Muslims From Iran

"You think that Mr Khomeini, [an] uneducated person … could have planned all this? Masterminded all this, set up all the organization? I know that one man alone could not have done it … I know that a tremendous amount of money was spent … I know that top experts in propaganda were used to show us like tyrants and monsters, and the other side as democratic liberal revolutionaries who want to save the country."

"Sometimes they are disserving the interests of Israel. They're pushing around too many people. They have many means at their disposal. They are putting on pressure on many, many people. They are strong. They are controlling many things. Newspapers, medias, Banks, finances... and I'm going to stop there."

"All I can say is that women, when they govern, are much harsher than men. Much crueler. Much more bloodthirsty. I'm citing facts, not opinions. You're heartless when you have power. Think of Catherine de Medicis, Catherine of Russia, Elizabeth I of England. Not to mention Lucrezia Borgia, with her poisons and intrigues. You're schemers, you're evil. All of you."

"A crown, a throne could not be based on the not too very solid foundation of blood."

"... contrary to what many believed, my father was kind and tenderhearted, especially towards his family. His forbidding sternness seemed to melt into love, kindness, and easy familiarity when he was with us. Especially with me, his acknowledged successor to the throne, he would play lightheartedly. When we were alone together, he would sing me little songs; I don't remember his ever doing this in front of others, but when only the two of us were there, he would often sing to me."

"I envisaged future generations of Iranians proudly taking their rightful place among the vast family of nations, and fulfilling their responsibilities with dignity. I hoped to see dispelled for ever the medieval shadows from which Iran had emerged only half a century ago, and that the light which is the very essence of Iranian civilization and culture would prevail. Throughout my reign, I lived only for the realization of this dream which was beginning to become reality. It will be seen that I worked tirelessly and keenly to this end. I had ceaselessly to struggle against all sorts of obstacles and difficulties. I had to confront innumerable plots and intrigues both inside the country and abroad. I combated the all-powerful, multi-national trusts and cartels when all my advisers warned me against such challenges. I may have made mistakes, of course, but this long battle was not one of them."

"My visions were miracles that saved the country. My reign has saved the country and it’s saved it because God was besides me. I mean, it’s not fair for me to take all the credit for myself for the great things that I’ve done for Iran. Mind you, I could. But I don’t want to, because I know that there was someone else behind me. It was God."

"I don’t deny I’m lonely. Deeply so. A king, when he doesn’t have to account to anyone for what he says and does, is inevitably very much alone. But I’m not entirely alone because I’m accompanied by a force that others can’t see. My mystical force. And the I get messages. Religious messages. I’m very, very religious. I believe in God, and I’ve always said that if God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him. Oh, I feel so sorry for those poor souls who don’t have God. You can’t live without God. I’ve lived with God ever since the age of five. That is, since God gave me those visions."

"When you think I’ve been wounded by a good five bullets, one in the face, one in the shoulder, one in the head, two in the body, and that the last one stuck in the barrel because the trigger jammed... You have to believe in miracles. I’ve had so many air disasters, and yet I’ve always come out unscathed – thanks to a miracle while by God and the prophets."

"Today the name of America has a magic meaning for the most distant communities of the world."

"I heard the voice of your revolution... As Shah of Iran as well as an Iranian citizen, I cannot but approve your revolution... Let all of us work together to establish real democracy in Iran … I make a commitment to be with you and your revolution against corruption and injustice in Iran."

"As far as we are concerned, we are not the toys of any country, including the United States."

"Nobody can influence me, nobody. Still less a woman. Women are important in a man's life only if they're beautiful and charming and keep their femininity."

"O Cyrus, great King, King of Kings, Achaemenian King, King of the land of Iran. I, the Shahanshah of Iran, offer thee salutations from myself and from my nation. Rest in peace, for we are awake, and we will always stay awake."

"Once more, the spectre of Cold War is everywhere. Defence budgets, a decimal part of which could free humanity from hunger, disease, illiteracy, and poverty, instead of decreasing, have grown. The gap between 'the haves' and 'the have-nots' is daily widening. Many nations seem to be politically independent but cannot use their independence to deal with their problems or to prosper because foreign influence and interference is still strong. Fratricide and similar savagery in the world sting the human conscience. Racial discrimination a mark of shame on twentieth-century man, although intolerable to most humans can still be seen in various parts of the world. And the power-seeking policies of the strong are hampering the execution of United Nations' ideals."

"Taking Iran's history as witness, I declare that we, the Pahlavi Dynasty, nurse no love but that for Iran, and no zeal but that for the dignity of Iranians; recognise no duty but that of serving our state and our nation. As the commander of this monarchy, I make a covenant with Iran's history that this golden epic of modern Iran will be carried on to complete victory, and that no power on earth shall ever be able to stand against the bond of steel between the Shah and the nation. We shall never again be caught unawares. The nation and the Imperial Arrned Forces, which come from the ranks of the people and derive their power from our inexhaustible national resources, are alert day in and day out to protect their country. No foreigner or his agents will ever have the chance to penetrate the unshakable structure of our national sovereignty because Iran's destiny is now shaped by Iranians and for Iranians - and this shall always be the case."

"... some parties think that only the rules laid down by their doctrines are the right ones. Our strength resides in the fact that our revolution does not desire the triumph of one class or of one ideology over another.... Ours is a White Revolution: we adopt no slogan but we embrace everything which seems good to us, whether it be labelled communism, socialism or capitalism.... My final aim is to bring Iran, within twenty years, to the same l"

"Why should we put up with the present evils in our society? As opposed to the society we are visualizing, the present one can be described as a diseased one. The evils are there on all levels, international and national, and even within the smaller units such as towns and families. Of course, the disease did not appear like a bolt from the blue, either yesterday, or last year. It is the result of factors that have deep roots and long lives. These consist of privations, discriminations, oppressions, bigotries, hatreds, and hostilities; poverty, ignorance, hunger, and illiteracy. Each and all of these have been left to us as ar evil heritage from the past. The fundamental difference between our situation today and that of our forefathers is that now knowledge has enabled us to realize that these evils are neither natural nor inevitable in the same way as we have found that cholera or the bubonic plague are not necessary calamities."

"I perfectly understand the particular attention which you pay to the question of nuclear energy, and fully realize the possible dangers and catastrophes which might result for mankind from an irresponsible attitude. In this field my wish is for Iran to put all her efforts towards the peaceful use of atomic energy. We shall continue to co-operate with all the nations of the world to attain this end in the interests of human society."

"What do these feminists want? What do you want? You say equality. Oh! I don't want to seem rude, but ...you're equal in the eyes of the law but not, excuse my saying so, in ability."

"You've never produced a Michleangelo or a Bach. You've never even produced a great chef. And if you talk to me about opportunity, all I can say is, are you joking? Have you ever lacked the opportunity, to give history a great chef? You've produced nothing great, nothing!"

"We firmly believe that the withdrawal of occupation forces from Iraq will result in a speedy resolution to most of the problems that country is currently struggling with."

"Today, the security of Muslim countries in the region is being threatened by a blind terrorism scourge, Israel and America."

"In my opinion, negotiating with America is like shaking hands with Satan, and dancing with wolves, because the Americans are interested in negotiations for negotiations' sake....By negotiating with us, they are trying to intimidate the world of Islam and the Islamic movements, saying: "Even Islamic Iran, which you follow and which serves as your model, eventually had no choice but to get along with us."

"During the entire period of occupation of Afghanistan, we were the country that provided the most support to the Afghans."

"He [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] wanted to say that if certain people have created troubles for the Jewish community they should bear the expenses, and it is not others who should pay for that."

"Iranian intelligence services have acquired information that show the United States, Britain and Israel have been behind the unrest in various parts of Iran, including Khuzistan, Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan in the past few years."

"Four years ago, the US launched an attack on Iraq under the pretext of bringing democracy and security to the country, but today they urge Iran to help them establish security in Baghdad."

"Occupiers have a role in spreading insecurity and terror in Iraq to justify their illegitimate presence there."

"The Israeli government knows very well that if it makes a mistake, the regime will treat the 10,000 Jews living in Iran differently."

"The existence of such an [international Islamic] army rules out the superpowers' interference in disputes among Muslim countries."

"The American empire is hovering between life and death."

"We have information that the US ambassador in Iraq held a meeting with several terrorist groups in Iraq, and told them three things. he told them, first of all, to stop aiming their rifles at America. Second, he told them to direct their struggle towards Iran, and third, to direct it towards the Shiites in Iraq."

"It seems that in the world of politics, lying is not such a big deal."

"The important thing is what we do, and not the deceitful theory of reading others' intentions. This is also a new thing — they say: "We know that Iran's intention is to pursue nuclear weapons." Do you have a device that reads intentions?"

"Article 11 of the NPT states that if we are threatened, we can act in secret."

"The thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it."

"You should make the world understand that Israel is the oppressor and that Israel must be destroyed."

"The people of Afghanistan should know that America is not their friend and that America's war and peace with all other countries are based on its own interests."

"Islam is a religion that wants to run the world. It has done so before and eventually, will run it (again)....Islam came and abrogated all (other religions)....Its high time Iraq established a Just Islamic regime under the supervision of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani and God willing, they will get somewhere."

"Bush has said something new. He said, "If I will be president again, I will be a man of peace and serenity." May the Lord curse the liars, wherever they may be."

"I recommend that the pilgrims [to Mecca and Al-Medina] pray there, that they be persistent in their prayer. Prayer is a very good way of worshiping God. They should not forget to pray. But for every prayer there should also be a curse. Your prayers should also include curses. Pray for the good and curse the evil. Say: "My Lord, end the lives of three people shortly – Bush, Sharon, and Blair. End their lives and the lives of their followers. Ask the Lord."

"Following World War II, the Jews... The Zionists tried to present themselves as oppressed, and to have opportunities in the world. They invented a false claim. They said that Hitler, the Germans, and the Austrians burned six million Jews in crematoria - six million Jews. They tried very hard to convince the world that this issue, this lie, was true, and they succeeded."

"A hardliner, Meshkini was among the proponents of the theory that the legitimacy of Iran's clerics to rule the country is derived from God."

"Although he had a top position in the Islamic Republic as the head of the Leadership Assembly of Experts, he always lived a humble life."

"Khayyam measured the length of the year as 365.24219858156 days. Two comments on this result. Firstly it shows an incredible confidence to attempt to give the result to this degree of accuracy. We know now that the length of the year is changing in the sixth decimal place over a person's lifetime. Secondly it is outstandingly accurate. For comparison the length of the year at the end of the 19th century was 365.242196 days, while today it is 365.242190 days."

"Against death’s arrows what are bucklers worth? What all the pomps and riches of the earth? When I survey the world I see no good But goodness, all beside is nothing worth."

"On that dread day when wrath shall rend the sky, And darkness dim the bright stars’ galaxy, I’ll seize the Loved One by the skirt and cry, ‘Why hast thou doomed these guiltless ones to die?’"

"If you seek Him, abandon child and wife, Forsake and sever all these ties to life; All these are bonds that check your upward course, Arise and cut these bonds as with a knife."

"For him that’s good my very life I’d sell, Yea, though he trod me down, I’d count it well, Men say ‘Inform us what and where is hell?’ Bad company will make this earth a hell."