Message of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution to the Gathering of Commanders of the Twenty Million Army

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

The anniversary of the formation of the Basij of the Oppressed reminds us of the glorious memory of the struggles during the eight-year imposed war, which painted the most beautiful pictures of sacrifice and devotion, accompanied by nobility and humility, and combined with courage and bravery; the memory of the pure-hearted and valiant young men who were lions by day and ascetics by night, blending the battlefield with the struggle against the carnal soul, turning the front lines into a place of worship; young people who forsook the pleasures and desires of youth for God, and the elderly who preferred the hardships of the battlefield over the comforts of old age, and men who sacrificed the love of wife, child, and homeland at the altar of divine love; the memory of great and humble people who committed themselves to defending divine values and did not fear the false might of powers that came to confront divine values to preserve the culture and values of Western ignorance; the memory of hundreds of thousands of rural and urban young men, tradesmen and workers, students and seminarians, doctors and nurses, engineers and artists, administrators and merchants, old and young, who lovingly responded to the repeated calls of their Imam and beloved leader, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), turning towards God and away from the world; some attained the honor of martyrdom, others were tested with captivity, injury, and disability, and some returned home whole and complete, their bodies and souls filled with grace and light, to be preserved as a reserve for defense in times of need, in service to Islam, the revolution, the homeland, and the nation; "Among them are those who fulfilled their vow, and among them are those who await, and they did not change in the least."

The week of Basij is also filled with the memory and name of that great man of the world who, like the divine call on the Day of Alast, addressed the innate nature of humanity and received a response from the depths of their souls; he was a lover and spoke lovingly; he was a servant of God's peace and made hearts peaceful; he cried out in pain and brought back to awareness the deadly pains that the opium of the devils had made people forget and deprived them of healing, bringing them closer to a cure...; the memory and name of the great Imam Khomeini, whom God granted the greatest victory of capturing the hearts of the wise of this nation and a great multitude of Muslims and the oppressed of the world, and with this divine weapon, he opened the impregnable fortresses of global arrogance one after another, intimidating the head of arrogance, the world-devouring America, and shaking the thrones of undisputed empires; he awakened the Muslims of the world and organized the nuclei of Islamic resistance with his warm breath and hopeful voice; he established the Islamic Republic and safely brought it to the peak of credibility and power amidst thousands of obstacles and adversaries, repeatedly frustrating its most dangerous enemies, the leaders of Western systems, and warned the leaders of Eastern systems from a firm and dominant position about the futility of their anti-religious and anti-human ideologies, and less than a year after his prophetic and historic letter to the head of the Eastern world's power, the world is now witnessing the collapse of Marxist systems worldwide.

Indeed, the great leader of the Islamic Revolution, who considered himself a Basiji and took pride in it, mobilized the world against global arrogance and the oppressive powers of the world, removing the restful sleep from the eyes of the tyrants and shining the light of hope, which is the key to all victories and advances, in the hearts of nations. Undoubtedly, all the apparatuses of arrogance will not easily be able to gather the seeds he has sown or destroy the structure he has laid, even though they are fiercely and cruelly antagonistic to the results and fruits of his great jihad.

On the anniversary of Basij, the important point that Basijis and all the people of Iran must pay attention to is that the arrogant Western powers today see themselves confronted with Islam everywhere. They feel threatened by Islam. They consider every sign of Islamic aspiration as the dawn of a serious threat to their power and interests. It is evident that pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his family), which does not tolerate oppression, corruption, and moral decay in human life, is a real threat to systems built on oppression, corruption, and decay. This is why all the satanic powers of the world today use the harshest methods to confront the manifestations of Islam, trampling on the most basic principles they have proclaimed until now.

In occupied Palestine, Muslims who, indifferent to treacherous compromises, continue their rightful struggles with empty hands, are suppressed with harsh and inhumane methods, and their women, children, and elderly are tortured and scattered by the orders of Zionist soldiers, and from all the Western governments claiming human rights, no voice is raised, and America and Britain and some others even provide practical support and verbal encouragement!

In Lebanon, in addition to the camps of oppressed Palestinian refugees, the homes of Lebanese Muslims are bombed by Israeli jets, and men, women, old and young passersby and civilians are killed and wounded, and a respected and honorable cleric is kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night by Zionist mercenaries, and among all these Western governments that have for years made condemning terrorism and kidnapping the refrain of all their statements and constantly accuse any government opposing their interests of it to gain prestige, not a single one takes a serious stance against these ugly and savage terrorist acts, and they are not affected by a government bombing the homes of people in another country so brazenly or kidnapping someone from there!

In some Islamic countries, under governments subservient to the West, the purest and most zealous Muslims are viewed as subversive elements and are treated with severity and violence, imprisonment, torture, and execution. In Europe and in countries that consider themselves the cradle of civilization and democracy, Muslims face discrimination, injustice, and even pressure and suppression, and are openly condemned for adhering to Islam.

What has been called the "scarf war" in recent weeks in France and some other European countries is, in fact, a frantic and clumsy struggle by the leaders of Western culture against phenomena they perceive as a lightning leap from Islamic culture and a sign of Islam's increasing influence, and in confronting it, they lose so much patience and composure that suddenly the heads of state appear to challenge a few devout schoolgirls and a few committed Muslim families! These are the same people whose hypocritical cries of defending freedoms and individual desires have deafened the world!

When there is protest against a writer who has shamelessly insulted the sanctities of a billion Muslims, they become advocates of freedom of expression and individual belief; but when it comes to a Muslim woman or schoolgirl who wants to dress according to her religious beliefs, individual freedom is forgotten, and everything takes on a different color, and any anti-moral and anti-freedom and individual rights movement is labeled as a fight against reaction! Woe to the hypocritical liars and hypocrites!

In many European countries, the Muslim minority is subjected to harassment, discrimination, and humiliation; but those who interfere in all the affairs of other countries under the title of defending human rights and even do not refrain from inciting ethnic and religious motives when they deem it necessary, do not make the slightest reference to the violated rights of these oppressed people, and with their silence and sometimes their actions, they endorse the oppression that is inflicted on Muslims. In some Asian countries, large Muslim minorities face the same fate, and as everyone knows, today the Muslim community in India is facing widespread and unrestrained oppression.

In various parts of the world, the enemies of Islam look at mosques — which are the bases of human freedom and the place of his relationship with God and a center for gaining awareness of the devilishness of the devils of wealth and power — with deep hatred and enmity, and as far as they can, they oppose their existence, presence, and activity. At this moment, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the second qibla of Muslims — which, thanks be to God, has also become a base of awakening and struggle — has been subjected to the insolence of vile Zionists, and in France and India, mosques have been subjected to insult and destruction.

The sum of these events and many similar ones clearly illustrates this alarming truth that today the world's powerful and the administrators of the system of domination in the world consider Islam a great danger and regard the revival of pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his family) in Iran not only as a threat to their regional interests but also to their global interests, which are practically embodied in maintaining and establishing the system of domination — that is, the division of the world's countries into dominators and dominated — and on this basis, they have come to confront Islam with all their might, and more than anything, they show hostility and enmity towards the source of this divine grace — that is, the victorious Islamic revolution and the sacred Islamic system in Iran.

Knowing this truth and paying attention to its various dimensions requires the vigilance, determination, and seriousness of the entire Iranian nation and the Muslims of the world in how to confront the conspiracies designed by the enemy. Our nation, of course, has become familiar with various enemy conspiracies over the past decade and has grappled with them, and thanks be to God, has overcome most of them; and the established divine tradition is that in such a field — in a field where a believing, revolutionary, rightful, vigilant, and determined nation fights against materialistic, oppressive, unjust, and devilish enemies — victory belongs to the front of truth, which is endowed with God's help, firm resolve, and a spirit of sacrifice; and this is what we have experienced throughout the years before and after the revolution until today; and this is what has been realized throughout the history of prophethood and what the Quran has repeatedly informed us of.

But the condition for victory is reliance and trust in God, being vigilant, serious, and prepared, maintaining unity, and not being deceived by enemy propaganda. Today, one of the enemies' efforts is to extinguish the light of hope in the hearts of our nation and to make them distrustful of the country's situation and the officials and executors of affairs. The distance that the enemies of the nation wish to create between the nation and the government is precisely what, if God forbid, they succeed, will open the hands of their vile, hypocritical, and malicious agents inside to strike the country and the revolution. This has always been the enemy's goal; and therefore, the persistent insistence of the late and great Imam was that the bond between the nation and the executors of affairs should be strengthened.

In the era of reconstruction, if the government can solve the problems arising from the eight-year imposed war and also the problems imposed by foreign enemies, and make the Islamic system responsive to the material and spiritual needs of the nation — which, God willing, and with the prayers of His Holiness the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him), it will be able to do — the greatest blow will be dealt to global arrogance, which has always wanted to portray the Islamic system as incapable of proper and complete administration of the country and has imposed war and other problems on our country for this purpose. Therefore, your great nation's victory in reconstruction means the failure of arrogance and the victory of the revolution, and this goal is only possible with the sincere and comprehensive cooperation of the people and their revolutionary patience and determination. Therefore, to the extent that the enemy insists on creating separation between the classes of people and especially between the people and the officials, the nation must insist on cooperation and solidarity between the classes of people and especially between the government and the nation, and with full vigilance, recognize the insidious suggestions of the enemies and move in the opposite direction.

Now, for the reminder and attention of the dear nation, I briefly mention some points:

1) The Basij was formed for the defense of the Islamic country and the Islamic revolution. Readiness for defense is today and always an Islamic, revolutionary, and national duty. Therefore, the Basij Resistance Force must continue the work of attracting and organizing dear Basijis with proper planning and make the formation of the twenty-million army feasible and practical.

The honorable government and judicial officials are also obliged to assist in the implementation of the programs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in completing and strengthening the twenty-million army, to solve the problems of individual Basijis in government agencies in a special way, and not to offend those dear ones who have protected the revolution and the country by offering their lives with the usual administrative methods and common bureaucratic procedures, and God forbid, not to cause discouragement among these reassuring supports of the revolution and the country. Such behavior by any of the executive and judicial officials is a violation and subject to accountability.

2) Today, the mobilization of faithful and self-sacrificing elements, in addition to armed defense of the country and the revolution, must also aim at the reconstruction of the country. Today is the day when all forces must bring all their scientific, intellectual, specialized, experiential, material, and spiritual resources to the field of reconstruction behind the government, just as Basijis did on the battlefield; the government must act in a Basiji manner and encourage efficient Basiji forces to participate in the field of reconstruction and, with comprehensive planning, determine the place of each class and each individual in the jihad of rebuilding the country, and all people must selflessly prefer the interest of reconstruction over personal interests in this field of struggle.

3) Just as we were serious and determined in war, we are also serious and determined in observing the ceasefire and moving towards a lasting peace; however, the course of negotiations shows that the Iraqi regime is not ready to accept the truth and speaks at the negotiating table with the same spirit of aggression as on the battlefield. Therefore, in addition to the army and the Guard, the valiant Basijis and resistance nuclei must always be ready and vigilant, so that if necessary, they can rise to the sacred duty of defense.

4) The general unity of the people is a manifestation of divine grace and the most blessed asset of our nation. Everyone must strive to preserve this asset and not allow anyone to set this divine blessing and this unparalleled asset on fire by spreading the seeds of discord and enmity. Differences in taste and political and economic opinion and differences in the perception of interests among brothers who are united and like-minded in the principles of the revolution and Islam should not lead to hostility and conflict.

5) I invite all the dear people to a spirit of brotherly optimism among brothers and a vigilant suspicion towards foreigners and enemies. If the propaganda of arrogance tries to create an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust within the country, we must, despite their wishes and out of suspicion towards them, remove any bad suspicion towards our Islamic and revolutionary brothers from our hearts and from the atmosphere of society. Especially speakers and writers and those who see themselves worthy of speaking to and for the people must be careful not to pollute the living environment of the people with pessimism and mistrust in favor of arrogance and in harmony with arrogant propaganda, and to sing the tune of hope and vitality.

6) American propaganda and their allies want to suggest that in Iran, the era of revolutionary fervor has ended and the revolution has changed its past path. Despite the enemy, we declare and everyone must practically and verbally show that the Islamic revolution has not abandoned the path of fighting oppression, arrogance, and corruption and never will. If the world's bullies, in their wishful thinking, believe that this bastion of the oppressed and this defender of the oppressed and this base of struggle against the system of domination and global arrogance will forget its great goals for a moment, they are greatly mistaken.

We are always and will always be defenders of oppressed nations under the yoke of arrogance. We are always and will always be alongside the Muslim, fighting, and brave nation of Palestine against the criminal Zionism, and we advise our Palestinian brothers to continue the path of God — that is, the struggle against the usurping enemy and its supporters — with trust and reliance on God until the annihilation of the usurping Zionist state. Our great nation and our faithful and self-sacrificing Basijis consider the defense of Palestine a religious duty and do not consider any goal unattainable in the path of God. We will always defend the right of the oppressed nation of Afghanistan against those who have acted with force or deceit against it, and we believe that the Afghan nation, which has been able to drive out foreign forces from its home by sacrificing the blood of thousands of martyrs, will be able, in the shadow of reliance on God and cutting off hope from interfering powers and those who serve them, to establish an independent Islamic system from East and West based on the will and desire of the nation in its country. We have always considered and will consider ourselves obligated to the resistant and oppressed nation of Lebanon, which is subject to the joint conspiracy of Zionists, Maronites, and Americans. This is our path and the testament of our great Imam and the command of our Islam, and we will always remain faithful to it.

7) I am deeply concerned and regretful that some people are trying to spread the custom of extravagance and wastefulness among our people; and I seek refuge in God from the fact that the self-sacrificing and revolutionary people of Iran are led towards consumerism in personal matters and forget revolutionary frugality. Those who engage in unnecessary and wasteful extravagance due to the insensitivity caused by financial abundance and capability should come to their senses and turn to charity; and those who impose such a thing on themselves with hardship and poverty should abandon this harmful practice. For the affluent, moderation; for the middle classes, frugality in personal matters; and for everyone, effort, work, and production and giving prosperity to the general situation is a revolutionary duty and an Islamic norm.

I ask God for the success of everyone in the path of the lofty goals of our dear Islamic revolution. I send greetings to the pure soul of our Imam and great leader and ask the Almighty God for the elevation of the ranks of our dear martyrs, especially the martyrs of Basij.

Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei

23rd of November, 1989