Supreme Leader’s Speech to People from Qom

Supreme Leader’s Speech to People from Qom
09/01/2012

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on January 9, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with a large group of people from Qom. The meeting was held in Tehran in commemoration of the uprising by the people of Qom on January 9, 1978.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I am thankful to Allah the Exalted who once again imbued the atmosphere of this Hussayniyyah with the warmth and dynamism of the youth of Qom on the occasion of the 19th of Dey. Definitely the awareness, vigilance and insight of the dear people of Qom and the way they responded to Islamic seminaries and their marja taqlids with all their heart and soul will remain a timeless and permanent event in history.

It would not be an exaggeration if we claimed that the 19th of Dey was the beginning of the history of modern developments in the world. The events that happen in human communities in this vast world interact with one another. Different events affect one another and the interactions give rise to great events in history. If we believe that the movement of the people of Qom on the 19th of Dey, 1356 was a spark in the general atmosphere of those dark and oppressive times, the blood of the pious protestors - who were killed in Qom and gave rise to that great popular movement on the 19th of Dey - was in fact a spark that caused an explosion of faith and changed the dominant atmosphere instantly. It would take many books to describe the suppression that existed in the country at that time and the so-called free world supported the tyrannical rulers who had given rise to that suppression.

If it had not been for the event that took place on the 19th of Dey in Qom, the events which happened in different cities and encouraged the people to step into the arena of struggle would not have happened. If it had not been for those developments and events, the 22nd of Bahman would not have happened and the Islamic Revolution would not have achieved victory. When the Islamic Revolution achieved victory, the arrogant powers started to challenge it. The powerful façade that the arrogant powers - America and the Zionists - had maintained started to collapse, which caused Muslims in different Islamic countries to awaken and start thinking of taking action. Similarly, the innocent resistance of the Iranian nation during the Sacred Defense Era and under those sanctions - and the fact that the Iranian nation stood firm like that and moved forward in a stable way - shook other nations. If it had not been for this stability and resistance, if it had not been for challenging the arrogant powers' superficial façade of power, nations would not have stepped into the arena, Islamic Awakening would not have happened and the events which are transforming the region would not have happened. Things start from somewhere and lead to a chain of events. If a movement is accompanied by steadfastness and steady progress, then it brings about many blessings.

Resistance is the first requirement. Nations should be steadfast on the path they choose. "To this then go on inviting, and go on steadfastly on the right way as you are commanded, and do not follow their low desires." [The Holy Quran, 42: 15] This is the reason why the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) has been ordered in many parts of the Holy Quran to be steadfast. It is necessary to stand firm. It is necessary to be steadfast. It is necessary to stay on the path. It is necessary to avoid losing sight of the goals. It is necessary to move forward in a steady way. If these things happen, there will be numerous victories, just as the Iranian nation has achieved many victories.

The Iranian nation presented this achievement to other nations, an achievement that was based on two factors: insight and patience. Insight means staying on the path. It means avoiding mistakes and deviations, fighting temptations and not confusing the process with the goal. In contrast, patience means steadfastness. It is something that is passed down from generation to generation. By Allah's grace, although our young generation were not present when the Revolution took place, although they did not experience the war, they have remained in the arena with the same spirit, with the same sentiments, with the same motivation and with the same resolve that characterized the young generation that carried out the Revolution. This is very important. This is an accomplishment of the Islamic Revolution. We need to strengthen the factors that give rise to this resistance and insight.

There are two interrelated factors that bring about power for the Iranian nation. One is the firm determination of the holy Islamic Republic to avoid deviations and surrendering and to stand up against the greed and bullying of the superpowers and the arrogant powers. In its entirety, the Islamic Republic definitely knows what it is doing. It has chosen the path and resisted. This is the first factor. The second factor is the vigilant and determined presence of our loyal people. If these two factors were separated from one another, if our government officials were present on the scene but our people were not present, it would definitely be impossible to continue. If there was a problem with the intention, judgment and understanding our government officials and their decision-making ability in the face of the big army of kufr and deviation which has been deployed against us, this problem would definitely affect the performance of the Islamic Republic and it would also push the people out of the arena. These two factors are intertwined. Today both of these factors exist in our country and by Allah's favor, this will be the case in the future as well. Thanks to these two factors, none of the machinations and plots of the enemy will have an effect on the Iranian nation.

Today the camp which is against us and is led by America and the Zionists has resorted to all the methods that were available to it. It has exhausted using the ways in which it could have confronted the Iranian nation and their aim was to undermine these two factors - namely, presence of the people on the scene and the factor that strengthens the Islamic Republic. And they themselves confirm this. They say the purpose of the sanctions that they impose on the Iranian nation is to make the people tired and encourage them to leave the scene. And they pursue these sanctions in a completely spiteful way. They announce that the purpose of the sanctions is to encourage the people to turn their back on the Islamic Republic. They either try to do these things or they try to undermine the determination of our government officials and make them revise their calculations. They say they want to make government officials of the Islamic Republic feel they have to pay a heavy price for their decisions. These are efforts to break the resolve of our government officials. They are following up this issue with all their power, making use of all the tricks they know. They either try to separate the people from the government or they try to make our government officials doubtful and force them to revise their decisions. They made a mistake. They cannot do any of these things.

One day, during the early years after the introduction of Islam, it occurred to the enemies that they could bring the Muslims to their knees by imposing an economic blockade on them in the Valley of Abi Talib, but they failed. These disgraced people wrongly think that today we are in the same situation as the early Muslims when they were in the Valley of Abi Talib. This is not the case. Today our conditions are not the same as those of the Valley of Abi Talib. Our conditions are the same as those of Badr and Khaybar. We are in a situation in which our people can see the signs of their victory with their own eyes. They have proudly achieved victory on many stages. Today they are threatening our people with economic sanctions. Are they trying to encourage our people to leave the scene with these statements and machinations? Is this possible? They want to undermine the determination of our government officials? "Say: this is my way: I call to Allah, I and those who follow me being certain." [The Holy Quran, 12: 108] This is a path that has been chosen with insight. This is a path that has been opened up with selfless struggle. This is a path that has been opened up with the blood of the most honorable people. We have followed this path and we have achieved certain accomplishments. We will not stop. By Allah's favor, we will move forward. But we have already made many accomplishments. Today's Islamic Republic is incomparable to the Islamic Republic of twenty, thirty years ago. The enemies of the Islamic Republic were powerful at that time, but today they are suffering from weakness and decline. These are signs that encourage the Iranian nation. Our government officials will continue following the path of Islam, which is the path of God, the path of religion and the path of happiness in this world and in the hereafter. And the people will also continue this great movement in a determined way.

Elections are one of the areas for the presence of the people. They have been trying for a while to decrease voter turnout in the upcoming election. You see and hear what is going on. According to the news reflected in the press and other media, our enemies - ranging from our archenemies, namely the headquarters of the camp of kufr and arrogance, to these minor mercenaries and pawns that are spread out inside and outside the country - are trying to encourage the people to refrain from taking part in the upcoming election. Judging from my personal experience with our people and with the trust I have in Allah the Exalted, I predict that by Allah's grace, the voter turnout in this election will be high against the will of the enemy and that this election will inject new blood into the veins of the Revolution, the country and the Islamic Republic. A new movement will emerge and there will be new dynamism, which is the case with all our elections. Elections represent the presence of the people. Elections represent the involvement of the people in determining their destiny.

Of course, there are certain problems which we must try to prevent. The elections of the year 1388 left the best and the worst memories for our people. The best memories resulted from the presence of 40 million people in the elections, which astonished the world. The worst memories are related to the political objections of a number of ignorant individuals and unsavory characters, some of whom held a grudge. In any event, certain people might have objections. How should they express their objections? The law has specified the path. Why would they break the law? Why would they impose needless expenses on the people? Why would they make the enemy of the country happy? Why would they implement the plans which reek of the enemy's machinations? The law has specified a path. We publicly announced this at that time and everybody involved in the issue had to act according to what was announced, which was the same as the law. Why did they refuse to do so?

They did not achieve anything. Our nation is present on the scene and as long as this bond exists, nobody in the country will be able to do anything as far as illegal actions are concerned. They have not been able to do anything so far and they will not be able to do anything in the future either, but they imposed expenses on the country. They imposed expenses on the nation. Why? With that great and impressive election, the country could have avoided those expenses.

Different factors were involved. We must learn from this experience. All of us must be careful. Elections are a manifestation of the presence of the people on the scene. And the outcome of elections is a manifestation of the votes and will of the people. It is necessary to respect elections.

Elections must be healthy and competitive. Competition is different from hostility. Competition is different from slandering and leveling allegations against each other. We must be careful about these things. Competition does not mean proving oneself by rejecting others. Competition does not mean making promises that go against our laws and our Constitution with the sole purpose of attracting attention from the people. These things must not happen. Those who enter the arena of elections - both the candidates and the people who are in charge of holding the elections - must be committed to the requirements of a healthy popular movement. This is necessary.

Those who are in charge of holding our elections must do their best to avoid bias and discrimination. Fortunately over the past thirty two years, we have held more than thirty elections and over these years, our elections have been healthy. Sometimes certain people claimed that particular elections were unhealthy. We sent people to investigate the issue carefully - both when our Imam (r.a.) was alive and afterwards - and they reported that there might have been minor violations of the electoral laws but that there was absolutely nothing which could have made those elections unhealthy and changed the final results. They reported that the final results were what the people wanted. It is necessary to ensure the health of our elections and this is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of those who are in charge of our elections: both the officials who are in the administration and the Ministry of Interior and the officials who work for the Guardian Council.

They must be careful. Nothing is above the law. It is said in the world that bad law is better than no law. It is not unlikely for people to accept this as a fact because no law means no order. Bad law is at least a standard, which can be improved. Fortunately our electoral laws are good laws and they might be improved later on.

Those who enter the arena of elections must be committed to certain principles. I am addressing this point to our people as well as to all those who stand for our elections. Our dear people throughout the country must pay attention to the behavior of the candidates in these areas. Candidates should step in with the intention of serving the people. If they enter the arena of elections with the aim of gaining power, accumulating wealth and other such things, they will not serve the country. Candidates must be motivated by an urge to serve the people. It is necessary to identify this urge among candidates and try to guess whether they have this urge. If candidates develop a relationship with centers of wealth and power, everything will be ruined, which is the case with modern "democracies" in the world, in America and other places. Companies and wealthy people provide money for those who stand for presidential and congressional elections, but these candidates have to be committed to the interests of those companies and individuals. A president who is elected thanks to the money provided by different organizations and different centers of wealth, will be committed to the interests of these organizations and centers. An MP who makes his way into the Majlis with the money provided by a certain company and individual will have to make laws or alter them whenever his sponsors deem this necessary. Such an MP is useless to the people. One should neither be affiliated with centers of personal wealth nor with centers of national wealth for that matter. It is completely wrong to spend the money that belongs to the people in order become an MP. The people must pay attention to these things. Of course, it is also wrong to accuse others. It is wrong to claim that a certain person is affiliated with a certain organization or individual or that he is spending money out a certain source. These things must be clarified and proven.

The people must open their eyes. They must be aware. Fortunately our people are vigilant. People should trust those who can assure them, those who can provide the ultimate proof between man and God. And they should investigate the matter whenever it is possible for them to do so. These things are necessary. It is necessary to be careful. By Allah's favor, a good election will be held: an enthusiastic election with a great turnout. The people should know their candidates appropriately. They should vote carefully. By Allah's favor, the Majlis that will be elected will be worthy of the Islamic system.

The divine path is not closed if we pray to God and enter the arena, if each and every one of us feels responsible, if our goal is to bring about glory for the Islamic Republic, Islam and the Iranian nation, if our goal is to ensure our happiness in this world and the next. If we step into the arena, Allah the Exalted will open up the path. The most important thing is our determination.

I am confident that this election is a sign for other nations. It is for this reason that the malevolent organizations affiliated with the arrogant powers - including America, England, the Zionists and others - are constantly trying to ruin this election in one way or another. Other countries will watch carefully to see what the Iranian nation will do, a nation that has great experience in elections and revolutionary activities. In these areas, the Iranian nation is among experienced nations. Other nations will watch carefully to see what results our elections will produce. The arrogant powers want our elections to be such that other nations become disappointed. [People shout: "Death to America"] Well, you said the final word: "death to America" is the final word.

Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household, bestow Your blessings, guidance, mercy and assistance on this honorable nation. Dear God, make our youth receive the attention of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) and make them benefit from his prayers. Increase the victories of the Iranian nation on a daily basis.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

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