Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, made the remarks in a meeting with members of the organizing committee of the National Congress for the Commemoration of the Martyrs of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province on August 14, 2024.

The following is the full text of the speech delivered by the Leader as published on his official website:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and greetings be upon our Master, Abul Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and his untainted, pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.

Welcome my dear brothers and sisters in your coming here [today]. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank all of you for your attention to this great duty and significant religious obligation of keeping the memory of the martyrs alive. “Martyrdom” is a valuable heritage. The sacrifices made by a nation’s youth serve as a tremendous spiritual and material backing for the advancement of that nation. This heritage must be preserved, and it must not be lost, forgotten, or distorted. The importance of your work lies in safeguarding this heritage.

Both the statements made by the honorable Friday Prayer Leader along with the very good written piece presented by our brother from the Revolutionary Guards contained valuable, accurate content. Regarding recommendations for our officials, I will, God willing, mention some recommendations. Mr. Aref [Iran’s Vice President] is present here [today], and I will talk about these matters with the President [later] too, God willing. We hope these people [of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad] will receive the attention they deserve in line with their dignity and the spiritual and national value that they have for our country.

The Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province — that area, whether we look at it as a province or in any other form that it had in the past — has a long history of sacrifice and struggle as mentioned. The various periods in the past are a topic in themselves, but what I remember about our era is that from the very beginning of the struggles in 1963, Mr. Malek-Hosseini’s father, a prominent scholar in that region, issued a statement which was unique. It was strong and courageous, and the [Pahlavi] regime took it seriously, because they knew that if he [Mr. Malek-Hosseini] were to order the local nomadic tribes to jihad, they would fight, and this did happen to some extent.

At that time, the regime asked another ethnic group, also a dear people, to go and fight the nomadic people of the Boyer-Ahmad region. However, a Sunni scholar there prevented this from happening. We need to keep in mind what the interactions between our religious, national, and ethnic groups were like in this country. A Sunni scholar didn’t allow the regime’s plan for inciting conflict between the Baloch people and the nomads of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad to be carried out. He intervened, opposed that plan, and issued a fatwa against it. This is what took place in that region.

During the Sacred Defense, or the Imposed War, the people from this region were truly remarkable in their participation both after the formation of the Fath Brigade and even before that when its elements were dispersed in various units. They worked hard and were able to do good things. Numerous memoirs from that era have since been documented in the historical accounts of the Sacred Defense. One notable example involves a battalion of the Fath Brigade that was stationed on Majnoon Island. It successfully withstood a large Iraqi Ba’athist division for two to three days. They resisted without retreating. Of course, they suffered casualties, but they were able to secure that area. So, this type of action [of the people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad] is recorded in the annals of history of the Sacred Defense.

I would like to mention one thing. One of the foundations of the psychological warfare waged by the enemies of any nation, and especially during our time against our dear nation and Islamic Iran, is to exaggerate the power of that nation’s enemies. This has been taking place since the beginning of the Revolution. Through various means, this message has constantly been conveyed, instilled, and injected into our people that they should be afraid — afraid of the US, afraid of the Zionists, afraid of the British, and afraid of other such entities. This has always been the case.

One of Imam Khomeini’s greatest skills was dispelling this fear from the hearts of the people, instilling a sense of trust in the people, and giving the people a feeling of self-confidence. The [Iranian] nation felt they had an inner strength and capability that they could rely on to achieve great things, and that the enemy was not as powerful as it portrayed itself as being.

When such a psychological warfare technique is used by the enemy in the military domain, the result is fear and retreat. The Holy Quran has described this and explained that such a retreat incurs divine wrath, “And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day — unless he turns aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company — then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah’s wrath” (8:16).

Suppose you are facing an enemy that is attacking you, and there are various types of attackers. Sometimes the attacker confronts you with a sword on the battlefield, sometimes the attack is by means of propaganda, sometimes it’s an attack on the economy, or sometimes it’s military using modern weapons. Suppose you retreat for non-tactical reasons in the face of this, although sometimes retreating can be a tactic just like advancing, and there is nothing wrong with that, “unless he turns aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company” (8:16). That is a [valid] tactic. [But] if the retreat is for any other reason, “then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah’s wrath” (8:16). That’s how it is on the battlefield, and it’s exactly the same in the political field [and incurs divine wrath].

In the political field, exaggerating the enemy’s power causes people to feel isolated, weak, and incapable of handling the situation. The outcome of this is that they will surrender to the enemy’s demands. When instructed to “do this,” they comply, and when told “don’t do that,” they readily agree as well. As we see today, there are various types of governments with both large and small nations that act in this manner. They say “yes” to whatever they are told and have no will of their own.

Now, at the diplomatic table and in diplomatic negotiations, there are definitely certain protocols and conditions. That “yes” can be expressed in various forms. However, the truth is that it’s the same “yes” that you see. But if those same individuals rely on their own people and domestic capabilities, if they recognize the true nature of their enemy, and if they understand that the enemy isn’t as powerful as they portray themselves to be, they can refrain from saying “yes.” But they don’t pay attention to this and say “yes.” That is the situation in the field of politics.

In the field of culture, this magnification [of the enemy] is manifested in different ways, such as having a sense of passivity, being captivated by the opposing culture, belittling one’s own culture, and taking pride in adhering to a foreign culture. There are some people who take pride in using foreign words when they speak or write. They are proud to refrain from using the Persian equivalent and to use the foreign term instead.

Now, there are times when there is no Persian equivalent. For example, the word for television [in Persian] is television. We don’t have a Persian word for it. Although we could have created a word for it when it was first introduced, now we’re forced to say “television.” However, for many other common words from foreign languages, it isn’t necessary to use the foreign term. One of the results of such magnification [of the enemy] is that we then accept and embrace their culture, their customs, their behaviors, and their lifestyle. You see, this is the enemy’s psychological warfare.

Who stood up against this psychological warfare with all their might? They are the very youth that you are now honoring and celebrating. They truly are great people. That young person from a certain place in the country, a certain city, a certain tribe, a certain province went and stood up against the enemy. They weren’t afraid on the battlefield, nor were they influenced by the enemy’s political rhetoric. They refused to accept the enemy’s culture. These are the very people who should be appreciated and valued. They are the ones who have stood up against this psychological warfare with all their might. Keep this tradition alive. Describe and show this truth in these commemorations. This is what I want to say.

All these things you mentioned, such as manuscripts, books, films, commemorations, naming streets, avenues, and stadiums, etc., are all good. All of these are necessary. But some of them become outdated. For example, when you name a street after a martyr, that is very good. But after three or four years, people say “Martyr Beheshti Street” without even remembering Martyr Beheshti.

For example, consider if you want to go to Martyr Beheshti Street and you are asked where you are going. You reply, “Martyr Beheshti Street,” but no one actually remembers our dear Martyr Beheshti. Some of these things are like that. But that’s alright; do it anyway. However, some things last longer, things like films and especially books, which are truly everlasting. You should make sure that these things have an impact.

Let’s say you publish a book. Very well, how many people will read this book? How many people will take notes on it after reading it? How many people will use these notes and exchange them with others when they sit with their friends? Consider these points and find a solution. What can be done so that this book, which is more enduring than films and other forms, can bring about a transformation in the reader’s mind?

We have tens of millions of young people in our country. Let’s say, for example, that this book is printed ten times and 2,000 copies are printed each time, which is the maximum number of copies for each print. That would be 20,000 copies in total. Twenty thousand copies is a very small number compared to 20 million [young people]. What we need to do is to first ensure that 20,000 people actually read the book. And second, we should strive to do something for this book to have a profound influence on the lives of these 20,000 readers. The character that you have described and portrayed should have an impact on their lifestyles, their views, and their cultural identity. That should be your goal.

I always recommend that individuals like yourselves who gather here to commemorate our martyrs think about the outcome. Just doing something isn’t enough. These efforts are tools for achieving a purpose. Otherwise, if you have a wrench that you don’t use, or if it isn’t the right size for the bolts and nuts you need to loosen, it’s useless. Our actions and the things we do must be tools that have an effect.

God willing, may God bless you with success and may you be assisted (by Him). May God shower His mercy on the dear martyrs of that region and province, elevate their ranks, grant us their intercession, and may He, through His grace and kindness, unite us with them.

May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.

MNA