Pars Today

This program will focus on the views of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the youths and knowledge.

The period of youth is the period of ability; ability to build oneself and train the body and soul and the ability to acquire knowledge. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is of the opinion that a youth should use his ability in acquisition of knowledge, expurgation of the self, bolstering the spirit of piety and strengthening one’s body through physical exercise. He stresses, “If I’m asked what I want from a youth I’ll say, ‘studying, self-building and physical exercise. I think that the youths should pursue these three characteristics.”

The Leader, addressing the young academics and young elites, says, “Knowledge is a divine bounty for a human community; both the sciences pertaining to values and cognizance and the sciences that help human to use more and better the treasures that the Great God has put in this great and astonishing nature. Since the dawn of man’s creation, his move has been used to find the mysteries of nature and explore the labyrinth of this immense structure and the grand fiber applied in it; and Islam and all religions approve this.”

When speaking to the young elites and scientists, the Leader decisively supports the scientific move in the country and emphasizes on science seriously. He notes, “Bullying is rampant in the world. The bullies rely on their power. That power, that wealth and those facilities spring from their knowledge. Without knowledge they cannot be encountered. I have read this hadith, ‘Knowledge is Supremacy.’ Knowledge is might. He who has this might can move; and anyone, any nation, any community that doesn’t enjoy it is forced to follow the might of others. So, this is a precise calculation.”

Ayatollah Khamenei opines that knowledge creates power and the young elites and academics play a major role in this domain. He believes that it is the knowledge combined with self-building that can be useful. Thus, believers use their knowledge to benefit others while disbelievers use knowledge and technology against mankind. In view of this, the Leader categorizes the goal of acquirement of knowledge in two; namely, holy goals and unholy goals. He elaborates, “The fact of the matter is that the scientific progress in the west is a very bitter and regrettable reality; a reality that human being does not intend to move toward it under any circumstances. The advancement of knowledge in the western world; whether from the time that this scientific move began in the 16^th century in Italy, Britain and other places; or when the Industrial Revolution emerged first in Britain in the 18^th century. The construction of huge factories and machines which occurred gradually within several decades; then it was the production of wealth; for the time being let’s forget what happened there, which rights were violated, how many poor people perished, which oppressions were enforced against the people by the class emerging from these huge machines. Then, gradually, the expansion of this knowledge and technology to other European countries cost the destruction of freedom of many nations, threatening the identity of many nations and imposition of a great oppression accompanied with bestiality over many countries and nations. They thought that they need basic materials and they need market for sale; and that was in other countries; therefore, they applied this knowledge and made artillery against sword and spear. Then the British, Dutch, Portuguese, French and later on other Europeans set out around the world and created so many tragedies that if they are collected they will make a huge encyclopedia with scores of tearful volumes…. Later on the United States also joined them.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution continues to explain the exploitation of sciences and technology by the Europeans, “The Europeans would claim civilization at that time, too. But their behavior was more savage than the most savage tribes. What I’m saying is not a motto. Each of these has a document and exact records of what they used to do; but now there is no time to explain them. If I told a small part of them you would understand what happened in East Asia, Africa and other regions by these very Europeans by means of their sciences. This is because their goal was wealth; so, there was no morality, no religion and no God.”

Ayatollah Khamenei tells the youths emphatically that we are not pursuing such knowledge for such knowledge results in atomic bomb and the calamities of Hiroshima and so on. Oppression and injustice stems from such knowledge and now that the US has the highest claim of democracy is plunged in class gap to the extent that there are millions of rough sleepers in this rich and progressed country. According to the Leader this is the result of the knowledge which is devoid of any humane conscience and the teachings of the divine messengers. In order to enlighten the minds of the students and professors, Ayatollah Khamenei explains that in view of Islam the science which is not accompanied with self-building will derail from the right path and it will be like a weapon at the hand of a murderer and evil person. He says, “University and school students, who are active in the arena of knowledge, cognizance and awareness, and get ready for administering the country in different layers, are indeed the future hopes of the nation and the society. It means this country, this nation and this system needs these youths for its future. Therefore, one of the main elements for the dignity of any country and securing the future of any country are the youths who are engaged in studying. The more and better their education, their functioning, their ideological, moral and religious training are, the more secure the future of the country will be maintained in all aspects.”

Ayatollah Khamenei, encouraging the young elites and students, considers them as the hope for the country to move toward scientific growth and thriving. One of the demands of the Leader from the young elites is “scientific cycle” in the country. He explains it as, “What is needed in the country and can show the scientific status of the country appropriately and honorably is the existence of the ‘complete scientific cycle.’ In every sect there must be a consistent cycle of various sciences needed in the country so that they enforce synergy and help each other. A complete scientific complex should be created in the country …. These islands should be connected together completely to form a unit, to help each other to advance one another, to enforce synergy, to open the way for quest and finding fresh scientific vistas in this broad divine creation, to pose questions, and answer to those questions. These are all needed.”

Another scientific demand of the Leader is to welcome new scientific thoughts and ideas and work on them. It means not only industries will come to the service of that idea; but the elites engaged in technology will also work on that idea. That idea may turn into a scientific field and eventually the outcome will be the production of wealth for the country as a result of commercialization of that idea.

Ayatollah Khamenei attaches much importance to commercialization of science to produce wealth. Of course, he believes that this process should be quite different from what has taken place in the west through plundering the riches of other nations.       

RM/ME