Statements in Meeting with Thousands of Various Basij Groups

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters. I extend greetings to all of you, as well as to all those who hear this speech across the country. I would like to say a few words about the Basij. The Basij of the oppressed was a unique phenomenon that emerged in the country; this phenomenon had no precedent in any other place or country in the world and is considered exceptional. I will explain this from various perspectives. This phenomenon was not imitative; it did not stem from imitation; it arose from our national culture and our history. This is our first point; the conclusion of this point is that since this phenomenon is authentic, it is enduring; it is not something that will disappear. It is stable and lasting because it is rooted; it pertains to this nation, this history, and this national and Iranian identity.

This is a cultural networking. The Basij is essentially a cultural, social, and of course military networking. What comes to mind today is the military aspect of the Basij, while the military aspect, despite its importance, is not greater than the cultural and social aspects of the Basij. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) established this networking; this was his initiative; when? In the face of a great threat. This was one of the characteristics of our great Imam. Most of you did not experience the era of the Imam; one of the characteristics of our great Imam was this: he created opportunities from the heart of threats; this is what happened here as well. On the thirteenth of Aban in 1979, the incident of the seizure of the U.S. embassy occurred; the world's first power at that time, namely the United States, began to show its teeth, threatening and imposing sanctions; in the midst of these threats, the Imam issued the command for the Basij on the fifth of Azar, that is, about twenty-two or twenty-three days after that incident; that is, at a time when the country, a country that had just undergone a revolution, had almost none of the means to defend itself and was facing such a great threat, in such conditions, the Imam suddenly planted a good tree, a sapling in the social, cultural, and military soil of the country, and that was the good tree of the Basij. He created an opportunity from the threat.

Well, we said that the military aspect of the Basij is one of its aspects. What I want to say now is that first and foremost, the Basij is a "school," an "ideology," a "thought"; in fact, it is a networking of thought and culture. If the Basij engages in military work, social work, and scientific work, its source is the same logic and thought that forms the foundation of the Basij. If I were to explain the logic and foundation upon which the Basij is based in two words, I would say those two words are "faith" and "self-confidence"; or you can express it as: "belief in God" and "self-belief"; these are the two foundations of the Basij. The Basij is built upon belief in God and self-belief. Whatever fruits this tree bears today, tomorrow, and in the future, will stem from these two things: self-belief and belief in God. The Basij has many characteristics that all stem from these two main foundations. The Basij has courage, initiative, speed in action, broad vision, enemy recognition, and sensitivity to various movements — these are all qualities of the Basij — but all of these and other outstanding characteristics of the Basij arise from those two qualities, which, if we think about them, analyze them, and discuss them, will become completely clear. Of course, I will now say a brief word.

When we say belief in God, the result of belief in God is submission to God, reliance on God, certainty in God's promise; this is what belief in God means. First, we are submissive to God; secondly, we rely on God's help and have hope for God's assistance; thirdly, we trust in the promise that God has given us; for example, "If you help God, He will help you." This is about belief in God.

Regarding self-belief. The result of self-belief and confidence in oneself and acceptance of oneself is the discovery of one's own capacities. Many times we are unaware of our own existential capacities; we are even unaware of our physical capacities, let alone our intellectual capacities, and even more so our spiritual and emotional capacities. Self-belief makes us aware of these capacities, then it makes us appreciate these capacities, and then it leads us to utilize these capacities. There are many examples, but I will not delve into details now.

Of course, the "belief in God" that we mention — whether in the individual dimension of the Basij member or in the organizational dimension of the Basij — when it exists, this truth, which is God's promise, manifests itself before the eyes of man; in one place, it says, "And to God belong the armies of the heavens and the earth, and God is All-Knowing and Wise," and in another place, "And to God belong the armies of the heavens and the earth, and God is Mighty and Wise"; "Mighty" means a being that prevails and is never defeated; this is the meaning of "Mighty." And to God belong the armies of the heavens and the earth; all the infinite components of existence are God's army; if we are God's servants, this army can come to our aid; this is one of God's laws and natural laws. Of course, the command of this army is not with us, that we can use this divine army whenever we wish; the commander is God; however, this commander, under specific conditions and with certain criteria, when we are prepared, grants this to us. These are the words of the Quran; these are the explicit expressions of the Holy Quran: "Indeed, if you are patient and God-conscious, and they come upon you from their force, your Lord will send you five thousand angels marked." If you are prepared, the divine angels will come to your aid. We have seen these aids; we saw them in the Sacred Defense, we saw them before, we saw them after, we saw them in the political arena, we saw them in the military battlefield, we saw them in the scientific field. Where can divine assistance be seen? Where you do something that in your own opinion, seems impossible, but it becomes possible, it materializes. Well, these are the characteristics related to the belief in God of the Basij force. And we mentioned that both the Basij organization and each Basij member; self-confidence, recognizing one's own intellectual, spiritual, and physical abilities, appreciating the power of will and decision-making, not being subdued by the enemy's will.

There is a factor within us that we often neglect; what is it? It is the power of decision-making, the power of will. We have will, we have the power of will. The will of a person can sometimes become so strong that it can create something, bring it into existence; this power exists within us; we do not recognize it, we do not appreciate it, we do not strengthen it. In the life of a Basij member and the Basij school, recognizing this inherent and inner ability of humans is one of the highlights and distinctions. Well, these characteristics that you do not become subdued by the enemy's will, that you assert your own will, that you have self-confidence, that you recognize your own characteristics, these are precisely the opposite of the plans of global arrogance against nations; they are exactly the opposite of these.

One of the first actions of global arrogance, that is, the global powers, the dominating powers of the world to dominate nations is to deny the capabilities of those nations, to belittle them; this [statement] is also in the Quran; regarding Pharaoh, it says: "So he made his people contemptible, and they obeyed him"; now he was more noble than today's rulers; the ruler of America, the ruler of Europe — these are rulers after all — he was more noble than them. He only did this to his own people; these do this to other nations. He made his people contemptible, belittled them, denied their privileges: "Is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers that flow beneath me?" The result was that this nation saw that he was superior, so they obeyed him. The plan of colonialism is this: to deny your history, to deny your identity, to deny your capabilities; when you want to nationalize your own oil, which is in the hands of the British, their agents come to your country and speak, writing that "What nonsense! Can an Iranian manage the Abadan refinery? An Iranian cannot even make a clay pot!" This is how they belittle nations. The Basij is the opposite of this; the Basij is the opposite of this national humiliation. The oppressors manipulate national beliefs to establish their dominance. A nation has a history, a belief, great figures, and a conviction; they manipulate, destroy, and belittle this.

My dear ones, my brothers, my sisters, my children! Iran has been humiliated for many long years, especially during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods. The revolution came and turned the tables. After World War I, a conference was held in Paris where many countries participated to decide the state of the world. The participants were those who had participated in the war or were affected; Iran was also among the victims of World War I, which sent a delegation, but the Iranian delegation was not allowed into the Paris conference. This is how they humiliated; the Iranian nation was humiliated in a period. The Basij thought breaks this barrier; this very dangerous soft weapon of the Basij thought nullifies the effect. The Basij thought instills self-belief. A teenager, a young person feels present, feels capable; this is his self-belief, and we have also mentioned his belief in God; he knows that all of existence is God's army: "And to God belong the armies of the heavens and the earth"; and if he moves in the way of God, this army will come to his aid. Today it is the same, and tomorrow it will be the same. Undoubtedly, this Basij spirit, this Basij capability, this Basij state that exists in our country and fortunately exists in some other countries, among the members of the resistance front, will certainly overcome all the policies of America, the West, global arrogance, and the Zionist regime.

A few points regarding the Basij. One point is that the Basij thought was cultivated, rooted, and produced by the Imam during the fifteen years of the movement and struggle before the victory. Many of the characteristics I mention regarding the Basij occur outside the Basij organization; many of them even occurred before the official formation of the Basij organization. From 1962 to 1979, for fifteen or sixteen years, the Imam instilled this Basij spirit, this self-belief, this belief in God, this confidence in oneself, this hope for victory, and this clear vision of the horizon into the Iranian nation; he spoke and spoke, and our talented people, our capable youth received the Imam's message. In the face of all those weakening factors, this message was accepted, thus gradually this movement grew, advanced, expanded, reached the revolution, and toppled a regime that was supported by almost all the powers of the world; that is, the Pahlavi regime was supported by the Americans, the Europeans, and in the end, the Soviets; they all supported it. The Imam toppled this regime, destroyed it, uprooted it, without a single bullet being fired by the people. Yes, coups happen in the world, often unsuccessful and unenduring, but here no armed conflict occurred; the people came into the field with their lives, their bodies, and their faith and seized the field and drove the opponent out of the field.

After the victory of the revolution, the Imam created a dam of the Basij against various blows; both before the Sacred Defense, during the Sacred Defense, and after the Sacred Defense; in the military field, in the social field, in the scientific field, in weapon production, and in international and political arenas. You should note that social power and scientific power produce political power. If a nation can show its unity, determination, steadfastness, and a significant number of active forces in its field, demonstrate its scientific capabilities, and show its social capabilities, it will also gain political strength; in the international arena, it can speak firmly, it can advance its words; the Imam (may God’s peace be upon him) accomplished these tasks.

The Basij played a role in the Sacred Defense, played a role in securing and maintaining the country's security, played a role in construction, and played a role in science. Those who were able to break the wicked conspiracy of America regarding the 20 percent enriched uranium that the country needed were Basijis; Martyr Shahriari was a Basiji, our nuclear martyrs were the Basiji professors of the country. This has a lengthy story. We needed 20 percent enriched uranium for radioisotopes; it was an urgent need of the country. We had some that had been procured previously, and it was running out; we had to buy it. From whom? From America. The Americans said that you should give us all the 3.5 percent you produce, and in return, we will give you 20 percent. Two well-known presidents of the world at that time — I do not want to name them, and they had good relations with us — were intermediaries for this transaction to take place, and our country's officials accepted; this was in the second half of the 2000s. In the midst of negotiations, it became clear that the Americans were deceiving us; we realized that they were deceiving us, and it was stopped. At the same time that they thought that due to the country's need for 20 percent, Iran would surrender, at that time, our Basiji professors produced the 20 percent themselves! The Americans could not believe that this would happen. I once said here a few years ago that in this uranium enrichment process, the most difficult part is reaching 20 percent; after that, it is much easier. Our Basiji youth, our Basiji scientists produced this difficult part while the enemy was deceiving us, and we became independent of them. The Basij has worked in these fields. In global interactions, the Basij has been active. Thus, in military matters, social matters, scientific matters, and international politics, the Basij force has been active, effective, and has had many capabilities.

We mentioned that many of these, of course, did not occur within the Basij organization; they are from outside the Basij; however, what is important for us is this: the Basij spirit, the Basij school, and the Basij culture. Do not let this slip away. You Basijis of today, wherever you are, whether in factories, universities, seminaries, scientific laboratories, or in the battlefield, do not lose this privilege, this spirit, this readiness, this sensitivity to events. This is the first point.

The second point. In today's world, many young people in various countries reach a mental deadlock and feel a sense of futility. They are young, have no ideals, no goals, and feel a sense of futility. Of course, many are tough-skinned, but some are sensitive, feel futility, and suicide rates are increasing. You hear and read in the statistics that suicide is increasing in the world; this is because the young person feels a mental deadlock, feels futility, feels that he is powerless against the various obstacles in front of him, thus this feeling of powerlessness leads him to a deadlock. The "Basij thought" is a deadlock breaker. One of the characteristics of Basij thought and Basij culture is this: it breaks deadlocks; it does not allow the young person to reach a deadlock; why? Because with this definition we have given, first, he has confidence in himself, he has confidence in his abilities, and he knows that if he strives, he can succeed. Secondly, he is not intimidated by the arrogance of the oppressors; this is how the Basij is. Now you see the propaganda of America and the Zionist regime and others, what uproar they create over various issues, whether true or false! The Basiji youth smiles mockingly at these uproars and does not pay attention; therefore, he is not intimidated. Thirdly, the Basiji youth has ideals, has goals; he is not aimless; he believes in his goal. The goal of the Basiji youth is "Islamic society" and after that, "Islamic civilization"; he is moving towards this.

The Basiji youth does not fear death; you see, during the Sacred Defense, they would come crying, begging to be allowed to go. Their age was not appropriate, they were not allowed; crying, begging; this was 40 years ago, 35 years ago, for example, just a few years ago in defense of the shrine, it was the same. In defense of the shrine, how many young people wrote to me, some met me, saying, "Sir, please let us go." They were not allowed, they would go to a group that had permission to reach them. You have heard, you have read their conditions, and you know. They do not fear death. In the end, martyrdom is the goal. They believe in martyrdom; they believe that if they die in this way, they will attain the highest spiritual ranks; thus, the path is open before them; there is no deadlock. Such a person does not feel a deadlock; because there is no deadlock, for these reasons, the Iranian Basiji is certain that one day, he will definitely eliminate the Zionist regime.

The next point; the Basij in the country must be strengthened day by day; the Basij must be reinforced. The flag of the Basij is the flag of defending the rights of the nation; it is the flag of defending the truth. This flag must always be raised. This requires support, this requires strengthening. How do we strengthen it? By deepening and enhancing quality. We should deepen it. The Basij teachings should deepen in the minds of Basij youth, and quality should be enhanced; issues should not be viewed superficially. Books are necessary, study is necessary, discussions are necessary, study circles are necessary, research circles are necessary; these must be carried out.

One aspect of strengthening the Basij is that it must be present and ready to work everywhere as an executive arm and as an active arm for the executive bodies of the country; in the military sector, in the scientific sector, in service provision, in education and training, in explanation, in propaganda, in entrepreneurship; which now in this exhibition that was shown to me, many of these are being pursued by the Basij, and God willing, it must continue with strength and vigor. In the past, it has always been like this; the Basij has always helped governments over these many years, has been an active arm of the governments; of course, some governments appreciated it, while some did not appreciate it; they took the help of the Basij and did not thank it.

In the political field as well; this is also part of what strengthens the Basij. The Basij should know that the desired model of America for the countries of this region is a duality: either "tyranny" or "chaos"; in Western terms: either dictatorship or anarchism. America has this duality in mind for this region. A country that is of interest to them must either have a tyrannical power at the top with which they can negotiate, do whatever they want with it, and it must submit to them; or if this does not happen, the country must fall into chaos, making life difficult for the people. The Basij must confront both; it must stand against both the establishment of dictatorship and tyranny and the creation of chaos and turmoil; if either of these occurs in the country, the enemy is at work, and the Basij must stand against it. Well, these were the issues related to the Basij that I mentioned. There is more to say about the Basij; this was a portion of the words for now.

I will also say a word about the region. Regarding the current issues in Lebanon, Palestine, Gaza, and similar matters, which you are all aware of and follow the news, I want to mention two points. The first point is that bombing people's homes is not victory; the fools should not think that because they bomb people's homes, because they bomb hospitals, because they bomb gatherings of people, they have achieved victory; no one in the world considers this a victory; this is not victory. The enemy has not won in Gaza; the enemy has not won in Lebanon; the enemy will not win in Gaza and Lebanon. What they have done is not victory; it is a war crime; well, they have issued an arrest warrant for it, but it is not enough; the death penalty for Netanyahu, the death penalty for these criminal leaders must be issued. This is the first point.

The second point. The crimes of the Zionist regime, both in Lebanon and in Gaza and Palestine, create the opposite of what they want to establish, that is, it strengthens and intensifies resistance; this is also a general rule; there is no exception to it. The valiant Palestinian youth, the valiant Lebanese youth see that if they are in the field of struggle, there is danger; if they are not in the field of struggle, there is still danger; whether they are doctors, nurses, patients, workers, or merchants, the danger of death, the danger of bombing, the danger of enemy threats exists; well, for this person, there is no other way left, he says, I will go and fight; you force him. These fools are developing and intensifying the resistance front with their own hands; this is an absolute and unavoidable necessity. And I say today: today, the resistance front is expanding, and tomorrow this expansion will multiply several times. O Lord! Bring about the desired end for all your righteous servants as soon as possible, by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.