Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Elite Youth

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Dear youth; welcome. I congratulate you on the blessed Eid of Ghadir. Know that our celebration becomes sweeter and more pleasant with the sight of talented and good youth like you in our country. I take this as a good omen for myself and for the country that on the day of Eid Ghadir - a very significant and important day in the history of Islam - I meet with you, the valuable youth. God willing, may you be successful. Now we are ready to start the program as you have arranged and continue.

For me, the session with elite youth is a very engaging session. The remarks expressed by you are also appealing to me. Of course, this does not mean that whatever is said is necessarily my opinion on the matter being discussed; no, we may have disagreements in some areas, and you may say something that I do not agree with; however, I am pleased that I feel the spirit of demand and desire and decision-making for movement and progress in our youth is becoming increasingly alive, thanks be to God. The secret of all advancements lies in this, and it is being realized. We have experienced in other areas that wherever our youth have desired and exerted effort, they have reached their goals. What I have discussed with scientific elites in recent years is that this same effort and desire and steadfast determination should also be realized in the field of science. This is a message I have been conveying to all youth, students, and professors - whenever I meet them or send them a message - and I see that this is being done.

The points you friends mentioned contain good insights. Of course, some of these require major policymaking and have been taken into consideration, but policymakers in the country's institutions must believe in them and exert effort; it is achievable. Among them, the issue of changing the educational structure based on research - which was mentioned - is a correct statement. This topic has been brought to me before in a large session similar to this one, with the difference that the participants in that session were mostly experienced and old professors from universities. There, a completely trusted professor expressed this same point. Emphasis has been placed on this work to be done; however, you know that such fundamental tasks require time. In any case, the idea is completely correct and must be pursued. A new point that several of you repeated in this session is the issue of the scientific elite organization of the country or a special center for elite affairs, which our dear friend elaborated on at the end of the session. Of course, there is no doubt that such a group must be managed by the elites themselves; that is, unless someone is familiar with the mental, scientific, and practical issues related to a group of elites and has an attachment to it, they cannot work; however, the discussion is not about who manages it - wherever in the country it pertains to elites, they manage it better - this work is the government's responsibility, and the government must inevitably take on this task; it is a good idea; however, when the government becomes responsible for a task, it must assign the management of this collection to those who are truly deserving. Of course, it should be ensured that this center does not get absorbed into administrative bodies and does not become an entity alongside other institutions with the problems of some of them; especially, political tendencies and political maneuvering should not enter this collection of work at all, and I emphasize to you to be careful that in the area where scientific work is being done, political issues should not be introduced at all. The meaning of this statement is not that a scientific elite should not be political; yes, we believe that the men of God and spiritual men should also be political and engage in political activity; however, this does not mean that one should allow political inclinations and desires to influence and determine the work in that scientific, research, industrial, and any type of work; this will certainly ruin the work. In my opinion, one reason why some of our responsible institutions have not reached the points you are mentioning - while it has been their duty and has been emphasized to them repeatedly - is that in those institutions, some individuals were drawn towards political activities and involved political motivations in their work; thus, the work remains stagnant. Major tasks that the management collection can decide upon are the responsibility of the ministry itself, and many of the tasks related to this issue do not require government approval or law; that is, the minister can make decisions within their authority. If we see that it has not happened, there is a flaw and defect here that I have observed in some of the responsible institutions related to these issues, and that is the existence of some political inclinations that have hindered the work.

You mentioned other points, and I noted some of the most important ones, and I hope they will be addressed. I usually follow these notes; do not think that they are not pursued; indeed, they are pursued; they have an impact, and you can see their effects in many different institutions and many of the works that have recently been carried out - scientific works, research, and some necessary processing in some scientific and research policies. This influence is due to the follow-ups that have also arisen from the discussions of sessions like this one. Therefore, I believe these sessions are blessed and have benefits, and God willing, they will continue; this will also be pursued.

My dear ones! What I want to convey to you is this: you are those who in this arena - which is of our concern - must work with motivation like a soldier in the battlefield. This is the essence of the matter. We do not want to impose anything on anyone, and this work is not like the compulsory conscription of soldiers during the war. Here, a scientific elite in the field of nurturing, advancing, and producing science must work like a soldier; if they do not, no one will hold them accountable; however, one day, the problems that we have experienced in our country will catch up with the entire nation and country.

My overall message is that if science, for a historical reason - which we believe we fully understand - is monopolized by a group of nations and parts of the world's population, and they keep science exclusive and discriminate, selling it to other nations and using it as a means to impose their policies - which colonialism originated from this point - this is a great injustice to humanity. Science must be distributed fairly like wealth. Islam's view is the same that science should be distributed among all countries and nations. The notion that we should not give this technology to the people of Asia or elsewhere is the same demand for monopolizing technology, which when it occurs in the economy, leads to the emergence of large economic cartels that oppress people; when it occurs in politics, it leads to global monopolies and brings about wars. We want to fight against this monopolization, and our struggle and effort are to strive to utilize this vast and rich source that exists within our country and in our human resources. All nations can do this, and a nation with greater talent can work more in this area. Of course, they create obstacles and problems; we must fight against these obstacles and the challenges that exist forcefully.

I have heard that in some sensitive political circles of the world, it has been said that we will not allow an Islamic Japan to emerge in this region! That Islamic Japan is you. This statement has not been made without reason; because our country, according to statistics, has had the highest rate of scientific and research growth in the world during a certain period and in these recent years. Of course, what we have in absolute terms shows that we are still far from the advancements of the world; however, the gap has been significantly reduced, and we have been able to decrease this distance rapidly. This phenomenon has occurred in our country in the last ten to fifteen years. Of course, today our absolute figures are very different from the past.

I had information about the statistics of scientific articles published in reputable journals worldwide; however, this work - producing articles and publishing them globally - is not the most important and primary task, and with its completion, not all work is done; rather, this thought must be matured, produced, and implemented here to say that progress has been achieved. Of course, a lot of work has been done in this area in the country, and we have moved forward and started.

One of the most important parts of a movement is the "start of movement," which we have initiated; that is, the high power that is responsible for starting and launching this movement has invested in it thanks to the revolution and the Islamic system. Know that if this country had not seen the liberation of its forces and capabilities due to the blessings of the revolution, and if it were to exist like what is in many countries, such a great phenomenon would not have emerged in our country at all. Of course, we have only started; this is very important; however, we must continue on this path. My message in these past years has been that this movement must take place; the doers of the work are the talented individuals. Of course, the officials have very important and necessary responsibilities; there is no doubt about this. Sometimes there are violations; some actions are taken; despite this, we strive to resolve these issues. Know that I have not been satisfied merely by saying that a software movement should start. A movement - a movement in the sense of a campaign and presence of struggle - does not start with mere words and orders; rather, its grounds must be prepared. I say this software movement has started; because today it has become a discourse and common thought. This is very important. Many people did not pay attention to the fact that we can and must create knowledge, break its boundaries, and move forward. The same point that some of you friends mentioned is correct; merely being a custodian is not enough; some people were satisfied with preserving the knowledge of others; however, today this desire, determination, and feeling have emerged in many of our youth, professors, and elites that knowledge must be produced. I insist on this and pursue it; the doers of the work are you - the group of those who are knowledgeable, and some of you elites who are present here now. You must strive; do not become discouraged; just as our brother said: "We are here and will be here"; you must be; you must act; it is our and your historical duty. The future of this country depends on the decisions we make and implement today.

Of course, this dear brother and young man mentioned something about the connection with Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him). A great man said someone came to me and asked what should I do to serve the Imam? He said I told him if you act upon the obligatory duties and avoid the forbidden things and be a little careful about yourself, the Imam will come to you; you do not need to exert effort to go to the Imam. The path laid out for benefiting from that great figure is the path of self-purification; it is not a special path; it is the same path that has been laid out for the perfection of the soul, for becoming a good person, for illuminating the heart of a human being, and reflecting the divine beauty in it. Especially you who are young and have pure hearts, you are ready, and it is much easier for you. Now you think that we have a special way to reach the service of the Imam here; no, your condition in this regard is better than mine; because you have pure and clear hearts; your commitments and attachments are fewer, and you can connect much more easily. These connections will also be facilitated and made easy with the purity of the soul. The purity of the soul is achieved through acting upon obligatory duties, avoiding sins, not contaminating oneself, and being careful. Of course, no one will be infallible, and no error will occur; however, if we are careful, our slips will be fewer, and if we do slip, we will not fall hard; this is the property of vigilance. What is the name of this vigilance in Islamic culture? Taqwa (piety). When they say be pious, it means be vigilant; be careful about your actions; be mindful of what you say, what decisions you make, and what actions you take. This vigilance prevents a person from slipping, and if they do slip, they will not suffer greatly.

One of the brothers mentioned the percentage of the research budget, saying that one and a half percent of the budget was supposed to be allocated for research activities, which has become four-tenths percent. Of course, this statistic is completely different from the statistics presented in the last session we had - I think it was the last session or a session with the government delegation or one of the official sessions in the last month. The statistics that were mentioned in that session by the officials or I think even the President regarding the share of the research budget differ significantly from what I just heard from this brother. God willing, I will keep this in mind and investigate it further. What I was told is that the research budget has increased significantly over the past few years; I think it has doubled or tripled.

A few months ago, I visited Shahid Beheshti University - some of you may be from that university - and I saw the research centers there, which were very interesting to me. Then I appointed a delegation to speak with each of the distinguished elites I had visited and talked to at their research institutes, asking them about their desired characteristics; they discussed it and initiated those matters to be implemented; that is, we want these works to be implemented, and God willing, they will be.

I am familiar with some of the organizations that friends mentioned - like the Young Scholars Club. They have written several letters to me, and I have responded.

One of the brothers mentioned the greenhouse example, which is not a correct analogy. The general atmosphere of the country must be one of promoting, producing, expanding, and researching science and nurturing scholars and researchers. When the general atmosphere becomes this way, it does not mean that science must necessarily emerge in every household or in every corner of society; no, rather, science needs to emerge in its appropriate place. The atmosphere will be scientific; it will be research-oriented; however, it is obvious that when a scientific atmosphere is created in the country, this science and research will grow in suitable and compatible locations; for example, in universities, research institutes, and similar centers. Therefore, the discussion of greenhouse construction and creating a greenhouse atmosphere does not exist at all. A greenhouse is useful for creating a decorative item that, when a flower blooms, can stay on a table for a few hours - twenty-four or forty-eight hours - but otherwise, that flower is no longer useful. The atmosphere must be one that can preserve this product and benefit from it.

Once again, to you, my dear friends, brothers, sisters, and children, I have affection for all of you, and I pray for all of you, and I hope you will be successful. I congratulate you on this blessed Eid and also on the twenty-second of Bahman. I ask the Almighty God to grant you the success to fulfill the heavy duty that today rests upon the elites of our country - who, thanks be to God, possess high talents - God willing.

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