Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the Grand Gathering of the People of Hamadan

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 immaculate progeny, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth.

I express my gratitude to the Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to meet once again with the dear and noble people of the city of Hamadan, the abode of the faithful and the abode of the Mojahedin. Before saying anything, I must thank you, dear brothers and sisters; both the people of Hamadan city and the people of other counties in the province—Nahavand, Malayer, Kabudarahang, Tuyserkan, Asadabad, Razan, and Bahar—who certainly had brothers and sisters from these counties present among the crowd gathered here and also among the large crowd that expressed their affection along the way. A number of esteemed scholars have also come from Qom, and I sincerely thank all of you.

I wish to convey the necessary points in the shortest possible time, as a large crowd has gathered here under the sun, and some have been present for hours before.

I hold Hamadan city and this provincial assembly in high regard for two reasons: first, due to its historical significance and its very glorious civil and scientific past. Among all the cities of the world, it is rare to find a city with the historical background of Hamadan. The city in which you live has a historical background of at least three thousand one hundred years. The famous ancient cities of the world have histories of about two thousand seven hundred and two thousand nine hundred years. A part of this long three-thousand-year period is shrouded in ambiguity and darkness. Before Islam, there is little information about the scientific and intellectual products of this city and this region; however, during the Islamic era, your city was considered a center of flourishing Islamic civilization. The scientific past of this city is among the rare examples in our country. Countless scholars have emerged from this city—whether jurists, philosophers, mystics, literati, mathematicians, astronomers, physicians, artists, poets, calligraphers, politicians, or historians—this diverse number of scientific personalities is unparalleled. There are many well-known names associated with Hamadan, such as Aein al-Qudat Hamadani, Badi' al-Zaman Hamadani, Rashid al-Din Fazlullah Hamadani, Baba Tahir Uryan, and many other figures; if someone were to read the list of these names, it might take an hour.

The second reason is the role of the people of Hamadan and the city of Hamadan in our contemporary history, both during the period leading up to the revolution and during the revolution itself. The name of Sayyid Jamal al-Din Asadabadi is revered throughout the Islamic world and beyond. Sayyid Muhammad Tabatabai, one of the two leaders of the Constitutional Revolution in Tehran, is from Hamadan. During the revolution, many renowned martyrs emerged from this region; Martyr Motahhari, Martyr Quddusi, Martyr Haidari, Martyr Modarresi—though he was not originally from Hamadan, the people of Hamadan consider him one of their own, and he also regards himself, in a sense, as a Hamadani—non-clerical martyrs, dear youths whose names are inscribed in this square, and many others whose names are recorded in the Book of the Honorable Writers and in the memory of the Iranian nation. Additionally, the city of Hamadan and the province of Hamadan played a supportive role close to the front lines during the Sacred Defense, enduring significant damage. This sports complex where you have gathered today was bombarded by the Ba'ath enemy on Quds Day, and some were martyred here. During the Sacred Defense, there were nearly three hundred air raids on Hamadan city; about two thousand missiles, rockets, and bombs were dropped on this city, and the people of Hamadan stood firm against the enemy's aggression with their lives, wealth, youth, religious zeal, and political presence. The respect that I and others like me have for Hamadan and its people is due to these high values. And you should know—and you do know—that these values earn the respect of fair-minded people everywhere. Anyone who knows and is aware respects such a people.

I am committed to recalling a brief history of this county in all provincial meetings to instill a sense of pride, identity, and character among the dear people of that region. Today, one of the main programs of the enemy is psychological warfare aimed at undermining the sense of identity and character of our dear nation. The people must know what high values have placed them at the pinnacle of pride over time, and you know; I have briefly reminded you of some of them.

Your province possesses natural and human capacities; it is an excellent agricultural region, a prominent tourist area, rich in important mines, a transportation hub for several provinces, and on the route to Karbala and the holy shrines. The land is rich and abundant; the people of the province—who are a more valuable human resource than the natural capacities—are faithful, self-sacrificing, young, and energetic. This province—according to the statistics I have seen—is at the top of the list of provinces in terms of the number of youth and the youth ratio; that is, the proportion of the youth class in this province is higher than in any other part of the country. What is important for our dear nation, for you people of Hamadan province, for the officials, and for myself is how we can utilize this immense human capacity and this great natural capacity for the future of the country, for the development of the country, and for addressing today's problems in the country's future outlook.

Hope for improvement and genuine reform in this country is greater than in the past. In the past year, the twenty-year vision document of the country has been prepared; the provincial documents for each province have been prepared separately; the fourth program has received comprehensive attention and scrutiny; the seventh parliament has declared its readiness to move towards the construction of the country; therefore, hopes for addressing the issues are greater than in the past. We must see what the path to this future is.

You know well that one of the fundamental policies of the psychological warfare of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution is to attribute the problems of the country to the Islamic system. This is their open enmity with the Iranian nation, Islam, and the Islamic system. During the twenty-five years of the Islamic system's rule, several times more work has been done in this country than in the past hundred years; a hundred years during which the disgraceful Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties ruled this country with tyranny and did nothing for this nation, either wasting capacities or leaving them unused. What has moved the nation and the country towards a suitable future befitting this country is the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic system. However, there are indeed problems in the country, and they are not few. In a survey conducted by our friends before my trip, the primary request raised by the people was for employment. Employment is the most important demand of the people. The fight against addiction and the fight against administrative corruption are among the people's requests; these must be fulfilled.

I firmly believe that what befits the Iranian nation and constitutes our future outlook is something possible and attainable, provided that we act according to the necessary conditions. Both officials have responsibilities, and the people have responsibilities; both have specific duties and shared duties. I have much to say on this matter, which, God willing, I will express during the few days I will be in this province, in various meetings with the youth, with elites, with clerics, and with different segments of the country.

What I need to convey to you, dear people of Hamadan, in summary, is that we can create a model of development based on our Islamic and national culture in this country; this is not a mere wish or a fanciful thought. Iran can be transformed into a developed country; that is, we can continue along the path that the revolution has traversed to this day, with greater speed and better and stronger direction; but this is conditional upon the necessary condition, which is national and comprehensive effort.

This comprehensive and collective effort has three essential sides: one side is the determination and effort of the country's officials; another side is the cooperation and participation of the people in the areas where their fundamental duties lie; and the third side is the establishment of correct economic and social relations in the country, which is the responsibility of both officials and the people. I will briefly explain each of these points.

Regarding the need for officials to exert effort: all the determination and effort of officials must be devoted to the construction of the country. First and foremost, what is necessary for this is coordination and solidarity among the three branches of government; they must be united, cooperative, and complementary to one another. This is precisely the opposite of the efforts of the enemies of our dear country and the Islamic Republic, who have sought to establish dual governance. For several years now, foreign media and radios and televisions, which are managed by the schemes and policies of the Zionists and Americans and the enemies of the Iranian nation, have been propagating the idea of dual governance in this country; they claim that there is dual governance and attempt to create it. Officials must act in opposition to the enemy's movement and prevent it. They should not allow the enemy to portray a division and discord among the authorities of the Islamic Republic and among the officials of the system. Mistakes have been made in this regard, and some have spoken and acted in ways that have benefited the enemy. These actions must be halted. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches must work together in their respective duties with solidarity and coordination. Of course, this does not mean that the legislative branch should not question the executive branch, or that the judiciary should not address the errors of individuals from other branches; it means that each should sincerely cooperate with the other branches within their respective duties; they should adjust their orientations in such a way that they complement one another; they should pay attention to the priorities of the country—in various sectors of the country and in your province, there are matters that should be prioritized; they should give precedence to those matters that pertain to public interests and social justice—address the needs of the weaker classes, and avoid wasting time and resources.

Some have spent a period of time in uproar and debate trying to prove that political development precedes economic development. This is a waste of the nation's time to argue whether political development precedes economic development. What is necessary, what is paramount, and what is incumbent upon everyone is to address the people's problems and advance the country. Bringing political debates and daily controversies into the working lives of officials and the people does not help the country's progress. It is the right of the people to demand work, effort, innovation, timely action, and responsible behavior from their officials; and it is the duty of the officials to be accountable and to fulfill their responsibilities. This is the first side; however, it is not enough.

Alongside this, there is a significant duty that falls upon the people. When this determination and effort yield results, it is because the other side is also present. The public culture, the beliefs of the people, and the spiritual and material resources of the people must be brought into play. What is incumbent upon the people is to value work; to value investment; to value students and pupils studying; to value self-sacrifice and struggle; to value prioritizing public interests over individual interests; to value unity and coordination among all segments of the nation; to value participation in political arenas; these are the spiritual resources of a country and a nation. A nation with these resources is victorious.

My dear ones! To the youth who have either not experienced the Sacred Defense or have not fully understood it! The Sacred Defense was achieved with these spiritual resources. The entire world of global arrogance gathered behind Saddam Hussein, who today bears the face of an international criminal, to fight against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation triumphed in this unequal war thanks to these resources. This nation brought its faith, courage, selflessness, religious devotion, and national pride to the forefront; just as it brought its youth, wealth, and resources to the forefront; all of these together were able to save this nation. If this nation had not triumphed in the Sacred Defense, Iran might not have seen the face of happiness for centuries.

Our enemies covet our human resources—our sources of power—more than they covet our natural resources. They know that if these social resources are taken from a nation, if a nation loses its national pride, faith, unity, and solidarity, if it loses its enthusiasm for work and innovation, if it loses its scientific progress, it will be completely at the mercy of its enemies; they can easily bully it, they can dominate it, they can plunder its natural and material resources as well. What provides a solid barrier against the enemies is these spiritual resources, which we must be vigilant to protect from being undermined.

Unfortunately, I have seen many who claim to work for the nation in the political and cultural arenas but do not protect these resources. You have seen that in some of our newspapers, there has been writing against struggle, self-sacrifice, dedication, courage, and faith. Who benefits from this? It benefits the enemy; it does not benefit the Iranian nation. To deprive the nation of its faith is like stripping its armor from it in the battlefield. If the people of a country are deprived of their national pride and sense of dignity and resilience, they have been disarmed in the face of the enemy; these are the moral weapons of the enemy. No one should belittle jihad and martyrdom or deny and question the religious beliefs of the people. No one should belittle and demean the achievements of the revolution.

Those who hold the pen and have cultural responsibilities must promote knowledge and education day by day. We have raised the slogan of the scientific innovation movement and the software movement; it has been expected that the scholars, the religious, the writers, the university and seminary students move in this direction, and many have done so; however, we see that some have not accompanied this genuine need—scientific movement is the genuine need of this country. These are not good signs from those groups.

Today, we need to equip the people with their spiritual resources. Of course, our radio and television, the Organization of Islamic Propagation, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and our clerics, speakers, and writers have responsibilities in this regard. We must make these spiritual and social resources the backbone of our material resources and the preservation of independence and progress of the country. This is the second side of the triangle that can lead the country to desirable progress and development.

The third side is that economic and social relations must be healthy; this is the responsibility of both the officials—the government, the judiciary, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly—and the people. What does unhealthy economic and social relations mean? It means the prevalence of smuggling, usury, excessive consumerism, and a tendency to boast about using foreign products over domestic ones, which means that it makes Iranian workers unemployed in favor of foreign workers. Pride in using domestic products must awaken in the people and the officials. First and foremost, the officials and the state apparatus and the three branches must pay attention to this point and value it.

When unhealthy economic relations prevail in society, when rent-seeking is rampant, when the abuse of power to acquire windfall wealth is widespread, those who are the real producers and hard workers become disheartened. A farmer who works hard, an industrialist who produces, an investor who invests, a miner who toils, a teacher who teaches in school, a professor who lectures at university, a judge who dedicates his time and nerves to proper work, when they see that the way is open for unhealthy economic relations in society and that there is no confrontation with it, they become disillusioned. This is why we have said and emphasized that we must combat economic corruption and smuggling, because these phenomena seriously undermine the foundations of the country's progress.

You see that until two or three years ago, we were importing wheat, and the government spent about one billion dollars a year—sometimes more—for wheat imports; but today, thanks to God's grace and the rain of divine mercy and the efforts of farmers and the planning of the relevant officials in the Ministry of Agriculture and others, we not only do not need to import wheat, but we are on the verge of this transformation that we will export wheat. Who produced and saved this one billion dollars for this country? They must be encouraged. The farmer must be encouraged; the good planner must be encouraged; the official who diligently pursues a fundamental issue must be encouraged; values must be cherished; this will advance the country.

What I am saying is not just to advise the officials; I am telling you, the people, so that you know and demand and expect. I say this to the officials and the government workers in the three branches and to myself, so that we feel obligated and act and be accountable.

Those who gather illicit wealth, the greedy, the gluttons, and the economic corruptors must not make the arena narrow for those who either invest, or work, or toil, or study, or expand knowledge and earn much less than they do. The system must combat economic corruption and the flow of economic corruption; this is the duty of the parliament, the government, and the judiciary.

We are a nation with a cultural and historical background and with courage; we are not a cowardly nation. We have shown in political and military arenas that we have the power to stand against our enemies; these are not mere claims; they have been tested and have come to the scene of action. Our nation, in addition to its courage and readiness, is a nation of faith. I will, God willing, say in the gathering of the youth; our youth, in general, are religiously inclined; this has been clear and proven for us. Most of our nation is young; the non-young have their place.

Our nation is faithful and interested in the Islamic system. The large gathering that has assembled here, the dense crowd that has gathered in the streets, the attention and reception that people show towards their officials in various political gatherings and demonstrations—what is this for? This is an expression of interest in the Islamic system. These people do not have affection for individuals or for Ali Khamenei; they have affection for Islam. If they express affection for individuals, it is because they see them as servants of Islam, servants of the people, and in the service of this revolution and system; otherwise, if these individuals and I take a misstep and deviate from the straight path, these same people will turn away from them. These people are in love with Islam. The enemy's satellites should capture these enthusiastic gatherings and the warm and sincere feelings of the people well; the enemy's fifth column inside the country should open its narrow eyes and see what these people want and what they say. The people are interested in the Islamic system.

We want to build our country. This nation has decided to stand on its own feet and manage its country by its own hands and move towards the peaks of honor that befit its dignity.

This nation does not want to move behind great powers and at their beck and call.

Officials must act in such a way as to maintain this valuable trust in the hearts of the people; this trust is very valuable. The steadfastness of the people is everything for a system and a country. With such a backing and immense popular power, the country and the nation can stand against any power and any aggressor—no matter how great—and deter the aggressor from its aggression.

We do not negotiate with anyone in the world over the interests of our country and our nation. The enemies of this country and this nation, in order to justify their enmity, say that the Islamic Republic has jeopardized our interests. The Americans say that the Islamic Republic has jeopardized our interests. We, the Iranian nation, within the confines of our country, will cut off any hand that reaches out to infringe upon our interests—whether scientific, natural, human, or technological. We will not allow the interests of any power to take precedence over our national interests within the confines of our country. And if the enemy dares to be audacious and aggressive, then our response will not be limited to the confines of our country. If anyone attacks our nation, we will jeopardize their interests wherever they may be in the world.

And I tell you, dear people, and all the Iranian nation, that you can; both in the realm of defense, and in the realm of steadfastness, and in the realm of construction. Our nation has shown that it is capable.

Pay attention to the Almighty God; seek help from God; let our youth, especially, tread the path of righteousness and success with love for the Almighty God. I have often said, be merciful to one another so that the Almighty God may be merciful to you. Let us strengthen our relationship with the Almighty God so that divine grace, help, success, and guidance may encompass all of us.

Our nation has shown that it moves well in this path, progresses well, makes good decisions, and for this reason, God willing, the future is bright and the horizon is very open and radiant.

Once again, I sincerely thank all the dear brothers and sisters who are present here and the dear brothers and sisters who have gathered in the streets and those who have come from other counties, and I ask the Almighty God to bestow His mercy and grace upon the sacred souls of our esteemed martyrs, our great leaders, the prominent figures of this province, as well as the dear families of the martyrs, the veterans, the disabled, the freed prisoners, and all the people and dear youth.

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