In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful.

 

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and Allah's blessings be bestowed upon the prophet Mohammad and his exalted family, especially Imam Mahdi (ATF).

 

I welcome each of my dear brothers and sisters, especially the relatives of the noble martyrs.

The best occurrences in various provinces and cities are the ceremonies and commemorations for the martyrs. While the steps you've taken in the past few years to venerate the martyrs were necessary, I believe this work has been long coming. In Lorestan, with its impressive characteristics and abundant values, such memorials should have been held much earlier than this. Nonetheless, they are valued, too, and God willing, you will succeed in your endeavours.

The collection that I observed outside and the actions that have been taken, from the production of books to the various other activities, are valuable accomplishments.

 

The statements of the honourable Imam Juma'ah and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps indicate that they are paying attention to the topic's essence and this work's goals. God willing, you will be successful.

 

One thing I must say about the people and the tribe of Lorestan is that they have outstanding characteristics. In the close contact I have had with some notable personages and various sectors, I have taken note of two features that are more prominent than others. One is their courage. The Lor people are brave wherever they are, whether on the battlefield, expressing their opinions, or in different social situations.

 

The second issue, which is just as noteworthy in my opinion, concerns the friendliness, honesty, and loyalty of the Lor people. These characteristics among them are deservedly acclaimed.

Of course, I have heard some things, but I have also experienced some myself in my personal relationships. I have seen these two features, as well as other essential traits. The late Sayyid Hasan Taheri Khorramabadi, Martyr Sayyid Fakhraddin Rahimi, the late Dr Sayyid Jaafar Shahidi, and Martyr Borujerdi are examples of those whose morals, behaviour, way of thinking, and lifestyle I have seen closely, and they were justly outstanding.

There is also the late Haj Agha Ruhollah Kamalvand, whom we have seen closely for a moment and whose personality we have experienced a bit, and we have heard of others as well.

I remember in 1963, when the Imam (May God be satisfied with him) had been under house arrest in Tehran for a long time, and some of the revolutionary passion and movement in Qom had ebbed, the late Haj Agha Ruhollah Kamalvand came to Qom. Because he was very respected by scholars and authorities, some of us went to visit him. We wanted him to ask the people to initiate a movement.

Of course, the characteristics of the people of Lorestan are numerous; however, these two features are the most prominent. This same spirit of bravery brought the Lor tribes under severe pressure during the infamous Pahlavi era, exposing them to killing, exile, imprisonment, etc. The Pahlavi regime was afraid of the courage and bravery of the Lor people, so they pressured the people to preclude them from taking action.

This fact became common knowledge among the people of other cities. For example, we, who were in Mashhad, had no connection with Lorestan; nevertheless, we heard of Lorestan's famous bravery from the young fighters around us who gave accounts of it.

The children of Mashhad recited a poem from the words of the Lor: "Nanny, nanny, now is the time of war." Clearly, the Lor people have been and are a people of struggle, even in that period of suppression from 1963 onwards.

However, I would like to make one point here: it is necessary for today's youth to preserve the actual image of the various groups that make up the Iranian nation, including the Lor tribes. The history of the Lor people in these last hundred years has two parts: one relates to the Pahlavi era when people were severely oppressed, and one part relates to the time of the Islamic Republic, which marks the rise and emergence of this collective in different fields. These pages of history should be kept together, especially so young people can know their history. In order to saturate the nation's historical memory, these two parts must be preserved and compared. One part is oppression, and the other side is heroism; one side is suppression of the nation's talent, quelling and quashing its emergence in different sectors, and the other part is the lifting of the pressure, the time when people show themselves and outstanding personalities emerge, people with the same character traits that I just mentioned.

For example, the late Shahidi was the same person in the era before the Islamic Republic, but the brilliant Shahidi belongs to the era of the Islamic Republic. Before the Islamic Republic, that same person had studied and progressed and had become prominent, but that prominence did not emerge. Then, the Islamic Republic opened the space, and he shone. Therefore, history should be reviewed and heeded. We should not let either of these two historical periods be forgotten. They must be placed before us and compared.

During the period of the Islamic Republic, the Lor tribes, both inside Lorestan and outside Lorestan where the Lor tribes are present, have genuinely shined. Now, the reports presented here by the gentlemen are true and accurate. All those martyrs, all the martyred students and teachers, the martyred women, the martyred clerics, the martyred scholars, and all those who were present, and the military organisations, including both the army and the IRGC, were truly outstanding. Their presence was beneficial in various areas, and praise God; it continues even today.

I hope, God willing, your efforts will yield good results. The Friday prayer leader mentioned an important point. The purpose of these commemoration ceremonies is to create movements. This point should be considered carefully. Intellectual and practical movements need to be made, and the valuable heritage of the previous generation and the selflessness of the youth of the past should be transferred to today's youth. The country is heading toward the mountaintop. There is much to do. Much effort must be exerted, and many risks must be faced. This path must be pursued with strength and determination. If we want this to happen, we must use the historical past of this part and other parts of the country. Everyone should use and pass on the valuable heritage of the past to the present generation.

I want to say a few words about the situation in Gaza because today, the issue of Palestine and the events that are taking place in Gaza are the Islamic world’s most critical issues. All of these events will shape the future. On the one hand, the matter of Gaza is about oppression, and on the other hand, it is a matter of power. Yes, the people of Gaza are genuinely oppressed, and this brutal, bloodthirsty enemy, the usurping terrorist regime, knows no limits when it comes to committing crimes. It martyrs a thousand people in a single bombardment. That is how it is. It knows no boundaries. This is how the oppression of people becomes evident.

There are, however, two crucial aspects alongside this oppression. One is the patience of these people and the people’s trust in God. These people have genuinely been patient. Scenes of some of what’s happening in Palestine have been shown by mass media in the world and also in our country. A Palestinian man’s child is martyred; he praises God. His child is martyred; he says it is for Palestine. A wounded teenager praises God and recites verses from the Quran. These people’s patience is vital. The enemy wants to push these people to raise their arms in surrender. However, they have not raised their arms. They have not surrendered. This is a critical point. This patience and their trust in God are what will come to their aid. These will make them victorious, and ultimately, they will be the victors.

Another critical point is that the blow inflicted during this event in the attack by the Palestinian fighters on the usurping regime was a decisive blow. Never before had such a blow been inflicted on the (Zionist) regime. Moreover, as I mentioned from the start, it is irreparable. As time passes, it becomes even more apparent that it is irreparable.

Why do you think the president of the US and the heads of oppressive, evil countries like the UK, France, and Germany are continuously making their way there? It is because they see that it (the Zionist regime) is falling apart. They see that it is being destroyed. They realise this, so they keep going there to prevent its destruction. If the usurping regime were not in danger of disintegrating and being destroyed, these evil powers in the world would not feel a need to continuously go there to express their solidarity (with the Zionist regime). This confirms that they have suffered a powerful, decisive blow. And so far, this battered, wounded, crippled regime, which is struggling to stay on its feet using weapons, so-called bombs, this regime has not been able to overpower the (Palestinian) fighters.

Furthermore, it will not be able to overpower the fighters. Thus, it takes its revenge on defenceless, oppressed civilians and drops bombs on them. The (Palestinian) fighters are still prepared. They have been prepared to take action and have maintained their spirit, motivation, and ability to act during this period. Furthermore, God willing, they will continue to do the same after this.

I believe that anyone who talks about Gaza should talk about the patience of the people, the power of the people, and the power of the fighters; otherwise, they will be doing them an injustice. Indeed, patience (the Palestinians) has been shown to be vital.

Another significant point is that the US is an accomplice to the criminals in this matter. In other words, in this crime, the US’s hand is drenched and stained up to its elbow with the blood of the oppressed, the children, the sick, the women, and others. It is the US that is somehow directing the crime that is being committed in Gaza. The US is manipulating this.

The scope of this crime is so extensive that it has pierced the conscience of the people of the world. You are seeing people in US cities, in European cities, in capital cities, and also in Islamic countries take to the streets and openly express their opposition, even though pro-Palestinian protests have been banned in European countries that claim to have freedom of speech. This is also a disgrace for them. It is permissible to march for anything, yet it is forbidden to march to support the oppressed! Nonetheless, people have ignored this (ban). You have seen the footage on TV where people came and participated in protests.

People around the world are infuriated, and we all know that this feeling of anger that has erupted in people, this guilty conscience that has arisen in these countries, will set into motion a reaction that no one can stop. No matter how hard they try, they cannot stop this reaction.

What I would like to emphasise is that Muslim governments should not give up on this matter. They should not imagine that just because the US or some other Western countries do some stupid, wrong action and label those who defend their homes and their country as terrorists, they should repeat the same thing. When a person defends their homeland against the enemy, does that make them a terrorist? The fake, oppressive government that has usurped their homes is the terrorist. Muslim governments should be careful, and political spokespersons should take care not to repeat their words. They should know that Palestine will definitely be victorious in this matter and in the future.

The future world belongs to Palestine. It does not belong to the usurping Zionist regime. The future belongs to them [the Palestinians]. What they [the Zionists] are doing — the oppression, the crimes, and the tragedies they are creating — are all in vain. They will not be able to do anything, God willing, by the will of Almighty God. I hope, God willing, that the Almighty God will bless the Islamic world and the Islamic nation with all that is good in this world, and may God subdue, vanquish, and humiliate the enemies of the Islamic nation.

May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.