Shia Clerics

"Instead of being tried as the accused, they acted like the plaintiff and with increased malice and vileness, they revealed their long-standing enmity towards the Islamic Republic and towards any flag of Islam raised to confront kufr and arrogance."

"The hearts of their families are still broken and bereaved and our people remain grief-stricken and angry. Instead of apology and remorse and judicial prosecution of those who were directly at fault in that horrifying event, Saudi rulers- with utmost shamelessness and insolence- refused to allow the formation of an international Islamic fact-finding committee."

"Almost one year has now passed since the horrifying events in Mina, as a result of which several thousand people tragically lost their lives- under the hot sun with thirsty lips- and this happened on the day of Eid while they were in the clothes of ihram. Shortly before that, another group of people were crushed to death in Masjid ul-Haraam while they were worshiping and performing and . Saudi rulers were at fault in both cases. This is what all those present, observers and technical analysts agree upon. Some experts maintain that the events were premeditated. The hesitation and failure to rescue the half-dead and injured people, whose enthusiastic souls and enthralled hearts were accompanying their praying tongues on , is also obvious and incontrovertible. The heartless and murderous Saudis locked up the injured with the dead in containers- instead of providing medical treatment and helping them or at least quenching their thirst. They murdered them."

"Saudi rulers, who have obstructed the path of Allah and this year and who have blocked the proud and faithful Iranian pilgrims’ path to the Beloved’s House, are disgraced and misguided people who think their survival on the throne of oppression is dependent on defending the arrogant powers of the world, on alliances with Zionism and the U.S. and on fulfilling their demands. And on this path, they do not shy away from any treason."

"For Muslims, the season of is the season of pride and glory in the eyes of God’s servants, the season of enlightening hearts, the season of humility before the Creator and of solemn prayer. Hajj is a heavenly, earthly, divine and communal obligation. ... During this unparalleled obligation, temporal and spatial security bestows tranquility on the hearts of human beings like a clear sign and a brilliant star and draws hajj pilgrims out of the siege of insecurity by domineering oppressors that constantly threatens humanity and it helps humanity taste the pleasure of security during a particular period of time. ... Abrahamic hajj, which Islam has presented to Muslims as a gift, is the manifestation of pride, spirituality, unity and glory. It demonstrates to ill-wishers and enemies the greatness of the Islamic and its reliance on God’s eternal power. It highlights the distance between Muslims and the cesspool of corruption, humiliation and tyranny that international oppressors and bullies impose on human communities. ... Those who have reduced hajj to a religious-tourist trip and have hidden their enmity and malevolence towards the faithful and revolutionary people of Iran under the name of “politicizing hajj”, are themselves small and puny satans who tremble for fear of jeopardizing the interests of the Great Satan, the U.S."

"It goes without saying that the slogan does not mean death to the American nation; this slogan means death to the US’s policies, death to arrogance."

"To the Youth in Europe and North America, The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them. I am addressing you, [the youth], not because I overlook your parents, rather it is because the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands; and also I find that the sense of quest for truth is more vigorous and attentive in your hearts. I don’t address your politicians and statesmen either in this writing because I believe that they have consciously separated the route of politics from the path of righteousness and truth. I would like to talk to you about Islam, particularly the image that is presented to you as Islam. Many attempts have been made over the past two decades, almost since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, to place this great religion in the seat of a horrifying enemy. The provocation of a feeling of horror and hatred and its utilization has unfortunately a long record in the political history of the West. Here, I don’t want to deal with the different phobias with which the Western nations have thus far been indoctrinated. A cursory review of recent critical studies of history would bring home to you the fact that the Western governments’ insincere and hypocritical treatment of other nations and cultures has been censured in new historiographies. The histories of the United States and Europe are ashamed of slavery, embarrassed by the colonial period and chagrined at the oppression of people of color and non-Christians. Your researchers and historians are deeply ashamed of the bloodsheds wrought in the name of religion between the Catholics and Protestants or in the name of nationality and ethnicity during the First and Second World Wars. This approach is admirable. By mentioning a fraction of this long list, I don’t want to reproach history; rather I would like you to ask your intellectuals as to why the public conscience in the West awakens and comes to its senses after a delay of several decades or centuries. Why should the revision of collective conscience apply to the distant past and not to the current problems? Why is it that attempts are made to prevent public awareness regarding an important issue such as the treatment of Islamic culture and thought? You know well that humiliation and spreading hatred and illusionary fear of the “other” have been the common base of all those oppressive profiteers. Now, I would like you to ask yourself why the old policy of spreading “phobia” and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. Why does the power structure in the world want Islamic thought to be marginalized and remain latent? What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam? Hence, my first request is: Study and research the incentives behind this widespread tarnishing of the image of Islam. My second request is that in reaction to the flood of prejudgments and disinformation campaigns, try to gain a direct and firsthand knowledge of this religion. The right logic requires that you understand the nature and essence of what they are frightening you about and want you to keep away from."

"Don’t allow the colonialists to introduce their terrorists as representatives of Islam (January 21, 2015)"

"What western media describe as "romance", is not true love. It’s a fleeting sexual excitement with no sense of responsibility involved."

"Despite using chemical weapons against the people of Sardasht, and before that the people of Halabja [in Iraq], America and Europe supported the Ba'athist regime for many years. As long as they could use Saddam, they did not oppose him. This is another standard for clarifying the truth of Western claims."

"Today in many western countries, nobody dares question the Holocaust whose nature is questionable. According to the reports I have received, in America if people decide to write something against homosexuality on the basis of psychological and sociological principles, they will be prevented from publishing their work. How is it that these people feel obligated to respect freedom of expression?"

"The wave of Islamic Awakening has reached numerous countries in the region, including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine. The fall of dictators in these nations and the victories in the Middle East and North Africa are a result of the might and power of God and not men. Therefore the Zionists, the Great Satan, and the Western powers were powerless in the face of the Islamic Awakening."

"The great powers have dominated the destiny of the Islamic countries for years and… installed the Zionist cancerous tumor in the heart of the Islamic world… Many of the problems facing the Muslim world are due to the existence of the Zionist regime."

"Pakistan has nuclear weapons, but it does not have security. On the other hand, we do not have nuclear weapons but we are a secure country and we have the power to defend ourselves and protect our security. Therefore, the production of nuclear weapons is considered ḥarām based on Ayatollah Khamenei's fatwā and it is not subject to change."

"From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this… The Zionist regime is a cancerous tumor that must be removed, and God willing it will be."

"If people get into the habit of using their free time for reading books, our society will greatly advance and the country's culture will progress."

"Israel Is A Hideous Entity In the Middle East Which Will Undoubtedly Be Annihilated."

"The European races are barbaric. They wear freshly pressed suits and ties, and they smell of eau de cologne, but deep down, they still have the same barbaric nature known from history. They kill with ease. They murder people without any problem. Therefore, beating women in their homes is of no consequence to the Europeans and Americans, whereas in an Islamic environment, it is unimaginable."

"Today, you are hated throughout the world. If you don't know this, you should. The peoples burn your flag. The Islamic peoples all over the world chant: "Death to America!""

"Preventing women from acquiring education and improving their knowledge is an injustice not only to them but to society as a whole, because when women enter an arena, their families do the same. This is not true of men. Furthermore, it is injustice if women are not given the opportunity to exercise their scientific, creative, political, and social talents. Therefore, it is unjust and against Islamic principles if women are not allowed to exercise their rights by choosing their own profession, their own spouse—or choose to divorce and have the right to continue having a healthy relationship with their children."

"Let's say they bombed Natanz or Isfahan's facilities, how can they bomb knowledge? You see, knowledge brings immunity and power. … Those who threaten to bomb Iran, even if they bomb the nuclear facilities, they cannot achieve their goals."

"Freedom is the gift of God and the Revolution. Freedom belongs to the people and is their fundamental need."

"Being culturally dominated is even more perilous than being economically and politically dominated. Why? The reason is that when a nation culturally dominates another nation, the national identity of the nation that is held under domination is lost. … Cultural interchange is a good thing. Cultural invasion is something horrific. Cultural interchange usually happens when a nation is prosperous. Cultural invasion takes place when a nation is feeble."

"Should the Iranian nation beg for the right of exploitation of nuclear energy from the bullying world powers until they accept that the nation has a nuclear right?... No. This is not the way of a free and independent nation... Rights cannot be achieved by entreating. If you supplicate, withdraw and show flexibility, arrogant powers will make their threat more serious."

"Today, America poses a threat to peace and security in the world. Therefore, the slogan "Death to America" is no longer used only by our people. Today, you see throughout the world people setting fire to the effigy of the American president and chanting the slogan "Death to America." This is because of the American regime's exaggerated demands, its arrogance, its vanity, and its desire to control, and because it is a pawn in the hands of the Zionists.""

"Our people say "Death to America," and this is like saying "I seek God's refuge from the accursed Satan," which is recited before any chapter of the Koran, even before "In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful." Why is this? So the believer will never forget, even for a moment, the presence of Satan. So he will never forget, even for a moment, that Satan is ready to attack him and to destroy his spiritual shield and is faith... The saying "Death to America" is for this purpose."

"Western countries allow no freedom of expression, which they claim to advocate, with regard to the myth of the massacre of Jews known as the holocaust, and nobody in the West enjoys the freedom of expression to deny it or raise doubts about it. But affronting the sanctities of about 1.5 billion Muslims is permissible in the West."

"The Iraqi people will hate any government established in Iraq that will be recognized as appointed by the Americans, just as the Americans are hated. The Americans' coming to Iraq was a mistake. Their staying was a mistake. Their behavior with the population was a mistake... They must know that certainly, the Islamic world and chiefly the Shiite world will not stay silent in face of this."

"The Americans are stuck in Iraq and have no way out. They are like a wolf whose tail has been caught in a trap."

"When the world criticizes Iran for making a bomb, doing so is a sign of Iran's progress. It shows how far Iran has come from the pre-revolutionary era to a post-revolutionary era. Prior to the revolution, 70 percent of the population was uneducated, in comparison to now when Iran is producing nuclear energy independent from reliance on foreign powers. Iran is one of the ten countries that have been able to produce nuclear energy. … All these accomplishments Iran has made have sprung from an infant regime in the aftermath of an eight-year war."

"Our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) managed to restore our dignity and eliminate the long-standing hegemony of autocracy and colonialism by returning to Islam, by adhering to Islam. He managed to give our people a sense of identity and made them feel that they can stand on their own feet, that they can say "yes" or "no" in the case of essential matters. Our people had been deprived of such things for centuries. It was Islam that gave these things to our people. In any country in any part of the world where the waves of Islamic Awakening are strengthened or started and the people and youth of that country feel that they are moving closer to Islam, there will be this renewed sense of identity and dignity."

"The U.S. officials are now revealing their true nature. In his recent speech, the U.S. president spoke like a person who is thirsty for the blood of human beings! He threatened and leveled baseless accusations against other governments and nations. Considering the existing realities on the ground, most of the nations in the world have now come to the conclusion that the U.S. is really the Great Satan. This belief is also substantiated by concrete evidence."

"The purchase of any item which helps strengthen Zionism is not permissible."

"There are documents showing close collaboration of the Zionists with the Nazi Germany, and exaggerated numbers relating to the Jewish holocaust were fabricated to solicit sympathy of the world public opinion, lay the ground for the occupation of Palestine and to justify the atrocities of the Zionists. There is even evidence on hand that a large number of non-Jewish hooligans and thugs of Eastern Europe were forced to migrate to Palestine as Jews. The purpose was to install in the heart of the Islamic world an anti-Islamic state under the guise of supporting the victims of racism and to create a rift between the East and the West of the Islamic world after 1400 years of unity between those two parts."

"It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region."

"In an Islamic system, meaning a religious democracy, the people choose and decide the future of the governance of the country and select their leaders. But this choice and their decision are under the shadow of the divine guidance and never leave that protection. This is the main point in religious democracy. This is the Islamic Revolution's gift to the people of Iran."

"Furthermore, all the Western politicians, intellectuals and journalists are obliged to pay homage and bow to the monument that commemorates those allegedly killed in the Nazi concentration camps. In other words, all should acknowledge the veracity of something that has not been proven! This is also one of the propaganda means being applied by the Zionists to portray themselves as the victims of persecution!"

"Insulting the Constitution or the politics of the country are not small matters. These newspapers, without knowing whom to blame, insult the system, the Sepah, the Basij, and the clerics. What are their intentions? Why are they opposing Basij to this extent? Imam Khomeini invented the Basij. There is no better organization than Basij to employ the spirit and energy of youth in a healthy way. Where is their animosity toward the Basij coming from? Why are they questioning Basij so much?"

"Freedom that exists in the Islamic Republic today does not exist anywhere else. People are free to express their views and opinions. From the very beginning a group of people in the Islamic Republic claimed that we do not have freedom. They even bluntly broadcast it in the media—on radio, on television, in the newspapers. In the Islamic Republic everything is based on the will of the people. … A system that is based on the loyalty of its people is a strong system, and the enemy cannot hurt it. It is because of this freedom that the sciences, industry, education, and knowledge grow in this nation."

"Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region… No one will allow a bunch of thugs, lechers and outcasts from London, America and Moscow to rule over the Palestinians."

"Today the world has far more potential than in the past to understand the message of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a). The more human knowledge increases, the more likely it becomes that the message of Islam will gain ground. The more powerful people in different parts of the world use brutal tools in order to suppress human feelings and to bring them under their yoke, the more the ground will be prepared for identifying the light of Islam and the more thirsty human beings will become for Islam. Today we see the signs of this thirst for the message of Islam, which is the message of monotheism, the message of spirituality, the message of justice, the message of human dignity. Human beings are enthusiastic about the message of Islam."

"[There is only one possible solution to unrest in the Middle East], "namely the annihilation and destruction of the Zionist state.""

"What is unacceptable is for publications to operate through the support of the people, yet act against their interests by spreading lies and casting false and malicious accusations. These publications are not expressing their views, but have become the propaganda machines for Israeli and American media. Those who violate Islamic principles and act against the security of the nation forfeit the right to exercise that freedom [i.e. of expression]."

"The basic needs of human beings today have not changed from those of people who lived thousands, or even tens of thousands of years ago. The basic needs of human beings are security, freedom, knowledge, and a life free from discrimination and oppression. The needs that have sprung up today can be satisfied within the framework and under the umbrella of these basic needs. These needs can be met only through the blessings of God's religion."

"In Islam, if one operates against the interests of the country, one's freedom will be limited. This is both logical and spiritual."

"When our nation struggled and fought against the Shah's regime, in actuality it was a revolt against America. … The imposed Iran–Iraq War is an example of America's attempted meddling against this revolution. We do not doubt that this war occurred at America's behest. As long as America's policies are based on domination and aggression, there will be no relations with America."

"When Khomeini talked about capitalism and the impunity of American advisors, he explained these things in a way that his audience understood. He made his followers understand that his movement was truly an Iranian movement. Therefore, the Pahlavi regime and America's entire apparatus of power realized that Imam Khomeini's leadership and his revolutionary movement represented a struggle against global domination."

"Without safeguarding social justice, our society will not be an Islamic society. Social justice means eradication of major gaps between different social classes, between the unjustified wealth of the affluent and the poor who have always been the most loyal defenders of the revolution."

"The global arrogant powers make the Islamic Revolution sound like a Shi'ite revolution. They make every effort to stop the Muslim world from calling the Islamic Republic of Iran's revolution, a revolution in the name of Islam, and Iran's government, an Islamic Republic. Iran does not distinguish between Shi'ites and Sunnis, but sees all Muslims as one, under the same banner of Islam."

"It is because of Islam that we are firmly standing against oppression. The world of oppression is ruled by America as the leader of a system that works to realize its interests. There is no other issue between America and Islamic Iran other than Islam. We are fighting for humankind. We have proven that Islam can save humanity. Islam is able to confront the world powers and disrupt their ruthless world order."