Jihad of clarification is a necessity and the way to overcome propaganda
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful
Sura 21: AL-ANBIYA (THE PROPHETS) - Juz' 17 - Translation Qarib
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Jihad of clarification is a necessity and the way to overcome propaganda
The following is the full text of the speech delivered by the Leader of the
Islamic Revolution in a meeting with a number of people from Qom province in the
Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah on January 9, 2023. The meeting took place on the
anniversary of the 1978 historic uprising of the people of Qom against the
oppressive Pahlavi regime.
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our
Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the remaining
Vestige of God on earth.
Welcome my dear brothers and sisters. It gives me great pleasure to meet with
the dear people of Qom in person again. I will never forget, I mean I always
remember how the people of Qom used to come into this Hussainiyah over the years
with such enthusiasm, excitement, emotion, and with the clear vision that they
had in various fields. We have been deprived [of these meetings] during the last
two or three years. [But] praise God, we are meeting here again this year.
The commemoration of the 19th of Dey (January 9, 2023) is repeated every year.
And that is how it should be. This needs to be continued. In the future, this
ray of light must continue to shine every year. Why? Because this tragedy was a
major transformative event. It was not an ordinary event. It is everyone’s duty
to keep such transformative, historic events alive. Now, I will discuss later on
how in great historic events there is either a valuable experience or the
explanation of a divine tradition in nature. Both of these are worthy of
attention and worthy of being used by other nations. Therefore, they need to be
kept alive.
Why do we say that the tragedy that took place on the 19th of Dey in Qom was a
transformative, historic event? Because it was the beginning of a large jihad. A
large jihad began throughout the country starting from here, with the aim of
saving Iran from being devoured by the West. It was to save Iran from being
crushed by the distorted, incorrect Western culture and the political-military
dominance of the West. It was to make Iran independent and to revive the
country’s historic identity. Iran’s historic identity is an Islamic Iran.
From the beginning of the rise of Islam and up until today, which other nation
do you know of that has served Islam as much as the Iranians have in the various
sciences, in philosophy, jurisprudence, and other sciences? Please refer to the
valuable book by Martyr Motahari, titled Mutual Services of Islam and Iran.
Iran’s Islamic identity had been lost. If anyone were to walk in the streets of
Tehran –not just in Tehran, but in many other cities too and even in some parts
of Mashhad – they wouldn’t have felt they were in an Islamic country or that
Muslims were living here. That was how they had made it.
The jihad that had begun, which was started in Qom, was to save Iran from the
state it was in. The goal was to return Iran to its original, real, historic,
proud identity. Of course, those who were involved in this event that day, may
not have realized the importance of what they were doing. They felt a sense of
duty, which I will talk about, and they took action. Perhaps they didn’t notice,
or at least not all of them realized what they were going to accomplish. They
did not know about the great movement they were creating. They did not realize
this, but when we talk about historical issues or events, we must describe them
while taking into account the things that happened before and after that event.
What caused that event in Qom and what was the outcome of it? This is what shows
the importance and value of this event. So, this is the reality of the event
that took place on the 19 of Dey in the year 1356 AHS (January 9, 1978).
This tragedy was a truly significant event. It must be kept alive. Its memory
should not be erased from history or lose its importance. Of course, the
Movement of Falsehood uses strategies to conceal the Days of God (Ayyam o Allah)
or to cause these sorts of events to lose their importance. The strategy that
the enemies use is they try to prevent these days from being remembered and from
shining in history. Such days are often hidden or denied by the enemies. They
even go so far as to deny these events. The 22nd of Bahman (February 11) is not
talked about. [The same goes for] the 13th of Aban (November 4), the 19th of Dey
(January 9), the 9th of Dey (December 30), the 29th of Bahman (February 18) –
the tragedy in Tabriz and the funeral processions of Martyr Soleimani and Martyr
Hojaji - these are all Days of God. They (the enemies) want to keep these
hidden.
According to the enemies, each one of these events is like a torch that must be
extinguished. The enemies that are against you, against this nation, and against
this Revolution, cannot tolerate these torches. They want to abolish them. They
want to extinguish these torches. This is exactly the opposite of what is stated
in the Holy Quran. The Quran commands us to remember and mention these events,
“And mention Mary in the Book; when she withdrew from her family to an easterly
place” (Quran 19:16). What happened for Lady Mary must not be forgotten. This
should go down in history. “And mention Ibrahim in the Book” (Quran 19:41). “And
mention Moses in the Book” (Quran 19:51). “And remember Our servant Job [in the
Quran]” (Quran 38:41). “… and remember Our servant, David, [a man] of strength”
(Quran 38:17). “And mention [Hud] the brother of ‘Ad, when he warned his people
at Ahqaf” (Quran 46:21). Perhaps there are ten or more examples like this in the
Quran about remembering and mentioning [these individuals].
And in some places where they were concealing matters, God’s Prophet was
assigned the job of getting them to talk, “Ask them about the town that was
situated on the seaside” (Quran 7:163). Are you concealing what happened on the
day of the “Sabbath”? Ask them about the case where you wanted to deceive God,
where you wanted to cheat God, and the Almighty God turned you into monkeys and
pigs. You want us to forget this and not know about it? “Ask them about the town
that was situated on the seaside.” Ask them and get answers. This is the logic
used by the Quran.
Now as I mentioned before, some of these events contain a historical
significance. If you try to act cunningly and use tricks in dealing with God,
then “Allah is the best of planners” (Quran 3:54). The Almighty God plans better
than you do. “Indeed, they [the unbelievers] are devising a stratagem, and I
[too] am devising a plan” (Quran 86:15-16). Very well, [now that] you have
entered into God’s territory, God is the “Master of the Kingdom.” This is an
experience that took place in the historical life of humankind. As a person
living in this period in time, I must understand this. I must learn from what
happened to the companions of the Sabbath [and what they did], and I should not
do what they did again, or I will receive a response like what is mentioned in
this divine tradition.
When a group of people deny the Day of Resurrection, the response is an event
like what happened for the Ashab al-Kahf (Companions of the Cave). The Almighty
God caused these individuals to sleep for over 300 years. He then awakened them
and showed us [His power]. And there are numerous other such cases that have
been mentioned in the Holy Quran. Pondering on the Quran leads us to many of
these kinds of truths and things that can guide us during our lives. We have a
beginning and an end. We must put effort and work on things during this time
that we have. In fact, the period we are in right now is a sensitive, important
period in time. Great importance needs to be placed on this period that you and
I are living in, especially by you young people. This is a sensitive, important
period. You must truly learn from these divine traditions. So, this is the
significance of an event.
There are also lessons [that can be learned] from the tragedy that took place on
the 19th of Dey. I have often mentioned some of these events during my talks
with the dear people of Qom. But if one looks at this event comprehensively,
[he/she will realize] that it was a very unusual event. This event contains many
lessons. This is how it all started, but you know these things. An absurd
article was published against Imam Khomeini at the order of the [Shah’s] court,
that is, at the order of the upper echelons of the taghut regime. Those in
middle or lower positions had not ordered this. It was from the upper echelons.
[The article] contained insults to the magnanimous Imam who was living in exile
in Najaf, and he had only recently lost his son who had been martyred.
The people sympathized with Imam Khomeini because of the passing away of his
respectable, honorable son, Mostafa, who was truly a remarkable person. They
[the regime] decided they needed to do something, [but] they acted foolishly.
They created problems for themselves by publishing this article. “But Allah came
at them from a place they did not expect” (Quran 59:2). They were hit hard from
a place they had not expected.
So the article was published. This newspaper was usually printed at 2 pm. And it
usually took two hours for it to get to Tehran from Qom. When did this happen?
On January 7. As soon as this newspaper arrived in Qom and the people saw such a
thing, a number of them came out into the streets. So this event began on
January 7. They [the people] reacted quickly. They came out into the streets,
took some copies of this newspaper, and set them on fire. They expressed their
hatred. That is what happened on January 7.
On the morning of January 8, the seminary students took action. They canceled
their lessons, took to the streets, and marched together as a group toward the
homes of the Religious Authorities. The movement of the students lasted until
night, and in that one day there were numerous clashes and conflicts between
them and the regime’s soldiers. On January 9 [Dey 19], which was the main day of
the tragedy, the people took to the streets. The youth came out, the merchants
came out, the general public came out, everyone came. The taghut’s system was
always prepared to suppress the people. They came out too, and they martyred
some people and injured many others. They also beat some people. The tragedy
that day ended with the martyrdom of some people, but actually it had not ended.
It was just the beginning. What I have described for you was what happened in
that tragedy.
So by doing this, Qom lead the Revolution. Qom takes pride in having taken the
first practical step for the Revolution. Of course, at the beginning of the
movement, which started in 1963 or 15 years prior to this date, the people of
Qom were ahead of others then too. But at that time, the issue had not matured
and had not taken its final form yet. But here [in 1978], at the beginning of
the Revolution and the great revolutionary movement, the people of Qom became
the flagbearers. They took the lead because they were pious people and because
they took action for God. How can a person stick out his chest in confronting
bullets if his actions are not for the cause of God? How is it possible for
someone to put themselves in such great danger without believing in the truth
and in the existence of the Almighty God? God blessed them because they were
believers and because they had faith in God. This movement began in a matter of
one, two, or three days, as I mentioned before. And it seemed as though it had
ended. But it had not ended. It ignited the country – first Qom, then Tabriz,
and then other places.
Now, there are some points about this movement, and I would like to address
three or four of them. These are lessons for us. We are living in an
extraordinary period. No one is able to calculate this exactly, but it is no
exaggeration when we say that today, the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic
is hundreds of times more advanced, stronger, more informed, more perceptive,
and more in control of its affairs compared to those earlier days. The events in
the world today are very different from those days. Strange events have become
common in the world. Things that were unbelievable at one stage in time are
proving to be true today in the western world, in the eastern world, in the
eastern half of the world, in the western half of the world, in the northern
hemisphere, and in the [southern] hemisphere. Everywhere. A strange situation
exists in the world as you are aware. We need to make use of the experiences of
those days. These experiences never get old.
The first point is their speed of action. [The people of Qom] quickly felt they
had a responsibility. Sometimes our problem is that we do not recognize our
duties quickly enough. [Some say] they need to come, sit and talk with us, give
reasons, and things of that sort. [But] you lose time that way. See the speed of
action of the people [of Qom] in feeling a sense of duty when they saw what was
happening. They immediately knew what they needed to do. They took to the
streets. The shopkeepers came, the businessmen came, the seminary students came,
the scholars came, some scholars from the seminaries came, and ordinary people
took to the streets. They immediately felt they had a duty. That is the first
point.
The second point is that they accepted the great risks of this action. They knew
and recognized these risks. They accepted them. It is obvious that when you have
a regime like the taghut regime with all that oppression, with all that cruelty,
and with all its cold-heartedness, [it is dangerous] to come out into the
streets. We had seen their callousness and so had the people. They had witnessed
the 15th of Khordad [June 5] and the subsequent events. In Qom, apart from March
22, 1963, which was when the events took place in the Faiziyah School, another
momentous, significant event took place in the Faiziyah School the next year.
People had witnessed these things. It was not as though they were oblivious to
them. They were aware of the dangers, but they accepted them. They accepted the
dangers and they took action. This is the second point. After all, you cannot
accomplish great things without taking risks.
The next point is that they took action at the right time. I have mentioned this
many times when addressing different groups. In a production line, there may be
20 workers standing in a row. The manufactured product moves along this
production line and each of the workers is responsible for doing a certain task.
One person needs to hammer something, the other needs to tighten a screw,
someone else has to put something on the product, and another person needs to
remove something from the product. Each of these actions needs to happen at the
right time. Imagine you are one of the 20 workers working on this line. If this
product passes by in front of you and 10 seconds later you realize you should
have done something, it is too late. It is gone. The action must be done
immediately.
The Tawabbin sought to take revenge for the murder of Imam Hussain (pbuh). They
fought and were killed. All of them were killed, but no one in history has
praised them. Why? Because it took them too long to take action. If you wanted
to sacrifice your life for the cause of Imam Hussain, why didn’t you come
forward on the first or second day of Muharram so that you could have done
something at least? Instead, you stood and watched. Then after Imam Hussain had
been martyred, you felt sorry for him and decided to come to the battlefield.
This is what happens when you fail to do something at the right time. You need
to take action at the right time.
We should not neglect the duties that are assigned to us by our understanding
and the laws of Islam. We must act without delay. We should not spare a moment.
In addition, we need to take risks in accordance with the importance of the
task. After all, one should not take every kind of risk in just any situation.
No, there are some events that are not important enough for a person to risk his
or her life for it. We should accept the risks of an action in accordance with
the importance of the event that is taking place. Problems arise when we allow
things to disrupt us from carrying out our duty, when we fail to immediately
feel we have a responsibility, we fail to act at the right time, we fail to take
risks, and we act too cautiously. This is how it is.
If we heed these conditions, then we are certain to make progress. There is no
doubt about this. We saw examples of this during the years of the Holy Defense.
I have advised you on numerous occasions to read the biographies of the families
of those who were martyred in the Holy Defense and the defenders of the holy
shrines of the Prophet’s Household [in Iraq and Syria] and to see what
difficulties they endured. This young man leaves his dear wife and his children
who are the light of his eyes behind in order to fulfill his duty. During the
Holy Defense, thousands of thousands [of youth] went to the battlefields like
this.
So what is the outcome of this? The outcome is that an insane person like Saddam
[Hussein] enters the field with numerous weapons. He is backed by the US,
Europe, NATO, and the Soviet Union. Reactionary Arab countries shower him with
funds. And in the end, he is unable to do a single thing. He leaves
empty-handed. When we have some youth like the youth that fought in the Holy
Defense, who are certain due to their faith, and there is someone like Imam
Khomeini kissing their hands and arms, this is what happens. Progress is
certain. Yes, it was a war of the confederates. Iran was the winner in this war
of the confederates. All the world powers joined forces to divide Iran, to
separate Khuzestan, and to separate other areas . [But] they were unable to take
away even one inch of Iran’s land. Is this something small? Is this a small
victory? When we move [forward], when we feel as though we have a duty to
fulfill, when we accept the risks and enter the field, this is what happens.
This has been my experience.
Another point about this tragedy that took place in Qom, is why did this taghut
regime, which was aware of the people’s love for this magnanimous man, have the
audacity to do such a thing? Because it felt it was supported by the US. “They
have taken gods besides Allah, [hoping] that they might be helped” (Quran
36:74). “[But] they cannot help them, while they [themselves] are an army
mobilized for their defense” (Quran 36:75). It [the taghut regime] thought it
had Carter’s support. A few days, just a few days before this tragedy that took
place in Qom, Carter met here with the Shah and they drank alcohol together
amongst other things. Carter praised the Shah when he was drunk. He praised him
very much. He said, “Iran is the island of stability,” and things like that. He
felt he had their support. This is what happens when one has false assumptions
of support. They were of no use to him. “They cannot help them,” is about those
who rely on the power of the unbelievers. You see, I am not saying those who
just interact with the powers of unbelief. No, we are interacting with the
powers of unbelief too. But if you rely on a power other than God, this is what
happens. So, that was one side of the story.
On the other hand, the people were fighting the regime, the Taghut regime. But
in fact, they were fighting the US. They were actually fighting Carter. The US
presence in Iran at that time was truly a strange thing. I believe that you
young people who are present here today have not witnessed that time, although
some of you may have read about this in books, and many haven’t read about it.
Unfortunately, our children do not read very much, and they do not know the
extent of their [the US] influence. The US controlled all of the country’s
affairs.
You see, in 1964, thirteen years before the 19th of Dey tragedy, and fourteen
years before the victory of the Revolution, Imam Khomeini was exiled from Qom.
Why did they send Imam Khomeini into exile? Imam had made a speech.
What did Imam Khomeini say in this speech? He had spoken against capitulation,
which was the legal immunity of the Americans who were in Iran. He had
[verbally] attacked the US. What Imam Khomeini stated in that speech – this is
the essence of his statement – was that if the Shah of Iran accidentally ran
over an American dog on the streets, he would be impeached. But if an American
chef runs over the Shah of Iran, no one has the right to prosecute him. This is
what capitulation means.
That is what Imam Khomeini was protesting against. That is why he raised his
voice against those in power. And then, they sent Imam into exile because of
this [statement]. Now, Imam Khomeini’s period of exile lasted 13 years, but it
was meant to be for life. According to them, he was supposed to remain
permanently in exile. Fortunately, the Revolution was victorious and after 13
years [of living in exile], the Imam returned to the country. So that was the
extent of the US’s influence in Iran. Well, the people rose up against this kind
of influence. They rose up against such a penetrating power in the country.
Another thing I would like to say about what happened in Qom is that in both
this event and in the events that occurred after it, individuals and pretentious
groups without any roots were not able to infiltrate it. This is a very
important matter. It was not like the Constitutional Revolution, which was
initiated by religious scholars to eliminate tyranny. Well-known, or unknown,
individuals joined and diverted their path and directed them to the British
embassy. They went there. The British Embassy became a mediator for a request
that was from ordinary people. This is what happens when unsuitable people join
a movement.
Such a thing didn’t happen in the Qom movement. Such a thing didn’t occur in the
event that took place due to this movement. Everyone, [even] those who opposed
it, were left in awe. They were in awe of the people, they were in awe of this
great movement, and they were in awe of the Imam’s outcry. [Imagine] a person
addressing a group of seminary students in Najaf and crying out in such a way
that he shook the world! We have failed to properly understand who Imam Khomeini
was, [and to understand] the Imam’s character. This movement was a movement that
others could not infiltrate. They were in awe of him, even those who opposed
him. There were communists and different kinds of people in Iran who did not
approve of this movement. But they did not dare oppose it, nor did they have the
courage to join it. It was a people’s movement. It was a great movement. I am
telling you things that I have personally experienced and seen. These are things
I know about.
So why were they not able to infiltrate [this movement]? This in itself is an
important point. Why weren’t other parties able to infiltrate it and create
problems? The reason was that religious figures were leading this movement. They
were the heads of this movement. Religious figures courageously took action. In
all cities – in Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, and other places – great religious
scholars and religious figures took action and they carried the flag. We saw
this in different cities. A number of scholars who were living in exile in
different places drew the people in those places with their words to accompany
this movement. They pulled the people’s hearts toward themselves.
Eventually, the Islamic Revolution and the great movement that started in Qom
was able to save Iran from the predatory, bloody claws of the US. Although, it
is true that this movement was a movement against the monarchy, and against the
[Shah’s] court and the corrupt, dependent, evil government [of that time]. That
is how it was. Well, praise God, this movement overthrew the monarchy. But
actually, it [the Islamic Revolution] pulled Iran out of the clutches of the US.
There is a reason I am saying this. It [the Islamic Revolution] took Iran out of
the clutches of the US, and this was the basis for the US’s enmity with Iran.
You see, some say that such and such an event caused the US’s enmity against us.
[This is incorrect.] Even now after 40 years, some people ask, “Why are you
causing the US’s enmity?” Are we the ones causing their enmity? They have been
doing this [showing enmity] for 40 years. They are thirsty for our blood! Now we
are the ones who are creating this enmity?
The US started from that very first day. A document that had just recently been
published was brought to me. Apparently, [it was published] just a few weeks ago
by a reputable American center that publishes important documents after about 30
or 40 years have passed. This [center] has published a document that was from
December of 1979 AD, which is about ten months after the victory of our
Revolution. The Revolution was victorious in February of 1979 AD, and this
document was from December [of 1979]. So this was about ten months later.
Carter gave an order to the CIA. The order was for them to overthrow the Islamic
Republic of Iran. This order was given on that day. That is, at the very
beginning of the Revolution, the President of the United States gave the order
to the CIA to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran, probably due to some
nightmare he’d had. The interesting point that deserves our attention is that he
mentions how they should bring about this overthrow.
The first method he mentions is false publicity, or propaganda. He told them to
conduct propaganda operations against the Islamic Republic. Doesn’t this policy
sound familiar? Use propaganda against the Islamic Republic. Use propaganda
throughout the world, propaganda to change public opinion, propaganda inside the
country. This is what they started that day, a propaganda operation. Of course,
it was not just propaganda. There were also sanctions, acts of espionage, and
infiltrations. The groundwork was also being laid for a military coup. These
things were present too, but the first thing he mentions is propaganda. He says,
“Use propaganda.” This has continued up until today. Since 1979 and up until
today, this US policy has continued for 43 years – the policy of aiming to
overthrow the Islamic Republic. By what means? By imposing sanctions, through
infiltrations, by putting maximum pressure [on the country], by creating
anti-Iranian alliances, and by inciting anti-Iranian, anti-Islamic, and
anti-Shi’a sentiment. By using these means and especially by using propaganda.
The US has been doing this for the past 43 years. They have been continuously
doing this up until today.
Of course, the enemy obviously did not succeed with its evil intention. The
Islamic Republic of that day is incomparable with the Islamic Republic of today,
which has strong roots not only in this country but also in the region. The
stability that the Islamic Republic has today, thanks to God’s grace and power,
is incomparable with the way it was back then.
However, they have harmed us. The things they did slowed us down. We could have
advanced much more than this, [but] they carried out criminal acts. They imposed
eight years of war on us. This was a crime. Our forces spent eight years
focusing on defending the country. These forces could have been used for
construction. They could have been used to help the country advance. They could
have been used to eradicate poverty. And it was not just the Imposed War. There
is also pressure [on the country]. There are sanctions. All of these have had an
effect. They have committed malicious acts in order to slow down the Islamic
Republic’s progress.
So, are we able to counteract this delay they’ve caused? Yes, I believe we can.
We need to work harder, manage things better, and struggle untiringly. This is
what we must do. We can compensate for what’s happened. It’s not like things
can’t be compensated for. This work has taken place in some areas, with God’s
grace. It has taken place in scientific departments, in the defense department,
and in many manufacturing departments, but there is much detail involved in
trying to explain the things that have been done. Great accomplishments have
been made thanks to the jihadi work, the faith and belief of workers, and the
round-the-clock endeavors of certain individuals. This needs to take place in
all areas. We can do this.
I would now like to speak some about the recent riots. The involvement of
foreign enemies in the recent riots was clearly evident, though some have denied
this. As soon as we say, “foreign enemies,” they tend to quickly deny this in
order to knock down a faction, or a person, or a group, or an administration.
They say, “No, it is your fault.” But no, it was clear and obvious that the
foreigners had a hand in this. The efforts made by the Americans, the Europeans,
and different European countries – each one of them interfered in one way or
another. And they interfered openly, not secretly. It was apparent who was
involved in this case. That is what happened in the recent riots.
We cannot just ignore these things. Well, here too, the most important part of
their work was propaganda. The most important part of the enemy’s endeavors was
their propaganda. “[I seek protection] from the evil of the slinking whisperer,
who whispers [temptations] into the hearts of people, from among the jinn and
people” (Quran 114:4-6) Temptations don’t just come from the jinn. Human beings
also whisper temptations. You have seen how it is in the social media and also
the foreign, Western, Arabic, and Hebrew media and other sources like these. So,
the most important tool that was used here as well was propaganda.
Some people wanted it to appear this way. And this is how the foreigners made it
appear in their propaganda, that in these riots, where a number of people came
out, yelled things in the streets, used foul language, broke windows, set trash
bins on fire, and things of that sort, were people objecting to the country’s
weaknesses. [They said people were objecting to the] weaknesses in management,
weaknesses in the economy, and weaknesses in other things. No, I tell you it was
the exact opposite. Those who came out and were involved in the riots had no
intention of overcoming the country’s weaknesses. They sought to destroy the
country’s strengths.
They wanted to destroy our strengths and our security. Our security is one of
our country’s strengths. And there is the matter of scientific education. We
always take pride in the scientific progress we have made. Well, where are the
sciences studied? [They are studied] in educational centers, in scientific
centers, in research centers. They [the enemies] have targeted these centers so
they can shut them down and stop the study of science. [They don’t want] us to
have security. They don’t want people to study science. They don’t want there to
be a growth in our domestic production.
At the beginning of this year, I announced that the slogan for this year is
about [domestic] production, just as it had been in the past two or three years.
[Domestic production is needed] in a special way and from a special perspective.
Domestic production has progressed well this year. Just a few months ago, a
number of people came to this Hussainiyah. That meeting was also broadcast on
TV. And they explained the great, unprecedented manufacturing work that they are
doing inside the country. They stood here and spoke about this, and it was
broadcast on TV.
This is what they want to stop. This is what they wanted to stop. Or there is
the issue of tourism. One of the government’s policies involved tourism. Tourism
brings good income. It was just getting going and getting started. They wanted
to stop this. They wanted to stand in the way of our strengths. But yes, we do
have problems in the economy. There is no doubt about this. We have problems
with the people’s cost of living. [But] can our problems in the economy be
solved by setting trash bins on fire? Will they be solved with riots in the
streets? They were not seeking to eliminate the [country’s] weaknesses. They
wanted to destroy our strengths. Well, undoubtedly, this was treason, and the
responsible organizations will and must deal with treason in a serious, just
way. I would like to briefly add two more things [today].
The first issue is about “jihad of clarification,” which I have repeated over
and over, and I will repeat it again. The enemy’s main plan is to use false
publicity, or propaganda, as they call it. The way to overcome propaganda is
with “clarification.” Clarifying the truth [must be done] by different people,
with different voices, with different interpretations, and using new forms.
[This is] clarification. What can remove the temptations that affect a youth or
a teenager? Police batons cannot remove them. Clarification can remove those
temptations. That was the first point. I said there are two points. This was the
first point. Jihad of clarification must be taken seriously, by everyone, in the
seminaries, in the universities, and in particular on radio and television, in
the printed media, in all the places where you are, all around you. Wherever you
are able to have an effect, you need to give clarification – correct
explanations, accurate clarification.
Secondly, big goals require big work. Big things must be done. Transformations
must be made. I believe this can be done. We have pious, hardworking officials.
Transformations can be made. The Revolution itself was the greatest
transformation. Each one of the preludes leading up to the Revolution were
transformative events. They were the things that enabled us to pass through
those difficult bottlenecks. From here onward, great transformative efforts are
required in the fields of the economy, culture, security, science, and in
various other fields. I believe such a thing is possible. We have the people for
it, and we have the officials for it. Praise God, the country has many good,
young people. We have individuals in our universities, in many of the seminaries
across the country, and among the different classes in society who are capable
of doing innovative, creative, transformative work.
I hope, God willing, the Almighty God will help all of you and me to be
successful in carrying out our duties.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
Source:
https://english.khamenei.ir/news/9424/Jihad-of-clarification-is-a-necessity-and-the-way-to-overcome
Links:
Who is Imam Hussain? Why did he launch an uprising?
Imam Hussain’s Revolution for Humanity
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