Again, there are also rules with regard to a mother’s pregnancy. Divine laws contain provisions which relate to the moment a child is horn into the world and which concern how a newborn baby is to he reared: How the mother should relate to her child; and the responsibilities she has towards it. As the child grows the mother and father’s responsibilities towards it increase, and the parents have a duty to bring this child up to the best of their ability. Then the stage is reached where the type of training given to a child is no longer to he solely parental in nature hut must become essentially instructive; and again there are religious rules which apply to each of these stages and yet further laws which apply to the time when a child reaches an independent age. Indeed, Islam has provided laws for each stage of man’s development. It has laws, which apply to the time of man’s death, and laws, which pertain even to the stage after death. Yes, whilst still here in this life, Islam has even provided us with laws, which pertain to the next life. The laws of God, unlike these mundane. Man-made laws, which can see no, further than this material realm, have also taken the spiritual realm into account, and hence contain provisions, which relate to that realm.

All of God’s prophets have come to teach man how to develop in every way. No one other than the prophets is capable of teaching man how to develop in every dimension. Even if one succeeded in rearing a virtuous human being, a person who was morally upright, this training would only be designed for the life of this world. It would only teach one how to live in this world, how to lead a virtuous life here and so on. It could do no more than this since the second state of being which follows the life in this world is beyond man’s reach and therefore he is unable to provide his child with the training needed for that later state. This responsibility lies solely with the prophets; and no one other than the prophets is capable of performing this function. The prophets have left teachings, which refer to the temporal aspects of man’s existence: they have provided instructions and laid down laws in this respect. And again. They have instructed man in the spiritual aspects of his being and in those aspects, which concern the next life, thus laying down numerous injunctions and guidelines to this end.

You who are still young, who are still blessed with the gift of youth. Should try to he of some significance here in this life. You who are yet students should endeavour to he persons who have a positive effect on this life. You should try to he beneficial; you should try to benefit your brothers (in Islam); and to he of benefit to yourselves, your society, your nation and your country. Try not to waste your lives whereby you lose this chance, for when you have reached my age you will then realise that you can no longer make up for the past. Make the decision now to do something worthwhile with your lives, for things such as infirmity and illness, which come to you later in life, prevent you from being able to do anything anymore. Use this God-given strength that you now possess in the way of God. This strength has been entrusted to you by God, SO U5C it in His path. To use this strength in God’s path means using it for the benefit of society, for the benefit of an Islamic country. It means using it to strengthen islam; to drive out the enemies of Islam: and to force the retreat of these people who have come to our country and are infringing upon the rights of the Muslims and depleting the state treasuries of the Muslims.

In addition, pay due attention to all of those religious rules. Practices and so on, which have been laid down with a view to your life in the next world. Work towards reforming the self both for this life and fur the Hereafter. God forbid that you should expend all of your energy on satisfying illicit desires. Do not let your energy go to waste. Do not expend your time and energy on this world alone; hut instead, benefit both from this world and from the next.

Islam, unlike Christianity, does not tell one to Sit on the sidelines and to remain inactive; and even then I wonder whether this is actually something which has been said by Jesus (phuh) himself, or whether it has in fact been said by some akhunds who have then attributed such a statement to him. Again, I cannot see how the teachings of Jesus would he such that they would, for example, teach this mankind whom God has put on this earth and on whom he has bestowed many blessings, to deprive himself of these blessings. Surely, this cannot he the case. Jesus (phuh). This great prophet of God would never teach someone to turn the other cheek were he to be struck by an oppressor! Indeed, these are the words of Satan and not Jesus.^{( 70)} Jesus, the great prophet, is a true human being in every sense of the word. It is these akhunds who claim to follow in his path, these priests who have invented such words. And even then Do not he mistaken in thinking that they actually practise what they preach, for indeed they do not. Instead, they tell their fellow-believers to practise it! This is surely not, what Jesus taught.

However, regardless of what Christianity supposedly espouses, that which Islam advocates is unambiguously clear. Its injunctions are plain for all to see. Islam contains certain injunctions with regard to war. The Qur’an repeatedly discusses engaging in battle with the infidels and the corrupt. So, draw your swords and cut down these harmful weeds - these people who want to lead mankind into corruption and these who have launched out at the people. Yes, you are either to draw your swords and rid the earth of those who behave in this way, or you are to pull them back into line. If possible, do the latter; but if not, then get rid of them for otherwise you may one day find that one such corrupt being has caused a whole society to become corrupt.

Islam and the Qur’an speak both of war - the Qur’an containing many verses in this regard - and of peace. They speak both of training the mind and the body. Everything can be found in the Qur’ an. The Qur’an abounds with all of those issues needed to meet man’s requirements. That is to say, man is a creature with many needs; needs which possess different dimensions. It is not a case of him having one type of need only. In the animal kingdom needs are purely physical; animals have no needs other than those on a physical plane. Hence, those who call on us to believe that this worldly existence is the be all and end all are therefore in fact calling on us to be like animals! They tell a nation of one billion people^{( 71)} that they are simply to eat and sleep, as do animals: that you are to do no more than this. But this is a mistake. Man is not like an animal. Man possesses intellect, he possesses other capabilities and powers -powers which must he put to some use.

Yes, Islam concerns itself with spirituality, hut it also concerns itself with this temporal world, just like those who concentrate on the affairs of this world. Islam concentrates on a healthy world however, not a world in which people’s possessions are appropriated and their lives and property usurped. No, Islam forbids such things. As for healthy desires and pastimes however, Islam and the Qur’an have in no way prevented these. That which Islam does forbid and which it opposes is that which leads people towards illicit desires.

If those in the clergy sometimes voice discontent and opposition towards the cinema, it is because these cinemas, which are now widespread throughout Iran, are there to corrupt the younger generation. After having frequented this kind of cinema over a period of time, these youngsters become corrupted. This is the sort of thing that we are against. Were the cinema to be morally and intellectually instructive then who would oppose it? But the fact is that we can see that our entire country, from its cinemas to its schools, is serving imperialism. That is, these institutions have been brought into our country from abroad; they have been brought to US as “gifts” - gifts which will corrupt our youth in every way. Indeed, should the mosque one day turn into one such institution, an institution which enjoins evil, then we would even close the doors to the mosque.

In fact, the Holy Prophet (phuh) once destroyed a mosque – Zerar Mosque, which had been built as a place from where to oppose the Prophet and from where immoral teachings and the like were propagated. The Prophet ordered for this mosque to he destroyed.^{( 72)} Similarly, if there were a mosque which was injurious to society, and which was beyond reform, then we too would order for its destruction. It is not that we would only consider destroying the cinemas. Our opposition to the cinema is an opposition to that particular type of cinema, which is in Iran today. It is not that we oppose the cinema in itself for we have nothing against the cinema as such. Indeed, if the cinema is an uncorrupted institution, if it is not used as a means of indoctrination, if it serves to educate the young and if there is freedom, then it is but another means of providing instruction arid guidance: it is just like a school.

The present situation in Iran however, is an exceptional one. From the time these usurpers of oil entered Iran and conducted investigations about it and about other Eastern countries thereby realising the benefits to be gained there - for the East is rich in resources which are needed by the West - they launched their propaganda campaign and began to take other such measures to further their interests. Their aim was to lead us astray, to brainwash us with imperialist notions, to ensure that our minds did not develop correctly. They wanted to prevent us from developing, to prevent our schools from producing true human beings, from producing a single morally-upright human being. Whatever has been passed on to us by the West is harmful for our youth. And it is because these things are harmful that we oppose them and that any reasonable person should also oppose them. No one opposes something, which is of benefit, something, which helps to develop the mind and to improve the powers of reason.

The fact is that these Western powers have sold their ideas to the East to enable them to take away our national assets. And they continue to do so even now. Even now they are taking away Iran’s assets; they are devouring them and almost.

As well as attending to self-edification, you, my good men, are to make the decision to join and co-operate with the nation of Iran - with these people who have now risen up and who have embarked upon this great movement for the sake of Islam and mankind. You are to help as much as you can. Each of you, wherever you may be, are to help as much as possible. As fellow human beings we must do what we can to assist this weak nation which has risen up for your sakes and for the sake of us all, SO that, God willing, this element of corruption^{( 73)} may he axed, the hands of those who are destroying our every possession and are plundering our every reserve may be severed, and instead these things may remain for you to do with as you see fit. This is all that we argue.

Let the papers go ahead and write whatever they like. When they write of the akhunds wanting to take the people back to the age of barbarism, this is nothing but propaganda, which is put across to make the usurpation of oil possible. So, beware, for all of these measures have been taken with a view to usurping our oil and devouring the resources in the East. To the Americans and to the Russians - to these two countries, one of which is taking away our oil and the other our gas - we say: “We want you to desist from taking these resources away. We want these resources to belong to us we want this Pahiavi dynasty, which is serving you and betraying us, to no longer remain. We want someone we ourselves have chosen to rule us.” Although our present rulers in fact tell their newspapers to write the contrary.

I pray that you may all be successful; that you may all receive God’s assistance; and that God willing, you may serve Islam.