Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1,
Tehran, in
Persian 1030 gmt 10 Dec 96
Following his order restructuring the Supreme Council of the Cultural
Revolution, Ayatollah Khamene'i has said in a meeting with the head and members of the
council that "full attention must be paid to Islamic values and principles, and to
the revolutionary spirit in any cultural decision-making and policy-making" . In
order to counter the " cultural onslaught" on Islam a centralized cultural
management was required to guide government and society, Ayatollah Khamene'i
said.
Following are excerpts from a report by Iranian TV on 10th December:
Following an instruction by the esteemed leader about the appointment
of a new structure for the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, his eminence
Ayatollah [Seyyed Ali] Khamene'i, the esteemed leader of the Islamic revolution, today met
the head and members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and said that the
issue of culture must be regarded as a prime issue for the country. Full attention must be
paid to Islamic values and principles and to the revolutionary spirit in any cultural
decision-making and policy-making.
The esteemed leader expressed thanks for important activities,
significant tasks and sincere efforts by the members of the Supreme Council of the
Cultural Revolution including the council secretary, [Islamic Culture and Guidance
Minister] Mr [Mostafa] Mir-Salem. he praised the active and effective presence of
President [Akbar] Hashemi-Rafsanjani in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. He
stated that the new structure of the council and the valuable presence of the country's
great cultural men in the council show the great importance of and further expectations
from this cultural body. The esteemed leader said that a nation's culture was a factor
which distinguished that nation from other nations. He added that priority must be given
to and special investment must be made in the issue of culture in order to achieve
objectives such as creating great Islamic civilization, acquiring full
independence,
becoming self-sufficient and ensuring public welfare, as well as any other
objectives.
This is because, if the culture of a country is supported and strengthened by strong
pillars and correct and workable bases, that nation's development would be guaranteed in
all spheres. Otherwise no decisive results would be achieved through any measures and
planning.
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamene'i mentioned the need for guidance and
correct administration of society's cultural affairs. He referred to the existence of
strong Islamic and revolutionary tendencies in society and stated that cultural guidance
of a society was a need which guaranteed the future. As a main core of the country's
culture, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution must pay attention firstly to
Islamic and revolutionary values [when it issues] guidance about and in its
correct,
precise and calculated administration of cultural issues. Islamic principles and
revolutionary tendencies must influence the decision-taking of the Supreme Council in all
affairs. The esteemed leader said that cultural onslaught was a serious and realistic
matter. He added that the enemies had targeted precisely the culture of pure and
revolutionary Islam, on which the foundation of the Islamic revolution is based. In order
to confront this situation correctly, there is a need for a centralized cultural
management to guide and feed various [government] bodies and society with strengthening
thoughts and the correct cultural currents.
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamene'i said that a genuine cure for the
enemies' measures in attacking Islamic and revolutionary values and beliefs was to have a
deep understanding of the enemies'planning and to use cultural means and solutions [to
combat them]...
The esteemed leader referred to the fact that contrary to economic and
political and other problems, damage [Persian: zayi'at] to culture will be noticed later
and it is for this reason that they are difficult to cure. He pointed out the role of
education and constant and continuous training in improving society's cultural affairs and
in strengthening and achieving issues such as work conscience and economic and social
discipline, and stated that the country's problems could not be resolved other then
through improving cultural affairs. To this end, the Supreme Council of the Cultural
Revolution must identify and evaluate - with a broad and far-sighted view - cultural
problems, especially the lasting [Persian: dirpah] and intangible issues. At the same
time, the Supreme Council must make sure that, in addition to its long-term
activities,
sometimes in some special circumstances, specific issues must take priority and work must
be carried out in that respect too.
The esteemed leader said it was necessary for the council to avoid
carrying out minor tasks and added that the decisions adopted by the Supreme Council of
the Cultural Revolution must be implemented. In this respect, the government, the Majlis
and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution must play a complementary role in
cultural affairs...
Prior to the speech by the esteemed leader, President [Akbar]
Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution,
expressed thanks for the guidance of and the constant attention paid by the esteemed
leader to the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. He said that in recent
years,
the cultural council had paid more attention to issues related to general
culture.
The president added that it was hoped that with the new measure by the
esteemed leader of the revolution in appointing a new structure for the council, and in
view of the present requirements of the country, the Supreme Council of the Cultural
Revolution would be able to create a transformation in society's cultural
affairs.
Tehran, Dec. 10, IRNA -- the leader of the Islamic revolution,
ayatollah seyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on Iranian officials to pay due attention
to cultural issues facing the country. "it is necessary that a central headquarters
be set up to guide the institutions concerned and manage all cultural programs in order to
confront the cultural assault of the enemies of islam," the supreme leader
said.
ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the members of the high council for
cultural revolution. the leader said the cultural assault launched by the enemies of islam
against the Islamic revolution is a "serious issue", adding "the enemies of
islam, using cultural means, have targetted the political and religious beliefs as well as
the traditions of our nation. "now, the Islamic culture upon which the Islamic
revolution has been based is the target of the enemies of islam. therefore, in order to
properly confront the enemy's inroad and foil its impacts, a centralized management is
required to direct cultural affairs using efficient cultural means and workforce."
elsewhere in his speech, the leader of the Islamic revolution
recommended the high council for cultural revolution to concentrate its efforts on
upholding its principles and relying on the Islamic values. ayatollah Khamenei also called
on the high council to avoid getting involved in trivial matters, determine its cultural
priorities in certain periods and go ahead with its plannings. the leader maintained that
the strength of a country and a nation depends on the culture of that country and what
differentiates a country from the others is its culture. ayatollah Khamenei also
underlined the importance of investing in cultural affairs to protect its
independence,
attain self-sufficiency, provide public welfare, consolidate the religious belief of the
people and realize a great Islamic civilization. the supreme leader also appreciated the
former members of the council for their sincere efforts in the cultural domain, and lauded
minister of culture and Islamic guidance mostafa mirsalim as a learned cultural figure for
properly running the secretariat of the high council for cultural revolution.
Tehran, Dec. 9, IRNA -- president hojatoleslam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
accompanied by a group of government officials and muslim ambassadors met the leader of
the Islamic revolution, ayatollah seyyed-Ali Khamenei, on the occasion of the muslim feast
of mab'ath at imam Khomeini mosque here Monday. the leader of the Islamic revolution
felicitated his visitors on the occasion of the day and offered a brief account on the
pecularities of the Islamic faith. he said: "with a realistic evaluation of the
be'that of his prophethood we can conclude that his be'that with its dissimilar
peculiarites as the biggest incident of the human history, because the glowig of this
light in sacred heart of the prophet of islam and the tolerence of this great
responsibility by his prophethood is like a loophole connecting the world of creation and
the material world to the invisible. "be'that means the building of a new world and
shattering the ungodly institutions that are also tyrannical, and the first step after
be'that is struggle, and movement, because no prophet was able to communicate divine
message to the human sociey without that. on this basis the prophets encountered various
enemies from the outset of their be'that. but the prophet of islam (pbuh) eventually
suceeded to kindle a light at the heart of the era of ignorance which will have more light
with the passing of history, and will lead more socieites to guidance. "islam Marched
towards the formation of an Islamic system from the beginning on the basis of a difficult
struggle, and his prophethod (pbuh) was able to institute this system in 'yathreb'. this
issue indicates that islam is not separate from life, politics and the management of the
state and government, and to develop divine thoughts and realize religious goals it is
crucial to use power. "in the world that the oppresors, capitalists, and owners of
big companies attack every call of justice from evrry side and use iron fists against it.
Religious goals cannot be realized without struggle and effort and without having the
backing of power" "the orientation of power and government at an Islamic society
must be towards goals and aspirations that the holy qoran stresses their
realization. therefore, on the basis of a general criterion the government that does not March towards
the directin of realizing Islamic aspirations is going astray. "humans must be
equipped wih good ethics, because the princpal and final purposes of be'that are based on
development and propagtion of good ethics among all members of the muslim society, and the
Islamic society of Iran must make a pricipal move as complementary to the great Islamic
revolution and in the first phase engage in its development among its own society by
establishing an islmaic ethical system, and in the second phase propagate the same in the
world that is thirsty for ethics. "the propagation of lying,
misrepresetations, and
subscribing to the wrong and also frauduelnt acts and cheating are among the biggest
crimes of the international arrogance and on top of them the u.s. government. today the
humanity is afflicted with troubles due to the absence of ethics, and islam and muslims
can bestow on the humaniy the best ethical gift. "most assassinations done here and
there in the world are ascribed to oppressor governments and among them the u.s.
government. the arrogant powers throughout the world perpetrate homicide, assasinations
and every illegal act, and in connection with Iran they support the most notorious
terrorists of the world and they give them sanctuary and dignify them with their friendly
exchanges. they openly support the zionist regime which is a government based on
terrorism, cruelty, tyranny and at the same time the carry the banner of struggle against
terrorism, and this is an agonizing reality that shows their lies and their being deprived
of human ethics."
toward the end of his address, the leader of the Islamic revolution
sterssed the need for a big popular movement on the direction of promoting growth of
Islamic values, and called on preachers and speakers throughout the nation to dedicate
temselves to that task. meanwhile, in a brief speech before the address of the leader of
the Islamic revolution, president hojatoleslam Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani referred to the
be'that feast as a great and inspirig day.
Tehran, Dec. 5, IRNA -- the leader of the Islamic revolution, ayatollah
seyyed Ali Khamenei, here thursday, in an audience that he gave to his personal
representatives at the colleges and universities appreciated the cultural role of students
and cautioned against the sensitivity of the youth and their potential proneness to
exploitation by enemies of the Islamic revolution. he said true student associations at
colleges and universities would have to be inspired by the principles of the faith and
committed to Islamically-plausible goals, and that associations professing to be of
students but not committed to promoting Islamic ideology were out of question, and would
have to be identified and countered by college students. elsewhere in his address
ayatollah Khamenei criticized the western notion of democracy and western pretension to
concern for the freedom of the individuals, saying that it was a unique feature of the
western civilization to propagandize corrupt ideas in a highly plausible presentation. he
said such countries as the united states, France and britain were present-day examples of
centers that acted like absolute despots giving corrupt ideas the prima facie look of
plausibility.
the leader of the Islamic revolution also said that colleges and
universities would have to be politically aware in the Islamic republic. for a college to
be politically-aware, he said, it meant that that no one student in the centers of higher
education should happen to be simplistically disoriented with the present day situation.
he said college students would have to be politically astute becaue they would naturally
be in charge of administrative and political functions tomorrow. he also expressed hope
that college students should broaden their political outlooks and eschew from unwarranted
ideological bickerings that, he said, would only deplete their potential capacity rather
than bear any fruit in the interest of the revolution.
Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1, Tehran, in
Persian 1530 gmt 5 Dec 96
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamene'i, the exalted leader of the Islamic
revolution, today at a meeting with the officials of the Offices Representing the Guardian
Jurisconsult [Vali-ye Faqih] and members of the central councils of Islamic organizations
of universities from across the country, explained the important responsibilities of
student formations, and stressed that university environments should be full of awareness,
spirituality, activity, enthusiasm and clear thinking in political matters.
The eminent leader of the revolution, referring to the importance and
sensitivity of student matters, stated that being young, having responsibility, being
sensitive to the general directions of society, having clear thoughts, having intellectual
characteristics and having the characteristics of a system were some of the attributes of
university environments...
The exalted leader of the revolution, referring to the general activity
of the student and university communities in the context of the Islamic movement of the
Iranian nation, stressed that the student environment - because of its characteristics,
such as being young and enthusiastic - has been and is always in danger of being exploited
and influenced by groups and elements lying in waiting; and that it therefore needs to be
vigilant in its approach to things.
Ayatollah Khamene'i said the formation of Islamic associations was an
instinctive act and one of the most beautiful outcomes of the victory of the Islamic
revolution; and referring to the grave responsibilities of Islamic organizations in
university environments, stressed that Islamic organizations, whatever their name or
title, should sublimate the quality of universities towards religion and the direction of
the revolution; and this issue should not be neglected under any circumstances.
The eminent leader of the revolution said that Westerners' claims that
they support freedom and respect for public opinion were one of the great lies in the
contemporary world...
The exalted leader of the revolution, explaining the heavy
responsibilities and obligations of student formations, said they had the three important
responsibilities of providing spiritual nourishment for students, elevating the student's
political understanding and powers of analysis and creating proper relations between
university organizations...
In His Eminence Ayatollah Khamene'i's estimation, the responsibility of
the student formations to create clear-sightedness, enhance the level of understanding and
deepen the power of sound analysis in the students is crucial
and fundamental. Referring to the deviations that were created in the
community during early Islam, he said: More painful than the killing of Imam Hoseyn [Third
Shi'a Imam] - peace be upon him - in Ashura, was the calamity of the rule of Yazid over
the Islamic community; and that was only 50 years after the rule of the Prophet, God's
peace be upon him and his house. That most grave calamity came about through the
combination of deliberate treachery of some of the elite [Persian: khavas] and the fact
that the common people carelessly followed them. Of course, this problem can always occur
and a certain number of the elite, for whatever reason, might pursue their desires, wealth
and personal power, and the common folk might follow them.
The exalted leader added: When it is repeatedly stressed that the
university must be political, it means that within the university environment - under the
light of the power of realizing the truth and realistic analysis - no ill-informed person
should exist. That is because if our student community, which will have a greater part of
the community in their hands in the future, enjoys this clear-sightedness and interprets
issues logically and properly, the impressionability of the common folk towards the
deviant elite will be greatly reduced...