Statements in a televised speech on the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Sadiq (AS)

On the national day of struggle against global arrogance

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, chosen, and infallible family, especially the Awaited One on earth.

I congratulate all dear viewers, all segments of the Iranian nation, and the great Islamic Ummah on the blessed birth of the esteemed Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the birth of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (peace be upon him), which is a great holiday. This noble birth prepared the ground for the prophetic mission, which is the greatest historical event for humanity from the beginning to the end. We hope, God willing, that this holiday will be a blessing for our dear people, for the beloved nation of Iran, and for all Muslim nations and the great Islamic Ummah; may it also bring many blessings for humanity.

Today, three occasions coincide: one is this blessed and esteemed birth—the birth of the revered Prophet and his esteemed son, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him)—another is the occasion of the Unity Week, which is very important, and the third is the thirteenth of Aban, which is the day of struggle against global arrogance; I will share a few sentences about each of these with the dear nation of Iran.

The clear relevance of some verses of the Holy Quran to the current state of humanity

There are numerous verses in the Quran regarding the Prophet (peace be upon him); some of these verses have a clear relevance to the current state of humanity, such that when one reads the verse, it seems as if it has been revealed today for today’s humanity. One verse is this noble verse from Surah At-Tawbah: "Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; he is concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful"; (1) the first two sentences of this verse pertain to all of humanity. As it states in another verse: "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all"; (2) all of humanity is addressed by the Prophet Muhammad. These two sentences are very important: "Grievous to him is what you suffer"; the suffering of all humanity weighs heavily on the Prophet, and he suffers from your pain; the next part, "he is concerned over you"; he is compassionate towards you, eager for you, and interested in your fate; this address is to all of humanity.

Today, the human community exemplifies this address; that is, the relevance of this address to the current state of humanity is significant; it can truly be said that today humanity is suffering more than at any other time in history. There is inequality, there is war, there is warmongering, there is extreme materialism, which has rarely been so pronounced among humanity throughout history; there is the use of science and technology to suppress nations; there is tyranny, there is wickedness, there are tyrants.

The use of global arrogance of scientific and technological tools for tyrannical power

Some of these issues, such as inequality, discrimination, lack of justice, and the existence of tyrants, have always been present throughout history; they are not new. However, today, the tyrannical power is being exercised using the tools of science and technology; for instance, consider that Pharaoh said, "Is not the dominion of Egypt mine?"; (3) very well, within the confines of Egypt, he could do whatever he wanted. Today, America, which is the Pharaoh of that day, does not limit itself to America and does not say, "Is not the dominion of America mine?"! Rather, it rises and enters other countries, creates wars, establishes bases; this is the situation, and what the tyrants are doing today with the use of human knowledge and advancements is more than ever before: the discrimination, the inequality, the warmongering. Truly, "Grievous to him is what you suffer"; (4) the pure spirit of the esteemed Prophet today is distressed by this human suffering; he longs for the happiness of humanity and seeks the guidance of humanity, and in the truest sense, like a kind father, he seeks for humanity to be happy, to be guided to the straight path, and to reach a conclusion that is in its favor.

The distinct address of the Holy Quran to the leaders of the infidels and the masses of infidels

One point in this noble verse is that it is at the end of Surah At-Tawbah. Surah At-Tawbah is a chapter of war, a chapter of disavowal from the infidels, a chapter of calling to struggle and similar matters; at the end of this chapter, it states: "Grievous to him is what you suffer"; (5) and as we said, the address is to all of humanity. From this, one can derive a point: that the addresses present are not directed at the ignorant and heedless non-Muslims, but rather at the leaders of disbelief, at the leaders of global arrogance. It addresses those organizations that dominate the fate of human societies, which the Quran refers to as "the leaders of disbelief": "So fight against the leaders of disbelief; indeed, they will not be supported"; (6) and in Surah Al-Qasas, it refers to the leaders who invite to the fire: "And We made them leaders who invite to the fire"; (7) who drag people to hell and call to hell. In reality, the intensity and severity with which the Quran expresses itself against the enemies of Islam and the infidels is directed at those movements. The masses of infidels, those who seek the truth, who are inclined towards the truth, who harbor no enmity, are the ones who are addressed by that beautiful and noble sentence: "Grievous to him is what you suffer"; (8)

Today, the enemy of Islam and the main enemy, the "leaders who invite to the fire", are global arrogance and Zionism; these are the ones who are truly opposing Islam with all their being. The latest display of this opposition is the unfortunate incident that occurred last week in Paris. (9) This ugly display that was shown in Paris is very noteworthy and significant.

The decline of French art and the ugliness of political support from the French government

One cartoonist made a mistake, he insulted the Prophet through a cartoon; this is not merely that an artist has deviated and committed a mistake; it is not just that; there are hands behind this incident. What is the reason? The reason is that suddenly we see a president or, for instance, a government standing up in defense of this ordinary artistic act, and some other governments also support him; it is evident that there is an organization behind this issue; it is not just that French art has declined and has reached this point; it is a matter of state policy that supports this wrongful act, and a political figure explicitly states his support. Well, you say that this person was killed; very well! You express love for the one who was killed, express sorrow; why do you bring these cartoons and display them prominently and explicitly support them? This is a very bitter and ugly incident occurring at the level of a government; it is not merely that an artist, a cartoonist, has done this. The previous time this issue arose, the same thing happened; we saw that governmental elements and political figures came forward and defended and supported it.

The anger and protest of the Islamic Ummah, indicative of the vitality of Islamic societies

Of course, the Islamic Ummah today is filled with anger and protest; this indicates the vitality of Islamic societies; this is a cause for joy. In the East and West of the Islamic world, people, officials, and many Islamic politicians—of course, some here also showed their own humiliation—however, most defended their Islamic identity and the esteemed personality of the Prophet Muhammad and expressed their anger and protest; this indicates the vitality of the nations. However, there is a lesson in this incident that is noteworthy; this is one of the things that should be considered by those who are involved in political matters in the world. Here, the French government connects this issue to human rights and freedom and such claims; the lesson of the incident is here.

The French government's support for the most brutal and savage terrorists in the world

Now, what kind of government is this French government? What kind of policy is this? This is the same policy that has sheltered the most brutal and savage terrorists in the world; that is, the terrorists who assassinated the president in our country, assassinated the prime minister, assassinated the head of the judiciary, and killed many representatives and members of the government and judiciary; according to available statistics, they have assassinated seventeen thousand ordinary people, people from the streets and markets; these are not ordinary terrorists; France and Paris are their refuge, and then they claim human rights and freedom. This same government provided the most assistance to a bloodthirsty wolf like Saddam during the imposed war—now we cannot say it was more than the assistance of other governments, but it was one of the largest supporters of Saddam in this war—providing advanced aircraft and advanced military equipment to that bloodthirsty wolf without shame, and they admitted it. Now, this is their behavior with terrorists and such; you have also seen their behavior with their own people during the protests of the past year on Saturdays, what they did to their own people! And yet they claim to be advocates of freedom and human rights and such.

Defending cultural savagery and supporting the Mojahedin and Saddam; two sides of the same coin

I believe that these are two sides of the same coin; that is, defending cultural savagery and that criminal act of a cartoonist is the other side of the coin of defending the Mojahedin and supporting Saddam; both of these are two sides of the same coin.

Well, this incident has been repeated in European and American countries in recent years; the incident of insulting the Quran, insulting the esteemed Prophet, has been repeated several times in Western countries—in both America and European countries—however, these cannot tarnish the dignity and greatness of the esteemed Prophet of Islam; it is very clear that the radiant face of the Prophet of Mercy is not tarnished by these things; day by day, this sun, God willing, becomes brighter, and just as the lowly people of Mecca and Ta'if, with all their efforts, could not hide the name of the holy Prophet of Islam, today, the actions of these individuals are similar to those; they too will not be able to harm the Prophet.

Observing signs of modern ignorance and the savage civilization of the West

However, one point is understood, and that is that these actions are indicative of the dark essence of Western civilization; this demonstrates that this civilization and this culture, in its essence, this modern ignorance, is inherently dark and savage. Of course, they conceal this savagery; because they possess science and knowledge and technology, they cover their savagery with the appearance of science and technology; they present themselves with human-like expressions, with seemingly human appearances, with ties and perfumes, and they conceal the true savagery that exists within them with these means. Therefore, Islam and the Prophet will not be harmed, but it serves as a means for you and me to better recognize this civilization. This civilization is truly a savage civilization. This civilization has also impoverished its own nations. Even now, after several centuries since the beginning of this civilization and the Renaissance, you are witnessing the state of inequality, poverty, and the disgraceful moral decay in European countries and in America and among those who follow them; the nature of this civilization and this culture is such. This is regarding the first issue.

The great initiative of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) in declaring the Unity Week

As for the Unity Week, I believe that today more than ever, the importance of this great initiative of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) has become clear. The day Imam Khomeini declared the Unity Week and announced the unity of Islamic sects and groups in their general orientations and political and social inclinations, many of the real audiences of this message could not grasp the significance of this message; including many officials of various Islamic countries who did not understand how important this message was. Many did not understand, and many were obstinate; that is, due to various ulterior motives, they ignored this message. Today, we understand how important this message was. The events that have occurred today, the various conflicts that have arisen among Islamic countries, the horrific events that have taken place in some regional countries, in Syria, in Iraq, at one point in Libya, in Yemen, and in Afghanistan, from these events that have occurred here, one realizes how important the unity of the Islamic world is and how valuable the unity of the Islamic Ummah was, which Imam announced, requested, and raised; had it been present, many of these issues would not have occurred.

The treacherous move of normalizing relations with the Zionists as a result of the division of the Islamic world

What exists today in the Islamic world, especially in part of it, that is, in this region, is catastrophic; they have downplayed the issue of Palestine, they have initiated the treacherous and humiliating move of normalizing relations with the Zionists; all of these are the consequences of the lack of unity in the Islamic world, which has led to such ugly actions being carried out based on rivalry and corrupt motives, and in reality, the rights of the Palestinian people have been plundered by a group.

Of course, the issue of Palestine is not something that can be concluded; they cannot and are too small to bring this issue to an end; no, the issue of Palestine will continue, and Palestine will remain Palestine, and the illegitimate Zionist regime will be eliminated; there is no doubt about this, but they are creating obstacles in the way of this work to the best of their abilities; [including] establishing relations with the usurping, murderous criminal—the Zionist regime is this; it has usurped the land and is a murderer of the people; how many Palestinians have they killed and what crimes have they committed—and being happy and proud of this and justifying it; justifications that are laughable.

The enemy's understanding of the importance of the unity of Islamic sects and planning against it

I want to say that unfortunately, many Muslim governments and many real audiences have not understood the importance of this initiative, but the enemy has understood its significance; the enemy realized that this recommendation of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) for the unity of Islamic sects in their general orientations—each person can have their own beliefs and practices—was of great importance for the Islamic Ummah and significantly reduces the enemy's influence over them; since the enemy understood this, it began to plan against this movement. The enemy has carried out operational programs in opposition to the message of unity from the great Imam; including creating centers for producing anti-unity ideas; [in contrast to what] we call the approximation of Islamic sects. They established centers, paid a number of mercenaries, and seated them there to prepare thoughts and materials to prove anti-unity; that is, to act in such a way that this great policy of the Imam, this divine and monumental strategy of the Imam is neutralized. [They created] centers for producing ideas.

And they created Takfiri groups. This monstrous group (12) ISIS was created by the enemies of Islam; the Americans have admitted this. Of course, we had news, we had information, but if we had said it, it might have been doubted, but they themselves have admitted it; both those in the government that created ISIS admitted it, and in the subsequent government, the person who is now in power (13) explicitly stated that they created ISIS and supported it; they instructed their mercenaries in the region, the governments that are subordinate to them, to provide them with money, to buy weapons for them from here and there, to provide them with equipment. This is one action.

Creating centers for producing ideas and Takfiri and terrorist groups by the enemy

Therefore, they created both centers for producing thought and also established terrorist movements, and they also caused elements who did not know and did not want to enter this game to be unwittingly drawn into it, incited them, and forced them to speak ill of each other; suddenly you see that, for instance, in a neighboring country, a preacher goes to the pulpit and insults the sanctities of another sect, then comes down and seeks refuge in the British embassy; this is something that has happened, and it has recently occurred, and there are many such incidents; that is, it is not rare. They incite people to anger, to provoke audiences against each other. Well, they have explicitly stated that they have carried out these actions. However, I want to say that some of the governments in this region that have taken on the financial support are more guilty than the individuals who have become affiliated with these groups; that is, the one who comes from some corner of the Islamic world out of religious zeal and ignorance and becomes part of this terrorist group is less guilty than that leader and that official and that king who provides money and sets them in motion and provides them with weapons and the like. Of course, the main crime belongs to the Americans; this is truly the case.

America and the Saudi regime, the main criminals in the issue of Takfiri movements

In the issue of Takfiri movements in this region, the Americans and the Saudis who followed them committed the main crime; the Saudis also provided them with money, helped, and supported them; the Americans, in addition to this crime, committed another crime, which is that under the pretext of their presence, they invaded Muslim countries; they invaded Afghanistan, they invaded Syria, they invaded various places, and they have been thinking about invading some other countries like Iraq, but the young and faithful Iraqis will not allow it, and their rightful zeal and pride will prevent America from being able to penetrate, but they have plans for this work and are pursuing it. Of course, wherever they have entered, they have caused insecurity and destruction; they have truly destroyed infrastructures in these countries, created insecurity, and caused civil wars; they have occupied governments so that they cannot carry out their main tasks; it is truly the destruction of crops and generations, and "and He destroys crops and generations" (14) is truly applicable to them, and they have done these things.

The remedy for the issue of Palestine and the tragedy of the Yemen war lies in the unity of the Islamic Ummah

In our view, the Unity Week is very important, and the unity of Muslims is the remedy for many of the pains of the Islamic Ummah. Now, this tragic war in Yemen, which for five years this oppressed nation has been bombed in their streets, homes, hospitals, and public gatherings, is not a small incident; it is a very significant event in which the Saudis are showing incredible cruelty. Or in the issue of Palestine; this mockery by a few weak, humiliated governments that have mocked the Islamic world, that have mocked the Islamic Ummah, and have ignored the issue of Palestine in their own minds and established relations with the usurper, with the murderer; undoubtedly, all of these will be remedied by the unity of the Islamic Ummah, and the problems of Islamic governments and Islamic nations—there are many troubles, from Kashmir to Libya, as you look around, there are troubles everywhere—these troubles will be resolved through the blessing of the unity of Muslims. This is also regarding the issue of the Unity Week.

The rational and prudent nature of the struggle against the arrogant regime of America

As for the issue of the thirteenth of Aban, it is interesting that this year the thirteenth of Aban, which is the day of struggle against global arrogance, coincides with the birth of the esteemed Prophet; this reminds one of the noble verse: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves"; (15) on one side is the birth, and on the other side is "severe against the disbelievers" which was a great movement carried out by our youth. The thirteenth of Aban is a manifestation of the Iranian nation's resistance against global arrogance; it was not merely a problem with a few individuals residing in an embassy; the issue was a significant and symbolic act in the struggle against arrogance, which was well-placed. Well, the American regime is an arrogant regime, and the arrogant regime encompasses many harms, wickedness, and evils. The arrogant regime is both a warmonger, a terrorist, a supporter of terrorism, an interventionist, corrupt, and monopolistic; that is, when we say "the arrogant regime", arrogance encompasses all of these evils and wickedness. Therefore, the struggle against this arrogance, against this phenomenon, is a matter of rationality. Now, some say, "Sir! This is against rationality, against prudence"; no, it was not against prudence; it was precisely rational; submission and yielding were against rationality.

America, the initiator of the struggle

We were not the initiators; it was not that we started it first—indeed, in the Holy Quran, there is a case that states exactly this: "And they were the first to initiate hostilities against you"; (16) they were the initiators. After the revolution, we did not attack the embassy; the American embassy was operational at the beginning of the revolution, and they were engaged in their work, but they began to act against the revolution: passing resolutions against the Islamic Republic in America, making speeches, making decisions in Congress against the newly established Islamic Republic, creating terrorist groups, establishing coup groups, and preparing and planning; and in the embassy—which was rightly called "the den of espionage"—they prepared extensive espionage measures; thus, they were the initiators, and they were the ones who started it. When they began, the students' movement that attacked the embassy was, in fact, a defensive movement, it was appropriate, timely, and completely rational.

The mistaken perception of some regarding submission to America

And let me also say that the perception of some regarding the American government and the American regime is a mistaken perception; they think that if a government submits to that regime, it will benefit from it; no, those you see in the world who have relations with America, but their situation is somewhat better, it is because they have not submitted; of course, to the extent that they have relations with America and it intervenes, they suffer; but those who submitted to America and accepted American policies and yielded to America's bullying have suffered; an example is Camp David, where they have truly fallen behind for thirty or forty years; another example is the Pahlavi regime in our own country, which truly made the country backward by submitting to American policies. And day by day, as time passes, these regimes become more dependent and more trapped.

Our calculated and fixed policy towards America

Regarding America, our policy is a calculated and specific policy, and this policy does not change with the coming and going of individuals. Now, today is the American elections; some people talk about who should come, who should not come, if this one comes, what will happen, if that one comes, what will happen. Well, yes, events may occur, but it will not affect us; that is, it will not have any impact on our policy; our policy is calculated, specific, and the coming and going of individuals does not affect it.

However, if you observe their situation, it is a remarkable one. The president who is currently in power and will conduct the elections says that this is the most fraudulent election in American history! Who says this? This is said by the president who is currently in power and is actually conducting the elections. His rival also says that Trump intends to commit widespread fraud! This is American democracy; they speak of their elections in this way; this is a sample of the ugly face of liberal democracy within America itself. Well, regardless of who is elected—this one may be elected, that one may be elected, which will be revealed today—one thing is completely clear, and that is the political, civil, and moral decline of the American regime; it does not matter who is elected.

The political, civil, and moral decline of the American regime

Honestly, the American regime is severely suffering from political decline, civil decline, and moral decline. This is not an analysis; what I am saying is not an analysis; this is what they themselves say; this is the statement of their own spokespersons, writers, and thinkers from within America; they say this. In recent years, several books have been written, published in high circulation within America, that lift some veils. One of these books, which has been translated into Persian, I read; it is full of evidence of this decline; that is, truly, if someone reads that book, they will see that from the beginning to the end, the book demonstrates the decline of the American political system with the actions of the American president. This empire of this kind will not last long; it is evident that when the work of a policy, the work of a regime reaches this point, it will not have a long lifespan and will be destroyed. Of course, some of them, if they come to power, will destroy it sooner, and some, if they come to power, may take a little longer to destroy it; but in any case, this is the truth.

Strengthening the country, the only way to eliminate hostilities

Their enmity towards us is also because we have not recognized their oppressive dominance; that is, because we have not yielded to them, because we have not accepted their policies in the region, because we have rejected their oppressive policies towards Palestine, because we have not accepted their oppressive policies, they harbor enmity towards us, and this enmity continues. The only way to eliminate this enmity is to dishearten them; that is, the Iranian nation and the Iranian government and the Islamic Republic system must bring things to a point where the other side becomes disheartened from being able to inflict a fundamental blow. We must become strong; I have repeatedly stated this to our dear nation and to the officials in working sessions, in private meetings, and in public views. We must strengthen these tools of power—real power, not illusory power—so that the nation becomes strong, the country becomes strong; then the enemy will be disheartened, and the people have truly stood firm, they have shown resilience, and they have endured the problems.

The need for greater movement from officials in three areas: economy, security, and culture

In my opinion, officials need to have a bit more movement in three areas: one is in the area of the economy, one in the area of security, and one in the area of culture; we officials must increase our efforts in these three areas. In the area of the economy, the correct and principled view is that we should not look outside the country at all; not that we should cut off our relations; every time I say that we should seek remedies internally, a number of people rise up here and there, in cyberspace [saying:] "They believe we should cut off relations with the outside"; no, this is not it; communications must be maintained; the important thing is that we will not seek remedies from others; the remedy is within us, within the country, and a major part of it is increasing production, which I have repeatedly emphasized. There must be a planned and organized effort in the area of the economy.

The possibility of solving economic problems with coordinated management of agencies

Many of our current problems are not related to sanctions and such; they are related to us, related to the lack of coordination. These recent price hikes are truly unjustifiable; many of these recent price hikes are truly unjustifiable; they must be remedied, and it is possible to remedy them; officials must coordinate to remedy them. When you look, the price hikes range from red meat and chicken to tomatoes and baby diapers; well, these price hikes are unjustifiable, there is no reasoning behind these price hikes; and there are goods; the Ministry of Industry, the officials of the enforcement, the Basij, and some other relevant agencies, such as customs and others, must cooperate with each other and remove this problem from the path of the people; all of these are controllable. Therefore, with the coordinated management of agencies, these problems can be resolved.

The importance of ensuring external security and internal security

Regarding security, what I mean is primarily external security, which the country must be equipped with defensive tools; [such as] missiles, drones, aircraft, and the like, which are also being produced; these ensure the external security of the country; that is, they prevent the country from being coveted by the enemy, the enemy does not covet the country. It is not that we think that all problems will be solved by building missiles; no, not at all; there are some problems that have nothing to do with missiles; however, many problems are related to these defensive tools.

Regarding internal security, our security agencies must be vigilant against infiltration; the main issue is infiltration; the enemy's infiltration into various agencies and the application of their temptations; this is the main problem. They must ensure that this [problem] is addressed properly.

The need for intelligent efforts in cultural work

In the area of culture, it is the same; cultural officials must make intelligent efforts. Sometimes the volume of our cultural work is large, but it must be intelligent activity; that is, we must know where there is a need for what, what cultural work is needed, and pursue that work; if this work is done, in my opinion, these three issues, namely the economy, security, and culture, are three fundamental issues that can be advanced with prudence, coordination, and follow-up; and, thanks be to God, the officials are engaged, but they must increase their seriousness a bit more and work must be done.

The need to liberate the occupied cities of Azerbaijan and ensure the security of Armenians

One last point is regarding the war that is unfortunately taking place in our neighboring countries, between our two neighbors, Azerbaijan and Armenia. This war is a bitter incident and threatens the security of the region and is not good for our country; it must end as soon as possible, and of course, all the territories of Azerbaijan that have been occupied by Armenia must be liberated; that is, all these territories must return to Azerbaijan—this is one of the main conditions of the work—because they belong to Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the right to liberate them, and they must be liberated. Of course, the security of the Armenians who are in these territories must be preserved, and the international borders must also be respected; that is, both sides must not violate the international borders of the countries, and the international borders must be preserved, and terrorists must not be stationed near our borders. As reports indicate, although some deny it, there are reliable reports that a number of terrorists have entered this matter from here and there; if they are near the border and a sense of danger arises, there will certainly be a decisive response; they must not come.

We hope that, God willing, all Muslim nations and all nations of the region and all segments of humanity will be freed from these problems, and that the dear nation of Iran, by the blessing of this noble birth and the pure spirit of the esteemed Prophet of Islam and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them), and the pure spirit of the great Imam, will witness good days in the future, and we are completely hopeful for this near future.

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