Supreme Leader’s Speech to People of East Azerbaijan

Supreme Leader’s Speech to People of East Azerbaijan
15/02/2012

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on February 15, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with a group of government officials, religious scholars and ordinary citizens from East Azerbaijan province. The meeting was held on the anniversary of an uprising by the people of Tabriz on 29th of Bahman, 1356.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I would like to welcome all the dear brothers and sisters who have come from Tabriz and other cities of East Azerbaijan in this cold weather in order to imbue the atmosphere of this Hussayniyyah with spirituality and love. I express my gratitude to you. The 29th of Bahman reminds me of pleasant memories of the annual meetings that I have arranged with honorable youth and brave and proud men from East Azerbaijan. This meeting is very pleasant and enjoyable to me. I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow increasing blessings, guidance and assistance on you dear people. By Allah’s favor, all of you will see with your own eyes the brighter, more enjoyable and more pleasant future that our dear homeland will achieve.

The unforgettable and permanent lessons that the Revolution and the Islamic Republic hold for us are the factors that guide our nation, our government officials and you dear people – particularly our youth – towards the peaks. This is based on what we see and experience, not just what we know from the reports. One example that I would like to discuss is the massive rallies that the Iranian people arranged this year on the 22nd of Bahman. Everybody said that compared to previous years, this year the demonstrators were greater in number, more enthusiastic and happier. This is not the news reported by one or two individuals. This was the case with Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and other big cities of the country, as far as I know. The question is: why? What was it about this year that made the people rush to this great arena more enthusiastically than previous years? The answer to this question is instructive for us. The answer is that this year the people of Iran felt that their country, their government and their religion need this presence. One camp is the camp of the wicked and spiteful enemies who have full control over all the international media outlets. Many of the politicians of the western world are puppets of this evil camp – namely, capitalists, blood-thirsty capitalists and Zionists, the global network of Zionism, and owners of big cartels, trusts and companies. Most of the highly advanced media outlets of the modern world, such as TV channels and websites, belong to this evil camp. From several months ago, these people focused their propaganda efforts on promoting the idea that the faith of the Iranian people in the government, Islam and the announced goals has been undermined.

They constantly repeated this in their propaganda in order to encourage our honorable people to believe this big lie. What was the goal? The goal was to undermine the determination of the courageous and pious people of Iran – who have emerged victorious out of difficult and great tests. When the people of a country lose their determination, that country becomes defenseless. When the people are not present in the arena, their government officials are left alone. No political system in the world can work and move forward without the support of the people. This was their goal and they focused their attention on the 22nd of Bahman. They utilized different kinds of propaganda techniques in order to encourage the people to leave this arena. The people discovered their plot. This insight and this awareness of the requirements of time are amazing: they make one feel small in the face of the greatness of the Iranian people. [People shout in Azeri, “Azerbaijan is awake and it supports the Revolution.”] This exceptional insight of the people and this awareness of the requirements of time are amazing. These are the factors that safeguard the nation and the country. The Iranian people realized that the enemy was pursuing this goal and they kicked the enemy in the mouth with their actions. They foiled the plots of the enemy with their presence. Teenagers, youth, old people, men and women stepped into the arena throughout the country. According to the accurate report that I received, these rallies were held in at least 850 cities: it was not possible for our national TV to show them. This is the Iranian nation. This shows the insight of our people and their awareness of the requirements of time. Such a nation will not be defeated. The message was delivered to those who should have received it. The people who were cherishing illusions about the Iranian nation in their worm-infested brains realized what is going on in Iran.

Of course, in their propaganda they tried to prevent this truth from being reflected, but the truth was revealed to those who should have found out: the intelligence services of our enemies and the main policy-makers of the countries that are opposed to the Islamic Republic. They realized that the brave people of Iran will be present on the scene like that. They realized that the people of Iran will remain in the arena like that. Of course, they tried to keep this truth from global public opinion and this is a source of disgrace for them. They are the same people who claim to support free flow of information. They claim that they do not prevent the news from spreading. They claim that they do not censor the news. If they do not censor the news, they should not have said that only thousands of people took to the streets in Tehran. Was it only “thousands of people”? Millions of people participated in the demonstrations on the 22nd of Bahman throughout the country. Were there only thousands of demonstrators in Tehran? They said hundreds of thousands of people took part in the nation-wide demonstrations. Were there only hundreds of thousands of people in those demonstrations? Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in every big city of the country. Tens of millions of people stepped into the arena. This is what they do in their propaganda. We have witnessed many cases of lying, deception, plotting and humiliating dishonesty from the enemy. This has been the case since the beginning of the Revolution up until today and the situation will remain the same, but the enemy will not achieve his goal.

The sincere message of the people of a nation, which comes from the bottom of their hearts, will prove effective. I have repeatedly said that presence of the people, their revolutionary spirit and their spirit of moving forward with firm determination will spread everywhere, just like the pleasant weather of spring. It will gradually benefit everybody. The examples can be witnessed in North Africa, in all Arab countries, in the entire world of Islam, in the heart of every intellectual and intelligent Muslim, among Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries, and in Islamic countries in which all Muslims have gradually acquired a sense of identity over the course of many years. Islam has reached a sensitive point in its movement. Future generations will witness very important and great events. The world will be totally transformed. The materialistic and hegemonic policies of the arrogant powers, which have shackled the people of nations, will gradually decline and disappear. This is the future of the world. And Iran is the origin of this transformation. Our nation is standing firm. The important point is resistance and steadfastness. Dear youth, proud men and women of Tabriz and East Azerbaijan, this resistance is the essential point. Why do we commemorate the 29th of Bahman every year? The reason is not a tendency to remain in the past. Many of the youth who have attended this meeting and many of the youth of Tabriz and East Azerbaijan did not see that day. Many of them had not been born into this world at that time, yet they commemorate the occasion. This is not a tendency to remain in the past: it only shows the right path into the future.

Regarding the city of Tabriz and the Azerbaijan region, I have repeatedly said that the people of the Azerbaijan region – particularly the people of Tabriz and many other cities of Azerbaijan – have been at the forefront of the most essential events and developments in the country since a hundred years ago. They have played a role in essential developments, ranging from the tobacco issue when the late Hajj Mirza Javad Mojtahed Tabrizi stepped into the arena, to the Constitutional movement – both the original Constitutional movement and the movement that took place after the Lesser Tyranny. The Azerbaijan region and the city of Tabriz were the origin of those activities. Famous heroes of Tabriz, such as Sattar Khan and Baqer Khan, used to carry the letters and fatwas of great religious scholars of the time in their pockets. They used to refer to those letters and fatwas to back up their arguments. People like the heroes and combatants of the Azerbaijan region used to stress that they were followers of religious scholars and the fatwas of their marja taqlids. We can infer these things from the irrefutable evidence that remains from those times. It was not an aimless and pointless movement. It was a religious movement that originated from religious commitment. All those who were involved in the movement throughout the country were pious, but in certain areas of the country the characteristics of the local people – their pride, their courage and their magnanimity – made this religious movement outstanding, particularly in the city of Tabriz and the Azerbaijan region.

The same was true of the Islamic movement that started on the 15th of Khordad, 1342. Certain religious scholars of the Azerbaijan region were imprisoned or exiled. They were sent to prisons in Tehran. The 29th of Bahman was a significant event at the beginning of the revolutionary movement: it is a landmark on the great path of the Iranian nation. I have repeatedly said that if it had not been for the 29th of Bahman, the event that happened in Qom on the 19th of Dey might not have had that effect. It was the movement of the people of Tabriz on the 29th of Bahman that revived the memory of the innocent people who had been martyred in Qom on the 19th of Dey. It conveyed the message of the martyrs of Qom to all parts of the country and the entire world. This shows the importance of the movement by the people of Tabriz. Later on, they played a significant role in the issues related to the Revolution and the war.

The first Friday prayer leader who was martyred while praying was from the city of Tabriz. Out of the five people who were martyred while praying, two were from Tabriz. The Ashura Army and its Azeri and Tabrizi soldiers and commanders were among the most prominent people and armies during the war. An army is a group of youth: not all the people are represented in the army. But if the army is not supported by all the people, a brave army like that cannot be formed. The more bodies came in for funeral ceremonies, the more enthusiastic the people would become and the more Iranian mothers would encourage their young children to go to the battlefield. All of these things are significant: they are the secret behind the success of the Iranian nation.

Dear people, we Iranian people had been humiliated during the era of monarchies. They used to humiliate us. They used to take away whatever rightfully belonged to us. They used to steal our oil. They used to suppress the talents of our youth. We fell behind in science. We fell behind in technology. We fell behind in international politics. We failed to influence other nations of the world the way we should have. They shackled the people of Iran. But the Iranian nation moved forward and determined its path. Today the Iranian nation supports combating global oppression and global arrogance. Of course, this has its own blessings for the Iranian nation. When a nation stands firm and does not feel afraid of the fearsome and powerful façade of the enemy’s network, it makes progress in science, it makes progress in economic areas, it makes progress in social matters, its youth become aware, it influences other nations, and its thoughts, religion and slogans engulf the entire world. The slogans that have spread to almost all parts of the world of Islam used to be shouted by the oppressed Iranian people alone. It is possible for a nation to play a significant role and strengthen itself. We will remain steadfast. By Allah’s favor, we will make progress in science. We will make progress in economic matters. We will make progress in constructing the country. Our people and youth will improve the country and turn it into a role model for the world of Islam by relying on their determination and steadfastness. It is necessary for us to follow the right path: the path of God, the path of Islam, the path of piety, the path of sharia. We need to stay vigilant. We need to stay awake. We need to fulfill our responsibilities.

The parliamentary elections are around two weeks away. The usual puppets in the global media have started their efforts to discourage the people from taking part in the elections. I have repeatedly said that the presence of the people in the elections can help the country move forward. It can protect the country against the enemy. It can make the enemy doubtful about its machinations. It can force the enemy to back down. Vibrant elections will punch the enemy in the mouth.

God is with you. God is with you. “Whoever is with God, God is with him.” When the people of a nation move forward on the path of God and promote the cause of God, divine laws assist them. The hearts of people are controlled by God. This firm determination is God’s work. God willing, Allah the Exalted will help our people in this election as well. By Allah’s favor, the 9th parliamentary elections will be accompanied by insight and enthusiastic and massive presence of the people, and a good Majlis will be formed for the people. By Allah’s favor, good MPs will be voted into the Majlis and into the arena of work and rendering services. [People shout in Azeri, “Self-sacrificing Azerbaijan will not be separated from Khamenei.”] Thank you very much.

I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow His blessings and approval on you. May God protect you and keep you dynamic.

Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings

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