Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council

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

This annual session is primarily an opportunity for me to visit you, dear friends and valuable members of this very important council, to express my gratitude for the efforts being made—both within the council (the main assembly) and in the council's back offices (the secretariat and other working groups, many of whom are not present in this session)—and to hear any points you may have in mind; and if I have any points, to share them with you.

The main point I wish to convey to you today is the same old message regarding the importance of this council and the significance of culture in the country, which we have repeatedly stated, you have stated, and all friends have echoed. However, it seems that reiterating this matter once again is necessary and essential for all of us; for myself, for the esteemed heads of the branches of government, for you members of this council, and for those involved in the culture of the country.

Let me share a memory: About two or three years ago, one of our very good friends, who has also been active in this council, discussed with me the issues of public culture in the country and the matter of education and the abnormalities that have gradually emerged in society. He raised legitimate demands and expectations. I told that dear friend that the work I can do in this regard is the same work I have done so far; that is, forming this council and bringing together thoughtful and motivated individuals for decision-making regarding the culture of the country; and providing legal and reputational support as necessary for this council; this is the work that is my responsibility; but from here onward, it is your responsibility. I told that friend that I will argue before God Almighty with you and say to the Lord that I have gathered the best individuals I knew suitable for this work in this council; you must answer to God Almighty; whatever you think should be said before God Almighty, express it and keep it in mind. Now, I want to convey to you that the responsibility of this council, due to the importance and weight of the cultural and scientific issues, is a heavy responsibility; however, the greater weight here is culture; because both knowledge and education, as well as the direction and quality of various approaches, are influenced by the public culture of society.

I believe the depth and roots of the revolution lie in the depth of the religious beliefs of the people of this land; it is not something that can be uprooted by superficial excitements and various movements. We are witnessing the growth and emergence of a young class that is interested, faithful, and inquisitive regarding the revolution, and the emergence of elites in this field; this is undeniable; both in our universities, in our seminaries, and in our society. However, if superficial ailments are not treated, they will gradually penetrate deeper. If we do not treat the disease and decay that exists on the surface of a tooth, it will eventually lead to the extraction of that tooth; there should be no doubt about this.

This new situation that has arisen in the country and the formation of a government, along with the inclination that is currently observed among the general public and among government officials, can herald that the conditions are favorable for correcting the wrong direction; not in the sense that everything is predictably certain; rather, it depends on what we do, but the conditions are favorable; because slogans have been raised that align with the principles of the revolution, and the people have responded to these slogans; and I have repeatedly stated this. In the elections we held a few months ago, the vast majority of the people voted for the values of the revolution; whether those who voted for Mr. Ahmadinejad or those who voted for Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani; because Mr. Hashemi is also one of the prominent figures of the revolution; he is a revolutionary, clerical, and religious figure, and many of those who voted for him actually voted for these very values. One should not think that seventeen million voted for Mr. Ahmadinejad's slogans and ten million did not; the matter is not like that; rather, a large majority of the people in this election demonstrated their commitment to religion, to the values of the revolution, and to their attachments to Imam. A government has also been formed based on this, and this government continues to repeat and act upon these slogans, and the people welcome and embrace these words. This indicates a very good environment that we must utilize. Therefore, in this new situation, I believe the dynamism, enthusiasm, motivation, and innovation of the members of this assembly must be doubled; it cannot be accepted that we have a cultural assembly that we have designated as the main headquarters for cultural issues and cultural campaigns—such a campaign is inevitable in all eras and in all countries—while at the same time, lethargy or stagnation or lack of progress is observed in this main headquarters; I cannot even imagine this.

The report from Mr. Kiannejad—our dear brother—is a good report; however, the report of the resolutions is different from the report of the realities that are observed in the world based on these resolutions; these resolutions must be reflected. Suppose you have assigned certain tasks to the broadcasting organization that must be reflected in it; for education or for universities or for public culture with the tools it has, you have assigned tasks that must be realized; but look at the distant future; that is, the future specified in the twenty-year outlook document. Those who are entering school today will be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old at the end of the twenty-year period—this year is the first year of the outlook—you want this twenty-six or twenty-seven-year-old to be what kind of person; if you want this young person to be a creative, innovative, courageous individual, morally upright, physically and mentally healthy, possessing thought and intellect, and having a sense of responsibility towards his country and his nation and his future, today you must design the process of this child's development to that young person here; be prepared and communicate it to the institutions.

The head of this council is the President; that is, the head of the executive branch, and for the law, the head of the legislative branch and elements from the Islamic Consultative Assembly are present here. Therefore, there is no state of waiting, and the goals must be realized; the very philosophy of the presence of the heads and officials is this; otherwise, I know well that for a council that wants to formulate a grand plan, the heads and personalities who are engaged in other main tasks cannot devote much time and effort; real personalities must dedicate time and discuss in such a council. Therefore, the reason for the presence of the heads and ministers and the head of the management and planning organization and other heads and officials of the country who are here, since this council was formed during Imam Khomeini's (may his soul be sanctified) time, is so that this council does not remain just words on paper; it should not be merely expressions of concern and sympathy, but rather should be realized and implemented; Imam also explicitly stated this and expressed that the resolutions of this council must be put into practice; I have always emphasized this meaning.

Last year, I stated here that "the cultural engineering of the country" is your responsibility; I said this is the "main headquarters"; your back office is also the secretariat and the adjuncts of the secretariat and the satellite councils and the designated council and expert committees and other groups that exist; your executive front lines are also the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and various institutions; you have also accepted this notion; that is, it was not the case that we made this statement and then heard that friends said no, we do not believe in cultural engineering and that its place is here; no, I am aware that later in the session when discussions took place and friends discussed among themselves—the opinions of the gentlemen were brought to me—they all confirmed that yes, this is correct. Very well, now the cultural engineering plan of the country must be ready on the table and must have been discussed; work must have been done; decisions must have been made, and the grand plan with actionable steps—not just things that are merely wishes and aspirations—must be fully drawn and specified; this is our main message to you, dear friends.

I truly have an interest in this session; because you are truly a cultural assembly. You know that I myself have participated in this session every week for seven or eight years, and after my presidency, I have had contact with this session once a year or sometimes more, and I love this session. This is the peak and pinnacle of the cultural country, and you are our friends—some of the friends are old, whom we have mentioned some of them; others, like Dr. Fazel, are very old friends of this assembly, who in those years when he was in the ministry, we used to sit beside him, whom we did not mention; of course, perhaps some others are still here whom I have not mentioned. Other friends who have been here for several years and some for two or three years; some have also come to this session with the new government—and since this session is intimate and private, and this is my heartfelt message that I must share with you, I have shared it. This is a great task and a heavy burden; you must carry this burden; this work must be done. Now, some may not have time; they may have work, or for any reason; ultimately, in the satellite councils or in the expert bodies, the presence of these friends should be utilized.

The decisions or aspirations that have been made so far regarding the advancement of science must be operationalized; that is, they must enter the channels of work and be requested. Suppose you are working with universities in the field of knowledge production, Mr. Dr. Zahidi should be responsible; set a specific time and then say what you have done in this regard within two or three months. He should report to the council, and if you do not like it, object; if you do, take the next step; whether you must take it or he must take it. The same method should be applied in the fields of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance or Education and in various other areas.

The Supreme Cultural Revolution Council must be a lively, active, sensitive, dynamic, and hardworking council that constantly monitors the cultural issues of the country. This is our main message, which is not a new message; it is a perennial message and a repetition of the same; however, some repetitions are obligatory; like prayer; in the morning, you recite Surah Al-Fatiha and the supplications and perform the bowing and prostration, which you repeat in the noon and afternoon and evening; because it is important; because the subject is so important that it must be repeated regularly and constantly so that the mind is saturated with the remembrance of these truths and the individual is stimulated and compelled to act.

I have also noted some points regarding cultural issues, issues related to science, and issues related to the council itself that I will present:

Regarding the council itself, Mr. Kiannejad informed that information dissemination is being carried out; this is good news. I have noted here that the information dissemination should be timely and continuous; especially for the academic and seminary elites. This was the answer before our question that he thankfully provided; however, the fact that I am informed that we are unaware of the content of the council's work indicates that this information dissemination is not the desired dissemination; that is, it is not complete; you must complete this information dissemination; the elites of the country must constantly feel that they are mentally connected to the council. This work will help you attract their cooperation; that is, when it becomes clear to the elites of the country—whether academic or seminary—that the council is concerned with what issues, they will start thinking about those issues and possibly work on them; they will cooperate with the council and possibly come up with ideas that they see the council is oblivious to. These elites will remind you of those issues. Therefore, information dissemination and communication will attract the cooperation of the elites. In addition, the elites of the country should not feel that you are sitting behind a wall and have no connection with them; let them feel that they are also members of the council; they should feel that they are members of this council; they are involved. Therefore, the issue of information dissemination is very important in my opinion.

Another point I have noted is the issue of renewing the education system and correcting the outdated model prevalent in the country, which Mr. Dr. Shariatmadari also referred to; of course, his emphasis is on a different aspect. Many times in the sessions that have been held here regarding cultural issues, concerned individuals say that we should transform this outdated "memory-based" system into advanced modern systems of the world. Now, in the world, new systems for educating children, adolescents, and young people—whether in high school or university—have emerged. Ultimately, we must start from a certain point and change and correct this outdated method that has been dominant in the country for sixty years; either we must completely change it or gradually change it. If it is intended that this work be thought out and decided somewhere, it is here; this Supreme Cultural Revolution Council; this is among your discussions.

Another issue is the scientific development of the country, which I deeply and seriously believe that the problems of this country will not progress without the development of science and the dissemination and deepening of science in the country. We must inevitably fill the gap of several decades that has been created for us. We see how the world of scholars, relying on science, imposes its will on everyone and how, thanks to the science they possess, they justify injustices. Today, observe: illegal telephone tapping without the permission of a judge, torture in Guantanamo, abducting and transporting prisoners and kidnapping people from European countries without the permission of governments or under contracts with the world's security services, attacking a country and seizing oil and consuming wealth, killing people; all these actions are carried out by a power among the world's powers, and they do not even deny it! While we argue, we debate, we discuss; they pursue their agenda without even appearing to flinch! Why? Because they possess knowledge, and this knowledge has equipped them with wealth, military tools, and political power. If we want our country, our nation, and our Islamic community to reach a point where they can assert their rightful claims with the same courage, we need knowledge. This is not exclusive to us; it belongs to all Islamic countries, and we must become the mother of knowledge for Islamic countries. The burden is on our shoulders; we are the ones who have both hope and faith, and we feel capable of this work and have the tools for it; a good and talented nation. We have so many talented young people; we must take a bold leap and undertake a fundamental and deep work in the field of science, and then open the door of knowledge to Islamic countries. Therefore, the issue of the scientific development of the country is very important.

Regarding the "promotion of theorizing and knowledge production" which is among the councils and your work, it was decided that I would recommend to the President to provide financial support so that this council can pursue this work. God willing, please help! Truly think about it, so that this satellite council can do this work in this area and then operationalize it; it should not just be expressions and wishes. Sometimes some officials come to us and say about their area of responsibility that we must do this work, we must do that work; I tell them: Brother! It is I who should tell you that you must do this work, you must do that work; you should tell me what you are doing, what you have done, what you intend to do; "must" is of no use. The fact that we now sit and wait for this council to perform these tasks as a responsibility is not acceptable; the must is clear; it must be realized.

In the field of science, I want to emphasize a specific point: one is basic sciences; one is humanities.

When we look at the world, we see that what has enabled advanced countries to reach this peak and summit is mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biological sciences; we must engage with these sciences. Of course, in the years following the revolution—before the revolution, it was in a weaker flow—we trained doctors, engineers, and a significant number of lawyers, which are necessary specialties and are as essential as air and water for a country; however, let us pay attention that training doctors, training engineers, training lawyers, and training the daily needs of society is essential, and we must also train researchers who can pave the way for our future. An engineer builds for our present and meets our current needs; if we do not have engineers and doctors, we must bring them from Bangladesh, just like during the Pahlavi regime. The same issue applies to the lack of engineers, which thankfully we now have engineers who carry out significant projects in the fields of roads, dams, important buildings, and monumental works, and we have highly capable doctors who perform great tasks that once no one in this country could even dream of accomplishing; however, these are consumable resources; this is money that we put in our pockets to spend, and besides that, there is the center of wealth creation that must be invested in, which we also need; especially in universities. Therefore, basic sciences in universities must be given importance.

And regarding the humanities. Despite all the emphasis placed on the humanities, they are still managed in the same way as basic sciences, and the same issues persist strongly. We have opened our arms, and the ideas that are currently being discussed in the fields of sociology, psychology, history, and even philosophy and literature are dictated to us from abroad! We must undertake fundamental work in the field of humanities, and this is not a new idea; no, this has been said for years and must be realized. Who should do this work? This present assembly and the same assembly that we, God willing, will argue before God Almighty with, and we hope they will be able to respond to the argument; if God Almighty asks.

Another issue in this regard concerning the engagement with these sciences—basic sciences, humanities—is the issue of the input and output of universities, which is also one of the heavy responsibilities of the Ministry of Science. We must see who universities should attract and for which fields they should attract them, and then what our output from universities should be in the fields we need most; whether for transient needs that are our current needs or fundamental needs. For this issue, a system must be established.

Another point relates to the Elite Foundation. The Elite Foundation was initially established through the efforts of Mr. Dr. Aref; that is, its statute was written, and some work was done, and it was sent here, and we also had some opinions and returned them. When I look at the ground to see what exists regarding this plan—the cultural engineering plan of the country that I mentioned at the beginning—regarding the elites, I see nothing. You know that the elites—elite students, elite students, Olympiad participants, and other elite individuals—meet with me two or three times a year, and I also give them the opportunity to speak, so that the young people can express their views; however, what emerges from their collective words is that no practical work has been done for the elites yet. I insist that serious work be done for them. One of the tasks is to attract elites, which must be given serious attention in this foundation; another is to identify and organize these individuals so that we can utilize them for the country. There are many places where if a talented young person is present, they can do a lot of work for us; but we do not know where to employ these individuals. This plan that Mr. Dr. Ahmadinejad had in mind from the beginning—the plan to employ young people in ministries—I do not know how far it has progressed, but of course, this plan is a very good one and must be implemented with its conditions; however, the best individuals who can assist this plan are the elites. We must find the elites of the country, identify them, organize them, and know who is needed where. This work can be done in the Elite Foundation. Then, addressing their research needs—which is also part of the Elite Foundation's program—and addressing their personal needs. In this case, the elites will be encouraged, and the way to prevent their migration or escape—or whatever you call it, which is often exaggerated—will only be possible through this method; because they need to feel secure here. Of course, part of this work also relates to universities, which I believe I mentioned in a session when Mr. Dr. Zahidi came to me; I will also tell him that be careful that in universities, our talented young people do not feel discrimination; especially in the admission of graduate programs, doctoral programs, and in granting scholarships. If young people feel that their elite status is of no benefit here, it has devastating effects, of which I am aware of some cases.

One more point regarding the satellite councils: I have been informed that some of these satellite councils have worked very well, including the women's council; and some have been less active. I want to say that you should activate the satellite councils as much as you can. In the satellite councils, there should be individuals who dedicate the most time and effort to them; and reports should be taken from the performance of the satellite councils and utilized, as these reports will assist in the agenda of the main council. The good news that Mr. Dr. Kiannejad provided is that all the agendas and minutes of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council have been organized in a computerized format and are accessible; this awareness of the council is very important, so that the secretariat and the council are always aware of what has been approved and what has been discussed.

We hope that God grants you all success and helps you, and may this great responsibility be blessed for you; that is, may God Almighty bless these hours of yours so that you can act.

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