The following is the full text of the Speech delivered on May 3, 2008 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to a group of students in Shiraz, Fars province.
It is a very interesting and cordial meeting which is being held in Shiraz in an academic atmosphere. Shiraz has been a center for science throughout history. A university in Shiraz means a scientific center located inside another scientific center. The different groups of students and academics who are present here have turned this meeting into a scientific, social, and political stage in the real sense of the word. I feel rejuvenated in my meeting with the youth - especially students - in such atmospheres. All elderly people have the same feeling. When in the company of the youth, they feel young and full of enthusiasm. Therefore, I never get tired of listening to students' words, whether they are elites or the representatives of different groups. I never get tired of talking to you. The only problem with this meeting is that it is being held outdoors, and the hot sun is a bit difficult to tolerate in the month of May in Shiraz. Although I am sitting in shade, I feel it is hot. But you are sitting in the sun - particularly the dear ladies who are wearing chador - and this makes me feel uncomfortable.
First of all, let's take a look at the points that these esteemed friends and students and the honorable dean said. I deem it necessary to talk about some of the points. Most of the things that they said are same as what I intend to discuss with the academics, students, and administrative university officials. However, it is necessary that we discuss some of the comments that these friends made. It was mentioned that elites are not supported sufficiently and that the officials do not treat this issue seriously. You must note that in this issue, like all other issues, official mechanisms play a major role. This is not to say that we should be lost in the labyrinth of bureaucracy. Rather, it means that there is a need for a decision-making organization or center. In the past two years, I believe this has been done in the best possible way. That is to say, a very prominent academic is currently serving as the vice-president. As far as I know and according to the reports I have received, positive things are being done in this regard. I sometimes hear you say - as I did when I was young - that something has to be done immediately. It is not right to use the word "immediately" in all situations. There are some things that are by nature time-consuming, and if they are done quickly, we will encounter difficulties. We must let things be done at the rate their nature requires.
The representative of the Students' Basij raised a point, and I myself also want to make the same demand. They ask me "to what extent has the indigenous Islamic development plan been put into practice?" I proposed this plan a couple of years ago. I believe that designating a research center for students is a good suggestion. It behooves the officials in charge of higher education to consider this suggestion. It is a good idea. We ought to provide the students who have the capabilities and the required time with a chance to work in a research centre. This is an idea that is worthy of consideration, and it could be pursued.
You talked about the issue of decision-making. Let me clarify this issue here. Being able to present proposals for decisions to be made is very good. But making decisions is a problem that will undermine many of the principles if it penetrates academic atmospheres. We know this from experience. We should let students, who do not shoulder heavy responsibilities, prepare the ground for decision-making with their thoughts, words, and actions. And we should leave decision-making to those who can be held responsible. We should not be after turning academic settings into a center that will make decisions to be enforced later on. This is neither to the students' benefit, nor contributes towards the decision that is to be made. We should seek to create opportunities for academic centers to prepare the ground for decision-making. This means that you should provide opportunities for negotiation in this process.
When I intended to raise the issue of a new software movement, I talked to the students at universities before anybody else. This goes back to almost ten years ago. At that time, I had neither talked to the ministers nor to the then president. I had not even talked to academics at that time. I raised the issue at Amirkabir University for the first time. Today, it is a subject for discussion and a public demand. This is a demand by all universities in the country. Wherever I go, there is a demand for this movement by students, academics, and deans. I also hear people talk about the implementation of this demand, and it is being implemented.
The various scientific innovations are partly inspired by these mottos: "Present proposals " and "Create opportunities for negotiation". This will cause the executive officials to pursue the proposals. Then they will make decisions which will later be implemented. The point that seemed interesting to me in the speech by one of the PhD students was that a medical student was supporting the students of basic sciences. This is indeed right. Paying attention to basic sciences is among the points which I have constantly emphasized in my addresses to the officials in the recent years. I have always said that basic sciences are like a treasury. Applied sciences are like the money that we take out of this treasury and put in our pockets and spend. If had not been for basic sciences, there would have been no support for such spending. The point this medical student made is completely relevant, and I think the words of this medical student can be a lesson for other students. It tells them not to look at the issues with a bias towards their field, university, or subject matter. They should really have a view on what the country needs. The fact that this medical student supported the students of basic sciences was in my opinion a good lesson.
There were a couple of good points mentioned in the speech by the representative of the Islamic Associations of Shiraz. I support these views form the bottom of my heart. Let me clarify the issue to some extent. There are some people who say "you" claim to support justice, yet you arrest students but not those who really trample upon justice. They say the judiciary or the officials have done this, that and the other. The point here is that you have to act shrewdly in such cases. You should not stop seeking justice. This is what you deserve. Students, the youth, and faithful people rightly deserve to seek justice, and I support this notion with all my heart. Thank God, the Islamic system supports this notion too. Of course the law might be violated in some cases by some people. However, you should be vigilant. Shout for justice, but do not criticize individuals or focus on certain cases. When you do so, the very first possibility is that you might have made a mistake. I have seen such cases before. I sometimes see certain cases - of course not at universities, but among different social groups - that they focus on a particular instance. The case could be one of corruption, political violations, or adopting the wrong policies. Sometimes I happen to be informed of the issue, but later find out that what they say is not true and the person who says such things has been mistaken. Probably he has not been well informed about the issue. Therefore, when you focus on certain individuals or cases, there is on the one hand the possibility of being mistaken, and on the other hand the possibility of providing some law violators who are well familiar with the law with a chance to sue you. I have always told you that law violators who are familiar with the law are dangerous.
What complaints can you make to the magistrate? It is not the responsibility of a judge to inspect the nature of the issue if people go to a court of law and accuse others of slander, saying that they have made false claims against them. If someone is accused of slander, the law forces the judge to take some action. Therefore, we cannot make any complaints to him. You should be prudent in such cases and not mention names. You should not focus on any particular cases. You should just bring up the case. When you do so, those who are responsible for administration will be cautious. And this in turn will hearten those who shout for that principle, and everything will go on successfully. Therefore, I do not think there is anything wrong with what you do. You are a group of faithful youth, and this is what we expect from you. Whenever a good slogan is shouted, we first rely on God - who has control over all hearts, tongues, and wills - and then on the youth. This is what you should know.
Your fellow citizen whose poem you read says you should not easily get upset. You should pursue your goals. I also repeat the same thing for that dear brother who mentioned a number of points very eloquently. These words were exactly what I wanted to say, but the difference between me and you is that I have learned through experience that one should be a little patient when dealing with problems. You are young and still at the beginning of the way. You are full of enthusiasm and little impatient. They are all good characteristics, except for impatience. Of course there is no cure for it. I do not intend to say that there are a lot of ways to cure this impatience. I have also gone through the same stage and know what it is like. But I intend to tell you that all of what you said and every slogan that is shouted in this country will, by Allah's favor, be actualized in this country.
One of the female students made a complaint regarding the Payame Noor University. The officials in charge should pay attention to the points mentioned. If there really are areas that need to be improved, then they must be improved.
There was also a point mentioned by one of our dear brothers who was an elite student at the Islamic Azad University. It was a correct remark. Talking about the government's plans, before going through a trial and error process, at universities and research centers is very good. Of course, I should tell you that the government officials and the honorable president often claim that they do so. You cannot say that they never do so. I have constantly mentioned this point to the officials, especially to the diligent and sincere president. He says that they talk about the issues at universities. He says they have done so at universities or that a particular research group has taken measures in this regard. Anyway, this is a good idea. That student also talked about the issue of inequality and such matters at the Islamic Azad University. There was also another student who had not found the opportunity to speak at the meeting. He came here and told me something in a loud voice. I could hear that he was saying the opposite thing. This means that two students at Azad University have two different opinions regarding the different issues at Azad University. He made a couple of complaints about the cultural status of Azad University.
What I intend to tell you dear people now is an elaboration on what I said in my address to the people on the first day of my trip. It was about a comprehensive view on the Revolution. This is because we are on the verge of entering the fourth decade of the Islamic Revolution's life. Almost 30 years have passed. At such times, the different views on a particular event - like the great event of the Islamic Revolution - are accompanied by an evaluation of performance. After thirty years the Islamic evolution is still going through its early stages. There is no doubt about that. Every revolution enjoys a lot of power, especially the Islamic Revolution. But when you look at the thirty-year period, you usually tend to judge the performance and success of the Revolution.
We should not make any mistakes in this judgment. And we cannot deal with such a detailed task through an overall perspective. Let me make a few points in this regard. Of course, I would like to elaborate on the issue more, but the weather and the sun bother me a little and I cannot deal with the issue in detail. What I am going to talk about is what you dear youth already know. You know me well. I have said on several occasions that it is not the case that what I say cannot be changed. You should not think that what I say cannot be changed. I express my personal opinion and I would like these opinions to be discussed in academic settings. This was my main point of view which will be discussed. I might not draw a comprehensive conclusion at the end of this meeting with the purpose of letting you draw the conclusions - in your gatherings, in academic groups, or among yourselves.
If we look at the Islamic Revolution and its emergence from a broad perspective, the minor details will not mislead us. Sometimes being obsessed with the details and losing sight of the whole picture is misleading. Sometimes one even gets lost and loses sight of one's goals. This is not to say that we should not be meticulous because attention to details is the same as planning, and I am not opposed to this. Making plans and considering all aspects means that we are being meticulous. All I want to say is that this attention to different aspects must not prevent us from having a holistic view of things. That is because such a view can teach us a great deal.
I have considered a few aspects for this issue, and let me discuss these aspects. The first aspect is the purpose of the Revolution. The purpose of the Revolution was to build a country with the following characteristics: Independent, free, wealthy, secure, faithful, observing moral and ethical values, and at the vanguard of scientific or other sorts of achievement in the competitions in the great human community. And there has always been a competition among humans in their achievements, in science, and in their other desires and achievements. The Revolution intended to build a country that was free. Freedom is not only limited to social freedom - of course social freedom is one of the important manifestations of freedom. By freedom, we mean both social freedom and freedom of the country from outsiders and their domination. The country is at times apparently independent, but it is under the influence of others. We also mean moral freedom which means the faithfulness of humans and moral perfection which is the primary goal. Everything that is done is a base for humans' perfection. This should be manifested in the Islamic community.
A country with such characteristics was what the Revolution desired. You may ask how the Revolution intended to achieve these characteristics, or on what bases these characteristics were defined. I should tell you that they were based on Islam. These are the main characteristics of Islam. Whoever has a different view about Islam has not properly understood Islam. Those who think that Islam only deals with moral issues - with a specific point of view regarding moral aspects of life such as worship, piety, remembering God, and the like - and does not care for the worldly needs, desires, and pleasures of people have not properly understood Islam. Such a view about Islam is not correct. Everything I said - both what is concerned with the worldly issues of society including justice, security, welfare, wealth, freedom, and independence and what is concerned with issues in the hereafter including faithfulness, piety, ethical growth, and moral perfection - lie in the word of Islam.
The Holy Quran says: "And if the people of the towns had believed and kept their duty, We would certainly have opened for them blessings from the heavens and the earth. But they rejected, so We seized them for what they earned." [Holy Quran, 7:96]. When there is faith and piety, there will be blessings from the heavens and the earth. The blessings from heavens are in fact moral blessings - blessings from God. They mean getting closer to God. Those blessings also include the angels asking God to forgive His servants on earth. The blessings from earth mean everything that is related to humans' life on earth. They mean freedom, welfare, independence, security, God's bountifulness, health, and the like. If there is faithfulness and piety, there will be both kinds of blessings for humans. This is what Islam means. Therefore, when I talk about the Islamic Revolution, I mean the points I just mentioned.
This was part of the Revolution. We intended to build a country which had such characteristics. There is another point about this issue, and that is the fact that the issue was not only limited to Iran. What we had in mind was that Iran would act as a model for Muslim communities in the first place, and then for all communities in the world. We wanted to build such a community based on these characteristics and present it as a model to the Islamic community and all humans. By 'we', I mean the Iranian nation, the Islamic Revolution, and the revolutionary people in Iran. I do not mean myself and some other people only. We wanted them to come to believe that this model is both desirable and practical for the people. We did not want them to think that this model is desirable but not practical. They used to say so during the Islamic campaigns.
Some people who had good intentions used to say: "Why do you make futile efforts?" They used to say: "Your words are right, but they are not practical." The Revolution aimed to prove to all the people in various corners of the Islamic world that this model is practical. And this [the Revolution] is a case in point. This was the goal of the Revolution. This goal existed since the beginning of the Revolution, and I should tell you that it is still our goal today, and will be our goal in the future as well. This is a constant goal. This was the first aspect of the issue.
The second aspect of the issue is that the Islamic Republic had this goal. We are not living in a vacuum. We are living with the realities. The issue is how much the realities contributed to or hindered our progress towards these goals. Certainly, it would not take a long time to reach this goal if the obstructions, which I am going to talk about, did not exist. A strong and unified group would have probably been able to actualize these goals during 5 to 10 years. But there are always barriers in humans' ways. It is basically the existence of such barriers that makes one's efforts meaningful and morally true. This is what we call jihad. If there were no barriers, jihad would be meaningless. Jihad means making efforts in a serious manner together with overcoming the barriers.
What were the barriers? We faced two kinds of barriers - internal and external. What were the internal barriers? The internal barriers are those things that exist among ourselves - decision makers, the people, and the supervisors who were not part of the Revolution and its challenges. This is what I mean by internal barriers. The internal barriers are in fact the weaknesses - weakness of thought and wisdom, being laid-back and carefree, and not taking matters seriously. These sometimes present obstacles to the achievement of our goals. Our estimations and calculations about the problems and what we are going to do should be realistic or at least close to the realities. Not taking matters seriously is the same as being laid-back and carefree. This is also one of the problems. Escaping challenges is also one of our internal weaknesses.
One of the other internal weaknesses is the social attitudes and the historical habits which existed among us [the Iranian nation] at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. The youth of today might not have a correct picture of our psychological status or historical attitudes at the time of the Islamic Revolution's victory. Today, we see that the idea of being capable [of making achievements] is prevalent among everyone. Even if they ask you whether you can outperform the pioneers of the most delicate and accurate industries in the world, you are going to say you can. If we make efforts, we can. The young Muslim scientists of the Islamic Republic believe they are capable of doing anything. However, this was not the case at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. Previous attitudes were exactly opposite to this. Whenever there was talk of a new challenge, they said they were unable to handle them. They were asked to make something, but they said that they could not. We said we had to oppose the false mottos which were spread in the world, but they said they did not have the power to do so. Those days, the belief that "we can" was replaced by "we cannot". This is the historical attitude that has been left from the previous era.
Being oppressed, getting bullied, and witnessing debauchery in those from whom the society expected justice, decency, and purity had turned into a habit. This means that prior to the Islamic Revolution people would not be surprised if they were informed that some high-ranking government official - the highest ranked official was the Pahlavi Shah - or minister had been involved in debauchery and immoral behavior. They would say this is something evident! I mean they were used to the indecency and corruption of the officials who were supposed to act morally and ethically.
I was surprised to know that some intoxicated caliph had led the morning prayers of a group of people. Such stories exist both about this caliph and a king who had been appointed by one of the caliphs. This story exists in the history of Islam, and it is a famous and true story. The morning prayers consist of two rikaats, but since he was intoxicated he had prayed six rikaats. They had told the king that you prayed extra rikaats, and he had said: "I am happy, and I can do even more if you want." This story exists in history. Those days, people saw that the caliph was involved in such immoral behavior, but they just tolerated and acted indifferently towards such behavior. This was the case during the Pahlavi era as well. During the Pahlavi era - which we went through prior to the victory of the Islamic Revolution - things were all the same. People would not be surprised to see that the ruler of an Islamic country was involved in debauchery, drinking, and libertinism.
I may have told you before that one of the great ulama of Tabriz who was very knowledgeable and whom I had seen before - he was my father's teacher - was a very scholarly but naive person. I had once travelled to Tabriz and I heard his students and friends who were interested in him narrate a story about him. They said once Muhammad Reza Pahlavi had come to Tabriz during his youth and had gone to see this great scholar. He had gone to see him in the school where he taught as a sign of respect for him. This scholar, who was very knowledgeable and faithful but naïve, had been attracted to the Shah and had started to praise him. His friends had told him that the person whom you praise does immoral acts - the sort of acts which would be very obscene in his opinion. For instance, they told him that the Shah drinks alcohol. He had said: "Well, he is the king. Do you not expect him to drink? ". They had told him that he does gambling, and he had said: "He is the king. What other games do you expect him to play?" The common belief was that because someone was the king, or because someone was a minister, he could get involved in debauchery and libertinism or exhibit immoral behavior. This was one of the habits that were common in our society. These are the internal barriers. These are the things that place obstacles in the way of achieving a lofty goal. Wrath, untrained and uncontrolled desires, being attracted to superstitious habits and beliefs inherited from the past, and misunderstanding the principles of religion are among the internal barriers.
There were some people who did not understand many of the issues. We were leading a campaign, but some people were against such campaigns based on the belief that every flag that is raised before the flag of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) is to be burnt. They said: "Do you want to start a campaign before that of Imam Mahdi?" They said that the flag of such a campaign is to be lowered. They had not properly understood the meaning of this hadith. A group of people who had heard at the beginning of Islam, at the time of the Imams (a.s.), that Imam Mahdi will come and fill the world with justice claimed to be Imam Mahdi. There were even some people who were not sure about the issue themselves. You should note that such claims existed both at the time of the Umayyad Dynasty and at the time of the Abbasid Dynasty. Such beliefs were also common among other people who were present at the time of the Abbasid Dynasty and the following eras, up to the present moment. If someone raises such a flag, it is to be burnt. This does not mean that people should not oppose tyranny, or that people should not fight or rise up to form a divine and Islamic community based on the principles set by Imam Ali (a.s.). This represents a misunderstanding of religion. As you see, these were all the internal barriers which existed after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. We wanted to direct the country towards those goals despite those barriers. Every one of those problems was a hindrance to our progress towards those goals.
Of course, the problems were solvable. Many of the problems were solved through enlightenment. Therefore, in Islamic campaigns, enlightenment plays an important role. Let me tell the youth who feel responsible in this regard that enlightenment plays a very important role. In Islamic movements, enlightenment - that is the expression of facts, propagation, and the way the message is conveyed - are very important and one should not ignore this fact. This is contrary to the Marxist ideology which was common at that time and which was opposed to propagation. They believed that campaigns were phenomena that occur naturally whether you want it or not, or whether you propagate or not.
This means that according to their dialectic, they believed that there was no need for enlightenment in our campaign. In the year 1970, a youth from Mashhad who was familiar with me and who was connected to one of these groups which were newly formed those days, met with me somewhere. They were a group of communists - the Jungle group and the like. He explained to me what they intended to do. I told him that what they wanted to do was not possible in that social context. I told him to talk to people a little, clarify their goals, and explain to the people what they wanted to do. But he said with total inattention, "that is the Islamic method". Yes, this is the Islamic method. The Islamic method is rooted in enlightenment, and it was due to such enlightenment that the Islamic Revolution overcame many false historical traditions and backgrounds. Of course, we have not been able to overcome some of those traditions yet - like consumerism, being profligate, and the things which some of you talked about - and this has its own reasons. This is among the things which we have inherited from the past, and we have unfortunately kept this inheritance. We - the Iranian nation - should quit this nasty irritating habit. We are a very consumerist nation, and we should solve this problem. Everyone should cooperate to solve this problem. Of course, undoubtedly the IRIB plays a role in this regard. These were the internal factors.
Then, there are the external factors which were many. All those who were disadvantaged in one way or another by the Revolution or its goals rose up against the Revolution. Some people are disadvantaged by security. Some are disadvantaged by justice, and some by the rejection of non-divine governments. Others are disadvantaged because outsiders' domination is rejected. Some people are also disadvantaged due to the rejection of despotism. These are clear facts and need not be explained. Who is disadvantaged by justice, independence, freedom or the like? All these people have risen up against the Revolution, and their opposition still continues.
You might not remember the beginning of the Revolution. During the first year of the Revolution, there were clashes and conflicts in all corners of the country due to ethnic reasons. In Baluchestan, in Kurdistan, in Turkmen Sahra, and in different parts of the country, there were clashes due to ethnic reasons. When they investigated the matter, it was found out that none of these ethnic groups had any problems with Islam or the Islamic Revolution. I had previously lived in Baluchestan. I had been banished there, and I knew the Balochi people. I knew that they did not have the slightest problem with the Revolution. But some people, under the name of Balochi people opposed the Revolution through a plot. The same thing is true about Kurdistan and Turkmen Sahra as well. Later, their plots were foiled, and we discovered where they were being provoked from. These were the barriers which lay ahead of the Islamic Revolution. It was not the case that we were continuing our path without any barriers.
After the issue of ethnicities, there was the issue of our internal battles. It has a really bitter story, a very saddening one. Then there was the imposed war. The great power which our nation used against the enemies, and which brought the enemies to their knees - not only Saddam, but also those who supported him were brought to their knees by the Islamic Revolution - would have helped us make a great deal of progress if it had been used for construction purposes in the Islamic Republic. Of course, we benefited from the imposed war. We used this threat as one of the best opportunities. The Iranian nation turned all threats into a great opportunity and a great test in the real sense of the word. It was a great stage for gaining experience, and we gained many benefits from that.
But there was also the reality that imposing war on a country causes great problems for that country. The world's monopolistic powers, the internal rebels, the plots of the superpowers, and the tempting political and economic propaganda of the superpower that had been denied any rights to Iran by the Islamic Revolution - namely the U.S. whose policies still continue - acted all as barriers to this great movement of the Iranian nation. Now you evaluate the movement of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic towards those goals despite the existence of these barriers. If I were to evaluate this movement, I would say the performance of the Islamic Republic has been so good. The performance of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution has been very good and successful. Can anyone tolerate all these problems? At that time, such government changes had taken place in Africa, Asia, and many other places. None of the governments could tolerate the difficulties. Also during the pre-Revolution era, many great revolutions in the world - such as the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution of 1917 - could not resist these different events. I mean they were deviated from their course from the very first day.
Being democratic, Islamic, and moving towards the ideals - the fact that a youth comes here after thirty years and says in a loud voice that the ideals of the Revolution are his wishes and demands - is a great achievement for the Revolution. It was never the same in other revolutions.
Take a look at the literary works of the 19th century in France which go back to the end of the 18th century when the French Revolution took place. Early in the 19th century, Napoleon started his rule. Then, look at the literary works of mid 18th century - 1830 to 1840 - which are many. Take a look at their poetry and novels, and you will see what a situation they were in 30 years after the victory of their revolution. There was total despotism, corruption, and a dreadful state of class discrimination at that time although there were mottos of justice, equality and anti-despotism. This achievement of the Islamic Revolution is a great achievement. Worse than that was the Russian Revolution of 1917. And the events which took place in the contemporary era were mainly revolutions in name only. They were mainly coups, or an armed group seizing power in a country, like Cuba and other places. Most of these movements happened in the same way I mentioned. They could not overcome the difficulties or remove the barriers.
Consider the barriers. All these barriers are among God's laws. The existence of these barriers is not accidental. These are among God's laws. It means that all efforts and movements are accompanied by hindrances. Otherwise, jihad would be meaningless. "And thus did We make for every prophet an enemy, the devils from among men and jinn, some of them inspiring others with gilded speech to deceive (them)."[Holy Quran, 6:112]. In all invitations made by the prophets, enemies - hindrances - such as man and jinn were present. There is also another Quranic verse: "And thus have We made in every town the leaders of its guilty ones, that they may make plans therein. And they plan not but against themselves, and they perceive not." [Holy Quran, 6:123]. There have always been groups of people in every community whose presence is the cause of evil and deception. These are all among God's laws. This means that the prophets never said that they would only enter the scene if there were no barriers. They entered the scene while the atmosphere and the scene were really tough and full of battles, just like the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic.
But it is also God's law that if the prophets' movements or divine movements, an instance of which is the Islamic Revolution, were persistent and continued all barriers would be removed. This is also one of God's laws. There are two verses in Fath surah which read: "And others which you have not yet been able to achieve -- Allah has surely encompassed them. And Allah is ever Powerful over all things. And if those who disbelieve fight with you, they will certainly turn (their) backs, then they will find no protector nor helper." [Holy Quran, 48:21, 22]. This means that if you stand up and resist, if you do not lose track of your goal, and if you do not stop making efforts, you will undoubtedly emerge victorious out of all battles. This is the essence of what I was trying to tell you dear youth.
Today, the barriers which existed from the very first day against the Islamic Revolution still exist. Some exist in different forms while some new barriers have been created too. Unfortunately as these youth said, consumerism and competition in gaining wealth and making money has formed a new class in society. The Islamic system is not opposed to acquiring or producing wealth. Rather, it encourages such actions. If there is no production, and if wealth is not produced, the life and continuity of society will be in danger and the required power will not be gained in society. This is an Islamic principle. But that people have a craving for an aristocratic life or wealth is very undesirable. This is what unfortunately exists among us. As I previously mentioned, consumerism and profligacy are two undesirable traits.
And there are external barriers as well. As you see today, the US has stood against the Iranian nation with all its power. This is all their power - propagandistic, political, economic, and international power. Some people believe that the different US administrations need to have external enemies. And that is why they pay a lot of attention to the Islamic Republic and speak of the Islamic Republic as a great danger. Of course, this is true.
One of the policies of the American leaders is that they always try to have an external enemy in order to overshadow their internal problems, the discrimination that is practiced in their society, the strange class distinctions that exist, and several problems that the US people have. This is what we have understood and are aware of. But the issue of paying too much attention to the Islamic Republic is a basic issue in the minds of American domineering politicians. This is truly the case. Their existence depends on invasion, domination, and attacking different parts of the world. They have satisfied the governments and made the nations silent. The only government that has stood against them is the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic, the people, the government, the president, and the government officials all deny oppression unequivocally. This is a great danger for the enemy who does not limit itself to its national borders. This is because the cries and the uprising of this nation are awakening other nations. They are a warning for other nations, as they have always been. This has caused other nations to become vigilant. Naturally, they feel threatened. They are making all possible efforts, but despite all these efforts, the Iranian nation, and you Iranian youth and students can stand against all these efforts and overcome the enemies. But there are some conditions before you can do so. Today, we are in a better position compared to twenty or thirty years ago. We have more experience. Our management is more effective. We have made progress in scientific arenas, and we enjoy more economic power compared to those days. We also have a broader perspective on making progress compared to that time.
During the first decade of the Revolution, many interpreted progress in terms of following the leftist model - the leftist model of the sixties which was rooted in socialism. And anybody who was opposed to this model was either vilified or insulted. A number of the officials, and those who were active in the Islamic Republic believed in government domination and ownership. Such a perspective was wrong. Their perspective on the country's progress was mainly rooted in the leftist socialist views of the East. This was a wrong perspective. Of course they soon understood that this was a wrong perspective. Even those who used to broadcast such views suddenly changed their stance. They went from one extreme to the other.
During a certain period, the view on the country's progress was rooted in Western views. They thought that we had to do what the Western people had done. This is what they believed. They did not even think the country was on a par with England, France, or Germany. They viewed the country as equal to countries like South Korea. This view was rejected too. Today, the view of the country's progress which was based on the Western model has been rejected in the minds and thoughts of the officials, and it has been rejected by the country's elites and intellectuals as well. Such a plan has turned out to be wrong. The reason is that such criticism of a Western model for progress is not peculiar to Eastern nations only. Even Western intellectuals and experts have criticized this model, both in economic areas as well as in political and ethical fields. The liberal democracy of the West which they were once proud of is now being criticized. So this is not a good model for progress. This is what we are aware of today. What is an Islamic and Iranian model for progress? This is a model that has to be developed and clarified and its different aspects and dimensions need to be specified. This has not yet been completely achieved and has to be done in the future. But the fact that we have understood that we need to go back to the Islamic and Iranian model is by itself a great achievement. This is an achievement we have made.
This is the way towards progress. The way towards progress is not the one based on the Western model. It is not the obsolete and rejected model of the Eastern camp either. The crises which happened in the West are all before us. We know that such crises will happen in every country that follows the same path. So we need to follow our own Islamic and Iranian path and move on this path at the appropriate pace.
You should find the solution based on the points I told you. You should come up with the solution, but what I can offer as guidance and as the overall policy is that you should make constant efforts. You students who are at universities and who are involved in academic activities should study, do research, and think of new proposals. Following unconditionally the models proposed by the Western theoreticians and translating their ideas should be considered as dangerous. We need to propose new theories in the field of humanities. Many of the world events are influenced by the views of experts in the field of human sciences. It is them who provide others with the yardsticks in sociology, psychology, and philosophy. We should develop our own views in these fields, and we need to make efforts in this regard. Students should make efforts to do so. Students and universities should have a large-scale view on the goals of the Revolution. They should follow these goals. Stay vigilant against the enemies' efforts to take advantage of academic atmospheres, students, and academics. This is what I always emphasize. As you see, with the smallest event happening, like in your university - maybe there are some people who are dissatisfied with certain things - they start interpreting these events in the world. Of course, their interpretations are not based on the reasons for which the students' movements take place. Rather, they base their interpretations on exactly the opposite issues. That is, they question the officials, the government, and Islam with such tools. You should stay vigilant. Such vigilance is needed even more in academic atmospheres.
Another issue that has to be discussed with the youth is the issue of faithfulness. Dear youth, being faithful and religious - as much as you are able to - will bring about Allah's attention. They will help one succeed and make progress. This is a point which you should not undervalue. In fact, I mean it will be helpful for you if you pay attention to God while you find or use a particular chemical or mathematical formula or when you make a new discovery. In that case, God Almighty will help you. It is Him who determines your destinies.
One can carry out many difficult tasks through attention to and getting close to God. One can complete the most difficult tasks by relying on God and by benefiting from the attention of God. You are young and a little different from us. Let me make a point here. You are much ahead of us in this regard. Your hearts are pure and bright. Your hearts are pure and independent of worldly desires. Your hearts reflect light like a mirror. You have not sinned yet, and this is something you should appreciate. Try to get closer to God though prayers, through reciting the Holy Quran and reading the Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya. The Sahifah al-Sajjadiyya is full of religious teachings. By doing so, you will also strengthen your religious and revolutionary beliefs. If our youth have got strong religious beliefs, many of those who are trying in your city, Shiraz, in Fars province, and across the country - I have received the relevant news here - to mislead you will give up their efforts because they will see that our youth have strong beliefs. Today, many so-called religious organizations that are political organizations in nature, and proponents of baseless materialistic mysticism or rejected religions, are trying to diminish the power of this great Islamic group as much as they can. If our youth are ideologically strong and have strong beliefs, the enemies will understand that they should not go after our youth. Such strong beliefs can be achieved through attention to God, supplication, relying on God, and paying attention to the prayers in the Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya. These prayers are not only to mention God's name. Rather, they are full of Islamic teachings that will strengthen one's beliefs. The same thing is true about reciting the Holy Quran and saying prayers as well. After all, this is what I recommend to all you dear youth.
And you should maintain your unity. Unity is a major means for the Iranian nation. It is also a major means for students across the country as well as for students in a particular city or province. Do not let differences of opinion foment discord among you. During a certain period, some people deemed it necessary to involve universities in political games and campaigns in order to support their own interests. Thankfully, such activities happen less often these days. Do not let student groups and members of student movements turn into enemies. Competition is good but only positive competition.
One of our brothers said that he was ready to work in some field - for instance solar energy projects. He said either give us a research center or let us build one ourselves. This was a very good offer. If another student group also come and say that they will compete with this group in another field, then this will constitute some fruitful competition.. " Vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord". [The Holy Quran, 57:21]. It means competing with one another in good deeds, in production, in learning, in using the acquired knowledge outside universities, and in helping people in their lives. Such competitions are very good. Competing with one another is very good. But arguing over trivial issues is something I will never admire - whether in academic settings, in the whole country, or among the clergymen. I do not like this to happen in any atmospheres.
Therefore, science is one of the main axes. Unity is also among the major aspects. Faithfulness is among the major aspects too. The country's economy is also among the major aspects. These aspects will bring the enemies to their knees at this stage if we actualize and follow all these aspects with the slogan of innovation, which will definitely result in flourishment.
Of course, justice should be used as the yardstick in all economic activities and efforts. Without justice, all economic efforts will turn out to be harmful. Justice does not mean that we should not invest or that we should not let investors make any investments. These are some wrong assumptions made by those who claimed to support justice one day. Production of employment is also a good deed, and constitutes an act of worship. It is a great task that has to be carried out. The main issue is to efficiently manage this group. The country's administrators and government officials in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches should prevent the violation of rights through their management. I hope this whole group will make progress with all its elements.
Dear God, make what we said and heard serve Your path. Dear God, help us achieve what will bring about Your satisfaction. O God, Help our country make progress on a daily basis. Dear God, bestow success on these dear and pure-hearted youth so that they will contribute to the future of the country in the desired and ideal way. O God, protect these youth for this country and nation. Dear God, make the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age pleased with us.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings