tehran, april 29, irna -- the first term of the islamic city/village
councils was officially inaugurated throughout the country with a message from the leader
of the islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei and a speech by president mohammad
khatami, thursday morning. in his message read by hojatoleslam mohammadi
golpayegani, the
leader said that through formation of city councils, the iranian national took a step
forwards towards full realization of the constitution. the leader expressed hope that the
islamic city/village councils will be successful in achieving the lofty goals of the
founder of the islamic republic imam khomeini and in resolving the problems facing the
iranian people. now that people have voted for their trustees, those elected to the
councils are expected to do their best and spare no effort to fulfill the duties entrusted
to them by law in serving the people, ayatollah khamenei said. the leader also called on
the government and other officials of the country to seize this valuable opportunity to
encourage people's participation in council affairs. highlighting the responsibilities of
the islamic councils, the leader stressed that the prime duty of the members of the
councils is ''understanding and consensus among themselves.'' otherwise, he
cautioned, the
newly founded body will fail in proving to be a source of blessing for the
nation.
political and factional disputes and involvement in any measure which affects the unity of
council members is harmful to the councils, the leader said. underlining constant contacts
between members of the councils and the people, ayatollah khamenei said that the members
should fully recognize their responsibilities and make efforts to realize them. the leader
advised the council members not to make people hopeful over issues not stipulated in the
law and cannot be fulfilled due to certain restrictions. ayatollah khamenei also called on
officials to consider council members as their reliable advisors and help them as much as
possible to fulfill their duties.
tehran, april 26, irna -- special mourning ceremonies to commemorate
the anniversary of tasu`a and `ashura, ninth and tenth of the lunar hijra month of
muharram ul-haram 61 (680 a.d.), of the martyrdom of imam hussein (as) and 72 members of
his family and followers was held here sunday night in the presence of the supreme leader
of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyyed ali khamenei. chiefs of the three branches of
government and chairman of the
expediency council were also participated at the mourning
ceremony.
mourning tradition has played a significant role in the history of the divine religion of
islam and ensured the survival of the genuine path of islam, the holy quran, hazrat ali
ibn abi talib and the shiites.
shiites literally means group or party, and the term was first applied
in the lifetime of the seal of the divine prophets (sawa) to a group of his prominent
companions like salman farsi, abu dhar, meqdad ibn aswad, ammar ibn yasser and other noble
companions, who in obedience to the messenger of almighty allah, were particularly close
to the person of his dearest cousin ali ibn abi talib (as). afterwards, the term
shiite,
came to denote all those who adhered to the path of commander of the faithfuls imam ali
(as) and the prophet's ahl-ul-beit, reasoning on the basis of the divine words of the holy
quran and the prophet's (sawa) sayings, that since islam is the fianl message for
mankind,
the vicegerent of the prophet (sawa), should be appointed by god and not left to the whims
of fallible minds.
after the martyrdom of imam ali (as) in 40 a.h. the rule of the islamic
sovereignty was completely usurped by the banu omyyah, at the head of whom was muaviyah
ibn abu sufyan, a polytheist as late as 8 a.h. -- two years before the prophet's death --
who after a 20-year period of innovations and suppression of the sublime teachings of the
divine religion of islam passed on the reins of power to his libertine son yazid.
imam hussein (as), second son of imam ali (as), the grandson and the
third rightful successor of the seal of the dinive prophet (sawa) through his mother the
lady fatima al-zahra (sa), could bear it no longer and in a heroic uprising at karbala on
the 10th of moharram ul-haram (ashura) in the year 61 a.h. (680 a.d.) courted martyrdom
along with his small number of followers and male members of the prophet's (sawa) clan the
banu hashim. the tragedy, which did not end with the massacre of imam hussein (as) and
took a more heinous form with the dragging in chains of the children and womenfolk of the
prophet's (sawa) household to the court of the omayyid tyrant, who gloated over the
carnage saying that he had avenged the killing of his own heathen ancestors in the battles
of `badr' and `ohud' against the divine prophet (sawa), served as catalyst for islam,
inspiring revolutionary movements against tyrannical regimes throughout the history.
the mourning ceremonies for imam hussein (as) have aroused sympathies
even in the coldest heart, and many a non-muslim reformer have modelled their resistance
on the life of the `martyr of karbala'. mourning ceremonies and processions are going on
in different iranian cities, townships and villages on the occasion of tasu`a and the eve
of ashura. muslim mourners have attended in the imam reza's (as) holy shrine in mashhad,
hadhrat ma'someh's (sa)holy shrine in qom, other holy shrines, mosques, husseiniyahs,
abbasiyahs and religious places around the country to mark the anniversary. muslim peoples
around the world specifically in the former republics of the soviet union and the iranian,
iraqi, indian, syrian, pakistani, bangladeshi, afghan and albanian muslim residences of
the united states of america have also attended similar mourning ceremonies to commemorate
the martyrdom of the infallible imam hussein (as) and his family members and loyal
followers.
TEHRAN TIMES CITY DESK TEHRAN (April 20), The Leader, Ayatollah Seyed
Ali Khamenei, accepted Assadollah Bayat's appeal for pardon and ordered his release from
prison yesterday, an informed source said yesterday. In August, a lawsuit was filed with
the Special Court for Clergy against Bayat, who was the prayer leader of a mosque in
Narmak, northern Tehran. Bayat also headed the financial institution affiliated to the
mosque. He abandoned his duties as the prayer leader but continued to head the financial
institution. The charges against Bayat included misappropriation of the people's funds.
tehran, april 19, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah
seyed ali khamenei on monday called on governors-general to get to know the social,
political, economic and endemic situation of the provinces. in a meeting with the
governors-general from across the country, the leader said the governors-general are the
representatives of the islamic revolution and they should visit every point of the
provinces of their assignment to seek people's views in a bid to draw up their programs
and fairly distribute the resources of the province. the leader recommended that the
governors-general should be in more contact with friday prayers leaders and members of
parliament and local influential figures to gain access to the factors that they
should include in their programming. the supreme leader called on the
governors-general to mobilize the provincial resources to serve the welfare of the people.
ayatollah khamenei said the revolutionary work is not irregularity, but is working on the
basis of three principles of speed, discipline and goal. he also called on the
governors-general to observe discipline and work to solve the problems of the people and
honor the people's interests in decision-making. the leader pointed to the poisonous
propaganda of the foreign media and said the foreign media are insinuating that the
islamic revolution has become old, whereas the islamic revolution is 20-year old, young
and lively with wide-scale popular support and their claims are unfounded. the islamic
revolution has one thousand years old philosophical and religious background. "as far
as i know about the revolutions in the world, the french revolution and the bolshevic
revolution in russia had not made progress to the extent that the the islamic revolution
of iran has made," the supreme leader said.
elsewhere in his speech, ayatollah khamenei said, "i as an
official of the revolution who has most relationship with people announce that the
officials of the islamic republic, the government have not been fed up with the principles
of the islamic revolution and every thing is moving toward perfection and toward the goals
of the revolution; therefore, any new word serving the goals of the islamic revolution is
welcomed."
tehran, april 18, irna -- the leader of the islmaic revolution,
ayatollah seyed ali khamenei, here sunday dedicated a tablet to the son of martyr general
sayad shirazi that conferred the rank of major general on his martyred father. in the same
ceremony here suynday, also defense minister rear admiral shamkhani was promoted to the
rank of vice admiral, brigadier general general gholamali rashid was promoted to the rank
of major general. the leader of the islamic revolution also paid a personal tribute to the
martyred deputy chief of the joint staff of the armed forces general sayad shirazi, saying
that the multitudinous procession of the people who participated in his funeral ceremony
was a token of god's feelings towards the martyred ex-commander.
tehran, 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
soldierliness 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.
tehran, april 13, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah ali khamenei attended special ceremonies held in commemoration of the late
iranian army commander ali sayyad shirazi at martyr motahhari college in tehran on
tuesday. lieutenant general shirazi, 55, was gunned down in saturday morning by the
terrorist mojahideen khalq organization (mko) agents, disguised as the city cleaner, as he
was travelling to work. the mko claimed responsibility for the assassination in a phone
contact with the agence france press (afp) on april 10. the ceremonies, arranged by the
supreme leader on the occasion, was also attended by president mohammad khatami, majlis
speaker ali-akbar nateq-nouri, judiciary chief mohammad yazdi, expediency council chairman
akbar hashemi rafsanjani, members of the guardians council and majlis deputies, cabinet
members, senior commanders of the islamic republic army and the islamic revolution guards
corps (irgc), the state and military officials, and a large groups of people from various
walks of life, including the bereaved family of martyr shirazi. addressing the audience,
qom seminary instructor ayatollah ostadi praised the personality and bravery of the late
`rmy commander and warned the youth not to be deceived by enemies of islam, who have been
''slapped in the face by islam and by father of the islamic revolution and founder of the
islamic republic the late imam khomeini.''
tehran, april 12, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah seyed ali khamenei monday lamented the plight of muslims in different parts of
the world, particularly in kosovo. "what is overlooked in the balkan war today,"
said the leader, "is the condition of the oppressed muslims in kosovo, and the aim of
the enemies behind displacing the people of kosovo in the streets, is to exterminate the
muslims and prevent the formation of an islamic state in that region." ayatollah
khamenei, according to tehran radio, made the remarks at a meeting with clerics, including
preachers and congregational prayer leaders on the eve of the mourning month of moharram
(the month in which the third shia imam hussein and 72 of his close aides were martyred).
"your duty is to keep the path and movement of imam hussein (a.s.) alive," the
leader told the audience. he added that sound religious propagation is the best way for
encountering cultural onslaughts. the leader doweling on the uprising of imam hussein
(a.s.) said the blood and self-sacrifices of imam hussein (a.s.) and 72 of his loyal
companions and family members have insured the survival of islam.
referring to the martyrdom of sayyas shirazi who fell a victim to the
abhorrent act of terrorism by the terrorist mujahedin khalq organization (mko) saturday,
the leader commemorated him and condemned the terrorist move. shirazi was an honest,
religious and brave commander who performed his duties well either during the sacred
defense (1980-88 imposed iraqi war against iran) or in the post war era.
tehran, april 10, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah ali khamenei here on saturday called on the government and housing and urban
development ministry to prevent further expansion of the capital city, tehran. ayatollah
khamenei in his remarks to members of the islamic revolution housing foundation's central
council praised efforts and activities of the foundation in building houses and stressed
''high importance'' of building houses at villages and towns. the leader also praised the
father of islamic revolution and founder of the islamic republic the late imam khomeini's
initiative to establish the foundation. ayatollah khamenei also donated rls 100 million in
cash to the foundation.
tehran, april 10, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah ali khamenei here on saturday instructed the expediency council to look into the
proposals made by the government concerning the determination of the general policies of
the third five-year economic development plan (2000-2004). in a message to expediency
council chairman akbar hashemi rafsanjani, the leader called for the council's
consultative views on the government's proposals on the third development plan, so as to
make final decision in this regard. the leader also called on the expediency council to,
while reviewing the government's proposals, take into consideration the following points:
"the general policies of the second five-year development plan
(1995-1999) and policies of the government's economic rehabilitation plan as approved by
him as well as the approvals of the high council for cultural revolution all deserve to be
used in forging policies. "in drawing up economic policies, it is necessary that
economic development be coupled with social justice, that certain individuals or groups be
prevented from accumulating wealth, that the rights of the oppressed and deprived strata
of society be protected, that non-oil exports be promoted to decrease dependence of
economy on oil, that pivotal agricultural policies be adopted to guarantee relative food
security in society and that measures be taken to check corruption, monopoly and illegally
gained fortunes." elsewhere in his message to the expediency council, the leader of
the islamic revolution underlined the importance of guaranteeing legitimate investments
and creating jobs with regards to the country's natural and geographical capacities. the
leader's message said in drawing up foreign policies, the already declared principles of
the islamic republic of iran should be taken into consideration, with emphasis on the
country's dignity and interest. ayatollah khamenei also reiterated that the general
policies should be so ''transparent, explicit and realistic'' that can be executed by
officials.
tehran, april 10, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah seyyed ali khamenei issued a message of condolence here saturday on the
assassination of deputy chief of the joint staff command of the armed forces lieutenant
general ali sayyad shirazi. shirazi, former commander of the ground forces was gunned down
at 6:45 hours local time (2:15 gmt) saturday by the terrorist mujahedin khalq organization
(mko) and attained the rank of martyrdom. the leader in his message said ''the faithful
and brave commander of the islamic army and devoted soldier of the religion and the holy
quran attained martyrdom at the hands of the criminal, bloodthirsty and disgraced
munafiqeen (hypocrites).'' he stressed that this is not the first nor the last time a
faithful and lover of the lofty ideas of the divine faith has been martyred by the dirty,
criminal and corrupt hands of those mercenaries who have to earn their livelihood only
through serving the enemies of islam. praising the services rendered by the late shirazi,
the supreme leader added that the hot plains of khuzestan and the high mountains of
kurdestan had witnessed the preparedness and devotion of the brave and determined man who
left numerous memories of his courage and self-sacrifice during the eight-year sacred
defence period. the heads of arrogant powers, despite their claims to be opposed to any
acts of terrorism, are expecting their hired terrorists in iran to assassinate sturdy and
resistant revolutionary combatants in order to pave the way for domination over the
islamic republic of iran. the supreme leader of the islamic revolution in his message also
extended condolences to the nation, armed forces, war veterans and the family of the
deceased.
tehran, april 7, irna -- paramount leader of the islamic revolution
ayatollah seyyed ali khamenei here wednesday received the staff of the leader's office in
holy mecca and executive officials responsible for hajj. the leader thanked the officials
and staff for their efforts in conducting the hajj ceremony and assessed this year's hajj
pilgrimage as the most successful in recent years. ayatollah khamenei described the hajj
as a blessing for the muslims as it was a demonstration of the greatness of the unified
islamic ummah and an expression of the power to stand up to unbelievers and global
arrogance. the supreme leader referred to the successful holding of the "disavowal
from pagans" ceremony in this year's hajj and hoped that through greater awareness
among muslims of the realities and the philosophy behind hajj, this ceremony will be held
in a more befitting manner in the coming years. appreciating the frugality in this year's
annual hajj pilgrimage, the leader referred to the spirituality ruling over the hajj
rituals as a kind of mortification and endurance of hardships characterizing this ceremony
and stressed the need to continue this practice. prior to the leader's speech, the amir-ul
hajj of the iranian pilgrims, hojatoleslam mohammad mohammadi reyshahri termed this year's
hajj pilgrimage as one of the most tranquil and successful. the disavowal from pagans
ceremony in this year's hajj was conducted according to the views of the late imam
khomeini and the guidelines set by the leader of the islamic revolution, he stated.
referring to the frugality practiced in this year's pilgrimage, he announced that dlrs six
million had been saved as a result of measures adopted.
tehran, april 5, irna -- the supreme leader of the islamic
revolution ayatollah seyyed ali khamenei said here monday that `western democracy' was
responsible for the sufferings of the kosovar muslims. addressing senior officials in a
ceremony on the auspicious occasion of eid ul-ghadir, the leader said ''what is happening
to the kosovar muslims today, the same thing which befell the bosnian muslims as well as
the muslim people of palestine, is a consequence of western democracy which deals with
anyone and any group opposed to them, in the severest manner.'' he added that sufferings
and massacre of muslims in kosovo was a manifestation of apparently democratic but
actually despotic governments. ayatollah khamenei said the aim of the ongoing war in
kosovo, like the previous one in bosnia, was annihilation of the muslims in europe.
referring to the unauthorized attacks of the nato on belgrade, the leader stated ''the
presence of muslim in europe is contrary to the selfish and apparently democratic
objectives of the western rulers. the nato strikes, contrary to the western propaganda,
have not only failed to bring tranquillity to muslims, but have worsened their
situation.''
on the auspicious occasion of eid ul-ghadir which commemorates the day
the holy prophet of islam (pbuh) appointed hadhrat ali ibn abitalib (as) as his righteous
successor and the first infallible imam of the prophet's household, the leader
congratulated the muslim ummah particularly the brave iranian nation. the leader of the
islamic revolution the elaborated on the lofty goal of the message of ghadir and called it
a focal point of islamic thought for perfection of the human societies and said the
principle of `velayat' has been source of unity and inspiration. ayatollah khamenei
regarded `velayat' and `islamic state' as the features of the legal message of the ghadir.
comparing the islamic state and velayat with secular states, the leader stressed that the
islamic state is based on justice and performance of religious duties. the supreme leader
rejected the idea that the establishment of religious sovereignty will harm the sanctity
of the divine religion. he said the sanctity of religion is the truth which would leave a
positive impact on the affairs of the people in this world and the hereafter and improve
their livelihood. this, stressed the paramount leader, will only be achieved through
religious sovereignty. prior to the leader's speech president hojjatoleslam seyyed
mohammad khatami felicitated the supreme leader of the islamic revolution and the muslim
ummah, particularly the iranian nation on the auspicious occasion of eid-ul ghadir which
is a public holiday in iran.
mecca, saudi arabia, april 4, irna -- the leader's representative and
head of the iranian pilgrims, hojjatoleslam mohammad mohammadi rey-shahri, issued a
message sunday felicitating, on behalf of iranian pilgrims, the leader of the islamic
revolution, ayatollah seyed ali khamenei, on ghadir feast. the message issued here on the
eve of the muslim feast of ghadir called the event of ghadir as a great feast for the
iranian nation who love velayat-e eslami and understood its outstanding status when it
helped awaken iranian muslims. the message added that in the material-tainted world
velayat-e eslami would be the only means that ensures prosperity of the wondering man. the
iranian pilgrims who have just performed the hajj rituals once again reaffirm their
allegiance to the leader of the islamic revolution, the message added.
