Leader: Young scientific elite the hope of Iran’s future

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday October 17 granted audience to outstanding and scientifically talented young personalities at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah.

After praising the excellent efforts of the young generation in various scientific fields that have ensured Iran’s steady progress, the Leader said there ought to be no room for indifference in economic war the enemies have imposed upon the Islamic Republic.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution told the audience: “I have written down a few details to discuss: one is about outstanding personalities, another is about universities, and the last – if there is time – is about the general affairs of the country.”

He lauded the outstanding personalities as a source of joy, glory, hope and an accurate image of the condition of the country, saying: When you take a look and see tens of thousands of outstanding personalities throughout the country, busy working in different areas, this corrects your image of the affairs in the country. Another perspective involves planning for the affairs of the country by providing managerial training to persons of lofty thoughts in order to make practicable their novel ideas.

Such talented person, he said, even when it comes to turning the oil-based economy into an independent, knowledge-based and resistant economy, they are influential.

He added: “If we did not have outstanding, active, diligent, and enthusiastic forces, we would not embark on changing our economy. However, when competent, industrious, and enthusiastic individuals are available for the decision-making section of the country, one, naturally, takes action. I have pointed this out to the officials in the charge of oil in our country. When they introduced the new plan on signing oil transactions, I said to them that they should discuss it with our youth and experts, saying, ‘we are extracting 30 percent from oil wells, but we want to make it 60 percent.’

Another perspective, said Ayatollah Khamenei, is the issue of Iran’s scientific progress of the country, which is our definite need. It means if we do not make progress in scientific areas, the threat of our civilizational, cultural, and political enemies will remain constant, and will only diminish when we make progress in scientific areas.

He said: “I have stressed this frequently. It is 20 years now that I have been stressing this, and I have frequently recounted this hadith from Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balagha that ‘knowledge is power’. On this basis our outstanding personalities can significantly contribute to the scientific progress of the country.”

The Leader called for expanding the frontiers of knowledge, saying: “We have had little participation in recent centuries in this field, since it was others who discovered steam power; it was others who discovered electricity; we too should actively participate and expand the borders of the country’s scientific progress. There are many forms of energy and our outstanding personalities should engage in discovering these new energies. Electricity existed since the beginning of the creation of the universe, but we did not know about it. Humans did not know about it, and they could not use it. Later on, a genius and an outstanding brain discovered it. Now, it has turned into the pivot of the entire human civilization. Why not discover—if you think there are—10, 20 other energy sources in the world of nature which can equally influence human life, progress, and prosperity?

“Well, our outstanding personalities should discover some of these hidden forms of energy and resources. Our outstanding personalities can be influential in improving life, in improving planning, in helping the country progress, and in helping the progress of humanity.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “There is one point which I cannot pass up, and that is the view towards the bitter recent two-hundred-year history of our country. You, youth – particularly the ones who are busy working in scientific fields and the like – have less information in this regard. This is because, unfortunately, you do not usually read up on history. We fell behind the caravan of world sciences for two hundred years because of ignoring outstanding personalities and Iranian talents. Well, the talent that you witness in the country, today, was not created all of a sudden. This talent has been there throughout history. The reason is the existence of the likes of such multisided geniuses as Abu Nasr Farabi, Ibn Sina [Avicenna], Khwarazmi, and hundreds of well-known scientists throughout the history of the world. So, this talent was there. Hence, why did we fall behind in the past 200 hundred years – when science was progressing at a fast rate – in a way that we would be described as one of the most backward countries in terms of modern science? --This is a bitter and very strange history.

“This lag was because of the incompetence of the rulers -- there is no other reason. Inefficient, materialistic, money-oriented, dependent and incompetent rulers who were arrogant and vain, but who would bow to foreigners without thinking about the interests of their nation: this was the condition of our country. --These are bitter realities.

“Of course, by Allah’s favor, today we have produced more scientific breakthroughs than our share – almost twice our share. In February, 1936 the University of Tehran – the first university of the country – was established. You should pay attention to these points. You good, pious, and intelligent youth should know these points about your country. Forty-four years later – in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution triumphed university students in the whole country stood at 150,000. Today, 40 years have passed since the Revolution and the students of our universities are more than four million, and we have several million graduates.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “This is the dark and bitter history of science and outstanding personalities in our country. In those days, scientific personalities did not use to be cultivated. Even if someone like Amir Kabir showed up, they would ruin him. In the Pahlavi era, the situation was even worse, but they would keep appearances. We used to suffer from scientific, cultural, moral and political backwardness. One should be thankful to the Islamic Republic, the Revolution, and our magnanimous Imam Khomeini for this great movement.

“Mutual interaction on the part of outstanding personalities means that they should employ all their faculties for the progress of the country. They can do this individually; and, sometimes, it is the government that should help. And the role of the government and the managerial system of the country is that it should render services by eliminating obstacles. Outstanding personalities should be dynamic, and they should improve themselves. It is not enough to be an outstanding personality. Dynamic, progressing, and active personalities are a great source of wealth for the country. --This is one point.

“Another point which should receive attention is that it has been proven throughout the world that nothing is as efficient as manpower in the progress of a country. This is completely clear. If there are noticeable and efficient human efforts, the country will progress. Otherwise, there will be no progress. So, human workforces are a treasure and a source of great wealth for every country including ours. Now that it is a treasure and a source of wealth, it is also subject to looting and plundering, just like any other source of wealth: the enemy is trying to take it away from the country.

“Of course, this is not particular to us – it might be more intensified in our dear country – rather, the hegemonic apparatus and the system of domination are trying to snatch this source of wealth away from all nations. Why are they trying to do so? So that they can use it himself? No, this is not the whole issue. They will use it to their own advantage if they can, but their main goal is to monopolize.

“The system of arrogance is after monopolization: scientific and technological monopolization, and the monopolization of wealth-generating and power-generating assets. --They are after this. That is why they assassinate scientists in other countries – they assassinated our nuclear scientists – because they do not want this source of wealth to exist in this country.

“As I said, this is not particular to us. In Iraq – in the three, four-year period of time when the Americans were directly in charge of the affairs of Iraq after the ousting of Saddam -- tens of Iraqi scientists were assassinated. The Americans knew that if those scientists would survive, with Saddam not being there, they would help the country move forward. That is why they identified and assassinated these scientists one by one: this is the case in other places as well. Notice that this is a monopoly. So, outstanding personalities are their targets.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “The way to prevent the enemy’s deception of the outstanding personalities of the country is to strengthen national identity and idealism. They should feel that they are Muslim Iranians. They should be proud of being Muslim Iranians. Exceptional people ought to be proud of continuing an honorable and valuable history. Once, our sciences dominated fields around the world. At one time, our philosophy used to be the best in the world. The same is true of our scientists, our laws, and our fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Of course, there has been a disruption for at least two hundred years. However, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, that great, historic movement has continued, and we have progressed despite all problems and obstacles.

“You, outstanding personalities, shoulder a heavy responsibility. Your talent and genius give you responsibilities. However, like all other responsibilities, this responsibility is a source of pride, honor, and dignity in this world and in the hereafter. By Allah’s favor, you will be honorable both in this world and in the hereafter. Notice that one of the enemy's methods is to wipe out ideas and identities: this is one of its goals. You should be careful about this point of attack coming from the side of the enemy.

“You cannot be indifferent in this war. When they surrounded the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), pushing him to accept the caliphate, he said: “If people had not come to me and supporters had not exhausted the argument and if there had been no pledge of Allah with the learned that they should not acquiesce to the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed, I would have cast the rope of caliphate on its own shoulders.”

“He said that he would not have accepted it if it had not been for that responsibility, but this responsibility exists. What is this responsibility? The gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed.”  

“Gluttony and greed that prevents individuals from moving forward and working: of course, this is metaphorical. Gluttony does not mean the mere eating of food, in this case, rather it means privileges, astronomical rewards, and payments.

“By the hunger of the oppressed, the Commander of the Faithful meant to say that if he had not had any concern and worry about his responsibility towards the greedy and the privileged on the one hand and towards the oppressed on the other hand, he would not have accepted the caliphate. After that, he says, “If there had been no pledge of Allah with the learned.” This means that your responsibility is not only to teach, but also to study and to research. One of your responsibilities is that “they should not acquiesce to the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed.” Did you get it?”

The Leader said: “Right now, there is a strong propaganda and media war against us, much like the Holy Defense Era. At the beginning of the war, we did not even have RPGs. Well, great battalions had rallied their forces against us. I was in Ahvaz, witnessing that the enemy’s battalions and armies would appear one after another. Well, our armies needed anti-cannon weaponry. And the one which is available, used by everyone, is the RPG, but we did not have any RPGs. The Army did not have the necessary organizational weapons either. We did not even have those weapons; meanwhile, the enemy had access to all sorts of weapons.

“Today we experience the same situation: our propagation and media resources against the enemy are similar to our resources against him in those days. Of course, in those days, we subdued the enemy: today, too, we will subdue him. Without a doubt, we will subdue him, but this is the same situation. With these extensive resources, the most important thing that the enemy wants to do is to create a false image of the conditions in the country, not only for the sake of deceiving the public throughout the world but also for the sake of deceiving the public's opinion inside our own country.

They talk so that you and I – who are breathing in the air of this environment – presume something other than the reality that exists. Well, this war does exist. If outstanding personalities cannot play their part, they have not carried out their duties. Therefore, the last point which I mentioned – carrying out scientific endeavors under the flag of justice, breaking monopolies, fighting against oppression, and attending to the various issues of those who live around outstanding personalities – are among the necessary tasks: this was about issues related to outstanding personalities.

“Of course, there is another issue in this regard, and that is about Iran's National Elites Foundation. I should thank the Elite Foundation. We should work day and night. Mr. Sattari cited Operation Val-Fajr 8 as an example, saying that our military organizations managed to strike 80 advanced military planes within a few days. He played a pivotal role in all those measures like his own father, the Martyred Air Force Brigadier Sattari. “They had divided the hawk missiles into two parts so that the enemy would not be able to trace them and strike our anti-aircraft weaponry. They would set up the launch machinery in one place and after firing the missiles, they would move it a few kilometers away so that the enemy would not be able to react. They would do such difficult tasks. They used to work day and night so that we would be able to strike 80, 90 advanced warplanes belonging to the enemy.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “I would like to say a few things about Iranian Universities. In the past four decades, Universities have been at the service of Iran. Some people criticize our universities, saying that they only care about ISI articles and the like. --This is my own criticism as well. I, too, have said many times that Universities should not merely comply with the demands of those who want the articles or who demand that one percent; rather, they should look and see what Iran wants.

However, it should not be uttered and presumed that universities are not at the service of the country's affairs; because, they have served: so many important construction projects have been carried out in Iran. Who has carried these projects out? University students have, most of whom were very young. I have written down in my notes that industries related to dam construction, power plants, bridge, and road construction have been developed in the country.

At the start of the war, I visited war zones. There, jihadi oriented youth came up to me saying that they were building silos. A silo is a complicated structure, unlike its appearance; some people think that it is just a column, but it is an elaborate and significant technical structure. So, they said that they were building silos. I said, “Can you do that?” They replied, “Sure, we can.” So, I answered: “All right, go do it, and I will help you.” That is how we turned into one of the developers of silos in the region. These geniuses were simply a number of young students. That was while before the Revolution, we used to buy our wheat from the US and our silos used to be built by the Soviet Union! This is one of the complaints that we used to make before the Revolution, in opposition to the regime. We used to have American wheat and Russian silos from the Soviet Union.

As for defense-related industries, our industries of defense are leading. Fortunately, one of the great aspects of cooperation between industries and universities has been defense-related industries: they cooperate with universities. Unfortunately, other organizations – executive organizations – have less cooperation. However, the following industries maintain good cooperation: industries related to defense, missiles, drones; and the important industry of nuclear energy with its various dimensions.

The Leader said: “A few years ago – when nuclear energy was still our inalienable right, they held a comprehensive exhibition at this Hussainiyah. Most attending the event were young. I entered the building, and I walked around the exhibition for one or two hours. All of the presenters were young, the same age as you. Such great achievements have been carried by young university students and graduates. Radar technology, aerospace industries, biological sciences, biotechnological sciences, tens of advanced products in manufacturing new medications and biological products have been developed.

“Additionally, the very important science and industry involving stem cells – which contains a great standing at a global level – has been developed upon by our young generation. They turned their scientific findings into developed technology, and they benefitted from that technology for medical treatment. Today, understanding stem cells is an important project in Iran, and it has led to great things. Stem cell research scientists are among high-ranking scientists throughout the globe.

“All these services have been rendered by universities. The relationship between universities and industries, including agricultural industries and the like is essential. --This would be a great achievement for both universities and industries.

“After nine years, the comprehensive scientific plan should be updated. Of course, the comprehensive scientific plan is well-organized, but nine years have passed since its preparation: this should be reviewed and updated. There are new issues which should be inserted. The next matter regards our scientific relations with countries in the direction of a quantum leap – Asian countries. We should mainly look to the East. Our inclination towards the West -- Europe and other such regions --will bring us nothing but a waste of time and trouble, and it will only force us to carry favors for them and become humiliated. We should be more inclined towards the East. There are countries which can help us: we can face them as equals. We can help them; they can help us: we can have positive scientific interactions with them.

AS/ME