Pars Today

Welcome to another edition of this series. “Cultural assault means that a political or economic establishment attacks the cultural foundations of a nation for its own political purposes and captivating that nation. Such an establishment brings new things into that country and nation but forcibly and with the aim of replacing national culture and beliefs with them. This is called assault.”

With these words from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, we began this episode on the importance and impacts of cultural assault and cultural exchange.

As you know cultural exchange has existed since the old times. History shows that nations have borrowed way of life, traditions, customs, sciences, technology, language and teachings from each other. We also read in history that even the religion of some of the nations and ethnicities was replaced by another religion. Ayatollah Khamenei gives the example of Indonesia in this regard. He says, “The factor which more than any other factor took Islam to Indonesia, Malaysia and even important parts of the Subcontinent was not the invitation of the missionaries but rather the commutation of the individuals of Iranian nation. Iranian merchants and travelers came and left and; it is owing to these commutations that you see the great nation, which perhaps is the greatest Islamic nation in Asia, i.e. Indonesia, has become Muslim.”

Iran has also learnt a lot of things via the commutation of various nations and ethnicities. In view of the Leader these cultural exchanges are necessary for refreshment of teachings and cultural life across the world.

A thriving culture in order to complete itself should be able to exchange with other cultures and absorb the positive elements of those cultures. Therefore, all cultures must engage with each other to lead humankind toward progress. In contrast, cultural assault is like a poisonous food that annihilates the culture and national identity.

Cultural assault is usually carried out by arrogant powers which intend to dominate other nations.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei considers cultural exchange as necessary and describes its aim as prosperity of national culture and accomplishment of this culture. He maintains that cultural assault aims at obliteration of national culture. The Leader believes that in cultural exchange every nation has the opportunity to get the desired and useful things from the other culture. For instance, it can acquire sciences and technology from a culture, take the model of water consumption from another one or learn good points on environment protection from a third culture.

Ayatollah Khamenei gives an example in this regard, “Suppose that the Iranian nation goes to Europe and sees that they are a people of working hard and taking risks. If it learns this from them it is very good. It goes to the east of Asia and sees that the people over there are conscientious, interested in working enthusiastic to work. If it learns this from them it is very good. It goes to another country and sees that the people of that country are punctual, disciplined, affectionate and observe good manners and respect. An acquiring nation looks for correct points and things that complete its culture and learns them from others. In cultural assault the things given to the attacked nation are not good things rather they are bad things.”

Ayatollah Khamenei believes that when the Europeans started cultural assault to Iran they never tried to spread the spirit of punctuality, bravery, taking risks, conscientiousness, scientific diligence, curiosity and so on. But they brought libertinism. This is while the Iranian nation had always observed rules and limits in sexual issues. It means that throughout the Islamic era Iran was a long way from unbridled sexual relations of men and women. The Leader stresses it doesn’t mean that nobody would commit sexual sins but it means that the society as a whole was devoid of such evil acts. He says, “Our nation was far from promiscuity and widespread debaucheries and the parties of hedonism and revelry. These things were appropriated to the aristocrats, kings, princes and princesses and the like who used to revel and keep vigil till morning. The bars of Europeans were always active day and night, all the year and throughout history. This is the history of Europe. They wanted to bring this into our country and they did it as much as they could.”

In fact moral corruption and promiscuity make the roots of creativity dry and cause the youths of a country to idle about.

Cultural assault in the field of sciences is quite one-sided and aims at subjugating the attacked nation politically, economically, socially and even militarily. Introduction, transferring and replacement of values are a natural issue aiming at uprooting the culture of nations.

Ayatollah Khamenei opines, “The expanse of cultural assault of the Front of Arrogance are all countries of the world but, in this assault, the main aim is the Islamic Republic system because the Islamic system is standing against the system of dominance and has proved that it is honest in its steadfastness and has the ability to counter and make progress.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been targeted by an all-out unprovoked onslaught which is planned and carried out by the Arrogant Front, led by the US. The cultural and political force of the Global Arrogance makes use of every tool it can gain to undermine the beliefs and values of the Iranian nation and plunge the Iranian youths in promiscuity and unbridled sexual pleasures. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution states, “This bombardment is being done continuously over the heads of our youths with these tools and audio-visual media and internet. Yet, you see that on 22 of Bahman scores of millions of these very youths come all over the country chanting slogans, expressing their feelings and showing love to Imam Khomeini, Islam and the Islamic system. This is not a trivial thing. This is a very great opportunity.”

RM/ME