Meeting with Children of Martyrs, Educators, and Students of Tarbiat Modares

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

Today's gathering is a delightful and comprehensive assembly; on one side, the fragrance of martyrdom and sacrifice in the path of God through the young and children of martyrs, the cherished memories of our esteemed martyrs; and on the other side, the adornment of knowledge and culture in the path of Islam and in service to humanity, with the presence of students and professors of Tarbiat Modares University, which is one of the hopeful points for the future of the country's science and culture. I welcome all of you brothers and sisters, dear ones, and beloveds, especially those who have come from other cities and distant paths; and particularly to our dear veterans, the living martyrs of our revolution, who have illuminated our gathering today.

I would like to say something about the children of our esteemed martyrs. Firstly, those responsible for the affairs of the martyrs' families and especially the educators of the martyrs' children should be proud and happy that the honor of serving the children of martyrs has been entrusted to them; they should not perform this task with fatigue and weariness; they should engage in this work with enthusiasm and inner motivation. Educating the children of martyrs and bringing them to the desired point in Islamic and scientific education is a great goal; this goal can be achieved with high ambition, abundant faith, and enthusiasm; no one should approach this important matter with compulsion or as a formality; and of course, it is not so.

Here, after thanking the efforts of the managers and respected teachers of these schools and cultural officials, I tell them to pay as much attention as possible to these young ones and beloveds. We have previously mentioned that for planning, specialists in psychology and child issues and specialists in education should be utilized; especially as much as possible, efforts should be made on the moral programs of these dear ones; because the enemy certainly has sinister plans for this great national asset of ours; we must be vigilant.

To you dear children and beloveds, I also say that your fathers fought for the greatness and honor of this country and welcomed death and were martyred in the path of God. Of course, your fathers are proud today and, God willing, are enjoying divine blessings in the presence of God and are happy. You young people and adolescents, boys and girls, your goal should be to continue the path of your fathers. They were martyred on this path; you, God willing, remain alive and strive and spend a life with honor on this path. Islam needs you. You are the children of Islam; you must be soldiers of Islam and strive in the path of Islam.

Everyone must know that the enemy's conspiracy against the revolution has not ended. Our big and small, our men and women, our learned and ignorant, all must consider themselves soldiers defending the values of the revolution. Wherever each of us is engaged in service, we must consider that place a trench. If we are people of jihad, wherever we are, it is a trench.

I also have a necessary point to make to those dear ones who are studying, teaching, or serving at Tarbiat Modares University. The university is the fundamental point of every society and country. If the university is reformed, the future of that society will be reformed. If the university is corrupt, the fate of that society is corruption.

The corruption we assume in the university may be moral corruption or scientific corruption. Scientific corruption means that in the university, neither the teacher cares about teaching and imparting knowledge, nor does the learner and student care about learning. The result is ignorance, misunderstanding, and lack of talent growth. Moral corruption means that the one who studies or does not study does not nurture the necessary morality, honor, dignity, motivation, and faith in themselves. This result is the same as the first; perhaps sometimes worse.

A scholar who is not honorable, who does not have the zeal and pride to defend their country, nation, ideals, and national and religious values, a scholar who prefers the enemy over their own and puts themselves at the disposal of the enemy of the nation, is worse than any ignorant person; it is the same thief who goes to steal with a lamp and causes more harm. Therefore, the reform of the university is of utmost importance.

You saw how much our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) spoke about the university and expressed points. In the early days of the revolution, how much effort was made regarding the university and how much struggle was made by the revolution and revolutionaries for the reform of universities. If we do not raise the slogans of six years ago and eight years ago about universities today, it is with the belief that there is no need for those slogans; meaning the university has been reformed. Some of the decisions that were made in those days in universities - regarding the selection of professors, the selection of students, the precision in the entry of individuals in various parts of the university; whether in scientific and non-scientific responsibilities, and whether in learning and student levels - if those precisions are not made today, it is with the confidence that the work has been reformed and we have passed this stage. If it becomes clear that we have not passed those stages, the same precisions are necessary and the same strictness is the necessity of the time.

Tarbiat Modares University is the hopeful point where the lovers of the revolution and revolutionaries are sitting, so that it can train a handful of knowledgeable, wise, and competent teachers and professors and be a help for the reform of universities. This work must continue with strength and intensity.

The professor has an important role in universities. A professor, even if they have a religion and creed other than the student's creed, can teach; but on the condition that they do not want to change the revolutionary and Islamic atmosphere in the university. That professor who, if a student begins their speech with 'In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' rebukes them; that professor who, if a female student attends educational stages with Islamic hijab and in a veiled manner, insults her; this professor is not allowed to be present in the university. The knowledge that this professor will give to this university is not knowledge that will serve the country and in the direction of the desired values for this self-sacrificing nation.

Reforming the university is a fundamental matter. Human resources in any country are the basis of progress. Which human resources will guarantee progress in a country? Faithful, conscientious, work-believing, and caring human resources; otherwise, those human resources who do not believe in work and care and do not consider any regard for the country, system, values of the people, and the people themselves, what help can they provide to the progress of the country? These are fundamental points that must be considered in the policymaking of many major parts of our apparatus.

We want faithful and caring human resources. Even if they do not have religion, even if they do not believe in Islamic values, at least they should want to be useful and effective for their homeland; they should want this student to be educated with proper ethics; they should not lead them towards moral corruption; this is the issue.

The enemies of this revolution, among the measures they have thought of alongside stealing brains and taking talents and negative propaganda around the world and magnifying small faults and covering up great virtues and brilliance, one is to sow the seeds of disbelief in the environment of science, enlightenment, awareness, and knowledge and promote it. This is enmity with the revolution and Islam.

Today, global arrogance is afraid and anxious about deep faith in any people. Today, the global system of domination knows that what will stand against it are faithful, zealous, and principled people who believe in a series of principles and values and only stand against the domination and bullying of the system of arrogance. The enemy fears these and confronts them.

Our nation must be awake. The revolution has made many advances in these twelve years; it has overcome many problems and conquered many fields; but the problems are not over yet. The enemy has not given up enmity with Islam and the revolution. Arrogance has not yet reconciled with Islam. It is a mistake if someone thinks that America and the domineering systems of the world have reconciled with the revolution, with Islam, with the faith of our nation and Muslim nations; they do not reconcile; because they know that Islam does not reconcile with them; because they know that faithful people wherever they are, do not reconcile with oppression, bullying, and corruption.

Global arrogance is the mine and center of all these corruptions. Everyone, especially students, academics, professors, and university officials, must be vigilant. Set your movement direction against the domineering and enmity with the world-eaters; this is what will lead us to Islamic values.

We hope that Almighty God grants all of you brothers and sisters, in whatever responsibility you are, success and bestows upon all of us the necessary growth and guidance, so that we recognize our duty in every sensitive stage and, God willing, follow this path with strong will.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings