. It means the separation of religion from life. It means that religion should be confined to the corner of the mosque, that it should exist only inside one’s home and heart and that it should not be put into practice. It means that the economy and politics should be secular. It means that giving in to the enemy should be done in a secular manner. It means that you should fight against your friends and support the enemy against the teachings of religion.
However, they want things to have a religious appearance. This is what they want. Religious understanding means that religion is not separate from the government. And I am speaking about all religions. Our claim is that all religions are like this. Even Christianity is like this, but a clear and obvious example is Islam. The first thing that the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) did after enduring difficulties in Makkah was establishing a government. He managed to promote religion by pouring it in the mold of government.
The separation of religion from government means that religion constantly talks and offers advice while superpowers do whatever they like - contrary to the teachings of religion and in opposition to it – and they can kick the supporters of religion in the head whenever they want. Non-political religion means this. This is what they want. This is what they pursue. However, this should not be the case. The understanding that religion is not separate from politics should exist among the people.
And the enemy of religion is afraid of the kind of religion which has a government, power, an army, an economy, a financial system and various bureaucratic organizations. He is afraid of such a religion. Otherwise, the kind of religion in which the people go to the mosque and pray is alright with them. They allow the people to do so for a hundred years. So, this is another element of power in our country.
You should know that the non-separation of religion from life and from politics and the flow of religion in all aspects of the life of society is a correct religious understanding. This should be achieved and pursued. Otherwise, the name of religion, the title of us clergymen and our act of wearing the turban and other such things do not do anything. We should really move in this direction.