Pars Today

Today we are going to talk about other parts of Ayatollah Khamenei’s second letter for the Western youths especially those living in Europe and North America.

Today state terrorism, rendering ample spiritual and material support for terrorist groups, has staged widespread civil wars in some of the Islamic countries. This has caused the people of these countries to live in constant horror and threat to their life and properties. This terrorism has just stretched its tentacles into the European soil and panicked the European people. By the way, why has the West failed to fight terrorism despite its claims of hoisting the banner of this fight and also claiming to maintain the global security?

Most of the observers of international affairs believe that terrorist groups are created and nurtured by Western countries themselves. One of the reasons for this is to exploit terrorism in the direction of their own political and economic interests. Ayatollah Khamenei says, “ The most obvious example of state terrorism in West Asia (Middle East) is the usurper Zionist regime of Israel. For decades the regime has unleashed carnage and barbarism against the Palestinian people and deprived them of their most fundamental rights. But, how come the Western governments, who feign concerned about the rights of the West Asian people, have no firm and serious resolve in confronting the most conspicuous manifestation of state terrorism? Aren’t the lives of millions of innocent women and children in Palestine and elsewhere worth as much as the lives of 100 Europeans to trigger prompt concern and measure by the “defenders of human rights?”

Ayatollah Khamenei says in this regard, “As long as double-standards dominate Western policies, until terrorism- in the view of its powerful supporters- is divided into “good” and “bad” types, and until governmental interests are given precedence over human values and ethics, the roots of violence should not be searched for in other places.”

While the Western governments adopt such hypocritical policies on terrorism and human rights, there is no hope for improvement of conditions. Ayatollah Khamenei says in this regard, “I genuinely believe that it is only you youth who by learning the lessons of today’s hardship, have the power to discover new means for building the future and who can be barriers in the misguided path that has brought the west to its current impasse.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution suggests some mechanisms for the Western youths to create calm and security and remove the climate of fear and panic. Reformation of the violence-breeding thought and avoiding hasty reactions are among these mechanisms. What the Western media shows and propagates on Islam is totally different from the spirit of this religion. If the youths in Europe and America are impacted by this propaganda-hype they won’t be able to decide rationally and logically against violent acts to restore calm in their societies. Ayatollah Khamenei has written in his letter, “How is it possible that such garbage as DAESH comes out of one of the most ethical and humane religious schools which as part of its inner core, includes the notion that taking the life of one human being is equivalent to killing the whole humanity?”

Undoubtedly, enjoying human dignity and honesty is one of the fundamental principles of human rights which can never be conditioned. Furthermore, attaining security and calm in society requires not only the omission of violence but unequal living conditions. Discriminatory remarks or behaviors against the European Muslims will not cure any pain but they will create gaps and will increase tension in society.

The leader elaborates this issue in his letter, “Any rushed and emotional reaction which would isolate, intimidate and create more anxiety for the Muslim communities living in Europe and America- which are comprised of millions of active and responsible human beings- and which would deprive them of their basic rights more than has already happened and which would drive them away from society- not only will not solve the problem but will increase the chasms and resentments.”

In the view of Ayatollah Khamenei such emotional reactions will escalate the existing polarizations especially if they are legalized. These polarizations can be increased both inside the Western countries and between the Islamic and Western civilizations. He writes, “According to reports received, some countries in Europe have issued guidelines encouraging citizens to spy on Muslims. This behavior is unjust and we all know that pursuing injustice has the characteristic of unwanted reversibility. Besides, Muslims do not deserve such ill-treatment. For centuries, the Western world has known Muslims well- the day that Westerners were guests in Islamic lands and were attracted to the riches of their hosts and on another day when they were hosts and benefitted from the efforts and thoughts of Muslims- they generally experienced nothing but kindness and forbearance.”

Emergence of flagrant violence and terrorism in any society needs proper ground to be set for such acts. Discrimination and inequality cause hatred and resentment against society and if the ground is set it will emerge. For sure, the repercussions of the industrial revolution in the West and the ensuing racial, structural and religious discriminations caused inequalities in many sectors of society and created complexes of identity among citizens.

Ayatollah Khamenei referring to the root causes of violence in the West, writes, “One has to ask why people who are born in Europe and who have been intellectually and mentally nurtured in that environment are attracted to such groups? Can we really believe that people with only one or two trips to war zones, suddenly become so extreme that they can riddle the bodies of their compatriots with bullets? On this matter, we certainly cannot forget about the effects of a life nurtured in a pathologic culture in a corrupt environment borne out of violence. On this matter, we need complete analyses, analyses that see the hidden and apparent corruptions. Maybe a deep hate- planted in the years of economic and industrial growth and borne out of inequality and possibly legal and structural discriminations- created ideas that every now and again appear in a sickening manner.”

RM/ME