Statements on the 26th Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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, our prophet, and the beloved of our hearts, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One of God on earth. O God, be for Your Wali (Guardian), the Proof of God, al-Hujjah ibn al-Hasan, may Your blessings be upon him and his forefathers, in this hour and in every hour, a guardian, protector, leader, supporter, guide, and eye, until You settle him in Your land willingly and grant him a long life therein. O God, grant him in himself, his offspring, his followers, his subjects, his special ones, and the general public, and his enemies, and all the people of the world, what pleases him and brings joy to his heart.

At the beginning of my remarks, it is necessary to express my respect to the sacred presence of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him). The savior of the end times is agreed upon by all Abrahamic religions; that someone will come and save the world from the quagmire of oppression and tyranny is accepted by all Abrahamic faiths. In Islam, the name of this savior is also specified; this divine being, this extraordinary great human is known in all Islamic sects as Mahdi (may peace be upon him). Perhaps among Islamic sects, there is no sect that does not believe that Mahdi (may peace be upon him) will appear, and he is from the progeny of the Prophet; even the name and title of that holy figure are specified. The particularity that exists in the belief of the Shia is that this personality is introduced in a specific and defined manner; he is considered the son of the eleventh Imam from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt - Imam Hasan al-Askari (may peace be upon him) - and the date of his birth is clearly established according to Shia historians and theologians; other Islamic sects have generally not mentioned or accepted this view, but the Shia, with definitive and certain evidence, prove the presence, existence, and birth of that great figure. Some have expressed disbelief that how it is possible for a human to be born and remain alive for such a long time. This is the only disbelief that opponents have raised and repeated regarding the issue of Imam Mahdi; however, the Holy Quran, with its explicit text, dispels this disbelief. Regarding Prophet Noah (may peace be upon him), it states: "He remained among them for a thousand years minus fifty years"; meaning Noah lived among his people for 950 years. It is not that his lifespan was this long; the apparent matter is that the period of his invitation was 950 years; therefore, this disbelief has no place.

The greatest characteristic of this belief among Shia is the generation of hope. The Shia community does not rely solely on the highlights of its history in the past; it looks to the future. A believer in the issue of Mahdism, according to Shia belief, does not find his heart empty of hope even in the most difficult circumstances, and the flame of hope always exists; he knows that this dark period, this period of oppression, this period of unjust and false domination will certainly pass; this is one of the most important effects and achievements of this belief. Of course, the Shia belief regarding the issue of Mahdism is not limited to this; "By his blessing, the world was provided, and by his existence, the earth and the heavens were established"; the belief in Mahdism is such a belief. This glowing flame, this shining light, has existed in Shia communities throughout the past centuries and will continue to exist, and God willing, the era of waiting for the awaited will come. Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of that great figure; this brief expression of respect, on the occasion of this blessed birth, has been presented to you dear brothers and sisters.

However, the matter that I have prepared for the dear brothers and sisters present in this grand and magnificent gathering, as usual, is a discussion about our great Imam. We have spoken much about this, but there remains much to say about this great man. What I will present to you today is under the title "The Distortion of the Imam's Personality." Can personalities also be distorted? Usually, the term distortion is used regarding the distortion of texts; can personalities also be distorted? Yes. The distortion of personalities means that the main pillars of that great human's character remain unknown, or are misinterpreted, or are interpreted in a distorted and superficial manner; all of these return to the distortion of personality. A personality that is a model, an Imam and leader, whose behavior and speech serve as guidance and instruction for generations after him, if distorted, will cause great harm. The Imam should not be regarded merely as a respected historical figure; some wish to see him this way: the Imam is a respected figure in the history of this country who was active and beneficial at one time, and then he left the community, and his time ended; we respect him, we mention his name with reverence, just that; some want to recognize and introduce the Imam in this way, and this is wrong.

The Imam is the tangible manifestation of the great movement that the Iranian nation began and transformed its history; the Imam is the founder of a political, social, and intellectual school. The Iranian nation accepted this school, this path, this plan, and began to move within it; the continuation of this path depends on the correct recognition of this roadmap; without correctly understanding the Imam - in the sense of understanding the principles of the Imam - this roadmap will not be recognized. It is evident that our discussion is about the intellectual foundations of the Imam; it is not about momentary decisions related to time or place; it is about the main structure of the thought of our great Imam; this is what we want to understand correctly.

The Imam was indeed a great jurist; he was both a prominent and great jurist, a philosopher, and an expert in theoretical mysticism; in these matters and technical and scientific fields, he was considered a leader, but the prominent personality of the Imam is not dependent on any of these; rather, the main personality of the Imam was in realizing the meaning of the verse "And strive in the way of God as is His due"; the great Imam, with his outstanding scientific background, entered the field of jihad in the way of God and continued this jihad until the end of his life, creating a great movement; not only in his own country but throughout our region and in the entire Islamic world, and in a sense, in the whole world. The product of this movement was an unparalleled outcome.

Two great and unprecedented works were accomplished in the history of the country by the Imam; one was the overthrow of the oppressive and irrational hereditary monarchy that had a history of several thousand years in our country. This old, decayed, and erroneous structure, where the governance of the country was in the hands of individuals and was passed down hereditarily from one to another, or was seized by military force, and then inherited from one generation to the next, was a wrong and illogical tradition that had existed for thousands of years in our country; the first task of the Imam was to dismantle this erroneous structure and hand over the work to the people of the country.

The second great task that the great Imam accomplished was the establishment of a government and system based on Islam, which was also unprecedented in our country's history and indeed in the entire history of Islam after the time of the Prophet. This great jihad of our great Imam had such a valuable product, and thus it is truly appropriate to say that "He strove in the way of God as is His due"; just as it is stated in the Quran: "And strive in the way of God as is His due"; and just as it is said about the saints of religion, this great man is also an example of "He strove in the way of God as is His due".

Of course, on the sidelines of this discussion, I should mention that the jihad of this great man was not merely political and social jihad or intellectual jihad, but along with all these jihad, there was an inner jihad, a jihad against the self, a commitment to a continuous and permanent connection with God Almighty; this is also a lesson. It is not the case that if we enter the field of intellectual jihad or scientific jihad or political jihad or military jihad, we have the right to disregard this aspect of jihad. The great Imam was a person of humility, a person of tears, a person of prayer, a person of supplication and pleading. In this blessed month of Sha'ban, he repeatedly recited the phrase of the Sha'baniyah supplication in his speeches: "O God, grant me the perfection of severance to You and illuminate the eyes of our hearts with the light of Your gaze upon us, until the eyes of our hearts pierce the veils of light and reach the source of greatness." This was his behavior, his weeping at dawn, his supplication, his constant connection, which formed the spiritual backing for the continuity and persistence of the jihad of this great man. We should also remember this in the context of the jihad in the way of God of our great Imam.

The intellectual system of the Imam possesses the complete characteristics of a true intellectual, social, and political school. First of all, it is based on a worldview that is monotheism. All his activities, all his logic were based on monotheism, which is the fundamental basis of all Islamic thoughts.

Another characteristic of this intellectual system that makes it a true school in the real sense of the word is that the intellectual system of the Imam was contemporary; it addressed the issues faced by human societies and the Iranian community, and the audiences felt it. In the intellectual school of the Imam, opposition to despotism and opposition to global arrogance takes precedence; this is what the Iranian nation felt, and other Muslim nations, and even non-Muslim nations felt it; for this reason, this invitation spread.

Another characteristic of this intellectual school was that it was alive, dynamic, and operational; it was not like some intellectual theorizing that, while beautiful and eloquent in discussion circles, has no efficacy in the field of action; the logic of the Imam, the thought of the Imam, the path of the Imam was operational; it could be realized in the field of action; for this reason, it succeeded and progressed; this movement changed the course of our country's history.

We, the Iranian nation, were a subjugated nation, immersed in aimlessness and despair; we were a dependent nation; we were a nation that was deliberately kept backward; they imposed their thoughts on us, their culture; they took our economic resources and poured a stream of vile habits into our country; we were such a nation. The Imam transformed us into a motivated nation, a hopeful nation, a dynamic nation, a nation with great goals. Today, the Iranian nation is dynamic, motivated, hopeful, and moving towards great goals. Of course, we are still far from our goals, but the important thing is that we are in motion; the important thing is that the energy and determination for progress exist in our nation; the important thing is that our youth believe they can achieve these goals; they can fully establish social justice; they can bring progress and wealth to this country; they can transform us into a developed country with power commensurate with our historical identity; this hope is currently surging in our country, and our youth are moving in this direction. We have emerged from a state of sedation, from a state of drowsiness; this work has been accomplished by the movement of our great Imam and this great man.

If the Iranian nation wants to achieve these goals, wants to continue this path, it must correctly recognize the path of the great Imam, understand his principles correctly, and not allow the personality of the Imam to be distorted, for the distortion of the personality of the Imam is the distortion of the path of the Imam and the diversion of the Iranian nation's straight path. If we lose the way of the Imam or forget it or, God forbid, deliberately set it aside, the Iranian nation will suffer. Everyone must know that the insatiable appetite of global arrogance has not taken its eyes off their country; a large country, a wealthy country, a country located at a sensitive global crossroads is very important to the deceitful powers of the world. They have not given up their greed, they have not taken their eyes off; they will only retreat when you, the Iranian nation, gain such power, achieve such progress that their hope is cut off. Here, the danger of distorting the Imam becomes significant; if the personality of the Imam is distorted, misrepresented, misidentified, all these great dangers will be directed at the Iranian nation; here, the danger of distorting the Imam should be perceived as a warning to the ears and eyes of the country's officials, the intellectuals of the revolution, the old students of the Imam, those who are interested in this path, and the general youth, scholars, university students, and seminary students. Well, this was the introduction to my remarks.

During the lifetime of the Imam, efforts were also made to distort the personality of the Imam; on one side, the enemy, who from the beginning of the revolution tried to introduce the Imam in their global propaganda as a dry and harsh revolutionary - like what is known in the history of great and famous revolutions of the world, such as the French Revolution, the Marxist revolution of the Soviet Union, and some other revolutions - as a person who is dry and harsh, whose eyebrows do not relax, and who merely looks at confronting the enemy and has no affection, no flexibility in him; this was how they introduced the Imam, which was wrong. Yes, the Imam was decisive, unwavering in his decisions - as I will now explain - he was a resolute person, but he was a manifestation of affection, a manifestation of tenderness, a manifestation of love, a manifestation of comforting and devotion to God and to the creation of God, especially towards the oppressed and underprivileged classes of society; this was the work that the enemy has been doing from the very first day in our revolution, in global propaganda against the Imam.

Internally, some, knowingly or unknowingly, distorted the personality of the Imam; even during the lifetime of the Imam. They attributed any statement they found pleasing to the Imam, while it had no connection to him. After the passing of the Imam, this trend continued; even to the point that some statements and remarks portray the Imam as a liberal who has no conditions in his behavior in political, intellectual, or cultural matters; this is also severely wrong and contrary to reality. If we want to find the personality of the Imam in the true sense of the word, there is a path; if we follow this path - which I will explain - the matter will be resolved; otherwise, today, some come and introduce the Imam in a way that suits their own desires and tastes; tomorrow, others may come and find it expedient to introduce the Imam differently according to other tastes and events occurring in the world; this cannot be. The popularity of the Imam among the people is a lasting thing; the enemy could not eliminate this; for this reason, the issue of the distortion of the personality of the Imam, which is influential in the hearts of many people - both in the country and outside the country - is a great danger.

The path that can prevent this distortion is the re-examination of the principles of the Imam. The Imam has principles, he has foundations; these foundations have been expressed in various statements during the ten years of Islamic governance and before that during the fifteen years of the movement; the principles of the Imam can be found in these statements; when we put these principles, these lines together, a structure of the great Imam will be formed; this is the personality of the Imam. I do not say to pay attention to every minor detail; the life of the Imam, like all other human lives, has ups and downs; events have occurred in it, and each event has its own circumstances; we present the fundamental matters, those that cannot be denied, which are part of the clear statements of the Imam over the years, both before the establishment of the Islamic government, during the establishment of the Islamic government, during the eight-year imposed war, before it, and after it; the Imam has repeated these principles in his statements; these principles should not be selected selectively. Of course, today I will present five or six of these, but I also say here that the principles of the Imam may not be limited to these; scholars and individuals who can and have the ability to do so should go and look for the statements of the Imam - thanks be to God, they have been compiled, are available, and are accessible to all - and extract these principles. Today, I cannot present all the principles that can be extracted from the statements of the Imam; I will present five or six, and I do not want it to be selective, so I say individuals should go and look for them, find some; but what I present today is part of the certainties of the logic of the Imam and the school of the Imam and the path of the Imam.

The first matter that exists in the [school of] the Imam is the affirmation of pure Muhammadan Islam and the negation of American Islam. The Imam placed pure Islam in opposition to American Islam. What is American Islam? American Islam in our time, in the time of the Imam, and in all times - as far as we know, it may be the same in the future - has no more than two branches: one is secular Islam, and the other is reactionary Islam; thus, the Imam always placed those who had a secular mindset - meaning they wanted to separate religion from society, from the behavior of social humans - alongside those who had a reactionary view of religion; that is, a backward and incomprehensible view for enlightened humans, and fanatical on false foundations, reactionary; both of these were always mentioned together by the Imam. Today, when you look, you see both examples of Islam exist in the Islamic world, both are supported by the powerful world powers and by America. Today, both the deviant currents of ISIS and al-Qaeda and similar groups are supported by America and Israel, and some so-called Islamic currents that are alien to Islamic action, Islamic jurisprudence, and Islamic law are also supported by America. Pure Islam, from the perspective of the great Imam, is that Islam which is based on the Book and the Sunnah, which is derived with clear thought, with familiarity with time and place, with a well-established and completed scientific method in the religious seminaries. It is not that the method of derivation is not taken into account, and anyone can open the Quran and derive the principles of social movement; no, this has a method, this has a way; this is a scientific method, it has been worked on, there are those who can follow this method. Pure Islam, from the perspective of the great Imam, is this. Of course, anyone who knows that method is not necessarily capable; they must have clear thought, be familiar with time and place, know the actual needs of human societies and Islamic societies, know the enemy, understand the nature of their enmity, and then they can specify and recognize pure Islam. The Islam of court clerics - which the Imam repeatedly referred to with this term - the ISIS Islam; on the other hand, the indifferent Islam towards the crimes of Zionism, towards the crimes of America, the Islam that looks to America and the great powers, and at the behest of America, all these have their roots in one trough; in one place, they all converge; from the perspective of the Imam, all of these are rejected. The Islam that the Imam introduces is in opposition to all of these. A follower of the Imam, the one who follows the Imam, must have a clear boundary; both with reactionary Islam and with secular Islam; they must identify and pursue pure Islam. One of the principles of the Imam is this. This is not something that the Imam has said once; it is widespread throughout the works of the Imam, the statements of the Imam.

Secondly: one of the principles of the Imam is reliance on divine assistance, trust in the truth of God's promise, and conversely, distrust of the arrogant and oppressive global powers; this is one of the components of the Imam's school. Reliance on divine power; God Almighty has promised the believers; and those who do not believe this promise are cursed in the words of God Himself: "And God has cursed them," and "God has become angry with them," those who "think ill of God, the evil will encircle them, and God has become angry with them and cursed them and prepared for them Hell, and wretched is the destination." Belief in God's promise, in the truth of God's promise - which He has said, "If you support God, He will support you" - is one of the cornerstones of the thought of our great Imam; we must rely on this promise and trust in it. Conversely, we must not trust the sweet nothings of the enemies, the arrogant, the global powers; this is also fully evident in the actions of the Imam, in the behavior of the Imam, in the statements of the Imam. This reliance on the power of the Lord and trust in Him made the great Imam explicit in his revolutionary positions. The Imam spoke clearly; he expressed what he believed explicitly because he relied on God; it was not that he did not know that the powers would dislike it, nor that he did not know they would become angry; he knew, but he believed in divine power, in divine assistance, in divine victory. In the face of events, he did not become hesitant; in response to one of the letters - the Imam perhaps responded to two letters from the leaders of the arrogant world or their affiliates - that were written to him, the Imam responded to that letter with complete clarity, which was broadcast at that time on the Islamic Republic's radio and television. Of course, the Imam spoke politely, but he expressed his decisive and clear positions in those letters, and this reliance of the Imam flowed like blood in the veins of the nation; the nation also became people who relied on God Almighty, believed in divine assistance, and entered this path. The fact that the Imam had no trust or belief in the arrogant powers made him disregard their promises. The President of the United States - Reagan, who was also a powerful president - wrote to the Imam and sent messages and people, the Imam did not pay attention to him, did not respond to him, and disregarded a promise he had made.

In another case, a promise regarding the end of the imposed war was made by one of the governments dependent on America, discussing hundreds of billions or a thousand billion, the Imam did not pay attention to it, did not trust it. We now experience this meaning in our various ongoing issues; we see how we cannot trust the promises of the arrogant, we cannot trust the things they say in private meetings; we are experiencing this. The Imam made this one of the main lines of his work, trust in God, distrust of the arrogant. This, of course, does not mean cutting off relations with the world, because leaders of countries would send congratulatory messages to the Imam on various occasions, and the Imam would respond to their congratulatory messages. This kind of relationship existed at a normal, polite, and respectful level, but there was absolutely no trust in the arrogant and tyrants and their followers.

Thirdly; belief in the will of the people and the power of the people, and opposition to government centralization; this is one of the main lines of the Imam's movement. In those days, due to a misunderstanding, efforts were made to make all economic matters of the country dependent on the government; the Imam repeatedly warned - and these warnings are clearly reflected in his statements - that these matters should be entrusted to the people; he had trust in the people in economic matters, trust in the people in military matters. This should be noted: the Imam was a supporter of the army from the beginning; the one who prevented the dissolution of the army in the country was the Imam; despite this, he established the Revolutionary Guards, and later established the Basij; he made the military movement a popular movement. In economic matters, reliance on the people; in military matters, reliance on the people; in the construction of the country, reliance on the people, which initiated the construction jihad; in propaganda matters, reliance on the people; and above all, the issue of elections in the country and the votes of the people in the management of the country and the political system of the country. Throughout this period - the period of the rule of our great Imam is ten years; of these ten years, eight years were during the war in this country; cities were bombed; the fronts were engaged in war - perhaps about ten elections were held in the country, various elections did not fall behind their scheduled date even for a day; in all stages, in all conditions, the great Imam insisted that elections be held at their scheduled time. In some countries, it is customary to declare a state of emergency; the Imam never declared a state of emergency, he placed great importance on elections. On election day, among the first people to arrive at the ballot box was the great Imam; he had faith in the people and, in the true sense of the word, respected the votes of the people and the thoughts of the people and the judgment of the people; it was possible that what the people chose was not in line with the Imam's views in some cases, but nonetheless, he respected the votes of the people, considered them honorable, and regarded them as valid; this is also one of the things. The Imam did not stop at these; he introduced the people as the benefactors of the officials; the Imam repeatedly mentioned that these people are our benefactors; in some instances, he introduced himself as the servant of the nation; he said: if I am called the servant of the nation, it is better than being called the leader; this is a great statement, indicating the prominent status of the people and the thoughts of the people and the votes of the people and the presence of the people in the eyes of the Imam; the people also responded appropriately; where his finger pointed, the people were present there with their hearts and souls. This was mutual; the Imam trusted the people, the people trusted the Imam; the Imam loved the people, the people loved the Imam; this mutual relationship is a natural matter.

The fourth point in the internal affairs of the country; the Imam was a serious supporter of the oppressed and underprivileged; the Imam vehemently rejected economic inequality; he bitterly rejected elitism; in the true sense of the word, the Imam was a supporter of social justice; support for the underprivileged is perhaps one of the most frequently mentioned topics that our great Imam spoke about in his statements; this is one of the clear lines of the Imam; this is one of the definite principles of the Imam, everyone must strive to eradicate poverty; everyone must strive to lift the underprivileged from their deprivation and, as far as the country's capacity allows, help the underprivileged. On the other hand, he warned the country's officials about the tendency towards elitism - this point is also mentioned in the Quran: "And you dwelled in the dwellings of those who wronged" - and he repeatedly warned everyone against the tendency towards elitism, emphasizing that you should trust the loyalty of the weak classes; the Imam repeatedly said that these are the poor, these are the underprivileged, who have filled these scenes despite their deprivations, and they do not protest, they are present in the fields of danger; but those who had more privileges, in various cases, if a problem arose, they were the ones who expressed dissatisfaction more. The loyalty of the middle classes and the underprivileged classes of the people was a prominent matter in the eyes of the Imam, and he emphasized this. He emphasized the correct consumption of public funds, emphasized avoiding waste. This is also one of the fundamental lines. The issue of social justice, support for the underprivileged, and distancing from elitism and extravagance and acting in this direction.

The fifth point in the external dimension. The Imam was explicitly positioned against the international bullies and arrogant powers, without any consideration. This is that the Imam was on the side of the oppressed in the confrontation between the bullies and the arrogant and the oppressive powers of the world; he expressed this clearly and without consideration and without taqiyya. He was a serious supporter of the oppressed of the world. The Imam had no reconciliation with the arrogant. The term "the Great Satan" for America was a remarkable invention by the Imam. The intellectual and practical extension of this term, the Great Satan, is very extensive. When you label someone, an entity, as a devil, it is clear how your behavior towards them should be, how your feelings towards them should be; the Imam maintained this sentiment towards America until the last day; he used the title of the Great Satan, both in speech and from the depths of his heart believed in this meaning. From the very beginning of the revolution, there were those who did not realize that America was the feeding backer of the tyrannical regime that was overthrown by the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation overthrew the tyrannical regime, but there were those who at that time were in favor of the presence of Americans, of their activities - even the activities of some American institutions - within the country! The major disagreement of the provisional government with the great Imam was over this issue; we saw it up close. They did not realize that America was the backer of the tyrannical regime; this regime has now fallen, but that feeding apparatus still exists, is active, and if given the opportunity, it will resume its activities and strike and seek out weaknesses and will enter through those weaknesses; they did not realize this. The Imam saw this, and thus his positioning regarding the issue of the US embassy was based on this view and this perspective. In the world, there were those who did not pay attention to this point and suffered the consequences; we do not want to blame or reproach anyone; but this is a blow that some received because they overthrew the reactionary and arrogant regimes, but overlooked their backers. The Imam saw this backer from the very first day and confronted it; thus, until the end, the Imam maintained his position against America and the political and security apparatus of America.

Conversely, the great Imam supported Palestine throughout these long years, defended it. He defended Palestine, defended Afghanistan. The day the Soviets entered Afghanistan, even though we were caught up in the enmity of America - governments usually make deals with the other side when they are in conflict with one side - the great Imam, in that very situation, took a decisive stance against the Soviets, a decisive stance that even some governments with Western inclinations did not take; but the great Imam, without any consideration, supported the Afghan nation, supported the Lebanese nation, and sincerely supported the Palestinians. This is the logic of the Imam regarding the confrontation with global arrogance. With this logic, today we can identify the issues of the world, we can understand the correct position. Today, as much as we oppose the brutal and oppressive behavior of the ISIS current in Iraq and Syria, we oppose the brutal behavior of the FBI in their own country to the same extent - both are the same - to the same extent we oppose the siege of Gaza, which is an oppressive siege against the oppressed people of Gaza, to the same extent we oppose the bombing of the helpless and innocent people of Yemen, to the same extent we oppose the harsh measures taken against the people of Bahrain, to the same extent we oppose the drone attacks of America against the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This logic is the logic of the Imam. Wherever there is oppression, there are two sides: the oppressor and the oppressed; we are on the side of the oppressed, we oppose the oppressor; this is the stance that the Imam explicitly took, and this is one of the main lines. Today, for this reason, the issue of Palestine is a primary issue for us; everyone should know this. The issue of Palestine will not be removed from the agenda of the Islamic Republic. The issue of Palestine is the arena of a necessary and obligatory Islamic struggle, no incident will separate us from the issue of Palestine. There may be those in the Palestinian scene who do not fulfill their duties; their account is separate, but the people of Palestine, the Palestinian nation, the Palestinian fighters are under our approval and support.

Another main point and line of the Imam's thought is the issue of the independence of the country, the rejection of subjugation; this is also one of the important headings. Last year, in this very session, I told the audience of that year, independence means freedom on a national scale; this is the meaning of independence. How can it be that some, in language or in slogans, pursue individual freedoms but speak against the independence of the country? This is a contradiction. How can the individual freedom of respected persons be honored, but the freedom of a nation, freedom on a national scale, in the face of the sanctions of opponents and foreigners, not be respected! This is completely incomprehensible, unacceptable. Unfortunately, there are those who theorize to negate the independence of the country, sometimes interpreting independence as isolation, sometimes claiming that today the independence of countries is not valued, they write and speak; these words are also spread in society. Some move in this way. This is a great mistake, a very important and dangerous error. The Imam believed in the independence of the country, believed in the rejection of subjugation over the country. Our enemy, throughout these years, has carried out many activities against our country and our nation to undermine independence; whether through sanctions or threats, they have targeted independence. Everyone must be vigilant, know what the enemy's objectives are. This is also one of the main lines.

Another of the main lines of the Imam's thought and the path of the Imam - this is the last point I will mention - is the issue of national unity and attention to the divisive plots; whether division based on religion, Shia and Sunni; whether division based on ethnicities, Persian, Arab, Turk, Kurd, Lor, Baluch, and so on. Divisive tactics were one of the definite strategies of the enemy, and our great Imam emphasized national unity and the unity of all the people in an unparalleled manner, which is one of the lines. Today, we must also pursue this line. Today, you see that the issue of division in the Islamic world is one of the main strategies of global arrogance. The Americans have reached the point where they now mention the names of Shia and Sunni; Shia Islam, Sunni Islam; they support one and attack another. While the Islamic Republic of Iran has had a completely uniform view regarding this issue of religious differences from the very beginning. We have acted with our Palestinian brothers who are Sunni in the same way we have acted with our Lebanese brothers who are Shia. We have acted uniformly everywhere. The view of our great Imam within the country was this, and in the Islamic world, the view of the Islamic Republic is that of nation-building, the Islamic nation is what is sought. The fact that the second-rate servants of America come and raise the issue of the Shia crescent indicates the divisive policies. The fact that the Americans, despite extensive propaganda, are lenient towards these divisive Takfiri groups in Iraq and Syria - sometimes even secretly assisting them, their agents openly supporting them - indicates that the role of division from the perspective of the enemies of Islam and Muslims and the enemies of the Islamic Republic is a very prominent one. Everyone should pay attention to this; both Shia and Sunni should pay attention; do not fall for the enemy's game. The Sunni that America supports and the Shia that is exported from London to the world are the same; both of them are brothers of the devil, both of them are agents of America and the West and global arrogance.

The harmony and unity of language that we emphasized at the beginning of this year and repeatedly thereafter is based on this foundation. Within the country, brothers and sisters from different ethnicities, from various religions, should form a united front - just as, thanks be to God, it has been until today - and not allow the enemy to infiltrate the realm of the Islamic world. On a broad and extensive level, brothers from both Sunni and Shia should know that there is an enemy that threatens the very existence of Islam. This is also one of the fundamental lines.

I have mentioned seven points from the foundations and principles of the Imam, and certainly, the principles of the Imam are not limited to these. Others should also search, but no one should attribute any statement to the Imam that they find pleasing. What we attribute to the Imam must be present in the relevant sources of the Imam, and that too in a repeated manner, in a continuous manner, like these seven cases we mentioned; these have been present in the statements of the Imam from the beginning to the end, just as one refers to them over the years, all these matters can be seen in the statements of the Imam, these become the principles. Others should also search for the principles in the same way. The attraction and repulsion of the Imam were based on these principles. We also want to have attraction and repulsion; attraction based on these principles, repulsion based on these principles.

Everyone should know that the objectives of our enemies, with their various forms and disguises - sometimes they frown, sometimes they smile, sometimes they make promises, sometimes they threaten - is to dominate the country. The enemy wants to return to the era of their unconditional dominance over this country; because Islam is vehemently opposed to this return, and the resistant force against this enemy's conspiracy is "Islam"; they oppose Islam because they know that Islamic teachings, Islamic laws have created a solid barrier against them. They oppose our nation because the nation stands against them like a mountain. They oppose anyone among the nation who stands more firmly against the enemy; they oppose believers more, they oppose revolutionary organizations and institutions more, they oppose party members more; because they know these are solid and strong barriers against the infiltration of the enemies. The enemy seeks domination, and all the enemy's efforts are to prevent the Islamic movement of the Islamic Republic, which is the source of progress and elevation for this nation. An old American politician once said that the Takfiri terrorist groups do not matter to us Westerners; let them be, it does not matter; what is important to us is Islamic Iran; because Islamic Iran is in the process of creating a great civilization - of course, he used the term "empire," which is incorrect - therefore, we must consider Islamic Iran as our important enemy. This statement also highlights the importance of nation-building.

These were my remarks today to you dear brothers, to those who have come from afar, from various cities. We welcome you; we say thank you for your efforts; God willing, may God protect you all. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, we beseech You to send down Your mercy and blessings upon this great and noble nation. O Lord! Send down Your mercy and blessings upon the soul of this great man, this great Imam who opened this radiant path before us. O Lord! Make us sincere followers of this path and grant us martyrdom in this way. O Lord! Please the sacred heart of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him).

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