The present speech was delivered as news of a large demonstration by the people of Hamadan reached Tehran. Tens of thousands of men and women took part in this demonstration shouting slogans against the Shah’s regime and in support of Imam Khomeini (may God grant him peace). In response, police along with a number of profligates hired by the regime attacked the demonstrators martyring an unspecified number of them and Injuring many)^{( 194)}

Following the killing of demonstrators in Hamadan, the ‘ulama and other clergymen gathered at one of the city’s mosques and sent a telegram to the great maraji’ of Qum and others in authority requesting that something be done. The people of Khurramabad meanwhile, upon hearing of this incident, took to the streets in protest and were attacked by military agents; thus, the demonstration by the people of this town also ended In bloodshed^{( 195)} .

The holding of prayer gatherings In mosques throughout the country and the delivery of critical and revolutionary sermons by preachers at these gatherings, along with the distribution of imam’s proclamations and those of other maraji’, caused the authorities great concern and set them searching for a way to bring an end to these gatherings.

The front pages of the newspapers at this time were full of reports on the demonstrations and bloody confrontations which were taking place all over the country, as well as the daily strikes in the different offices and government centers^{( 196)} Dozens of foreign correspondents joined Iranian reporters in different areas of Tehran to take pictures and compile reports on the people’s demonstrations and gatherings. The University of Tehran became a rallying point as the people of Tehran converged there at the start of demonstrations and gathered there to listen to speeches on the atrocities perpetrated by the Shah’s regime. The cries of “Long Live Khomeini” and “Death to the Shah” rang out daily throughout the campus.

On the seventh day after the attack by the Shah’s hirelings on the Friday mosque of Kerman, the clergy of this city declared a day of public mourning and residents shut up shop. In part of a declaration by one of the ‘ulama of Kerman concerning the tragedy at the Friday mosque we read: “ . . . On Monday October 16 (Mehr 24) this year, all the shops of Kerman including the bazaars were closed, and the city was in a state of closure. About twenty thousand people were gathered at the Friday mosque to mourn the martyrdom of those in the Jaleh Square massacre In Tehran. At eleven o’clock that morning, as soon as the preacher began tospeak and as the people were sitting quietly without shouting any kind of slogan, a number of hired kolis^{( 197)} -supported by armed agents - after setting fire to the people’s cars, motor bikes and bicycles outside the mosque, entered the building through the doors and from the roof carrying stones, sticks and arms, and threw tear-gas canisters Inside. As the unarmed and defenceless people suffered from the effects of the gas, the kolis began to beat them with the means at their disposal. Everyone was struck and injured severely. They did not even show any pity for the young children and babies. They hurled obscene abuse at those around them:

The ‘ulama and clergymen of Islam, the men and the women; and they broke doors and windows and finally set the mosque ablaze. Even as people fled from the mosque they were severely beaten and injured, the veils of the women were ripped off and these Muslim women were abused such that some of them were left without their veils and had to use the clergymen’s abas with which to cover themselves. In this incident, a number of people were killed and injured. After attacking the mosque, the assailants went onto the streets and into the bazaar where, supervised and supported by agents (of the regime), they plundered many shops and set them on fire. .

A group of ‘ulama and preachers from Tehran also issued a declaration on the painful tragedy in Kerman and stressed that: “The oppressed and deprived nation has had enough. All groups and classes of people have now stood up in a show of unprecedented unity and have raised their voices in protest. They have made a firm decision that by taking Inspiration from the leadership of the responsible and enlightened clerics, In particular the great marja’ Grand Ayatullah Imam Khomeini, and by employing basic Islamic criteria, they will push aside the hands of the executioners, the plunderers and thieves of the wealth, dignity and honour of the people and country, and will not rest until freedom, Independence and social justice Is established under the banner of Islam . . .

Workers at the power station, in a calculated move, cut off the supply of electricity to the whole of the country every night for a period of two hours coinciding with the broadcast of the news on television. This was a novel move taken towards blocking the regime’s propaganda efforts.

Imam Khomeini begins his speech of October 22, 1978 (Mehr 30, 1357 AHS) with this verse from the Qur’an: “Say I do admonish you to do one thing, to rise up for God; it may be in pairs or it may be singly,” and on the basis of this, he declares an individual or group uprising against the oppression of the Shah’s regime as being one of the most Important duties of all Muslims. Imam then goes on to discuss the moves taken by the regime to make the Islamic hijra calendar defunct In Iran, its Introduction of an imperial calendar and the establishment of the Rastakhiz Party and he reminds his audience how, in the face of opposition, the regime was forced to retreat from Its stance on these matters. By explaining the events surrounding Riza Shah’s expulsion from Iran, he warns the people to be on their guard against moves by the imperial regime, sensing its imminent collapse, to transfer the nation’s crown jewels and plundered wealth abroad.

At this time, Western analysts and the Western media warned that were the Shah to go, America or the Soviet Union would intervene directly and Iran would be divided. However, in his speech, Imam rejects such analyses as groundless and while dismissing the idea of communist interference in the destiny of the Islamic revolution, he declares ten years before the collapse of international communism: “communism is one of the world’s defeated Ideologies, and is not worth paying attention to.

Other Important aspects of Imam’s present speech include the difficult living conditions suffered by the majority of Iranians; the nation’s bloody uprising; the continuation of crimes by the Shah’s regime and the need for those Iranians residing abroad to support the people’s uprising.

“Say I do admonish you to do one thing, to rise up for God; it may be in pairs or it may be singly’^{( 198)} .” God the Exalted has determined our duties. He tells the Prophet to inform the people that He admonishes them to do one thing; listen carefully, that one important thing which God wishes to exhort us all to do, which He commissioned His Most Noble Messenger to tell us to do is to rise up for God, in pairs or alone. The admonisher is God the Blessed and Exalted, the conveyer is the Prophet and the admonition is to do one thing, to rise up for God, either in pairs, which is the least number of people in a group, or alone.

Hazrat Moses, upon whom be peace, was given the mission to go to Pharaoh and invite him to God. He was sent to Pharaoh, a man with great power, he had more power than our Pharaoh^{( 199)} has - as can be seen from the pyramids of Egypt^{( 200)} - he even laid claim to divinity! Yet, Moses was to be sent alone to confront him. Moses pleaded for his brother to accompany him, to support him, and so the order came for both of them to go, to go and invite Pharaoh to God so that he may fear God and mend his ways, that he may become a (true) human being. Moses was at first told to go alone, but after requesting God the Blessed and Exalted to allow his brother to accompany him, the order was given for them both to go and invite Pharaoh to the Truth.

Today, we do not need to wait for the means, for the money or the guns and tanks before we rise up for God, all that matters is that the uprising is for God. Your uprising, your movement, should be for the sake of God the Exalted and for remedying the affairs of the Muslims. God the Blessed and Exalted wants us to pay attention to the affairs of

Muslims: “He who arises in the morning and gives no thought to the affairs of the Muslims is not a Muslim.”^{( 201)} A Muslim is someone who attaches importance to remedying the affairs of the Muslims. This movement is for the good of a nation; it is not a movement, which will benefit only one person. It is not a personal affair, it is not as if someone is doing something for himself so others have the excuse to say: “Leave him to it.” This movement is for the benefit of Islam, which is more precious than anything. It is for the benefit of a nation. A nation of thirty-odd million is being suppressed every day, people are being killed or thrown into prison daily. Now as we sit here, we do not know what is happening in Iran, but everyday we hear reports about such and such a city, such and such a school, such and such a university. What is certain is

That the people have risen, they have awakened and are making common cause. This is the result of the pressures, which, over these past fifty years, have created a complex in the hearts of the people. Now that they have found a way out through their newly discovered unity, their ideological unity, they are ridding themselves of this complex. The uprising is an uprising for God, for Islam and to remedy the affairs of the Muslims.

If you weigh everything that we have lost because of this man, all the crimes that this man has perpetrated and the treason that he has committed - from giving our oil away to foreigners, ruining our agriculture, destroying our culture, to throwing the dignity of our army away - against the changes he made to our calendar^{( 202)} , against his changing the Islamic hijra calendar to one of the fire-worshippers^{( 203)} , you will see that this act of his is more significant and weighs the heaviest. Do not suppose that had the nation given him more time this would have been the only move he would have made against Islam. Changing the calendar was merely the first step. The Zoroastrians were so pleased about it that they wrote to him saying that no one had done their religion as much service as he had! No one has done the Zoroastrian religion, the religion of the fire-worshippers as much service!

Changing the Islamic calendar was his first step; he had other plans but, thank God, the nation gave him a punch in the mouth before he could carry them out and now he has even had to reinstate the Islamic calendar. The pillars that he has erected are being destroyed one by one because of the blow that the people have delivered him. You must be patient, one by one these pillars will crumble. Just look at all the fuss that was made about the Rastakhiz Party over these last few years⁽²⁰⁴⁾ The Shah sang his own praises loudly and even made non-membership of the party illegal - he who doesn’t even know what law is - declaring that whoever did not join should get his passport and leave the country for he was no longer an Iranian. Such an important matter the Rastakhiz Party once was for him, but now it has come to naught and it is no longer recognised as a party!

These pillars are crumbling. The Islamic calendar has had to be reintroduced and his party has been destroyed. But now we are faced with another danger, and that is the transfer of the nation’s wealth abroad^{( 205)} .Today, two reports were given to me; one came from Iran and the other from one of the gentlemen here who had some information. The report from Iran indicated that yesterday, apparently, gold and the crown jewels were transferred to America⁽²⁰⁶⁾ His father did the same thing when the Allies invaded Iran and expelled him. The Allied invasion of Iran is a story in itself, three big powers: Britain, the Soviet Union and America poured into our country. It happened during the Second World War, these three powers invaded our country from three points and the army about which Riza Khan used to rave so much - and now his son is doing the same only in much stronger terms - could not resist them even for one hour^{( 207)} The Allies invaded us, and, well, just the fact that foreigners had entered our country was itself a disaster for the nation. It was war time and they wanted to pass through Iran, but in reality they planned to remain there, and in their war with Germany they wanted Iran to be their “bridge of victory,” as they put it^{( 208)} When they sent Riza Shah into exile, God knows that instead of mourning, the people rejoiced. He was so beloved of his people, just as his son is now! The king-loving nation of Iran loved their king so much that when the armies of three countries entered their land and plundered it, seizing it bit by bit, when the country faced all kinds of dangers from all directions - for the people did not know that the Allied armies would not harm them, they didn’t know that the Allies were only interested in achieving their own goals - still the people were happy because the Allies had come and sent this wretch away with all the troubles that went with him! Such was the situation at that time, and now today had the people not risen, had the Muslims and Iranians, may God assist them, not begun this movement, this man would not have stopped here, he would not have been satisfied with what he has already done, he had many more plans.

At the time when the Allies came and sent Riza Shah away, an informed person told me how one of the high-ranking officials who had travelled with Riza Shah some of the way, perhaps even to the island of Mauritius, on the ship that was taking him into exile, had related to him that Riza Shah had taken numerous suitcases with him which were full of the Iranian crown jewels. These “crown” jewels did not belong to the king; they were the country’s assets. This same person was told by the official that on the way, a ship used for transporting animals stopped the ship carrying this animal (Riza Shah) and that the (British) agents on board ordered Riza Shah to board their ship. When he asked them what he should do with all his suitcases, they told him to leave them where they were, that they would deal with them. And deal with them they did! They took him to the island and carried his suitcases off with themselves! Such a blow he inflicted on our country right at the time of leaving; he left, but he took the crown jewels with him^{( 209)} And now today we received a call from Iran to the effect that the Shah has sent gold and the crown jewels to America. Whether he has sent them there for his own use or whether the Americans will take them, we do not know, but they have been taken from the pocket of our nation. The people were not able to stop this thief from doing this, but they should try to prevent him from stealing anything else, God willing.

The second report that I received came from one of the informed gentlemen here. He told me that the cost of constructing the magnificent casinos on that island, as well as the other expenditures for facilitating the activities of the buffoons of the world who came to gamble there, was met by the Pahiavi Foundation^{( 210)} That is it came from the ~pious bequests of the people and from the wealth of the nation. This gentleman continued by saying that now that the Shah and his regime have realised that their days in power are numbered, they have sold these buildings to the oil company to get the money They have stolen as much of the nation’s wealth as they could up until now and transferred itabroad and what is left they are now changing into money and sending it out of the country. This is the situation in our country at present. Some gentlemen have said: “Let him go, let him do whatever he wants as long as he leaves, it’s worth him taking this money with him as long as he leaves “ But the people should try to prevent this Our nation has now risen, and its uprising is unprecedented in the history of Iran. I do not say that it has little precedent; rather it has no precedent in Iran’s history. Never before in Iran’s history has the whole of the country risen for one cause. Whenever there was an uprising, it was a case of only one city rising; Tehran rose, or, as during the Constitutional Revolution, Tabriz and Rasht and gradually some other Cities also joined in until the matter was settled But there has never been popular movement in our country on the scale that we hear of today. There are demonstrations taking place now in cities which have never risen before people are being killed during these demonstrations and all the people are shouting the same thing ‘Death to this Pahlavi monarchy This is unprecedented in our history. Yes, there have been uprisings before, there has even been a revolution, but not one that has engulfed the whole of the country in this way and during which the call of the people been the same nationwide This has been brought about by the will of God the Exalted Such a feat cannot be achieved by man one should not say that so-and-so has done this is the doing of God the Blessed and Exalted, it has happened because He willed it When all the people of a country are united in their aims, martial law or a military coup d’etat^{( 211)}

Cannot stop them. This nation is now moving forward like a roaring flood with the aim of uprooting this Pahiavi dynasty, and it will succeed. Do not think that the superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, will stop this from happening, have no fear for they cannot oppose the will of a nation, especially the legitimate and just will of a nation. If you ask these people why this man should go, they will tell you how they have suffered under his rule, how for fifty years under the rule of this dynasty they have been imprisoned and suppressed; and if you ask them what they want, they will say they now want to be free. Freedom is a basic human right. Man should be free, he should enjoy freedom of expression, freedom of action, he should be free in his own country. Yet, this nation has not even had a whiff of freedom during the fifty years that this father and son have ruled over it. Do not think that it is only now that the press is not free; at the time of Riza Shah it was not free either. I can remember that neither the press was free nor were the people free to speak out during his reign. Throughout the Pahlavi rule, the clergy have not been free to disseminate religious teachings, the preachers have been unable to express themselves freely from the pulpit; our ‘ulama have not been allowed to speak out freely on a matter, nor have the merchants of our bazaars, our academics or our political groups. If they opened their mouths they were thrown into prison where they had to endure all kinds of torture, they were burnt by being laid over something that was heated until it was red hot, or they had their legs sawn off, or were subjected to other methods of torture about which you have all heard. It is said that experts from Israel were brought in to teach the best methods of torturing the people both physically and mentally^{( 212)} This was the state of our troubled country. Now, however, the people have had enough, they have reached their limit, such that the father whose son is killed says: “I am proud that such a thing has happened in the way of God and for the freedom of our country.” Some of the mothers who visit me have stated: “We are happy, we have given our sacrifices and, please God, He will grant them their reward.” This is the attitude of the people now. The country of Iran is now a revolutionary country and its people have become a revolutionary people. This revolutionary nation cannot be silenced by such things. That which they want and which constitutes the last phase of their movement is to sever the treacherous hands of the foreigners from their country and to take control of its destiny and administer it themselves. They want to have control over their culture and education themselves, they want their army to be in their own hands, this is the common aim of our nation and they are pursuing it like a roaring flood which no one can stop.

At present, both America and the Soviet Union are studying the situation, but it will not be the case that guns and tanks will be brought into the country, or that two superpowers will confront one another here, one reacting when the other makes a move, or that they will not be able to reach a compromise on Iran. These two powers are not going to pour into the country and divide it as the Shah is saying^{( 213)} This kind of talk is nonsense. He has taken everything so what is there left to divide? We want to be independent; we want to drive the foreigners out of our country. The country will be divided! What nonsense is this he is saying! He also says that if he goes the communists will take over! This is all the talk of the regime. The security organisation (SAVAK) tried to create a scene that is it sent some of its agents to shout communist slogans in a demonstration at the university. It tried to do the same at Bihisht-i Zahra but the people caught onto them and stopped them, saying: “You are not communists, you are SAVAK agents!”

There are no communists in Iran. Do not be afraid of what this wretch says, he is saying it for his own benefit. There are no communists in Iran, the people are all Muslim. If a few young people who are not from SAVAK sometimes say certain things, it’s because they have been deceived, when they realise that . who is a communist? Will thirty million Muslims allow Iran to become a communist state? Communism is a lost cause in the world today; indeed, it has been defeated for the people have realised that Marxism or communism is an opiate used to lull the people to sleep! The Soviet Union used it to put her people to sleep, China did the same. These larger countries want to devour the smaller ones and they use this ideology to deceive the people (and facilitate their plans). A few of our own young people have been deceived and they think that communism is the answer to their problems. This is not the case. Communism is one of the world’s defeated ideologies and is not worth paying attention to.

Be that as it may, as I have stressed many times before to those who have visited me here, I would like once again to say that I feel it is imperative for you gentlemen to propagate the Iranian cause. This is the duty of those of us who are residing abroad, it is a duty, which we can all act upon, and which I believe will prove to be very effective. Each of us, wherever we are, should make people aware of the situation in Iran. At school, at university, wherever, tell your friends how he is destroying everything. He has ruined our agriculture, he is keeping our education in a state of backwardness, he doesn’t let our youth develop correctly and be guided to the right path. He has created so many centres of corruption with the aim of depraving our youth. These are all plots which the regime has devised or which others have devised and it implements in order to make our people indifferent towards social affairs and keep them from having anything to do with such matters. So there are cabarets where we can go to spend a few hours, there are centres of corruption where we can go to gratify our sensual appetites while we remain oblivious to what befalls Iran, what befalls its wealth and its culture. We should, to the best of our capabilities, enlighten public opinion abroad as to the situation in Iran. The foreign newspapers are reporting on events there and the national press within Iran are also gradually commenting on the situation; now you too tell your foreign friends what you know. You Iranians who are abroad now form a large community, if each of you inform ten people then a large section of society here will be enlightened and gradually a wave of support for you and your nation will be created which will prove effective and valuable.

This is a duty, which we must undertake. When our friends, our brothers in Iran are sacrificing their children, when everywhere in the universities, bazaars and mosques blood is being shed and lives are being given, then the least you can do is take the trouble to help them by speaking out on these matters and attracting the attention of the press. They are looking for fresh news, you find it and place it at their disposal, so that, please God, a great wave of support for your cause will be created which will make your task easier and remove this barrier blocking the way of the Muslims^{( 214)} Then, God willing, things will be different, and, please God, our plan for a just and honourable government which will answer the needs of the poor - not a government which is only for the rich and wealthy - will come to pass.

We want a government, which will take care of the poor, and wretched, those who have no water or electricity . . . perhaps many of you gentlemen are unaware that some of the villages around Shiraz are without drinking water. Some of the people from this area are in contact with me and they tell me how they have to walk for miles in order to get drinking water for their children from a storage tank in which water from the winter rain has been collected. They asked my permission to use some of the charitable donations and said they would put some of their own money towards the construction of a water-storage tank in their own village so that at least the women and children would not have to walk so far for water.

Yet we still hear talk of this “progressive country.” We can see the “progress” of which they speak, and the freedom. They say that at his (the Shah’s) time, the country is free, with free men and free women^{( 215)} ! Yet you can see there are no free men, women or children. The regime kills both small children and old men and describes their killers as “kolis^{( 216)} ”. This is a new name that the regime is using now; its agents pose as kolis and attack a place, a theological school or a university,