INTRODUCTION TO SPEECH NUMBER THIRTY

With every passing day, week and month of the year 1978, people came closer to realizing the materialization of the forecast made by Imam Khomeini (pbuh) concerning the dissolution of the monarchy. This was in spite of the fact that at that time world political analysts and the governments of the European countries and America were utterly convinced and confident that whatever designs the Islamic uprising had in store for the Shah would be successfully dealt with. Moreover, right until the very last days of the Shah's regime, even religious and national figures within the country also firmly believed that America would not allow the Shah to be toppled from his throne of power, let alone the monarchy be dissolved. Those who were of this opinion stood by their argument during meetings held with Imam in Paris, asking the latter for a change in those tactics employed in the struggle.

At a time when the entire nation of Iran is calling for the regime's overthrow, when in the streets and alleys of various cities hundreds of people are being fired at daily by the Shah's assassins, and when Imam Khomeini, unlike previous years, eveii regards the holding of celebrations to mark the arrival of Sha'ban 3 and 15 as improper⁽⁷⁰⁷⁾, certain parties and veteran politicians rant on about free elections, Fabianism, passive resistance⁽⁷⁰⁸⁾, and so on. Further more, in an interview held on July 20, 1978 (Tir 29,1357 AHS) in the theological centre of Qum, Mr. Sayyid Kazim shari' atmadari tells the foreign press that he believes the solution to lie in "the implementation of the constitutional law" - in other words, he believes that the Shah should remain as sovereign; and he says this without making the least indication to the key demand of the people i.e. the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic Republic. Mr. Shari' atmadari says: " . . . Therefore, when we stress that the constitutional law must be rigorously observed and implemented, this includes amongst other matters the holding of elections. Elections must be conducted fairly. They must be free and democratic so that the Muslim people may elect those they truly wish to represent them without being sublected to pressure. In this way, a popular, democratic Majlis can be formed from the true representatives of the people; and when formed, such a Majlis will undoubtedly observe the constitutional law and will block the ratification of anything, which contravenes the canons of Islam. . ⁽⁷⁰⁹⁾

Iran at that time was aflame with anti-regime demonstrations. Even the Shah's loyal supporters who owned homes nearby his palace, ranted and railed against him. The profundity of people's hatred towards the Shah was expressed by the slogans chanted in the streets and bazaars: "Death to the Shah"; "May your Crown Prince die, you treacherous king". The man who, some years back, whilst drunk with power and overcome by American support, had smugly and arrogantly cried out before hundreds of world leaders, presidents and rulers as well as thousands of his dearest admirers: "Cyrus, King of all kings, sleep soundly for we are awake", was now refused sleep both day and night. He was no longer able to think straight and was prepared to go to any lengths in order to remain sovereign.

During an interview conducted on August 1 7, 1978 (Murdad 26,1357 AHS) , the Shah issued a warning to the Muslim people of Iran - people who for years had witnessed his cruelty and had now risen up against him under the command of a man who was a descendant of Imam Husayn (pbuh) - and in so doing he lay bare the depth of animosity and rancour which he felt towards the nation. His eccentric fantasies became apparent during this interview when he spelled out how "We promise the people a great civilization; but our enemies, they promise the people a great terror".

Two days after the interview, people realized in a very only too tragic lust what the Shah had meant by these words. On August 1 9, 1 978 (Murdad 28,1357 AHS) - the anniversary of the American coup of 1953 - the Rex Cinema in Abadan was set on fire whilst hundreds of men, women and children, both young and old, were present there watching the film "Gavaznha" ("The Deer"), ⁽⁷¹⁰⁾ thus making clear what the Shah's words had meant. On this day - as the regime's agents later confessed in various interviews given -SAVAK agents set the cinema, along with the entire audience it housed, on fire, having shed incendiary substances in the cinema's theatre and having locked its doors from the outside. Furthermore, they not only sent fire engines, which were out of water to the scene, but they also prevented the people from assisting in the operation to extinguish the fire! About eight hundred men, women and children were burned alive during this harrowing incident. The Shah's promise of "a great terror" had been fulfilled. Following this tragedy, a massive demonstration was staged and on August 22, 1978 (Murdad 3 1, 1357 AHS), in a message to the Iranian nation, as well as offering condolence to the bereaved, Imam Khomeini announced : "Circumstantial evidence reveal that the harrowing incident in Abadan, just like the killings in other lraniain cities, has stemmed from one source. Who, other than the Shah and hi associates, hoped to gain from this crime?"

Having dismissed Jamshid Amuzegar, on August 27, 1978 (Shahrivar 5,1357 AHS) the Shah appointed Ja' far Sharif Imami as Premier. The latter who before holding this office had been President of the Senate, was widely known as a Freemason and as one of the most important pillars of the Shah' regime. He named his cabinet "the cabinet of national reconciliation" am announced that he was going to fight against the causes of corruption within the regime: an announcement in fact made for the sake of appearances to serve as a publicity stunt, the main purpose of this "fight" in fact being to grant concessions to certain members of the opposition thereby causing a rift within its ranks , and to attract individuals and groups from the political centre. The was a scheme which had previously been tried and tested by the American government during many of the social and political crises in Third World countries, and which had obtained successful results in the past.

Once appointed as Premier, Sharif Imami immediately sent a message t the nation saying: "Our homeland is in danger. 0 people rise up in defence' In this message it was announced that the Imperial calendar was to b abrogated and once more the official calendar was to be reckoned from th migration of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina. Political parti were also told that they were now free to conduct their activities.

Dr. Yadullah Sahabi, a key member of the Society for the Defence Freedom and Human Rights, and a founding member of Nihzat-i A.zadi-yi ira (the Freedom Movement of Iran), said with regard to Sharif Imami' government: " . . . As long as the new government respects people's righ and the civil liberties stipulated in the constitutional law, and as long as it allo political prisoners arid exiled clergymen to go free, we, in return , will support measures taken by the government and will discuss our problems with the rather than taking them to the maraji' and international organizations Simlarly, Dr. Karim Sanjabi , announced: "The National Front has always stood in defence of the constitutional law and it regards its un shakeab principles as truly progressive and practical. (!) Every last one of these principles must be implemented in full."⁽⁷¹¹⁾ Meanwhile, in an interview with the French broadcasting company, the leader of the Freedom Movement Mr. Mehdi Bazargan said: "The worrying thing is that there may be general discontent within the different parties, thus destroying any hope of these parties playing a constructive role in shaping the future of the country. This movement which we now witness is one which is spontaneous, voluntary and strong, and one which we must follow up rather than take control of since we have been prevented from making our voices heard via either the press or political meetings". ⁽⁷¹²⁾

On August 30, 1978 (Shahrivar 8,1357 AHS), Sharif Imami announced: "We will resolve our differences with the maraji'-i taqlid" and "we will hold discussions with the leaders of various groups and will accept their demands". In an interview given on the same day, Mr. Shari'atmadari maintained, "the clergy's immediate demand is that the constitutional law be implemented".

The National Front too, whilst putting on a statesmanlike act, presented its twelve demands, the most important of these being the abolition of SAVAK, the release of political prisoners, the return of those exiled, and the unharnessing of political activities.

For the first time since 1963 ( 1342 AHS) - the year when news of Imam Khomeini's exile appeared in the press - Kayhan adorned its front page with Imam's name and printed a large three-column-wide picture of him (Tuesday, August 29, 1978 (Shahrivar 7,1357 AHS)), whilst running the headline: "Discussions held for Hazrat Ayatullah al-' Uzma Khomeini's return". Kayhan, which had run a second edition in order to print Imam's picture, wrote: "Unofficial reports suggest that an official delegation has set out for Najaf. This official body, it is claimed, is attempting to persuade Hazrat Ayatullah al-'Uzma Khomeini to agree to return to Iran, but as yet we have no news of the ayatullah's response". Because Imam's picture had been printed and his name made mention of, the circulation of Kayhan on that day hit an all-time high, the paper's six large printing-presses working all out from twelve noon until ten o'clock in the evening. The Ittila'at also printed Imam's picture in its second edition but its circulation did not reach that of Kayhan which sold one million two hundred thousand copies. In certain cases, one such copy was bought for a hundred times its official price, people queuing up f hours in order to buy the paper.

In a circular released on August 28, 1978 (Shabrivar 6,1357 AHS Imam Khomeini suggested that the appointment of Sharif Imami as Prim Minister was a case of "changing one kingpin for another". Whilst refusing a kind of reconciliation with the regime, Imam emphasised: Dunn demonstrations the whole nation cries that it wants the Shah and the Pahla' dynasty to go. This is what the nation wants, and not empty promises t respect the 'ulama, or the temporary closing of casinos, or the directive t adopt the Islamic calendar: moves made as temporary measures to deceive the people...

The tough stand adopted by Imam Khomeini left no opening for a kind of compromise or reconciliation with the Shah on the part of those fro religious, political or liberalist fronts.

September 4, 1978 (Shahrivar 13,1357 AHS) coincided with t auspicious occasion of 'Id al-Fitr. The prayer for 'Id al- Fitr, conducted the hill slopes of Qaytaria and led by the now martyred Dr. Muhamm Mufatta, was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from Tehran. gathering of such enormity was unprecedented in Iran. Once the ' Id pray had been performed, a mass demonstration was held in which hundreds thousands of people took part. Throughout the demonstration, which ended Azadi Square (formerly Shahyad Square), people cried "Long live Khomein and carried placards which demanded the "abolition of the Shah's regime" a the "establishment of an Islamic government".

In a message sent on September 6, 1978 (Shahrivar 15,1357 AHS Imam Khomeini thanked the people of Iran for the magnificent demonstratlo they had held, and he suggested that it was in the government's best interests to step down. Imam had stressed: "Our nation has now come to a fork in t road. In one direction lies victory and the expulsion of the Shah, and in t~ other, eternal humiliation beneath the boots of his executioners. We mt~ choose between dignity and honor in the sight of God and man, and, G~ forbid, perpetual abasement and indignity. I know the Muslim nation of lran. Will never submit to abasement . . Rest assured that, God willing, victory and triumph are near". William Sullivan, America's last ambassador to Iran writes in his book: "The shah himself was not idle. Jolted by the events of September 7, he summoned his military commanders to the palace that evening and held a long meeting. The city and the country awoke the next morning to announcements that martial law had been declared during the preceding night and was in effect as of September 8 (Shahnivar 1 7). ⁽⁷¹³⁾

On Friday, September 8, thousands of people gathered at Jaleh Square to organize another demonstration, the majority of whom were oblivious of the fact that martial law had been declared. They were confronted by the armed troops, which had cordoned off the Square and the surrounding streets with automatic firearms. Muslim women and their children featured prominently in this demonstration. All of a sudden, the officers opened fire on them. People waded through the blood-filled streets shouting the slogan "Death to the Shah, long live Khomeini", and the demonstration thus continued. According to subsequent reports the number of those martyred at Jaleh Square and in the surrounding streets exceeded four thousand, but the precise number of those martyred and wounded on "Bloody Friday" was never ascertained.

Sullivan writes: "In the United States meanwhile, a Camp David summit meeting on the Middle East was in progress. Reports of the situation in Iran drifted into the mountain retreat, and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, a close friend of the shah, decided to telephone his fellow chief of state to express his sympathy and support. Within a short period after that call had been made, President Carter also called the shah. Although I was never informed of the exact content of their conversation, I was later told that it was a substitute for the letter that had earlier been recommended and that had now been overtaken by events. A group of American businesspersons who had been visiting Iran had an audience with the shah the afternoon he received these two telephone calls. When they came to my residence for a reception later that evening, they told me that the shah had been briefly delayed at the outset of their audience by a call from President Carter and that he had seemed considerably buoyed up by the event. In any case, he had obviously at last captured the president's attention, and after that occasion I never heard complaints from him that the CIA or the United States government was in any way seeking to undermine his authority."⁽⁷¹⁴⁾ Following this, General Zia al-Haq, the head of Pakistan's military government, came to Tehran and met with the Shah, but the content of discussions held between the two was never made public. Two days after "Black Friday" (September 8) when hundreds were killed at jaleh Square, Sharif Imami presented his proposed programmer to the MajIls and whilst doing so he declared: "We shall uproot the cause of discontent". Following parliamentary discussions, the Prime Minister won a vote of confidence with one hundred and seventy-six votes to his credit, after which he immediately announced "Marxists were the central cause of the harsh action taken by the government "! Then, in a logistical move, he ordered the military authorities of Tehran to arrest Fereydun Mahdavi, the ex-Minister of Trade, and Mansur Ruhani, the former Minister of Agriculture.

News of the earthquake in Tabas overshadowed all other news at that time. Over twenty thousand people lost their lives in this unfortunate occurrence, thousands of others being wounded. A body of delegates led by the martyr Ayatullah Saduqi, set out for Tabas as Imam Khomeini's representatives. A news correspondent telephoned a report from Mashhad in connection with the disaster, but because of press censorship and Article 5 of martial law regulations, this report was only ever kept on file in the archives of Kayhan. This report stated: " Although people are in dire need of help, they do not show much eagerness in accepting assistance from the government. The presence of Ayatullah Saduqi however, who has come to the disaster area on Imam Khomeini's behalf, has been extremely telling, people discussing all their needs with him."

On September 25, 1978 (Mehr 3,1357 AHS), the abolition of the Rastakhiz Party was announced and the Prime Minister said: "All legal parties will be free to participate in elections". Despite the enforcement of martial law in Tehran and eleven other cities, demonstrations continued in earnest; yet the press was not allowed to print such news.

The Shah tried fresh tactics daily in an attempt to mollify people's anger. On September 26, 1978 (Mehr 4,1357 AHS), Dr. 'Aliquli Ardalan, Amir 'Abbas Huveyda's replacement as Minister of the Imperial Court, announced: "Any kind of interference by the royal family in governmental affairs is now forbidden. They are not to make any kind of recommendations, exercise any influence, indulge in any negotiations, or participate in any way in affairs concerning the State and governmental institutions; nor are they to have any kind of dealings with the government. Furthermore, those organisations, societies and boards of trustees which are under the patronage of royal family members are to be entrusted to the government."

On September 23, 1978 (Mehr 1,1357 AHS), news reached Iran via a telephone call from Najaf that Imam had been placed under house arrest by Iraqi military troops. Saddam Husayn, the Vice-President of Iraq, was behind this move: a move, which caused the public and those in the theological centers to become anxious and enraged. The Iraqi President (Hasan al-Bakr) was inundated with telegrams of protest which flooded in from maraji', 'ulama (their eminences Najafi Mar'ashi, Sayyid 'Abdullah (Shirazi) and Mr. Shari' atmadari) and ordinary members of the public, Imam Khomeini and Ayatullah Khui also being swamped by a deluge of such telegrams in Najaf. In addition, statements were issued by people of learning from the theological centre of Qum and from the people of Qum as a whole, whilst a joint statement was issued by the maraji' of Qum (their eminences Gulpaygani, Najafi Mar'ashi and Mr. Shari'atmadari). In one place this joint statement read : "We notify the government of Iran that should the case be that it has had no hand in what has happened in Najaf and that it has had no involvement in denying him (Ayatullah Khomeini) his freedom - something which constitutes a direct insult to the nation of Iran, the clerical order and Shi'ism, and which will be the cause of the Iraqi government's undoing - then it is to officially declare the resentment it feels towards the action taken by the government of Iraq."

Newspapers of September 26, 1978 (Mehr 4,1357 AHS), ran a brief news item which read: "The house arrest of Auatullah al- 'Uzma Khomeini in Najaf by the Iraqi army has been brought to an end, and high-ranking Iraqi officials have said that the misunderstanding has been resolved!" It must be remembered that because of Imam's house arrest in Najaf, he was unable to send any messages whatsoever to Iran. In spite of this however, strikes were held by various sectors of the work force: on September 24, the workers at Abadan oil refinery went on strike; the following day employees from the Telecommunications Company staged a strike; and on September 27, both employees of Kharq oil fields and the personnel of other major governmental organizations took strike action. This situation led SAVAK to send a delegation to Baghdad to meet with Sa' dun Shakir, the head of Iraq's security organization. In response to warnings issued to him by senior Iraqi officials, Imam Khomeini had stated: "I take interest in both politics and religion and I shall never turn back or stand down from my political points of view". ⁽⁷¹⁵⁾

It was following these remarks of Imam that the Iraqi authorities, in collaboration with the visiting delegation from SAVAK, took the decision to expel Imam from Iraq. Initially, Imam was to go to Kuwait, but the Kuwaiti authorities refused to allow this. Hence, on October 5, 1978 (Mehr 13,1357 AHS), Imam and his fellow companions were forced to return from the Kuwaiti border back to Baghdad, from where they then flew to Paris on the following day (October 6, 1978). How Imam's departure for Paris came about and how his activities were restrained by the French authorities on first entering the country, are matters which will be explained in the following introduction. The present speech, which is the first to have been given by Imam after the lifting of these restrictions, was delivered in France on October 9, 1978 (Mehr 1 7,1357 AHS), before an audience of students and Iranian residents abroad. In it Imam points to the Shah's crimes and to the continuation of the Iranian people's sacred revolt against this key agent, and he stresses that the imperial regime is the source of all corruption in Iran and that) it is the bayonet of the satanic America which is safeguarding the regime.)) Imam Khomeini, in addressing all segments of the arisen nation of Iran, modestly states: "I, who am a mere religious student (talaba), profess my faith in my religion".

Whilst drawing attention to the cataclysmic occurrence of September 8, Imam strongly condemns the visit made to Iran by Hua Kuo-feng, the Chinese Head of State; and in another highlight of the speech he says: "We do not want America to be our guardian. We do not want all of the nation's assets to be taken by America . . . We do not want our gas to be taken by the Soviet Union and our oil to be taken by America . . . We are not in need of a guardian . . . As long as America and the hands of these 'superpowers' remain over our country our movement will continue. . Do not be afraid of these so-called 'superpowers".

In the concluding part of his speech, whilst promising imminent victory, Imam Khomeini argues that avoiding differences and retaining unity and goodwill among the different combatant forces both at home and abroad can guarantee the continuation of the movement can be guaranteed by avoiding difference and retaining unity and brotherhood among the different combatant both at home and abroad.

SPEECH NUMBER THIRTYTHIRTY

From what some have said, it seems that a number of men had come to see me when I was not here, and that they kicked up a fuss somewhat, believing that this must be someone is doing. ⁽⁷¹⁶⁾ however, this had not been the case. My present state of health does not permit me to remain here for any length of time, and because of this, a place on the city's outskirts has been found for me where I will be able to rest. I came today because I heard that some men were going to come here to visit me and I wanted to be here to receive them. ⁽⁷¹⁷⁾ I am not used to formalities such as having someone act as mediator, a curtain, between myself and another person for example. This is contrary to the civility taught in Islam. Health permitting, I am at the service of all the honorable men; but there comes a time when one's strength is taken from one. Fortunately, you are all young but (God willing) should you reach old age then you will realize that an old person does not enjoy the same state of health, as do young people. I have now reached the final stages of my life but I pray that I, along with you all, will be able to serve Islam; that we can serve the Muslims and our homeland.

Iran is now in a distressed state. It suffers a kind of distress, which it has probably never experienced before throughout its entire history. If you take a look at history, you will see that there have been revolutions and other such things in the past, but they were not such that malevolent troops savagely attacked the people on one front, whilst on the other, the people gave their lives and the lives of their children and stood up in resistance. Iran's present state is such that wherever one looks one sees signs of a revolution-taking place - an Iranian revolution, that is. According to what they tell me, it is as if everyone, everywhere in Iran, is now a party to some kind of divine plan: everyone, from infants who have just learned how to talk, to adults, both young and old; from boys and girls to women and elderly ladies and gentlemen. Mankind does not have the power needed to awaken people in this way, whereby members of all social classes and age groups have such unity of purpose. This is something extraordinary, as if it were divinely inspired. It is the will o' God, the Blessed, the Exalted that the Iranian nation should stand up it resistance (which, God willing, is indeed what they will do) by means 01 a movement that they have embarked upon and this unity of purpose that they hold.

As for the degeneration that has come about in Iran, this in something for which the imperialist regime holds full responsibility. Throughout history, from the birth of the Iranian monarchy to the present day, whatever depravity prevailed was brought about by the imperialisi regime. This has always been the case, but it has taken different form 5 depending on the exigency of the time. Each period has demanded ~ certain approach. The period through which I have lived, but through which I believe none of you honorable, men have, is a period, which has been haunted by Reza khan. During this period, the British stage-managed a coup d'etat and brought Reza khan forward imposing him upon the Iranian people as their ruler. ⁽⁷¹⁸⁾ He was the one appointed to accomplish the aims of his masters, hut in order to succeed in this, he realized that it meant having to silence and crush those sectors of society comprising the intellectuals, the 'ulama and the religiously devout. ⁽⁷¹⁹⁾ At the sametime is ability to net any profits also depended upon him taking this course of action, so he set to it, pouring any profits netted into his masters' pockets. God only knows what miseries we suffered during the time of that father of his (the Shah), and the miseries we are all suffering now during the reign of this son: a son befitting of such a father. There can he no doubt that he is Reza khan's son; that is to say, whatever undesirable qualities were to be found in the father, are also to be found in him, with the added quality of him being a hypocrite.

Reza khan was a tyrant, who constantly bullied the people, and the nation at that time did nothing to resist him - or rather they did very little. Of course, there was some resistance at that time, hut it was minimal and unlike that which we are now witnessing today. At least Reza khan did not falsely adhere to Islam and the Qur'an and the true ordinances of Islam; at least he did not play the hypocrite. ⁽⁷²⁰⁾ He was a spearhead who attacked and retreated. At least this much can be said for him, that although he battered the people with the bayonet, he did not kill on the same scale as this one (the Shah) does. Reza shahwas responsible for a massacre in Gauhar Shad Mosque, a massacre which was carried out by a group of wicked people; hut this gentleman⁽⁷²¹⁾ has been responsible for several massacres in the past, and God forbid, should he be granted a respite by God, the Blessed, the Exalted, then he will be responsible for more massacres in the future.

Whilst he has ruined our youth, leading them into corruption, at the same time whenever he gets the chance to speak, like two or three days ago when he spoke in the Majlis, he rants on about how the ordinances of Islam must be protected and so forth. ⁽⁷²²⁾ but do not you see you foolish man, it was you who only recently changed the official calendar of Iran, discarding the calendar which was based upon the history of Islam - a history which testifies to a nation's glorious past - and replacing it with a calendar based upon another form of history; until you were delivered a blow in the mouth that is, after which you dispensed with the newly-decreed calendar. ⁽⁷²³⁾

Freedom! The man continuously talks of freedom! ⁽⁷²⁴⁾ With regard to the Rastakhiz Party, you have repeatedly stated in speeches that everyone is to join it, and that if anyone, through malicious intent, does not join it then you will come down hard on him, beat him and so on; or if not this, then you will provide him with a passport with which to leave the country, For you will have him kicked out. ⁽⁷²⁵⁾ Freedom! Where in this country can freedom be said to exist? Do people enjoy freedom of the pen? Do people enjoy freedom of speech? What kind of freedom do they enjoy that he keeps on ranting about people's freedom? Do they have freedom to observe the ordinances of Islam - the true religion of Islam and its ordinances? What gives you the right to talk of Islam? What qualifies you to continuously rant on about the true religion of Islam? Indeed, you are the one who is causing its destruction.

We are all now faced with this situation. Our youth in Iran are suffering at the hands of this corrupt regime; they are shedding their blood and losing their lives. Only a few days ago, a large number of our youth were killed in Kermanshah⁽⁷²⁶⁾, and so too in Kurdistan; and they say the same has been the case in other parts of the Kurdistan province. In addition, you saw for yourselves what they did a few days ago in Tehran; what they did in Tabriz; what they did in Mashhad. The towns, in which they have conducted wholesale massacres and have gone on the rampage, are too many to enumerate. ⁽⁷²⁷⁾ and now he is clinging on to power via military rule. ⁽⁷²⁸⁾ If the military, if this God-forsaken America were to withdraw their protection of him for ten days, these royal guar of his would devour him. There would be no need for you, the people 1 do it. If America were to withdraw its support of him, those Royal Couattendants, the very ones who now guard him in the court, would put an end to him. His life is in no way secure. ⁽⁷²⁹⁾

Believe me, you and I are more at ease than he. He is now knee deep in trouble. He has caused misery for the people, but now he is the one who is in such a sorry state that he cannot distinguish between day and night. He probably cannot sleep. Now whenever he speaks he trembles. He cannot put four words together coherently. ⁽⁷³⁰⁾ This is the state in which he now finds himself, hut at the end of the day, God willing, he will be in a worse state; and as for the Hereafter, things will be even worse still for him.

So much for the present situation in Iran. However, both we here and others who are presently abroad, we are all duty-bound. It is not a question of us having left Iran and therefore having no obligation towards It. We all have an obligation to fulfill - that is to say that reason, the conscience and religious law all tell us that we have a responsibility to meet. Wherever we may be, it is our duty to help this sacred movement of Iran both collectively and individually; both alone and as a member of a group. It is not good enough to say that although they are shedding blood on the battlefield, we are abroad and cannot therefore be with them. No -we too must engage in combat abroad. We too must all fulfill this obligation to the best of our ability - each person, however much or to whatever extent he is able - by speaking out, by writing, by demonstrating.

We now have a religious duty to perform for the nation of Iran. We are now under a religious obligation to help its people. We are indebted to them, for they are making sacrifices for the sake of Islam and the nation. We too are a part of the nation; we too belong to the nation of Iran. Therefore, they have in fact made sacrifices for our sakes, shedding their blood and suffering imprisonment. Just consider how many of our 'ulama are now in prison; how many of our 'ulama, our intellectuals, our doctors, our engineers, our students, our merchants, people from al sectors of society, are currently in prison. A number have been killed and a number are prisoners. These self-sacrifices have all been made for the sake of the nation, for the sake of Islam; and we who are Muslims and who are the fellow compatriots of those who have made sacrifices, we who belong to this nation, have a religious duty towards these people. W must do what our religion demands of us. I as a religious student (talaba), fulfill my religious duty by writing, holding discourses like the one I a now holding with you, and by making statements and speeches. You, students, regardless of your subject of study, must also fulfill the religion obligation you have towards these people of Iran - people who have bee crushed under the boots of this regime. I pray that the Lord may crush them, and so He shall, God willing. Therefore, it is encumbent upon us al to show our concern for this nation and to do whatever we can for them. Obviously, there is lint to what we can do, but we are to carry out our religious duty and to serve this nation and its people to the best of out ability.

Indeed, besides this religious obligation, we too belong to this nation and we can see how all of our national resources are being given over to America and its comrades. If Muhammad Riza (Shah) were not to give our oil away so generously, then it would not dry up so soon; our Reserves would not be exhausted within such a short space of time. However, they have put our oil up for sale and are letting it go for a song. They are taking the lot, pocketing whatever there is - the British on the one hand⁽⁷³¹⁾ and other parties on the other. As for the Americans, they are worse than any of them. ⁽⁷³²⁾ The Russians too are involved. ⁽⁷³³⁾ they have all borne Down on this nation and have joined hands in order to keep this good-for. Nothing in power, so that they can carry on with there plunder. ⁽⁷³⁴⁾

You all saw how the Chinese Premier, the leader of one billion people, came to Iran to discuss the Chinese people, Communism and the nation of Iran! This villain came to Iran and met with someone who i~ responsible for several wholesale massacres. He flew over our dead be helicopter. They could not drive him through the streets because people would have raised an uproar; all hell would have been let loose. The villain was aware of all this, it is not as if he was oblivious to it; and what a large body of escorts accompanied him. They flew him over our dead and took him there (to the palace) where he and the Shah shook hands and continued with their programmer of talks together in the most cheerful out spirits. He, this person, and others like him are deluding the people. ⁽⁷³⁵⁾ At the same time, we saw how such a vast number of the Iranian people were killed on Khordad 15, and how afterwards in the Russian press, the Soviet Union expressed its support for the Iranian regime saying that those killed had been a bunch of reactionists or what have you, who had intended to do this and that. ⁽⁷³⁶⁾ and now the Russians express their support for him (the Shah) again as they did then. As for America, well, its position is understood. They (the imperialists) want to take all of our national resources for themselves. In addition, just what is this sorry nation to do once its oil has gone and its assets have been destroyed? God only knows what it is to do. This gentleman (the Shah) says that we must derive energy from the sun! You want to derive energy from the sun when you cannot even light a kerosene lamp? What are you talking about? You only say these things to fool the people. This whole scenario is being set up by them to enable the imperialists to keep this reprobate in power. Within the country too, whoever says that he (the Shah) must remain or that it is better that he remains, does so because he is a traitor, for everyone within the country has seen what this person is doing, what he has done to the people, what he has done with our resources, what he has done with our wealth. God knows what vast amounts of the nation's wealth real estate so on so forth members of this family, whereby abroad they now own villas and real estate and so on and so forth, have appropriated. These have all been paid for by the nation's wealth. ⁽⁷³⁷⁾

Indeed, I was around when Reza khan came to power: a mere soldier suddenly appeared on the scene and things led to the stage where now each of his descendants have become billionaires ⁽⁷³⁸⁾ this money belongs to the nation. These family members have shares in every company; they own a part of every established company in Iran. ⁽⁷³⁹⁾ And as For oil, the Shah is just giving it to the imperialists ad libitum, retaining a small share which he then gives to them in exchange for ironware⁽⁷⁴⁰⁾ -something which is of no use to us at all. Yes, these guns are of no use to us but they are to him, for he can use them to beat and kill the people. Our nation can do without such things. A certain amount of the nation's wealth also goes into the pockets of both the Shah himself and the members of his family, who then spend it on propaganda abroad - heaven knows how much they actually spend in this way. It is said that a budget of one hundred million dollars is spent abroad on propaganda for the regime - and what is propagated? ⁽⁶⁴¹⁾ that it is vital to Iran that this man stays; that if he were to go then Iran would become a communist state. ⁽⁶⁴²⁾ But why should Iran become communist? The nation of Iran is a Muslim nation. The rallying cry of the Iranian people is Islam; the people call for religion. Why should they become communist if the Shah were to go? This continued propaganda campaign of theirs however, is to no avail. It is now said that the regime has recently arranged for a group of people to shout out communist slogans in the university when it reopens, in order for the people to believe that it is now the communists who pose a threat to the regime! However, this is not the case at all. These people are members of SAVAK and not communists. The imperialists' aim to keep him in power even if it means Having to resort to every trick in the book; and this is because he serves them better than anyone else could. From the very beginning, our argument has been and still is that we have a country of our own which we want to keep for ourselves. We do not want America to be our guardian. We do not want all of the nation's assets to be taken by America, or for the Soviet Union to take them away. We do not want our gas to be taken by the Soviet Union and our oil to be taken by America. Tell me, is it an open house here where anyone can take whatever he wants! We do not want it to he like this. We are a nation in our own right, and whether you like it or not, we want to be the ones who benefit from our own land, from our own water, from our own oil and from our own resources, each of which are in bounteous abundance. Yes, we want to benefit from all of these resources and to drive away those thieves who continually eat them up and take them away. We want to drive this regime out too, and to administer our own country ourselves. We are not in need of a guardian. Whether we run the country badly or we run it well, at least we will have done it ourselves. We argue this case. Who has the right to say, "No, someone else has to come and control your affairs"? What business is it of theirs? Whether we want to administer the country or are in fact able to do so is beside the point; our demand is that you all get out. As for what would happen once these have gone, once we have driven out these parasites and these gluttons for oil -the "superpowers" being both parasites and gluttons for oil, and this Pahiavi family along with all those who have had dealings with this family over the past fifty years, being the parasites who are benefiting from the wealth of our very own country whilst our youngsters are paying the price with their lives - we argue that were we to drive these out, we would then be able to fully administer this rich nation of ours unaided. It is not that our national budget is inadequate; it is that those who partake of it are many! Paying for those public relations officers both at home and abroad to uphold the Shah's regime and for others such as these advisers they bring in from abroad, takes a tremendous amount out of the budget. All of these people have poured into this country for our resources, which they are now busy plundering and taking away. If we foreshorten the arms of these people, which indeed we shall, God willing, and if the nation which has risen up in revolt foreshortens their arms and drives out the main culprits- if we succeed in this, then we will have enough oil and will achieve autonomy. Who asked you or your agents to come and run our country anyway? What do we want with all of these foreign advisers? ⁽⁶⁴³⁾ they are all here to keep him and his regime in power and to plunder us. They prop him up so that they can plunder. The regime must also be in favour of them plundering the nation otherwise the imperialists would get rid of him (the Shah) and replace him with someone better. It is not that they are keen on him, but it is a question of not being able to get rid of him. In any case, they would still have us to contend with no matter whom they put in his place. Should they decide to stage a coup and install a military government, and then he will have no choice but to kill or to leave. ⁽⁶⁴⁴⁾ and in fact that is just how the situation now stands. He either has to pull the trigger and kill the whole nation, or he has to abdicate. Until the time when America leaves us alone, and these "superpowers" take their hands off our country, our movement shall continue and so shall our slogans and activities; and God willing, we shall eventually triumph. Do not be afraid of these "superpowers", men. If ever we were to go to war with foreign countries we would lose because they would be in a better position than we; we are nothing, whilst they have everything. However, there are times when a nation must speak out; when it has something to say - something which makes sense to the entire world. And now what we have to say is that we are a nation in our own right and we do not want foreigners to be in our country, to be in our home: so they must get out. No one can dispute this argument, and if anyone were to dispute it their challenge would inevitably be short-lived anyway for they would have to take on world opinion, which is something no power can challenge. We have now managed to draw the world's attention towards Iran. Iran is now the centre of everyone's attention. That is to say, everyone is busy researching about Iran; they are probing into it. They do so however, for making inroads into the country, although it is true some intentions may in fact be honorable whereby research is conducted which asks questions about the nation's make-up, and about what has happened there and why. In time, once everyone has become aware that the people of a nation have risen up to demand what is rightly theirs, and not to demand that which belongs to others, then inevitably they will lend their support to this cause. If you join hands together as you have done so far, pushing differences aside and getting on well with each other, if you remain united, then I give you the glad tidings that, God willing, you will pull it off: you will get rid of this regime and the foreigners and the country will become yours. There is just one more thing that I would like to say to you Iranian gentlemen who are not in Iran, and that is I sometimes hear of there being some trivial differences, some petty grievances between you - I sometimes heard of such things whilst I was in Iran, and I may well have heard of I them here too. If this is the case then I believe something is amiss. ⁽⁶⁴⁵⁾ You Are all each other's brothers? Why, and over what do we differ? We must all join hands together to destroy he who is the common enemy. If we are going to be at variance among ourselves, he will remain comfortably seated on the throne and our energy and efforts will be wasted. This is yet another of the tricks that they (the imperialists) have always had up their sleeves, and that is to create divisions between the different segments of society. They create two parties with two different names, sow discord between the two and thus render the people inert; or, for example, they may build someone up to be the centre of attraction and place him in the spotlight, thus causing the people to become preoccupied as they enter into debates with regard to this person. As a result, their energies become dissipated whilst the imperialists sit back and take advantage of the situation.

You men who are currently outside the country must be each other's brothers. Resolve your differences. If you have seen a brother doing something, which troubles you, then you are to approach him in a friendly manner and tell him that he has done something to upset you. Let the matter be settled. I pray that God, the Blessed, the Exalted grant you all success. May you complete your studies here having attained honorable results and then return to your homeland. In addition, may the time come when accomplished; righteous people handle our country's affairs. In addition, I pray that all of you, all of us, may serve our people, our homeland and Islam. I must also add that my health as it is at present does not permit me to come here every day. Even before speaking to you here, today I felt a little tired, but having come here, I saw there was no alternative but to speak with the men present. I must apologise for not having been able to come here sooner. However, let me first say that from the time that I first became involved in this struggle I never allowed anyone to interfere in my affairs, including those closest to me. I was independent in whatever I did. I did or did not do things as I saw fit and I acted according to my own reason and discretion. Do not be mistaken in thinking that my coming here must be due to some sort of special relationship between myself and someone else for example, or that there is someone who influences what I do and whose judgement I accept unquestioningly. This is not the case. Do not take offence for example because I may have gone out somewhere for a welcome rest, believing that this must have been something planned in order for me not to welcome and speak to the gentlemen visitors; for me not to be available for them. ⁽⁷⁴⁶⁾ I am always available for the men and the door to my home is open to them all. Whichever of them would like to come to my home is welcome to do so. However, as far as my coming here to stay or my travelling here every day is concerned, I am sorry to say that the state of my health just does not permit me to do these things. I have to return to where I am staying in order to rest and, God willing, to make myself fit enough to be at the service of all of the men who wish to see me. One of the ladies present at the gathering: With regard to the issu of women's Islamic covering (hijab), this matter has been bothering those sisters who are living over here. That is to say, they would truly like t know whether this form of covering is acceptable or not? Imam: You mean in the manner that you are now dressed? The lady: Yes. Imam: There is no objection to this. If it has no ill effect then there is no objection to this form of covering. You must decide for yourselve whether dressing in this manner has any ill effects or not, or whether i causes an affront to your dignity say, or other such concerns. If you form of covering causes an affront to your dignity then you do not need anyone else to tell you whether it is correct or not, for you yourselve should know. But if it does not cause an affront then it fulfills the condition required for a woman's dress to be Islamic: that is all Woman's Islamic covering amounts to and nothing more. The woman: Also, in Iran. . Imam: The situation in Iran today differs from the situation here (ii France). There, in Iran, more ill effects may possibly result, so it is not a case of the Islamic covering worn by women in Iran having to be worn here too. The Islamic covering required for women in Iran and that which conforms to Islamic requirements is to the extent that you are flow wearing. Islam does not change according to where it is practised. However, sometimes external factors are involved which have to he taken into consideration - factors which cause ill effects, moral discrepancies and other such things to arise from the use of a certain kind of covering, and when this is the case, womens' Islamic covering must take a different form. However, under different circumstances, this covering can be as simple as it is elsewhere - no. There is no objection to a woman not wearing a chadur. ⁽⁷⁴⁷⁾