The following is the full text of the speech delivered on May 7, 2008 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to executive officials in Fars province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Today, on the last day of my trip, in this meeting, which has been arranged with you dear executive officials serving in various parts of this province, I would like to express my gratitude to you rather than offer you advice and recommendations.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to the esteemed people of Shiraz and the other towns in this province for their kindness and hospitality - which are considered among the well-known characteristics of the people of this region.
I should also apologize to the people of the towns which I did not find the opportunity visit, and I therefore sent my representatives to these towns. This is thankfully a vast province consisting of numerous counties. I wish I could talk to all the people living in various parts of this province. "There are many aspirations that one cannot achieve." But many of the youth and our brothers and sisters took the trouble and traveled to Shiraz from other towns. On the first day and the following days, they took the trouble and participated in different meetings that I had arranged. I express my sincere gratitude to these people as well.
As the esteemed general-governor pointed out, Fars province enjoys vast potentialities, which are also mentioned in the reports regarding this province. This province enjoys vast potentialities in natural resources, differences in climatic conditions in the northern and southern parts of the province, and most importantly, the human resources, which are truly outstanding.
All those who serve the people of this province at different levels must be grateful to Allah. These understanding, affectionate, and talented people justly deserve being served. It is truly enjoyable to serve these people. Of course, you yourselves are often one of these people. When one observes the characteristics of the people of Shiraz and Fars province, one feels that it is truly a blessing to serve these people who enjoy such qualities, affections, perspicacity, and talents. This is a great opportunity, and you must appreciate it. You must be grateful to Allah and appreciate this opportunity wherever you are, no matter in what branch of the government or at what level. You must serve the people and spend time on attending to their problems. You must show reverence for the people and those who refer to you. All people deserve respect, no matter where they live. And when one observes prominent human qualities in a group of people, one is more inclined to respect them. This is the main piece of advice that I have for you dear brothers.
During this trip, a number of decisions were made regarding different issues in this province. The honorable administration has allocated sufficient funds to carry out the decisions made on this trip. Government officials are going to hold a meeting today and turn these decisions into bills. You must try your utmost to implement these bills as soon as possible. You must translate these decisions into action so that the people can reap the benefits.
I believe one of the most important things that has to be paid due attention to in Shiraz is the centrality of its holy shrines. Few cites in our country enjoy such a privilege and such a prominence. The existence of three noble descendants of the Imams (a.s.) - who are certain to be descended from the Imams (a.s.) - and many other descendants who are buried in this city raise the spiritual position of this city and help connect this city to the leadership of the Prophet's (s.w.a.) household. This aspect of the city - which shows the spirit and noble meaning of the adherence of the people of Fars province to the leadership of the Prophet's (s.w.a.) household - should be advertised and made prominent in IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), and in various innovations that take place in service-related and economic fields, to mention but a few. After Mashhad and Qom, this city enjoys the greatest number of the descendants of the Prophet's (s.w.a.) household. Both providing service to the pilgrims to these shrines and introducing these shrines to the hearts of enthusiastic believers inside and outside the country are among the things that have to be done.
In spite of having prominent potentialities, the people of this province are modest. This is one of the things that are often noticed in this province. The people of this province are highly virtuous and educated but do not boast and show off what they have. This fact can be easily observed here. They have had many luminaries both in the past and in the present era. I enjoyed meeting the elites in scientific and literary areas, and also entrepreneurs and individuals who are useful to society - in terms of both theory and practice. However, the people of Shiraz do not shout the existence of these potentialities from the rooftops. The people of Fars province are not fond of boasting, and one can easily see that. It was said that the people of Fars province are happy-go-lucky, meaning they are not fond of working. I would say that they are just modest. Otherwise, the people are hard-working here. Their scientific, practical, industrial, and agricultural activities are praiseworthy. The people of Fars province do not boast. They do not want to be in the spotlight. One can clearly see that this is still a prevalent mood in Shiraz. The people of Shiraz are not fond of showing off and ostentation. However, this city enjoys many potentialities, and these potentialities have to be utilized.
Yesterday, one of the gentlemen brought up the subject of the art academy and strengthening the status of art. Some people assume that art is the same as immorality, debauchery, and secularism. This is a misconception. Art is one of the beautiful manifestations of creation that has been placed within man. The faults that some insightful people have constantly pointed out as criticisms against art are related to the wrong direction that art can take: using art in order to lead people astray and make them immoral. Otherwise, if art is accompanied by the spirit of religion and is in line with religion it can be one of the most prominent faculties that man enjoys, and, thankfully, this is the prevalent mood today. If you take a look at our poets, painters, and various artistic fields, you can often see that their work is accompanied by the spirit of religiousness and piety. This is by no means a drawback. It would be excellent if we could have a center for training artistic skills and strengthening the position of art here, which has the right orientation. It would be really good if this great faculty could be channeled in this way.
One of the things that is the focus of attention in this province and deserves further consideration is the issue of tourism. The tourist attractions of this place have doubled due to the fact that the immaculate shrine of Ahmad Ibn Musa (greetings be upon him, his father, and his brother) lies here. This place houses many shrines and enjoys many tourist attractions. I presume the money that we can gain out of tourism here would obviate the need for all other sources of revenue if government officials and those who serve in this province can use tourism in an appropriate way through proper advertisement and orientation. The issue of tourism is very important indeed.
Let me make a reference to the pre-Islamic historical monuments, including Persepolis and other historical monuments in this province. One may have two different perspectives on such monuments which should be separated from each other. One perspective is that such monuments belong to dictators of history. Every monument you see is somehow related to one of the dictators and evil regimes of human history.
From such a perspective, one may have a negative attitude towards such monuments. Such monuments are unattractive to the majority of those who are faithful and naturally despise autocracy and dictatorship. But there is a different perspective as well, and that is the fact such monuments are the result of the artistic skills of the Iranians. They are the product of the growing and creative minds of the Iranians during the previous years and centuries. Such a view constitutes a positive perspective on the issue. All the historical monuments that exist across the country - in Fars province, in Isfahan or in other parts of the country - fall into this category. It is true that these monuments were once used by dictators, but one should know who really erected them. They are the product of the Iranians' creative minds, their artistic skills, and their high-minded views. They are the result of the Iranians' creative minds, and these are sources of pride for a nation. When we look at these monuments from such a perspective, we come up with positive results. Persepolis and other monuments should be introduced to the world.
Things that are not really worth being considered as honors are sometimes used as historical honors in the modern world. Those who do not have historical honors create some for themselves. We have these historical honors. All these historical honors are a source of self-confidence for our nation. Why not show them to the world?
Somebody who had taken a trip to Greece told me that they usually take tourists to different tourist centers. He said that one day they took him and the other tourists to a place and told them: "This is the place where Iranian troops were defeated by the Greek." They simply take people to an empty desert and tell them that the desert is where the Iranian troops were deployed and were defeated. They try to prove historical facts by showing an empty space to the tourists. As far as I know, near Kazerun there is the statue of Valerian, the Roman emperor, who kneeled down at the feet of the Iranian king. You can simply show them this place: an eye for an eye! There are many positive points that can give them an idea about our past.
Of course, I firmly believe in the fact that what the Iranians achieved after Islam is by no means comparable to what they had achieved in the pre-Islamic era. During the Islamic era, namely in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries, Iranians were at the peak of knowledge, civilization, politics, and economy in the world. No country in the world - neither in the East, nor in the West, Asia, or Europe - had reached such high levels then, and this is a blessing from Islam. Iranians had never reached such high levels before then. This part of our history was unprecedented during the rule of different dynasties - from the Buyid dynasty to the Ghaznavid Empire, to the Seljuq dynasty and the rest. But the pre-Islamic part of history belongs to the Iranian nation as well. That era is also part of Iran's history. The fact that some evil rulers were in charge then and followed false traditions is a different issue. However, one cannot ignore the artistic skills of Iranians.
You should work a lot on the issue of tourism in this province, both in regard to the Islamic shrines which exist in this province, and in regard to the luminaries of Persian literature and art. You have some of the most prominent figures in these areas in your province, namely Hafiz and Saadi. You should also pay a lot of attention to what existed in our history in the past.
Here is an agricultural center, and I believe this is one of the things that has to taken into consideration. Of course, this issue will, by Allah's favor, be summed up by our friends and they will put the conclusions into practice. I deem it necessary that a center be established in this city for a long-term fight against drought. This requires extensive research, and there are numerous ways to do it. This is one of the centers that can be established here. As you said, you have some unique centers regarding medical sciences. You can have a unique center for fighting drought as well. Of course, there are many things that can be done in this province. By Allah's grace, the officials will find the opportunity to do it. I also hope that wherever you live you will find the opportunity to help implement these programs.
You must appreciate the opportunity to serve the public. You must appreciate this public presence on the scene. You must appreciate this attention and spiritual readiness on the part of our esteemed people. You should ask Allah the Exalted for assistance and guidance in this regard. God will hopefully assist you. You must ask Allah the Exalted to provide the means to achieve increasing progress for this country through your efforts and the efforts of the government officials. You must ask Allah the Exalted to improve the future of this province and this country.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings