Speech number Thirty-Seven
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
.......Because of the natural resources and minerals that they possess and the interests of certain groups, the countries of the East have become an important concern for the world. Consequently, the Western newspapers have examined their situation thoroughly and the information can be found therein. The discussion centres around ways to lull these Eastern societies and keep them from progressing in certain important areas. The imperialists have studied this issue very carefully and have come to the conclusion that there is one great force which stands in the path of their ambitions - whether materialistic or spiritual. They have concluded that in these Islamic countries, Islam is this great force and is a barrier which could block imperialism and endanger their interests, and that those who impart the message of Islam, and they consist of the clergy, form a further obstacle to their designs. They have identified these two forces and have concluded that were true Islam and the true clerics of Islam to gain dominance, they would not give the imperialists and the foreigners the opportunity to exploit the country. Their plan is to keep these countries in a state of backwardness so that they can realise their own ambitions there and install their own agents in power. They view
these two forces as two motivating forces which have to be destroyed. These two forces must be taken away from the East so that they can implement their plans easily.
You may be too young, but during my own lifetime I have witnessed this plan in action. When Riza Shah came to power his mission was twofold: to destroy Islam, even in the eyes of the Muslims themselves, and to belittle the clergy and then destroy them, thus removing what the foreigners saw as the barriers to their designs. He began his task by banning all religious assemblies throughout Iran. For a time, if one wanted to preach to one's congregation or deliver a sermon, it was not possible, not openly anyway. Sometimes such gatherings took place surreptitiously, at midnight or before dawn, but even then the agents were on the look-out and at times they burst in on gatherings and arrested people and took them away. In this way, this person wanted to obliterate all Islamic manifestations.
As for the clergy, I cannot describe for you what he did to the `ulama, and especially to those who were influential in any way, such as the late Mudarris. The latter stood up to Riza Shah, and he had to endure much suffering for doing so before Riza Shah eventually killed him. This monarch brought groups of `ulama to Tehran from the provinces. For example, the late Aqazadeh, who was a very influential person in Khurasan - so much so that he was called the "King of Khurasan" - was arrested and brought to Tehran. I myself saw him in a house that was guarded; a chair had been placed outside because he was apparently indisposed and he was sitting there. I was told how Riza Shah's agents had removed his turban from his head and had taken him, accompanied by a few soldiers, to the court of justice to stand trial. They had taken him on foot through the streets in this condition so that the prosecutor could question him. They arrested all the `ulama of Azerbayjan, including two of the great personalities there: the late Hajji Sadiq Aqa and the late Angaji, and took them to a village in Kurdistan where they made them stay for a while. They tormented the `ulama of Isfahan in much the same way.
Riza Shah brought so much pressure to bear on the theological schools that one day only one person turned up for my class which was usually attended by a number of students! I was told that between dawn and sunrise they had all run away from their rooms and had gone to the orchards, returning later dressed in different clothes so that they wouldn't be recognised. His agents would enter the schools and arrest the religious students and the learned ones and take them away on the pretext that they should not be wearing turbans or that they should go to perform their national service and thousands of other excuses.
This was how Riza Khan carried out his mission to destroy these two forces which blocked the imperialists' plans. Gradually however, the imperialists came to realise that this method of elimination was not very effective. So they chose another way: to introduce Islam to the people of the world in such a way that made it appear a very insignificant, petty and out-dated affair. Thus they embarked on their propaganda campaign at home and abroad to advance the idea that yes, Islam exists, but if it is anything important its importance belongs to 1400 years ago, when the Arabs were uncivilised and these teachings were for them, that now with the advent of civilisation, Islam is out-dated and useless; its teachings oppose progress and freedom; it does not allow the people to be free; women have no freedom at all in Islam and education is prohibited. They would have the people believe that were Islam to gain predominance, all traces of modernism would be effaced; travel by aeroplane would be forbidden; schooling would be prohibited; and women would not be allowed to leave their homes. They have succeeded in spreading such ideas on a vast scale throughout the world.
As for the `ulama of Islam who pursued the task of diffusing the word of Islam, they vilified them, called them "worshippers of the old," said they had been installed by courtiers and capitalists to opiate the people so that the capitalists could achieve their aims. They accused them of always appealing to the people to keep silent in the face of oppression and to allow themselves to be robbed. They said they put the people to sleep, they lull them so that when these foreigners come to plunder their wealth they can do so easily and no one will utter a word. Those who wanted to plunder your wealth began such propaganda, and they spread these ideas in such a way that at one time even the people of Iran believed that this was true. At the time of Riza Khan, one class of people treated the `ulama the way that the regime desired; they copied the regime. Then later, when the propaganda against Islam began, perhaps the beliefs of these few people, this one class of people, helped the idea that the `ulama were harmful for the society gain precedence.
They then went one step further and said that from the very beginning religion has been the opium of the people, that religion has stupefied the people, dulled their senses while the imperialists went after their interests. This was the propaganda which they began several centuries ago because they thought that these two forces may present a danger for them, and it has continued to the present day when it has reached its zenith. The newspapers, magazines and foreign press, all propagate these ideas and are paid a lot of money for doing so.
This was merely a brief account of what Islam and the clergy have had to contend with so far. Nevertheless, those who are conversant with Islam and have studied the Qur'an, which is the source of Islam, and have given even a cursory glance at the lives of the prophets of old and the Most Noble Prophet, that is the Prophet of Islam, and at how they conducted themselves, realise the devilry of the imperialists and see that all these ideas they advance are wrong. When you look at the life of the Prophet of Islam, and indeed any of the other prophets, you see that it is not the case that they established monarchy or capitalism as a governing force, that they were against the people or that they stupefied the people so that the capitalists could do whatever they wanted. From the very beginning, the uprisings of the prophets were against kings. We have stories about the prophet Abraham, who lived all those years ago, and the Holy Qur'an tells us a little about how he rose up against the kings and the elders who worshipped idols and oppressed the people. Moses was a simple shepherd, a shepherd who grazed his sheep, but he rose up with his staff in hand against the Pharaoh, that great king of Egypt. There were no kings in Mecca, where the Most Noble Messenger was born and raised, but there were rich capitalists. The people of Ta'if and the Hijaz earned immense wealth from their trade and owned large orchards, and never did any of these capitalists support the Messenger. They were all against him. In his struggle against these capitalists, the Most Noble Messenger was helped by the weak and oppressed class. In that short time that he clandestinely spread his message in Mecca, it was this group of people, this group of lowly, oppressed people from the class of the poor and needy, that gathered around him, and when he left Mecca for Medina, there too it was the people from the poor and oppressed class who gathered around him and little by little a group of tribal leaders also joined him.
At the time of the Prophet of Islam, the uprising was against the great capitalists of the Quraysh tribe such as Abu Sufyan and his kind, and the people of Ta'if who had wealth and property. He did not rise up against them merely because they were wealthy, but because the rich always persecute the poor, they rob them of their property and possessions and oppress them. From the time that we have information about kings to the present day, we see that they were people who, wherever they were in the world, used dictatorship and force to plunder the wealth of the people and rob them of their honour and that which they held dear. From the very beginning the prophets confronted such kings. The story of the prophets is not that which the capitalists like to promote. The prophets confronted the capitalists, they were opposed to capitalism, they were not used by the capitalists to keep the poor and the weak quiet. No, the capitalists formed one group and the prophets along with the people who followed them formed another opposing group who attacked them and, as far as they were able, crushed them. So these utterances that religion is the opium of the people and the prophets were the servants of the capitalists are very clearly absurd and anyone who gives the conduct of the prophets even a cursory examination will realise the falsity of such claims.
But what can we do? Their propaganda is presented on such a large scale and is so widespread that we cannot compete with it. We do not have the means; all the means lie in their hands. The radio, television and press are in their hands, they control everything. The domestic and foreign magazines are in their hands, the capitalists and large sums of money are in their hands, so they are able to pay the media to disseminate the ideas that they want propagating and in the manner they choose. We however have only the faculty of speech and expression, we have a pen and some paper, nothing else. We want to awaken a nation, we want to make this nation understand what has been done to them so far, we want the people to see how they are presenting their beliefs and their religion to the world. Even at this time, when the country of Iran, the clergy of Iran and the different classes of Iranian society have stood up to the big capitalists and the superpowers and are shouting for their freedom and independence, these things are still being said, even though they shouldn't be. Even now we see in one of the foreign newspapers that these untruths continue to be propagated.
As for the clergy, whose foundations lie with the prophets and with those who came after the prophets, their uprisings against the monarchs in Iran alone are so numerous - and I myself can remember some of them - that I don't have the time to go into them now. And as for Islam itself, one only needs to make a cursory study of the Qur'an, which is the source of Islam, to see that it does not oblige the people to remain silent before capitalists and kings. It is the Qur'an which tells Moses to arise and invite Pharaoh (to the right path), to speak to him mildly so that he may accept (his call). And it is God who gives the mission to Moses to struggle with Pharaoh; it is God who through the Holy Qur'an commands his Messenger to do battle with the idolaters, with the capitalists and with those who have deviated from the right path. The verses in the Qur'an pertaining to fighting, battle and war are not just one or two. There are many verses in the Qur'an which are concerned with war, which give orders to go to war, to do battle with all those who are corrupt, to rise up and put them in their place. These are commands which apply to us today. However, we do not have the means to go to battle, but we do have the wherewithal to awaken the people, to let the people know Islam's situation, to let them know the situation of the Muslims and the clergy. We can do this and little by little it is being done.
So they wanted to present Islam and the clergy in a bad light in order to turn the people away from Islam and distance them from the clergy. If the people were to set aside the clergy who guide them and the Qur'an which is their religious book, then they would not be able to achieve anything; only when they band together, when they have something on which they can depend, can they act against these tyrants. No one can stand up to them alone; there has to be a pivotal point and this for the Muslims is the Qur'an. They must turn to that, they must unite beneath the banner of the Qur'an.
The clergy too are a unifying force which the people can rely on. Now that Iran has risen, praise be to God, it is the clergy and Islam to which the people turn; it is Islam that they call for; all the people are shouting for an Islamic government. It is not the case that were an Islamic government formed, it would ruin the people's lives, that tanks and weapons would no longer be required, that we would ride around on donkeys! These are their foolish ramblings. Where in the Qur'an does it oppose modernism? Which one of the Qur'anic laws opposes modernism? Which clergyman has ever said that the clergy oppose modernism? We are opposed to corruption sir. When the manifestations of civilisation fall into the hands of those who seek to corrupt and those who seek to derive profit or advantage, they distort them. They change a cinema, which can be a teacher for the people and the nation, into a place which makes our youth dissolute, which corrupts them. We deplore this. We are not opposed to the principle of cinema itself; if the cinema is used for the good of the people, if it is used to educate and guide our children then we are not against it. We are opposed to these centres of corruption which are taking our youth away from us. You can see in Iran, in Tehran alone, how many of these centres exist and how many of our youth have become addicted to opium and other drugs, and on a greater scale still to alcohol, because of them. There are so many distilleries in Iran now. We are opposed to these things which corrupt our nation. Are we opposed to books? Are we opposed to universities? Our claim is that our universities have been created in such a way that they cannot produce human beings, they cannot produce human beings who will stand up to the foreigners. They produce only parasites! Our universities are imperialist universities; that is they are run as the imperialists want them to be run, they are not allowed to progress. This is what we oppose. How can we be against universities? Are we against having doctors, engineers and scientists in Iran? When have we opposed such things? Our grievances lie in the fact that the universities which should be centres of learning and education, which should be centres for training our youth to be independent, to be freedom-seekers and to be useful for their country, are not. If the present regime claims that its methods of education and training are correct, then let it give us some evidence of this; but it is not able to do this.
We oppose the radio in Iran now which as soon as it is switched on imparts nothing only praise for Aryamehr and dance music and songs which sully our youth. We oppose a radio which corrupts our children, we do not oppose radio in itself. If the regime would let us take control of it then we would most certainly approve. We can run the radio much better than the regime can. The television in Iran, as I understand, shows scenes which are vitiating our youth, depraving a generation. This is what we are opposed to, not the features of civilisation. We are opposed to the use of the media to keep us in a state of backwardness; this is what they want and this is what we are against. These are the things that the clergy oppose. Which clergyman has ever said that we oppose the radio when it is used to broadcast decent programmes and give sound teachings? Which clergyman has ever said that we are against the television when it is used to disseminate sound teachings and when it helps the nation to progress. We are against these things when they are in their hands! We oppose these leaders who are ruining our country. We oppose this Shah and his father before him who have destroyed this nation. They have exhausted our wealth and continue to do so. Our oil is being sold in such a way that reserves won't last for long. Our agriculture has been destroyed such that the country is now a market for America. How will the next generation live in this country in thirty years' time? We must take everyone into consideration. Is it enough to see only to our own needs? I am nearly eighty-years-old, I may only be alive for another six months or a year, but Islam has made us responsible, we have a responsibility for the people, we have to tell them what disasters they are bringing about for this nation. But when we start speaking out and telling them what should be done, they increase their activities against us to stop us from getting our message across, to block us. I am forced to leave Iraq, and neither Kuwait nor Syria will allow me in; even though I haven't asked permission from the Syrian authorities to enter their country yet, I know they won't allow me in. I cannot live in an Islamic country, because I am not allowed to continue my activities in an Islamic country, so I came here, but even here I see that there are also restrictions imposed on me.
The Shah's regime is actively pursuing its aims: to stop the truth from reaching the people, from reaching the world; to prevent the world from hearing the cries of this nation; to stop news of these killings, that are being carried out every day, from reaching the world. The situation is such in the country that every day killings are taking place. Wherever you look, whichever newspaper you look in or foreign radio station you tune in to, even though they only impart the bare minimum of facts about what is happening in Iran, still you learn that a few people have been killed. They only report that a few people have been killed, but my own sources inform me that we should multiply their figures by ten. There are not only tens or hundreds of people being killed, the killings take place every day.
So what is it that this nation wants that it is ready to sacrifice so many lives for? You should listen to what the people are saying. The world has said many things about this nation, but it hasn't listened to the people. Come and listen to the people themselves, ask them what they want, ask them why they are raising such a hue and cry. This nation has been given freedom so why do the people shout so much? This nation has been taken to the "threshold of a great civilisation" yet still they shout. They are crying out because of this great civilisation. Are they shouting that the Shah is creating a great civilisation and they don't want it? Are they shouting that he is giving them freedom and creating "free men and free women" and they don't want this? Or are they calling out for freedom, independence, an Islamic government, a just government, for a leader who is at least not a thief, for a government which is not predacious, whose members do not take the wealth of the Muslims abroad to buy things for themselves and their families. They are asking them (the Shah and his regime) not to buy so many things from abroad; they are telling them not to deposit the wealth of the people in foreign banks in their own names. This nation is proclaiming that it wants freedom, and this gentleman turns around and says: "We have given you freedom!" If he has given the people freedom then why do they want it? What else do they want? Do all these killings constitute freedom? Is this a government of reconciliation which imbrues Iran's soil with blood. If this is what he means by reconciliation then what will his war be?
You gentlemen who are living abroad at this time, you are duty bound to unite with your Iranian brothers. Their uprising is not for themselves alone, they have arisen for you too. You are their partners. Their success means your success. Many of our young people cannot return home now because of a word, just one word, that they have spoken over here; perhaps during a visit by the Shah, they expressed their concerns or demonstrated against him and their names have now been added to the list so they cannot return. These people who have risen up, from school-children to high-school and university students, are giving their lives. The people of the bazaar are sacrificing their lives. The clergy are sacrificing their lives. They are all being persecuted and they are all crying out. Every day there is a demonstration and every day the cries of death to this man, death to the Pahlavi monarchy ring out. The people want the country to be in their own hands, they want to administer it themselves. They have the youth, they have the scientists, they have everything, but they are not allowed to do this. The people want to remove this class who will not let their country progress, who will not let their youth be educated properly. They want a government of Islamic justice which will help the people, a government whose leaders will put the needs of the people first. They want a ruler who will eat oaten bread because he is afraid that somewhere in his realm there is someone who has to eat bread like this or worse. Of course we can't find somebody who will act this way, but we can find someone who will not steal from us at least.
We are all duty bound to help our Iranian brothers as much as we can. Explain your problems to as many of these Europeans that you meet with as you can; tell them what these Iranians who have risen are saying; tell them what their demands are. Whenever you come across an article in a newspaper or magazine which runs contrary to the facts, voice your objections, tell the person who wrote the article that he has not understood the matter correctly. This will be effective. Try to inform at least ten Europeans or Americans of the facts; try to make them understand just what our problems are; try to make them see that because the Iranian people have risen in opposition it does not mean that they are uncivilised, it does not mean that they can no longer be given freedom, that if they were given freedom they would set everywhere aflame. No, you must make them understand that it is the Shah and his regime that have inflamed the people, they have caused them to shout so. The people are shouting because of the fire they have had to endure.
Your numbers are many in Europe, if each one of you could acquaint even ten people with the facts, then a wave of public opinion would be created. Spread the word. Now that the Iranians are giving their lives, you ought to give your voice at least, you ought to at least make people aware of the truth. Do not simply sit at home under the delusion that because you are here you can be comfortable. Do not simply listen to accounts of the killings in Iran, expressing sorrow at news of the murders of eight- and ten-year-old schoolgirls attacked in their schools. Go and tell your friends and colleagues about these events. If you are able, write about them in the press over here. Wherever you are speak out. If someone has written a report which contradicts the facts, confront him, tell him that he has not presented the true facts, ask him why he is not doing so, complain to him, and God willing an even greater wave of public support will come about. I can assure you that, God willing, our nation will win, because this is a national uprising, it involves all sections of society. When this roaring flood of people begins to move in one direction, no matter how weak they are, neither tanks nor America can stop them.
Thirty million people have begun to move. Only a few hundred people have not joined the movement and they are the hirelings of the regime. This roaring flood of people is on the move now and neither Russia nor America can stop it. This is a just act. This is the hand of God and no one can stop it. This is an obvious call for justice. A nation is calling out for its freedom and no one can say they don't have that right. They are human beings too. The situation is very difficult for the Shah and his regime now, but they cannot continue to confront such a just call with bayonets. Martial law cannot be imposed for ever. This regime may not be able to survive a day without martial law, but it cannot be in effect for ever.
In any case you must explain the situation to these foreigners. Give your friends the facts. If you attend schools over here, speak to the people who attend with you and tell them what is really happening. Form groups, gradually they will increase and you will become preachers and speakers, telling the people about the problems of Iran. If you do this, a wave of public opinion will come about which the reporters will not be able to counteract; then it will be the people here who stand up to the false propaganda. This is a service that we who are abroad can do now for the nation of Islam.
I beseech God the Blessed and Exalted to assist you and to grant you success.
May He keep you safe from harm and protect you.
May you be successful.
1- Upon assuming power, Riza Khan's first moves against the religious establishment consisted of prohibiting the holding of Qur'an and religious classes and congregational prayer gatherings in the schools as well as banning religious ceremonies and rauzas throughout the country. He even put restrictions and conditions on funeral services. One by one he closed theological schools and opened new schools under the directorship of court-affiliated clergymen. The Ma'qul va Manqul (religious studies) school (in the former Sepah Sala school) serves as an example of one such school. The regime's only official organisation for religious affairs and propagation was the "Thought Development Foundation" which was established in 1938 at great cost. It proved to be a meeting place where Riza Khan's venal preachers and orators came together to praise him. According to statistics, before the reign of Riza Khan the number of theological schools in the country was two hundred and eighty-two and the number of theological students approximately five thousand nine hundred and eighty-four. In the year 1941, the year that his rule ended, the number of students at the theological schools had dropped to seven hundred and eighty-four; that is, to less than one eighth the number of sixteen years previously. Refer to Tarikh-i Novin-i Iran, p. 86; Kharterat va Khatarat, p. 378; Tarikh-i bist Saleh ... Vol. 6, p. 203; Qiyam-i Gauhar Shad, pp. 48-50. 2- In 1935 (1314 AHS), Riza Khan forced the people of Iran to abandon the national and traditional form of dress for a foreign one. The writ which was issued in this regard was called the "Uniformity of Appearance Writ" and it applied to everyone including even the clergy. The people, who were truly angered by these measures, turned to the clergy for guidance and the latter thus commanded them to rise up in opposition. In the struggle which ensued, Ayatullah Husayn Qummi was sent into exile in Iraq (the home of the holy shrines of some of the noblest figures of Islam); and Yunes Ardebili, Muhaqiq Khurasani and the latter's son were tried in court and sentenced to imprisonment, Ayatullah Khurasani's son actually dying shortly after having been forcibly divested of his religious garb.
Furthermore, about one hundred of the country's most distinguished clergymen and preachers were also arrested and imprisoned during the course of this protest. 3- Sayyid Hasan Mudarris [1859-1938] was one of the greatest religious and political figures in the recent history of Iran. He received his elementary education in Isfahan and then travelled to the cities of the holy shrines (the cities of Iraq where certain of the imams are buried: Najaf, Karbala and Kazimayn, and to a certain extent some others) where he received further education from such scholars as Mullah Muhammad Kazem Khurasani and, after graduation to the level of ijtihad, he returned to Isfahan and began teaching Islamic jurisprudence {fiqh} and principles {usul}. In 1909, at the time of the Second National Assembly, he entered Parliament having been chosen by the maraji`-i taqlid and the `ulama of Najaf as one of the five mujtahids who were to oversee the law-making procedures. At the time of the Third National Assembly, he was chosen as a member of Parliament. When Riza Khan carried out his coup d'etat, Mudarris was arrested and sent into exile, but after being freed he was again chosen by the people and again entered Parliament. In the Fourth National Assembly, he headed the opposition majority against Riza Khan. At the time of the Fifth and Sixth National Assemblies, he opposed the proposal for the establishment of a republic, which Riza Khan was in favour of, to replace the constitutional government, and he dissuaded the Parliament from approving it. He was resolute in his stand against the stubborn Riza Khan, such that the Shah hired an assassin to kill Mudarris and when he escaped the attempt, he sent him first into exile in the remote town of Khaf near the Afghan border, and later in Kashmar, where eleven years later in Ramadan 1938, the agents of the Shah poisoned him. In this way, one of the greatest political and religious personalities of Iran was martyred in the way of Allah. Mudarris possessed outstanding qualities, and even though he was a man of great political and religious influence, he lived very simply. Imam Khomeini always spoke of him with a great deal of respect. The leader of the revolution, on the occasion of the renovation of Mudarris's grave, wrote: "At a time when pens were broken, voices silenced and throats gripped, he never ceased from revealing the truth and abolishing falsehood....this feeble scholar, weak in body but strong in a spirit joyful from belief, sincerity and truth and possessing a tongue like the sword of Haydar Karar (Imam `Ali) stood in front of them and shouted out the truth and disclosed the crimes, making life difficult for Riza Khan and blackening his days. Finally, he sacrificed his own pure life in the way of dear Islam and the noble nation, and was martyred in exile at the hands of the oppressive Shah's executioner and joined his virtuous forefathers."
For further information on Imam's views on Mudarris see Imam's historic decree dated September 19, 1984 (Shahrivar 18, 1363 AHS). (Sahifa-yi Nur, Vol. 9, p. 66). 4- Mirza Muhammad (Aqazadeh) Najafi Khurasani (1877-1938 AD) the son of Akhund Khurasani began his studies with his father and received the authorisation for becoming a mujtahid from him. In 1907, he left Najaf for Khurasan in Iran and took up residence in Mashhad where he taught usul and fiqh for a while. He was a staunch supporter of the constitutional movement and with the
rise to power of Riza Khan and the establishment of his despotic rule, he continued struggling against oppression and called upon the people to rise up against the first Pahlavi monarch. After the barbaric events at Gauhar Shad mosque in Mashhad, Khurasani was arrested and sentenced to death. However, measures taken by those at the Najaf theological school forced Riza Khan's regime to commute his sentence. Consequently, he was held in prison for a while and upon his release he was expelled from Mashhad and forced to move to Tehran. There his home was kept under constant surveillance. It is believed that he died at the hands of one Doctor Ahmadi who killed him while treating him for an illness. His body was laid to rest at the shrine of `Abdul `Azim. Some of his most notable works are: Kitab al-Qaza; Al-Shahadat and Mabhath al-Fazz. Refer to Tarikh-i Bist Saleh-yi Iran, Vol. 6, p. 252. 5- One of the freedom movements during the despotic reign of Riza Khan was that of the `ulama of the Iranian province of Azerbayjan. This movement was led by Mirza Sadiq Aqa and Angaji, two of the great religious jurisprudents (fuqaha) and maraji' of the people of Azerbayjan. In order to suppress the movement, Riza Khan sent these two theologians first to Kurdistan and then to Qum. Angaji was able to return to Tabriz after a while, but Sadiq Aqa remained in exile in Qum until the end of his life. 6- Ayatullah Mirza Sadiq, the great religious jurisprudent (faqih) and marja' of the people of Azerbayjan province, resided in Tabriz. He was one of the great theologians and mujtahids of the Shi'as during the first half of the twentieth century. Hajj Mirza Abulhasan Angaji (1862-1937 AD) the son of Sayyid Muhammad Shaykh Shari`at was one of the religious jurisprudents and maraji' of Tabriz. He studied under Hajj Mirfattah Sarabi and Mirza Mahmud Usuli in Tabriz until 1884 when he went to Najaf to study under Fazel Irvani, Hajj Mirza Habibullah Roshani and Aqa Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Mamaqani. Four years later, towards the end of 1888, he returned to Tabriz and began teaching. In 1933, he was arrested and sent into exile first in Sanandaj and then in Qum. He died in Tabriz in 1937. His works include: Kitab-i Hajj and Hashiyeh bar Riyaz. 7- On the outskirts of Sanandaj. 8- In September 1927, Riza Shah issued a decree which implicitly prohibited the clergy from carrying out some of their duties and from involvement in the country's affairs. His decree was in fact a declaration of war against the clergy. First reactions came when protests against the military service law were held by the people of Isfahan and about one hundred `ulama and mujtahids of Isfahan, together with a group of other inhabitants of that city, travelled en masse to Qum. The "Qum migrants" as they became known, were led by one Hajj Aqa Nurullah Ruhani. Upon arrival in Qum, the
migrants called on the `ulama and maraji' from across the country to join them in Qum in their show of opposition. About seven hundred clergymen responded to their call. Contemporaneous with this event, people in different Iranian cities held anti-government demonstrations. The spread of this opposition to his new policies compelled Riza Khan to respond. He sent some of his representatives along with his Prime Minister and Court Minister to Qum to speak with Hajj Aqa Nurullah and the other `ulama. Eventually, the government was forced to give in to the migrants' demands which included a review of the military service law; the selection of five `ulama to take seats in the Parliament and the appointment of an overseer of Islamic laws in the towns and cities of Iran. However, Hajj Aqa Nurullah, who had stipulated that the migrants would return to Isfahan only when their conditions were met and officially ratified, died under mysterious circumstances during the night of December 25, 1927. Subsequently, with the death of their leader, the protesters dispersed, returning to their respective home towns. Refer to Tarikh-i Bist Saleh-yi Iran, Vol. 4, p. 396 and Nihzat-i Ruhaniyun-i Iran, Vol. 2, p. 157. 9- Concerning Imam's own behaviour towards the rich, his son, Hajj Sayyid Ahmad Khomeini, has recorded one particular incident which is worthy of mention, he writes: "A keeper of the Holy Shrine in Qum, Mr. Hajj Sayyid Abulfazl Mesbah, known as towliat (= the custodian), was a supporter of Imam, and because of this he was vexed and tormented by the Shah's regime. After his dismissal from his post, Mr. Mesbah, who was a wealthy man, went to Imam in Paris and said: "I am at the end of my life now and I have eighty-six million tumans which I would like to give to you." Apparently
someone had encouraged him to do this so that Imam could increase the sum of money he sent regularly for the religious students. This amount of money at that time was indeed great and would have proved very useful, but Imam simply thanked him and refused his offer. I was somewhat surprised at his refusal and asked him: "Why did you not accept the money?" Imam replied: "We have never taken money from the capitalists but still they accuse us and our movement of having links with the rich and the landlords. Just imagine what would happen if we did take money from them!" After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, whenever someone offered Imam a large sum of money he did not accept it saying: "These monies are their religious dues (the rights of God and the rights of the people) which they have not paid, by offering them to me they hope to settle their religious accounts." 10- It refers to Verse 44 of Sura Ta-Ha (Mystic Letters, T. H.) of the Qur'an: "But speak to him mildly perchance he may take warning or fear (God)." 11- On October 16, 1978 (Mehr 24, 1357 AHS), the Shah said: "They not only want to take our country back to before the time of the Shah-People Revolution, but they want to take it back one thousand or two thousand years." Ittila`at newspaper, October 16, 1978 (Mehr 24, 1357 AHS). 12- The title Aryamehr, which means "the sun and the light of the Aryan race," was created by Riza Zadeh Shafaq, a senator from the province of Azerbayjan. Asadullah `Alam, who had asked the writers and other literary personalities of the time to think of an honorific title for the Shah, chose Aryamehr. In 1967, the National Consultative Assembly bestowed this title upon the Shah. The title reflected the nationalist ideology of the regime and demonstrated its rejection of Islamic ideology. R.K. Karanjia, in the book The Mind of a Monarch, p. 236, reports the Shah as one who hoped for a revival of the great Aryan civilisation as seen in the days of the Emperor Cyrus. Under the Third Reich, Iranians resident in Germany were officially classed as "Aryans" and permitted to marry German citizens. 13- According to official statistics, in 1978 oil production before the start of strikes in the oil industry was 5.3 million barrels a day. 14- Refer to footnote 1 of Speech 31. 15- After the events of June 5, 1963 (the uprising of Khurdad 15), the government prepared for parliamentary elections. It took the decision to keep representatives of the opposition groups out of Parliament and let a number of people involved in the "land reform programme" and workers' representatives (members of SAVAK) in. Thus, a congress entitled "Free Men and Free Women" was created under the leadership of Hasan `Ali Mansur. This assembly which was formed with the assistance of America and described itself as being loyal to the principles of the Shah-People Revolution put new faces in the seats of Parliament. Amongst these were: Hasan `Ali Mansur; `Abbas Rusta, a rich tailor from Tehran; Habibi, one of the famous wrestling champions of Iran; Majid Mohsaini, a cinema actor and a radio celebrity; `Abbas Mirzai, the workers' representative from the tobacco company and a member of SAVAK. 16- Refer to the Tehran evening newspapers of August 6, 1978 (Murdad 15, 1357 AHS - the Shah's speech to commemorate the seventy-third anniversary of constitutional government), and August
19, 1978 (the press conference held by the Shah to mark the anniversary of the coup of Murdad 28). Also refer to footnote 15 of Speech 31 in this volume.18- Referring to the conduct of Imam `Ali; refer to Speech 21 in Volume 1.
