|
tehran, april 30, irna -- on the occasion of the youth day
monday, the
leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamene’i received a large
group of iranian youngsters from various walks of life. in an informal meeting with
them,
the leader answered a number of questions posed to him by his visitors.
the following is excerpts from some questions asked by his visiting
audience and ayatollah Khamene’is answers to those questions
question: as college girls in what way can hazrat Fatima Zahra's life
serve as a model to us?
Answer: that is a good question. to begin with, let me remind you that
models should not be imposed on us by others. conventional and imposed models will not be
interesting models. we have to search for and find our own models ourselves. we must look
about us and find out for ourselves which personality among the bulk of personalities
surrounding us we praise most. that personality will obviously be the model for us. i
believe for the muslim youth and especially for those who are familiar with the biography
of the imams and of the household of the prophet (sawa) and of early muslim personalities
it is not difficult to find a model, of which there are many...
"there are principal peculiarities in the character of every human
which must be identified and which can be singled out and copied as our own
model. for
example how should one behave in his or her encounter with the peripheral developments
around him? now, those peripheral developments may be developments belonging to an era of
human history at which there are subways, trains, jets and computers, or they may be
developments belonging to a period at which none of these things existed... man can choose
to deal with those developments in two ways: responsibly or indifferently. and responsive
approach to one's peripheral developments can be in different forms that may be typical of
one's outlooks and his views. one should identify those principal peculiarities in the
personal character of the person whom he wants to choose as his model...
"when prophet Mohammad was experiencing the hardest emotional
hardships, Abitaleb who was his ardent supporter and his hope, and also hazrat Khadija
kobra who, too, was a great spiritual help to his prophethood passed away within one week
from each other. that was a very strange mishap: the prophet was completely
lonely...
"hazrat Fatima Zahra (as) was a good nurse to prophet Mohammad. at
that time the people said that she had become 'the mother of her father'. this was when
hazrat Fatima (as) was only six or seven years old... that is an example of one's
appreciation of one's responsibility. can this not serve as a model for a young person
today? that is the capacity to act responsibly towards what goes on in his
environment?
the capacity to discover the great spiritual wealth in him or her and to expend that inner
energy in him for wiping out the dust of loneliness and sorrow that has settled on the
face of his or her father?...
tehran, april 29, irna -- the leader of the islamic
revolution,
ayatollah ali khamenei, here on wednesday referred to ''propaganda seige'' as the latest
means resorted to by enemies of the country to shake people's faith in the
revolution.
addressing thousands of workers and teachers on the eve of the international labor day and
the national teachers day, the leader said ''the world arrogance, employing various
propaganda tools, is trying to distort realities and induce inaccurate notions, specially
amongst the youth, to weaken their faith in the revolution and the islamic system.
''but,
without a doubt, people's faith is unshakable and the satanic powers will fail in their
efforts.'' the leader referred to ''various radio and tv stations as well as publications
worldwide'' as the media engaged in propaganda campaign against the iranian
revolution. ''the enemies of the nation, from the very first days of the victory of the islamic
revolution, harbored the hope that the revolution won't last and would soon be on its
knees. ''however, they witnessed the steadfastness of the islamic iran which forced the
enemies out, thus denying them the slightest of successes. ''today, the great islamic
revolution has reached a level of growth that the arrogant powers have become totally
hopeless and desperate, and now stand in awe of this great revolution and nation,'' the
leader added.
ayatollah khamenei lauded the role of iranian workers in rescuing the
country from foreign dependence after the 1979 islamic revolution, adding ''all production
and industrial achievements and progresses, inventions and creativities of the islamic
iran is the result of the steadfastness of the workers in resisting enemies' malicious
efforts.'' the leader called on the authorities to address the needs of the workers and do
the necessary planning to raise their standards of living. also praising the role of
teachers in the society, ayatollah khamenei reminded that all individuals, including the
most prominent of personalities such as military leaders, scholars and ulema, are trained
by teachers. ''so salute to our teachers and trainers of us during childhood and later
years whom we are indebted to and who have indeed achieved great feats.'' the leader
further stressed the weight of the teachers' responsibilities because they help train the
children and the youth which constitute ''the dearest as well as the most vulnerable
segment of the society.'' this segment of the society, the leader added, should be raised
with a strong faith so as to be able to resist enemies' aggressions and
dominance. prior
to the leader's speech, the ministers of labor, hossein kamali, and of education, hossein
mozaffar, gave short speeches paying tribute to workers and teachers of the
country. iran
observes the international labor day on may 1st and has designated may 2nd as the
teachers' day.
leader: a faithful army
cannot be defeated
tehran, 1998 april 24, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah ali khamenei here wednesday underlined the need for the exercise
of vigilance vis-a-vis the attack of the enemy on the internal foundations
of every Single force of the army. addressing a gathering of the
Commanders of the three branches of the armed forces at imam khomeini
hosseiniyeh on the eve of the army day, the leader stressed: ''the real
enemy intends to attack us from within with the aim to weaken our
determination, faith and firm resolution.'' therefore, stated the leader,
the outside enemy can be defeated only when the internal enemy is defeated.
the supreme leader said that firm determination, strong faith, common
goal, reasonable self-restraint and confidence in future can make any army
powerful and strong in the world. however, remarked the leader, when this
might is intertwined with the faith in god, no enemy in no front can
defeat such an army.
ayatollah khamenei cautioned against showing leniency towards ''sweet
diplomatic smiles'' and ''exchange of warm diplomatic greetings' and
stated that the world of diplomacy and international relations is not a
venue for serenity and honesty. ''the enemy is the same element which is.
constantly at work to strip our nation and country of the means of power,
namely faith, piety, firm determination, religious zeal and soldier lines
feeling for the sake of god.''
because, the leader stressed, the enemy knows well that these same
elements have guaranteed dignity of the nation in the world and created
strong men. however, the supreme leader added, some who might not be enemy
would negligently act in a way which would spread disappointment, doubt
and mental instability among the people.
therefore, the armed forces should make themselves, their families and
those, in. relation with them secure in this connection. stressing the
ever-increasing improvement of the army and its proficiency, ayatollah
khamenei underlined the need for the armed forces to Step up their efforts
in such areas as education, discipline, research works, construction and
institutionalization. at the beginning of his remarks, ayatollah Khamenei
congratulated the army on the occasion and expressed the hope that
martyrdom of lieutenant general ali sayyad shirazi will serve to further
consolidate values and strengthen faith and determination in the armed
forces.
the leader termed the massive turn-out of the people in the martyred
army Commander's funeral procession on Monday as 'unprecedented’ and
stated that participation of such a large number of people was an
indication of the sincerity they had found in the person of sayyad shirazi
in the post-revolution era. prior to the remarks of the Commander-in-chief
of the armed forces, army Commander major general ali shahbazi briefed the
leader >on the measures taken towards overall improvement of the armed
forces and institutionalization of sublime islamic values in its three
branches.
irna 24/05/98 18:19, tehran, on
the occasion of anniversary of liberation of khorramshahr, leader of the
islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamene’i pardoned or commuted
prison terms of a group of prisoners sentenced by military courts. the
leader pardoned those convicted of crimes committed before march 1991
which carry sentences of two years or less. the leader commuted to one
third the terms of prisoners sentenced to one year in prison, to half for
those sentenced to over one year in prison and to 15 years for those
sentenced by the military courts to life in prison. the amnesty will not
include those found guilty of sabotaging the security of the country and
of espionage, armed robbery, kidnapping, arms theft, drug addiction and
smuggling, graft and fraud. the leader approved the amnesty per
recommendations by the head of the judiciary ayatollah mohammad yazdi.
leader pays tribute to
late ayatollah lari
tehran, april 23, irna — the leader of the islamic revolution,
ayatollah ali khamenei, thursday praised the late ayatollah abdulhussein
lari and his great Services to islam and iran. in his message to the
congress to commemorate ayatollah lari, the" supreme leader said that
ayatollah lari established the first small scale but meaningful model of
an islamic government in southern iran.
the message, read by head of the leader's office ayatollah mohammadi
golpayegani, stressed that the present generation of the revolution must
get acquainted with the scientific, spiritual and political personalitiy
of this great feature. over 500 scientific and cultural Personalities and
ulema are attending the two day congress being held in lar, fars province.
ayatollah lari, a combatant alim who lived about a Century ago, set up an
islamic government in larestan area for the first time. though set up in a
small geographical area, the government was unique in its kind in terms of
Publishing stamp, forming army and minting new coins
the uprising of corabatants of tangestan in bushehr province, against
british colonialism was inspired by ayatollah lari's teachings and fatwas
(religious rulings).
tehran, april 22, irna -- the leader of the islamic
revolution,
ayatollah Ali Khamene’i, here on wednesday called on clergies to strengthen people's
faith in the rule of islam, synonymous with prevalence of justice and knowledge over human
beings lives. addressing a huge audience of clergies at the outset of the month of
moharram on the islamic calendar, the leader referred to the propagation of the religion
as conveying the truth to the people, ''so as to rescue the hearts and minds overcame by
ignorance.'' in carrying out this mission, the promoters should discreetly pick their
audience and choose contents suitable with their needs, said ayatollah Khamene’i.
the iranian youth are presently the main target of enemies' malicious
propaganda aimed to shape their hearts and minds, thus, the leader stressed, the clergies
should also focus on the youth and their intellectual needs. in doing so, the leader
added, the promoters of islam should also have a clear knowledge of the enemies'
propaganda and their tactics, ''so they know what gap to fill and what need to
address.''
the youth should also be encouraged to ponder the issues and to refrain from hasty
judgments as well as violent approaches, ayatollah Khamene’i added. the promoters of
the islamic faith should impress upon the people that the 1979 islamic revolution gave
rise to a government founded on piety, justice, and love for people, a government whose
officials are not swayed by financial gains or enemies' temptations, said the
leader.
ayatollah Khamene’i further stressed the importance of national
unity, adding that the clergies should stay away from subjects which become sources of
discords amongst people. the government needs the support of a united nation to address
the economic problems in the country, the leader concluded. the month of moharram on the
islamic calendar carries special weight for shi'ite muslims because of the martyrdom of
imam Hossein (a.s.), the third imam of the household of prophet Mohammad (peace be upon
him) during the month some 13 centuries ago.
tehran, april 16, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah ali khamenei here today said that the soceity should strive towards greater
unity and stressed the need for increased support for servants of the system, the
government and the judiciary in particular. the supreme leader made the remark during an
audience with the heads of the three branches of the government as well as the
high-ranking civilian and military officials of the country. congratulating the
nation,
the world of islam and all freedom-lovers of the world on the occasion of the great feast
eid-e gahdir (the day prophet mohammad declared imam ali (as) as his successor), he said
'velayat' the main feature of the islamic political and social system, in its true sense
means unity and solidarity. the leader added imam ali (as) was the crystalization of
sympathy of a political leader with the people. enumerating achievments made under unity
in the post-revolution iran, ayatollah khamenei said, despite all political,
military,
cultural and economic plots of the enemy to prevent unity among the the iranian people,
the divine will, great unity of committed and wise nation of iran, sovereignty of velayat
and guidance of the late imam, foiled all these attempts. now like before, traces of
attempts to create tension and rift among the people can be found in the propaganda of the
humiliated enemies outside the borders and in attempts of their followers inside the
country as well as by those whose interests have been damaged for years by the
revolution. ''therefore, all people must be vigilant and hold fast to the rope of god and close their
ranks through belief in the path of quran and islam and under the system of
velayat,''
said the supreme leader. referring to the heavy responsibility of running the
country, the
leader emphasized backing the servants of the system, be it the executive, the legislative
and the judiciary by all the people. ''all are duty-bound to support the adminstration
which is shouldering the heavy task of running the affairs of the country. they all are
also obliged to back the judiciary so that it can fulfil the heavy task it
shoulders. if
there is no judiciary branch, justice will have no foundation.'' the supreme leader
continued, ''if all forces join hands to keep hoisted the flag of islam with amity and
sympathy, the hope sparked in the hearts of the muslims will be kept alive and this is
something the enemy does not like to see happen.'' the leader warned against magnifying
some of the problems and blowing small flaws out of proportion. he stressed ''we are still
at the beginning of the road. this country must be built and talents of the flourishing
nation should shine in the world to bring the grand islamic civilization before the eyes
of the world.'' prior to the leader's speech, president mohammad khatami congratulated the
leader on the occasion. the president said, if we muslims take lessons from the past and
look to future with fairness, we will find imam ali (as) as the most suitable and
outstanding model for building the utopia for creation of which prophet mohammad
(pbuh)
was assigned.
armenian prelacy
congratulates leader on eid-e Ghadir
irna 15/04/98
tehran, april 15, irna - the archbishop of the armenian prelacy in a
message to the leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah all khamenei,
felicitated him on the occasion of eid-e ghadir the day. prophet mohamad (pbuh)
appointed imam ali (as) as his successor in the message, the archbishop
also congratulated head of the expediency Council, hojatoleslam akbar
hashemi rafsanjani and heads of the three branches of the government on
the auspicious occasion.
tehran, april 13, irna -- the leader of the islamic
revolution,
ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamene’i on monday paid tribute to the students who were
martyred in the course of the sacred defence. in a message to the first congress titled
''the path to karbala'' read by the head of the islamic propagation organization
(ipo)
hojatoleslam mohammadi araki, the supreme leader said the young generation is the symbol
of generocity, purity and innovation. the leader recalled the bravery of the students who
took part in the sacred defence during the iraqi-imposed war in 1980s and called on the
education ministry to convey the message of the martyred students to their fellow
countrymen.
Public Opinion and
People's Power in Factional Equations
11 Apr 1998
The Leader at a meeting attended by the heads of the three branches of
power and the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council called on the
heads of the executive and judiciary powers to have coordination for
attending to the case of Gholam Hussein Karbaschi, the mayor of Tehran. At
the same time a Student political group (Unity Consolidation Office) has
called on the people and students to attend a political meeting on Tuesday.
It is said the test of strength between Seyed Mohammad Khatami's coalition
government on the one side and the Majlis majority faction and the
judiciary on the other side has not covered even half of its course. The
comments and reports about the beginning of the challenge mostly consist
of the reaction of the factions which form the Khatami government and the
factions on the other side.
The missing question is where the people are in this affair? In
particular it is probable that some events will take place parallel to the
recent crisis in other sectors which will not be paid attention to by the
public opinion. Some political analysts believe the current engagement had
the positive point of breaking the sanctity of power in the mind of the
masses and in this way further opened the way for serious criticism of the
structure of power in Iran. Many are asking: "If such big cases have been
concealed for the past several years, what has happened to the people?" In
people's view the affair is more important than financial misuses, and
this shows itself in unveiling the misuses of the political power.
Although the open division in the traditional fabric of power is
gradually driving the area of authority towards its break there is a
likelihood near certainty that the faction known as the authoritative
faction, which is now in the minority Position, will adopt measures to
prevent bigger split in that fabric. These measures bring to mind several
scenarios.
The remarks by Ataollah Mohajerani, the guidance minister, about the
missing of more than ten billion rials added to doubts that there are
bigger cases behind the present affairs, cases which could never come out
because of the settlement inside the power structure. The experience of
the previous years shows that the exposure of the financial misuses and
violations has usually been used as the last weapon by the rival factions
in the System. Using this weapon indicates the conflicts are serious and
aim at the legitimacy of the factions engaged. On the other hand bringing
to public the violations shows that the public opinion's judgment is
seriously accepted as an effective factor in this political conflict.
Accordingly, the present power struggle has manifested itself in the scene
of Propaganda and Information more than any other scene. And the
experience of May 23 shows that the jm faction supporting Seyed Mohammad
Khatami is by far more skilful to use this instrument. The undeniable fact
is that the masses in the presidential election demonstrated their great
power to some extent. This has put Seyed Mohammad Khatami in a difficult
Position. The political opponents of the President know that political
calm will result in advancement of Khatami's programs. Accordingly, the
extremist group in the opposite faction contrary to the group which is
more farsighted, is trying to drive the political climate towards
confrontation. Therefore, some of those favouring the President are saying
that Khatami must not make himself involved in this dispute and should
manage the crisis from a higher position. This group at the same time do
not overlook the point that the arrest of the Tehran mayor has actually
been a leap for targeting the Interior Ministry in the Coming days. Some
analysts are asking whether it will not be better if Khatami begins the
rule of law from himself and his coalition so that eventually for a big
leap, he would make the people the final judge. The group argue breaking
the factional ties and addressing the people will link Khatami to a power
far superior to the power of the existing factions: The power of the
masses.
tehran, april 9, irna -- the office of the leader of the islamic
revolution and supreme religious jurisprudent, grand ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamene’i
issued a communique summoning the heads of the three branches of the government, the
executive, the legislative and the judiciary here wednesday night. the three branches were
summoned to exchange views on the issue of the mayor of tehran, gholamhossein
karbaschi.
also present at this meeting was the head of expediency council, ayatollah akbar hashemi
rafsanjani. at this meeting, the leader exchanged views with the heads of three branches
on the issue of the pending investigation of the mayor. the leader then asked the heads of
the executive and judiciary branches to coordinate fully in matters related to the file
and that the two sides needed to fully observe laws of the nation and justice and submit a
full report in this regard with immediacy to the leader. the three branches are expected
to meet in one of the evenings to comply with the instructions of the leader of islamic
revolution, ayatollah Khamene’i. the mayor of tehran, gholamhossein karbaschi was
temporary detained by tehran district court judge, branch 29 under article 5, section 5 of
the embezzlement law passed in 1387 on april 4, 1998. |
