 Democracy? I meant theocracy
The most truthful individual in recent history
By
Dr. Jalal Matini
Translation & Introduction by Farhad Mafie
August 5, 2003
The Iranian
For the 24th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic
Revolution, Dr. Jalal Matini published a series of quotes from
various speeches
of Ayatollah Khomeini and his collaborators in the early years
of the revolution. His article, "The Most Truthful Individual
in Recent History," appeared in the scholarly journal Iranshenasi (Vol.
XIV, No. 4, Winter 2003). (1)
Khomeini's quotations
underscore Iran's recent
history and serve as reminders for future generations. Matini's
objective is to remind his readers of Iran's recent history.
Clearly, we are a forgetful nation, and Matini forces us to
remember. Excerpts from Matini's article are translated
below.
Dr. Matini (1928–), an Iranian scholar, literary
critic, academic, and researcher, was the President of Ferdowsi
University
in Mashhad before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the revolution,
he came to the United States and was a visiting professor at the
University of Utah and at the University of California, Berkeley.
In the United States, Matini launched Iran Nameh,
a quarterly journal devoted to Iranian politics, culture, and literature,
and
he served as its Editor-in-Chief for almost seven years. He later
launched the journal Iranshenasi (published in Maryland).
He has published and edited many books and articles on Iranian
literature,
history, and culture, and he now serves as editor of Iranshenasi.
Note: Ayatollah Khomeini's original quotations in
Farsi are often awkwardly worded, poorly structured, and grammatically
incorrect.
Therefore, they are difficult to translate faithfully. Translation
comments are included either in brackets [ ] or in footnotes.
Before
the victory of the revolution (February 11, 1979)
"Personal desire, age, and my health do not
allow me to personally have a role in running the country after
the fall of the current
system." -- Interview with
the Associated Press, Paris, November 7, 1978
"I have repeatedly said that neither my desire
nor my age nor my position allows me to govern." -- Interview
with the United Press, Paris, November 8, 1978
"I don't want to have the power or the government in my hand;
I am not interested in personal power." -- Interview with
The Guardian newspaper, Paris, November 16, 1978
"I don't want to be the leader of the Islamic
Republic; I don't want to have the government or the power in
my hands.
I only guide the people in selecting the system." -- Interview
with an Austrian TV reporter, Paris, November 16, 1978
"It is the Iranian people who have to select their own capable and
trustworthy individuals and give them the responsibilities. However,
personally, I can't accept any special role or responsibility." --
Interview with Le Journal newspaper, Paris, November 28, 1978
"After the Shah's departure from Iran, I will not become a
president nor accept any other leadership role. Just like before,
I limit my activities only to guiding and directing the people." --
Interview with Le Monde newspaper, Paris, January 9, 1979
"The Islamic regime does not have oppression." --
Interview with France Press news agency,
Paris,
October 25, 1978
"The foundation of our Islamic government
is based on freedom of dialogue and will fight against any kind
of censorship." -- Interview with Reuters news agency, Paris,
October 26, 1978
"In the Islamic Republic the rights of the
religious minorities are respectfully regarded." Interview
with an Austrian TV reporter, Paris, November 6, 1978
"In Iran's Islamic government the media have
the freedom to express all Iran's realities and events, and people
have
the freedom to form any form of political parties and gatherings
that they like." Interview
with the Italian newspaper Paese Sera, Paris, November 2, 1978
"Our future society will be a free society,
and all the elements of oppression, cruelty, and force will be
destroyed." -- Interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel,
Paris, November 7, 1978
"In Iran's future Islamic system everyone
can express their opinion, and the Islamic government will respond
to logic with
logic." -- Interview with international
reporters, Paris, November 9, 1978
"We would like to run the Islamic government
like Islam at its beginning, so that people know how different
the Islamic democracy is from
other democracies. If the people of the world know the benefits
of Islam, my hope is that they all become Moslems." Interview
with a group of young French people in Paris, November 9, 1978
"In the Islamic government all people have
complete freedom to have any kind of opinion." Interview
with Human Rights Watch, Paris, November 10, 1978
"My proposal for establishing an Islamic government
does not mean a return to the past. I am strongly for civilization
and progress." -- Interview with international reporters,
Paris, January 11, 1979; also quoted in Ettela'at newspaper in
Iran
"These words that you have heard regarding
women in the future Islamic government are all hostile propaganda.
In the Islamic Republic
women have complete freedom, in their education, in everything
that they do, just as men are free in everything." -- Interview
with German reporters, Paris, November 12, 1978
"Women are free in the Islamic Republic in
the selection of their activities and their future and their
clothing." -- Interview with The Guardian newspaper, Paris,
November 6, 1978
"The ranking Shiite religious clergymen do not want to govern in
Iran themselves.
-- Interview with France Press news
agency, Paris, October 25, 1978
"In Islamic Iran the clergy themselves will
not govern but only observe and support the government's leaders.
The government
of the country at all levels will be observed, evaluated, and
publicly criticized." -- Interview
with Reuters news agency, Paris, October 26, 1978
After the revolution
"This nation exists and clerics exist too.
You all must know that in every place in this country only clerics
can get the job done.
Don't show so much prejudice that you want to put the clerics
aside. What have you done for your country in all these years
that now you're saying clerics should not be in charge? Appreciate
these clerics. You do not understand correctly! If you put
this
group aside, no name or sign of Islam will remain. Imagine
one cleric has done something wrong somewhere. Why can you do
something
wrong and some cleric cannot do anything wrong?" -- In
a meeting with the Islamic Parliament, Jamaran (2), Tehran,
May 27, 1981
"Don't listen to those who speak of democracy.
They all are against Islam. They want to take the nation away
from its mission.
We will break all the poison pens of those who speak of nationalism,
democracy, and such things." -- In
a meeting with Iranian students and educators, Qom (3), March
13, 1979
"That group that due to its opposition to
Islam is opposing us, with the same fist that we destroyed the
regime we will destroy
that group as well. Pay attention to your statements. Repent
from your writings. I am warning you that you still have time
to repent." -- In a talk at the Fayzieah School, Qom, June
5, 1979
"The intellectuals, the writers, those who
have information and thoughts, you see some of them take their
pens and in the name
of democracy they write whatever they want and they cause disagreements.
This group of so-called intellectuals has to correct themselves.
Whatever we are suffering is from this group of intellectuals
and judges. What we are suffering is because of them. -- In a talk in Qom,
July 23, 1979
"We have to warn these intellectuals that
if they don't stop their meddling, they will be crushed. We have
treated you gently
so that maybe you would stop your evilness, and if you don't
stop, we will have the last word. These American sympathizers
and others must know that in just a few hours we can throw them
in
the trashcan of annihilation any day that we wish to do so." --
In a talk to the Iranian people, August
8, 1979
"Those who create political fronts must stop
their activities. If from the beginning, as in other revolutions
in the world, several
thousand of these corrupt individuals had been burned and beheaded
till the issues were finished, problems would have been solved.
We will allow one or more parties to operate if they operate
correctly. But we announce that the rest are forbidden. We will no longer
allow the same freedom that we used to give, and we cannot
allow these parties to continue their activities. According to
religious
law, we can't give them a grace period. Canonically, it is
not correct to give a grace period. We made mistakes when we
gave freedom; we can't treat these wild animals gently. We will
no longer allow any of their writings to be distributed in
the country. We will destroy all their writings. We have to deal
with them harshly, and we will deal with them harshly. -- In a meeting with
selected Members of Congress, Qom, August 18, 1979
"After the revolution the borders were left
open. Pens were free, expression was free, political parties
were free. Even if these
people are not Moslems, it was assumed that at least they are
human. But it is clear now that they are foreign puppets. For us the identity
of these writers, the identity of these political parties,
the identity of these nice and meaningless phrases are now very
clear.
We will no longer give freedom. These people are not the type
who
will stop their activities just from advice. We have to deal
with them harshly. -- In a talk at the Fayzieah
School, Qom, August 19, 1979
"Those who are trying to bring corruption
and destruction to our country in the name of democracy will
be oppressed. They are worse
than Bani-Ghorizeh (4) Jews, and they must be hanged. We will
oppress them by God's order and God's call to prayer." --
In a talk at the Fayzieah School, Qom, August 30, 1979
"Those who have not voted for the Islamic
Republic, it means that they want the previous system. Those
who boycott the election
so no one votes for the Islamic Republic are seditious. We will treat
them like enemies, and we will oppress them. You are enemies
that you want to cause trouble. You are enemies that you are conspiring
against Islam and against the country. Your comings and goings
are controlled. We have been informed that you are in contact
with those who want to bring our country back to its previous system.
Now that your conspiracy has been proven, we will destroy you
all. If you don't stop your evilness, we will mobilize an even
higher mobilization, and we will clean out all of you. We will
not allow you groups of corrupt people to remain and continue
your activities. -- In a message at the end
of the month-long Islamic fasting celebration, September 3,
1979
"These rotten roots that are now at work will
be oppressed, and the country will be cleaned up. After he encountered
the Moavieh
army, which were even worse than the infidels, and he encountered
the khavarej (6), his Excellency the Imam Ali, the
Chief of the Faithful, acted very harshly and destroyed them
to the
extent
that only a
few were able to escape." -- In a
speech to the families of Iranian Air Force pilots, Qom, September
2, 1979
"The day of the khavareg ["outsiders"]
is the day that his Excellency the Imam Ali, the Chief of the
Faithful, pulled
out his sword and cut all these corrupt people just like cancer
tumors and killed them all. That day was "Yom-ol lah," the
day that God punishes nations by bringing earthquakes on them,
bringing floods, bringing storms, and slashing people till
they become human. These all are God's day [sic], and these
things
are related to God." -- In memory
of the martyrs of the 17th of Shahriver [September 8th], Qom,
September 8, 1979
"Do not interrupt the activities. You all have to obey the Islamic
Republic. And if you don't, you all will vanish." -- In
a speech to Iranian Air Force officers, Isfahan, September
19, 1979
"Those who are against us are like cancer tumors that need to be
removed surgically; otherwise they will corrupt everything."
"These writings, these speeches, these wrong
activities, these democratic programs are separations from Islam.
All these
voices
are blasphemy and are atheistic." -- in a talk to the
Representatives from Tabriz, Qom, September 19, 1979
"We have to identify those who are not in
line with Islam and the Islamic movement by their articles, speeches,
and activities. You the clergy, thank God, who have
control over the Islamic nation [referring to the Iranian people] have
to warn people of the devils who arrange gatherings and lectures.
They are all afraid
of one thing, which is Islam. They might criticize many things, but the
key point is that they are attacking Islam itself. Their pens
are the same old bayonets
that have become like pens ... [sic]. They all have to understand that
as long as there is a pulpit and an altar, and as long as these
homily readers [that
is, Mullahs] exist, they cannot do anything. To all of you who oppose us,
I recommend that you don't gather so much, don't send so many
fliers, don't
publish so much; have you now become brave enough to stick out your neck?
I will slap you on your mouth. You think that you have power?
Stop all these words and
all this gibberish." -- To a group of clergymen,
Qom, October 22, 1979
"In the revolution that was achieved in Iran,
people were screaming that they wanted Islam; these people did
not rise up so their country could have democracy." -- In
a meeting with the Islamic Republic Television and Radio Committee,
Qom, December 10, 1979
"These criminals that have been arrested are not accused, but their crimes
have been proven. We only have to prove their identity and then kill them all.
There
is absolutely no need for a trial. No compassion for them will be allowed.
We believe that the guilty party does not need a trial and must be killed." --
In a message to the Iranian people, June 30, 1980
"People have to learn from the mother who
brought her own son to court and then her son was hanged. This
is one of the paradigms of Islam, that everyone has
to be the same. Children, brothers, kids--if they do not accept advice,
introduce them to government officials so that they can receive their
punishment ... this is their Islamic responsibility and their
faith responsibility. This must be
done." -- In a meeting with Islamic Republic
police officers, July 24, 1981
"This job that you have accomplished, Oh you,
woman, that you brought and gave away your son for punishment
has become a paradigm in Islam. This is something
that everyone must do. It is the responsibility of all Moslems to
do the same." --In a meeting with the mother of Mahmoud
Tarighol-Islam to announce her as an exemplary mother, Jamaran,
August 26, 1981
"Iran is following a program, and that program
is Islam. The same Islam that says if somebody has an association
with left or right, that individual
is fighting
God. He has the intention of fighting God, and his punishment is
the punishment that people fighting God will receive. -- In a
meeting with coaches and educators, Jamaran, September 19, 1982
"Dear students, you must watch the behavior
and the activities of your teachers and professors so that if,
God forbid, they say something wrong, you see them
deviating, right away you must report them to the responsible
officials. Teachers and professors, you must be alert to watch
your own colleagues to see if some
of them are trying to teach deviating thoughts during their lessons
to the children of our Islamic nation so that they can be stopped.
If this does not work, directly
communicate with officials. My dear children, you too take care
of one another in the best possible way, and if you observe that
some enemies in the appearance
of friends or schoolmates are trying to attract your friends,
introduce them to the responsible officials, and try to do all
these things very secretly. Committed
mothers and fathers, watch the comings and goings of your children
and observe their activities." -- In
a message on the first day of the school year, Qom, September
23, 1982
Selected Khomeini
aphorisms
"When human rights came, they saw our jails,
they left, and they said: 'Jails are good. Civilized, in accordance
with democratic [sic], because the logic
is Islamic logic." In Qom, August 19, 1979
"In the
world there is no democracy better than our democracy. Such a
thing has never before been seen." -- In a statement to
the Minister of Finance, Qom, June 23, 1979
"Our nation has become a model for all countries." --
In a meeting with the families of Iranian
Air Force martyrs, Qom, December
29, 1980
"We would like to have a university in the
service of our own nation, not a university whose slogan is that
we want a civilized and modern Iran, that wants to move
toward a great civilization. These things will make our universities
dependent on outsiders. We are against those universities from
the foundation. We want
university professors who are not facing left or right. They
should not be Ataturk
(6) or Taghizadeh (7). -- In a meeting with Members
of the Islamic Society and Jahad Daneshgahi, University of Science
and Industry, Qom, August
26, 1981
"In history, revolutions similar to Iran's
revolution are achieved only with the help of messengers of God." --
In a meeting with the Rajai and Bahonar families,
Jamaran, Tehran, September 2, 1981
"A
monopoly by itself is not a corrupt thing. God's messengers
had a monopoly; the blessed and supreme God also had a monopoly.
This monopoly is
correct. The monopoly of Mr. Beheshti and these seventy innocent
martyrs is very much correct." -- In
a message to the Central Committee of the Islamic Republic of
Iran Party, Jamaran, Tehran, September 7, 1981
"The Iranian people have created calmness in the entire country now."
"I recommend that you continue your good treatment of the prisoners." -- In a meeting with the Rajai and Bahonar
families, Jamaran,
Tehran, September 2, 1981
"In the last two years, so much has been accomplished
in our country that it cannot be believed." -- In Jamaran,
Tehran, February 16, 1982
"Whatever problems we have are from the past
regime. Thank God, the current regime has not caused you any
problem. Those who travel outside, wherever they go, when
they return they say that all nations are in love with Iran." --
In a meeting with coaches and educators,
September 19, 1982
"Today our women are so immersed in God's
blessings that there is no limit. Maybe they are not recognizing
the great blessings of God." -- In his Iranian New Year's
message, March 21, 1983
"Those who give their entire attention to
animal husbandry cannot become human, and those who give their
entire attention to horticulture cannot become human." --
In a meeting with Islamic officials during the New Year's ceremony,
Jamaran, Tehran, March 21, 1983
"We don't have the power to statistically measure what has happened in our
country in the last few years. The nation has to be thankful to the government
for this."
"If these superpowers want to attack us, we won't
allow them to land their airplanes! We will kill their paratroopers
in midair, and we
will destroy them. Do you think they can attack here?" --
In a meeting with members of the Islamic
Revolution Central Committees during
the New Year's ceremony, Jamaran, Tehran, April 10, 1983
"The Great God has given His gifts to you,
and if you are not thankful of your current conditions, I am
afraid of Almighty God's wrath toward you, and
then, God forbid, everyone will burn, both dry and wet [that
is, both the innocent and the guilty], and there will no path
to escape for any of you. -- Message on the fifth anniversary
of the establishment of the Islamic Republic, April 1, 1983
"They keep saying there is inflation. There
is shortage. We put ourselves, our
principles, and our Islam in danger because meat is expensive,
fruit is expensive, and people are unhappy, and God forbid, our
unity will be destroyed, and all
of our principles and hard work that the prophets have done
for Islam will disappear. Become human a little bit." --
In a meeting with the Minister of the Interior
and his staff,
April 10, 1983
Imam Zaman (8) serving Islamic Republic
"When we compare our country with all the
countries in the world, which one is more stable than our country?
It is complete in every aspect. It is good in all
aspects. Currently, it is the most stable country. These
explosions and these things are reasons for its stability. Is
there anything wrong with its government?
Thank God, everything is abundantly available. Of course,
prices are high. But why should we worry? The owner of this country
is the Imam Zaman." -- In a meeting with members of parliament,
September 7, 1981
"You are now under the protection of God and
the Imam Zaman. They protect you personally; a letter listing
all your activities is being sent to Imam Zaman
on a regular basis." -- In a meeting
with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, January 24, 1982
"There is a difference between those who fight
with the confidence that Imam Zaman is their leader and those
who have the retarded Saddam as their leader." -- In a message
on Islamic Republic Army Day, April 18, 1982
"Someone who has recently returned from the
front lines ... told me that Saddam's army was shooting its most
modern missiles toward Khark, but as if a hand were
throwing these missiles in the water or in the desert,
the missiles were brought down to the desert ground, and even
when a missile would hit a gas tank, it would
come out from the other side with no explosion, and this
is the time that humans realize and touch the existence of the
merciful and blessed Lord of Time." -- Ali Akbar Nategh
Nouri, who later became Minister of Interior, Speaker of parliament
and presidential candidate, during Friday prayer, November 5,
1982
"All the other soldiers in their foxholes
had been killed by the enemy's bullets. So I prepared myself
to become a martyr, but suddenly at that time I
saw a young man with a green scarf jump into my foxhole
and hold his hand in front of all the bullets until the shooting
was over. I tried to ask him who
he was, but suddenly he left and said only, 'Once you
visit Imam Khomeini, send him my regards.' When I returned to
Tehran to give a report to Imam
Khomeini regarding my activities on the frontline, I
forgot the event in my foxhole. When I asked for permission to
leave his presence, Imam Khomeini said with a
smile, 'Don't you have a message for me?' Curious, I
said, 'No.' Imam Khomeini asked me, 'How about from the man in
your foxhole the other day?' Still
curious, I replied, 'Who was he?' Imam Khomeini said,
'How did you not understand? He was the Lord of Time, Imam Zaman.' " --
Saf magazine, September 16, 1982
Copyright © 2003 by Farhad Mafie. All rights
reserved. Any reprint of this article must bear this notice. For
information, contact Farhad Mafie at Mafie@att.net or at (949)
851-1714. Footnotes
1- Iranshenasi, P.O. Box 1038, Rockville,
Maryland 20849-1038. Telephone: 301-279-2564.
2 - Jamaran: Ayatollah Khomeini's residence
in north Tehran.
3 - Qom: A city south of Tehran, Qom is sacred for
Shi'ite Moslems. Its ninth-century golden-domed shrine is built
around the tomb of Fatima, Imam Reza's sister. Qom
is home to a major Iranian Shi'ite Moslem theological institution.
4- Bani-Ghorizeh:
A Jewish tribe that continuously fought against Mohammad.
5- Khavarej: "Outsiders" (that
is, those who did not adhere to Imam Ali's leadership).
6- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938),
the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands
as a towering figure of the 20th century. As President for 15 years,
until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk introduced
a broad range of swift and sweeping reforms -- in political,
social, religious, legal, economic, and cultural spheres -- and
established a secular democratic system with the help of the Turkish
Army.
7 - Hassan Taghizadeh: The former head of the Iranian
Senate and a supporter of the Constitutional
Monarchy.
8 - Imam Zaman: "The Lord of Time". According
to Shi'ite Moslems, Imam Zaman, the twelfth Imam, is supposed to
return to earth and lead a worldwide insurrection against tyranny
and corruption.
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Democracy? I meant theocracy
