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In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

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الحمدلله ربّ العالمين

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و الصّلاة و السّلام على سيّدنا و نبيّنا ابى‌القاسم المصطفى محمّد

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و على آله الطّيبين الطّاهرين المعصومين

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سيّما بقيّةالله فى الارضين

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This is a very desirable and attractive meeting for me;

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a meeting in which you, dear brethren, esteemed Friday Prayers leaders,

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[and] spiritual and cultural agents of the [Islamic] Revolution from across the country are present.

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I wish I could sit with every one of you dear brethren and talk [to you].

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Alas, neither time, nor efficient ability and [my physical] strength

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is such as to allow me to be able to sit with every one of you,

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[to] talk [to you], [and] listen to [what] you [have to say].

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I would love to occasionally listen to your Friday Prayers sermons.

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In the past, when I went to some cities,

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I considered myself obligated to listen to the Friday Prayers sermon of that city over the radio.

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Nowadays I travel less and I can also do this less frequently.

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At any rate, this meeting is an opportune meeting for me;

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I met you, heard the report presented by Mr. [Reza] Taqavi [head of the Friday Prayers Policymaking Council],

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which was very extended, detailed and useful.

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I will discuss two points in this meeting;

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one point is about the issue of the Friday Prayers,

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which is an issue related to us and you and is a very important issue;

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another issue is a brief explanation about the issue of elections to which we are close.

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I will say a few sentences on each of these two issues.

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As for the issue of the Friday Prayers, I must say that the Friday Prayers is a base;

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the base of faith, the base of piety, the base of insight, [and] the base of ethics.

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We must not be afraid of the term “base,”

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because base is [usually] among those words and terms that are related to war and fighting and such things.

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Well, this war [actually] exists, [and] it has been imposed on us

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– we are engaged in a war, though it is not a military war;

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[but] is a spiritual war, an ideological and faith-based war, [and] a political war

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– just in the same way that they imposed eight years of war on us during the Sacred Defense [the Iraqi imposed war on Iran].

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We did not seek war with our neighbor, [but] it was imposed on us; [because] they attacked us.

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We never start to attack,

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even in places where defense is not needed, we don’t defend;

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[as the Quran says:] “If you should raise your hand against me to kill me, I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.”

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We are like this. Where defense is necessary, yes, we will defend [ourselves].

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And thank God that the Iranian nation, the revolution’s forces,

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[and] our late great and dear leader [Imam Khomeini] – whose name, memory and path are, thank God, alive –

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showed that they are capable in the field of defense.

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We are engaged in such a war; [and] we are engaged in such a jihad.

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They attack the faith of our people, attack the insight of our people,

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attack our piety, attack our ethics,

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[and] spread various kinds of dangerous spiritual viruses among us;

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well, what are we supposed to do? We must defend [ourselves].

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[Doing] this needs a base, like [command] bases at the battlefront.

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The Friday Prayers is one of the most important of such bases;

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it is the base of faith, [and] the base of piety.

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Let’s look at the Friday Prayers from this viewpoint,

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you are commanders of this base; every base at the battlefront has its own commander;

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the commander of the Friday Prayers base is the Friday Prayers leader himself.

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Well, the major [goal] of this base is to elucidate [various social and political issues]; the issue of elucidation [is its main goal].

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Elucidation was a major goal for divine prophets; [they wanted] to elucidate the truth,

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because the thing that makes humans go astray

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is that they don’t know the truth; this is the most important [cause of misguidance].

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There are also people who know the truth, but deny it,

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however, most cases of deviation result from not knowing the truth

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and divine prophets came to tell the truth,

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to clarify it, make it known, and give the people an ultimatum; this is the issue of elucidation

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The scholars are heirs to prophets;

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you are heirs to prophets, including in this issue, the issue of elucidation.

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As its name denotes, the Friday Prayers is a place for coming together, [and] is a gathering place;

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this is also a great opportunity for elucidation [of various issues].

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Sometimes, you have to go in this person’s house [or] that person’s house,

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or take advantage of indirect methods.

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These means of mass communication that exist today, it is true that they are far-reaching

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– the internet and social networks and other things are very far-reaching –

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but face to face and eye to eye look and the feeling of presence

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and hearing the voice of the speaker and audience is something else;

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gathering, [and] coming together is something else.

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It is possible that a few hundreds of thousands of people may receive a word, [and] a message through the internet or through the SMS,

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but this is very different from when the same hundreds of thousands of people come together at a place,

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[where] one person talks to them and speaks to them.

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This looking [to each other] face to face has a different [and] extraordinary effect; this is at your disposal.

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The Friday Prayers is an opportunity for gathering, [and] for coming together;

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it brings people close together; [where] they can exchange [their views] with one another, can make appointments,

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[and] can take action; these [issues] are very important.

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Those people who are unfamiliar with religion

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– whether foreigners, or some of our own poor agents inside [the country] who do not have these facilities –

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regret how they cannot and have no means to bring people together in a place

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to talk to one another, [and] exchange [views],

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[and they] want to do this under various titles, which at the end does not become anything like this.

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Well, now that this is the case, then the Friday Prayers are the cultural heart of every city;

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[and] the Friday Prayers are the cultural center of every city –

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of course, it has conditions, which now, I will mention some of them.

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The Friday Prayers are a place where guidance takes place;

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I emphasize that this guiding action is not simply [limited to] political guidance,

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but is both political and cultural guidance.

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We must not suppose that if, presumably, we talked about a given political issue of the day, which is of concern [to us],

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and talked about it and presented our views in an eloquent manner, the case will be closed; no,

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we believe that cultural guidance is more fundamental than political guidance.

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[Of course,] political guidance is very necessary and we must not pass over it,

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but cultural guidance and people’s culture [as well as] people’s ethics [are more important].

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Just assume that the issue of lifestyle, which

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I brought up three [or] four years ago, is one of the important issues.

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The lifestyle has various branches; one of the most important goals of the enemies of the Iranian nation

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and the enemies of Islam is to change the lifestyle of Muslims

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and [make them live in a way] similar to their own lifestyle. The realities of life have an impact on human mind

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[and] daily behavior leave an impression on human heart and soul

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– both the person’s soul and the soul of his audience and friends –

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[and] these [enemies] want to change this.

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Islam has brought us a [special] lifestyle. [For example,] assume politeness [as part of this lifestyle].

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One of the important [human] actions is politeness.

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In their everyday dealings, Westerners are not very bound by politeness;

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we Iranians have been known since old times that in our words

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[and] in our communications, we observe politeness; [and] show respect for the opposite side.

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They want to change this and, unfortunately, have succeeded in some places.

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Assume that you are opposed to somebody,

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[and] want to talk about him. You can talk [about that person] in two ways:

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one way would be to talk insultingly and outrageously and impolitely;

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[while] another way is to talk politely.

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You see that in the Honorable Quran in many cases when it talks about the corrupt people,

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talks about infidels, [and] talks about evil acts of the world’s malefactors, it says:

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“but most of them do not know [what they are doing].”

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It does not say all of them; you see this; after all, there is a minority among these people who can think;

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the Honorable Quran respects their right and says: “most of them.”

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One issue with regard to this [issue of] lifestyle and good habits and methods of living,

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for example, [is] book reading. Of course, in this report that was presented, reference had been made to this concept,

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but it is very important that we make people, [and] the youth read books.

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Reading books is very important; introduce good books [to people].

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I even believe that – now, of course, those gentlemen who have responsibility,

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must study its various aspects

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– and I think it is good for the Friday Prayers venues

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to become places for display of good books and up-to-date books and desirable books;

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which [would enable people] to come and see these books, [and] if they want, they would buy [those books] at the same place, or from another place.

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Let’s make people read books; [and] make elites produce books;

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these are [among those] things that are necessary. Well, this was [my view on] some of these issues.

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One of the important issues with regard to the Friday Prayers is to attract the young community of the country.

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Although the ratio of our youth is now slightly lower than before – compared to 1980s and early 1990s –

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but, thank God, our society is still a young society; we have many young people.

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[Try to] attract the youth to the Friday Prayers.

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[Of course,] attracting the youth to the Friday Prayers will not be possible by simply saying

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“[Hey] youth come [to the Friday Prayers], [and] youths, be encouraged;”

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the youth must be attracted through [their] hearts, [and] through understanding [the value of the Friday Prayers].

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One of those things that attract the youth to the Friday Prayers is solid and logical words.

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Baseless remarks, either in political field, or in cultural field [are not effective because]

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people who are there – now, a group have become used to [taking part in the Friday Prayers] and come to the prayers out of habit] –

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[but] that young person, who wants to hear [a useful] word from this tribune, he will not be attracted [by baseless remarks];

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[say] something new, [because] “new word is attractive in a different way.”

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[Of course,] new words do not mean making heretic remarks that we would say ‘sir, [this will lead to] heresy’. No, [but say something that is] a new word.

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You [must] think, muse, reflect, explore,

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[and] you would find new [and] attractive words for the youth; then young people will come [to take part in the Friday Prayers].

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They will come and take part in these meetings; [and] they will take part without you having to tell them.

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Dear brethren! One of those things that attract the youth is a feeling of sincerity.

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Young people are emotional; they do many things guided by their emotions and heart.

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If they feel sincerity, feel kindness, [and] feel honesty, [they] will come.

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[However,] if they see vanity in me or you, they won’t come;

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; if they feel arrogance, [and] feel pretense [in me or you] they will not come [to the Friday Prayers].

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Such things must be rectified, then the youth will come. When the youth come,

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, you would be in fact feeding the driving force and impetus of the country.

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Young person is the driving force of the country; then you would be feeding him.

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One of the thigs about you Friday Prayers leaders, which is in my view important

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– which is pursuant to this previous remark – is clerical behavior, not administrative behavior.

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The Friday Prayers system, is a clerical behavior, [and] is a system of the clergy;

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[it is] not an administrative system; [therefore,] it must not assume an administrative appearance.

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Managerial presence in the Friday Prayers will not be effective;

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[however,] clerical and cleric-like and clergy-like presence will be effective;

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your behavior must not be bossy, your behavior must be clerical;

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[it must be] fatherly behavior, brotherly behavior, [and] sincere behavior, [because,] this is [true] behavior of a cleric.

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The next [issue] is to observe what is right.

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Sometimes I see that some people, who, for example, have relatively large public tribunes,

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observe the audience’s demand when they want to say something;

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sometimes they [the audience] wants you to talk in this way [and] you talk in this way; this is wrong.

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We had this [problem] even before the revolution.

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Among those forces who had something to say and for example, [could talk about] new issues and Islamic theoretical issues,

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were some people who looked to see what the audience, who has come here, likes;

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if they liked a certain remark, even if it was wrong, they said the same.

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Don’t to this, [because] this is wrong. Say what is right

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even if your audience does not like it,

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[because] by using [logical] argument and through a warm and soft way of expression,

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even the same thing that they do not like and may be averse to it

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can be presented in a way that they would like it.

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Another issue is the issue of venerating the Friday Prayers leader.

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The Friday Prayers leader must venerate himself [and] people must venerate him as well,

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and the central council [of Friday Prayers leaders] in Tehran must also venerate them.

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Veneration does not mean formalities, [and] does not mean spreading the red carpet [for them];

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[but] veneration means appreciation [of their work];

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[that is,] you as the Friday Prayers leader, must know your value and venerate yourself;

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it means that you must remain above those things that corrupt people.

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These are important things to which attention must be paid.

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At any rate, the opportunity of leading the Friday Prayers and the success to hold the Friday Prayers in our country is really a major achievement.

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In some Islamic countries, it is usual that [the texts of] the Friday Prayers [sermons]

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are written on paper by administrative bodies and are given to Friday Prayers leader,

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[and] that Friday Prayers leader goes behind the tribune and reads that text out.

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This, in my view, is not [true] Friday Prayers; [and] this is not [true] Friday Prayers sermon.

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This is [tantamount to] reading a circular [issued] by a given [administrative] department; that given department, which is special to religious issues,

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writes something [on paper] and says ‘sir, you go there and read this out’, and he goes there and reads it out.

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This is not [true] Friday Prayers sermon; a Friday Prayers sermon is one that

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comes forth and oozes out of the heart and active mind of the Friday Prayers leader,

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runs on his tongue, and is reflected on people through eloquent and fluent expression according to people’s need.

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Whenever there is a void, [and] whenever there is a need, that need must be recognized.

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That thing that meets this need must be also recognized;

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that intellectual medicine, that intellectual feed and intellectual nutrition, which can meet this need

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and satiates the opposite side, must be also recognized and must be expressed with a suitable expression.

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This is that thing, which in my opinion, is necessary with regard to the issue of leading the Friday Prayers.

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At any rate, we appreciate the Friday Prayers and really thank the Almighty God [for this bounty].

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Once, I had a meeting with [the late] Imam [Khomeini] along with the Friday Prayers leaders during those early years [following the Islamic Revolution]

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when the Friday Prayers was still nascent and Imam had honored me [by appointing me] to lead Tehran Friday Prayers.

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I met with him along with the Friday Prayers leaders and I said something.

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That sentence, which I said and had arisen from [the bottom of] my heart, was this that I said ‘as the Almighty God

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has set the Night of Decree for people

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it has been quoted from [Shia] Imams (Peace Be Upon Them), when interpreting the [Quran’s] Qadr Chapter

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that under the Umayyad rule, a thousand months went by and people had no Night of Decree

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– [that is], the rule of Umayyad took a thousand months, [and] in those thousand months, there was no Night of Decree and people were deprived of this Night of Decree;

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this is in our traditions – in the same way, we were deprived of the Friday Prayers under the rule of tyranny’.

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In some cities, following suit with the old method,

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governors appointed one person and put him [in charge of holding the Friday Prayers]. Of course, in some cities, including in Mashhad,

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there were esteemed and respectable Friday Prayers leaders – [like] the late Mr. Hajj Sheikh Gholamhossein Tabrizi,

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who was a very [great] man: was both scholar, and pious, and ascetic – who had nothing to do with the government; we had such [Friday Prayers leaders] as well,

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but in many other cities, the Friday Prayers leader was appointed by tyrannical governments;

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[and] people did not go to Friday Prayers and did not pay attention.

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The Friday Prayers that is organized by a tyrannical ruler

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would not be attractive to people and people did not go there.

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I said [to Imam Khomeini that] ‘for many years, we were deprived of the Friday Prayers

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and you gave the Friday Prayers to us, [and] to the Iranian nation’. This is really a big bounty.

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This [will be sufficient] about the issue of leading the Friday Prayers.

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But the issue of elections [is also important]. Of course, there is still [ample] time before elections

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– for example assume that we have still forty or fifty days of time –

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[and] I have an opportunity to tell people what I have [to say in this regard].

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two years before elections or one year before elections; I am opposed

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to making the country’s atmosphere election-oriented. I am opposed [to this],

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but many people did this; this is wrong.

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When the atmosphere becomes election-oriented, the requisite for such election-oriented atmosphere

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is rivalry and conflict – even though verbal conflict –

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and [requires] exchange of all kinds of possibly improper and ugly remarks.

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An election-oriented atmosphere makes one ignore the current realities in the society and the real needs of the society.

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This step, is not a good step [to be taken],

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[and] I did not deem it suitable to talk about elections beforehand,

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but now, it is almost the election season and certain things must be said.

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Firstly, elections per se are very important; this is a great bounty.

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Just as I said about the Friday Prayers,

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I also say about elections that these elections are a really great bounty.

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This was also a blessed outcome of the clear and profound view of our revered Imam [Khomeini].

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There were people at that time who believed that [when] the government is Islamic,

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there is no need to elections; the Imam said no, there must be elections and [those elections] must have an effect

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[because] people must decide, people must elect and what people want must be done.

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The result of this policy was that people remained on the side of the revolution and in the middle of the arena

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and, thank God, they have remained [on the side of the revolution] up to the present day, because it is people themselves who are electing,

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[and] people themselves are making decision. [Therefore,] election is a great bounty.

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Elections are among those things that, thank God, exist [in the Islamic Republic].

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We have had all these elections [but] our enemies have not stopped

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to claim that there is dictatorship [in this country]. [At the same time, all] dictators in the region are their allies

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and are partners and stakeholders in plundering and pillaging nations, [but] they tell them nothing

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– like these very governments that you observe and see and know –

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but they accuse the Islamic Republic [of dictatorship].

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If there were no elections, this [claim] would have been no accusation [but] would be a reality;

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that is, if this right had been taken away from people in reality, this claim by the enemy would have come true.

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Thank God, this right has been given to people, there are elections, [and] elections are, thank God, totally free.

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The existence of elections, both gives people a sense of independence and identity inside the country

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and they feel that everything belongs to them – [and] in fact, this is true;

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people own the country and they make decisions on their own and take actions on their own;

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both in the executive power and in the legislative power, and indirectly with regard to the leader

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and other issues for which there are elections

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–, and [at the same time,] are cause of prestige and credit outside the country.

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At global level, these elections are really a cause of credit and prestige.

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Therefore, elections themselves, are a very important issue and a great bounty.

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Elections must not be spoiled. Some people like [to do this], and as if they are used to

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keep beating the drums of unreliability of elections as every election approaches; they have gotten used [to this].

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This is a very bad habit, [and] a bad sickness,

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why? [Because] elections [in Iran] are healthy elections.

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It is possible in any elections that a violation may occur at a certain place;

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this is possible, and such things always happen

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– well, [even] in our own actions, both personal and public and private actions, violations may take place –

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but those violations that would change the result of elections, are absolutely non-existent.

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Organized violation does not absolutely exist;

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not observing [election laws] by state and non-state officials does not exist at all.

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Since the outset of the revolution up to the present time, it has been like this;

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officials have [attended to] issues related to elections in a responsible manner and all governments that have been [in place] during this period [have acted like this].

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The government that have come and gone, some of them

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were 180 degrees different from each other in terms of political tendencies,

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but the behavior of all of them with regard to elections has been a correct behavior.

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Nobody [must] claim that there has been treachery in these elections or [cheating].

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Once, - I might have said this before –

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there was great brouhaha about elections in Tehran in one term;

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there was a lot of hue and cry and [some people] insisted that these elecions must be nullified. I said you must investigate;

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in Tehran two or three million people have come and taken part in the elections, , [and you expect] we totally nullify their votes?

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What argument is this? We must investigate to see what has happened.

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Then we investigated and it became clear that this was not the case. We conducted extensive investigation;

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in those years, I frankly wrote to the Guardian Council that no, the [result of the] elections must not be tampered with.

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That is, elections are the right of people, belong to people and we cannot accuse elections of,

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for example, being like this or like that; no, elections [in Iran] are healthy elections;

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it has been healthy in all terms, [and] God willing, it will be the same now

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and the framework of laws and regulations and the presence of people who are watchful, are careful, [and] are duty-bound,

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will not allow the elections to be disrupted. This is one point.

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However, I said that elections are people’s right; this people’s right is a very important issue.

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Well, it is frequently repeated in conversation that I have said elections are the right of people

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and [again] are the right of people and [this is] frequently repeated; however, well, we must reach the depth of this right of people.

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The meaning of [elections] being right of people is not that only the person who attends the [ballot] box

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must observe this right of people, which for example assume that he should not read ballots mistakenly or would not change their number;

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[of course,] this is an example of observing the right of people.

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One issue is the issue of the right of the nominee;

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one of the people’s rights is to observe the right of this nominee, who comes and enters this arena

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and becomes a candidate for elections,

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which if he is a qualified person, we must not reject his nomination, [and on the contrary] make room for him to come forth.

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The opposite point is also true; if he is not a qualified person, don’t let him in;

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if in this Majlis [parliament] – whether it is the Assembly of Experts, or the Islamic Consultative Assembly,

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or at any place where an election is going on – there is a person who

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is not legally qualified to enter this place and we ignore this,

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overlook this, do not observe [the laws], do not be painstaking,

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and [as a result,] he enters [this parliament], this is also [an example of] nullifying the right of people,

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[and] undermining the right of people, [and] this is also against the right of people.

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Another dimension of the right of people is to safeguard the trust;

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[I mean] those people who control the votes, those people who count the votes,

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those people who register [the votes] and report, those people who add up [the votes],

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and in short, those people who are responsible for managing [ballot] boxes, must maintain ultimate degree of trustworthiness;

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that is, in these fields, the least violation would be betrayal of trust.

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Another dimension of [elections] being the right of people is to accept the legal result of the elections;

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[that is,] when it reaches a result and legal authorities confirm that this is [the final result],

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accepting that result [is the right of people]; [and this is exactly] the opposite of what was done [following presidential polls] in [the Iranian year 13]88 (2009).

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Well, in [the year 13]88, they came and brought up a wrong and undesirable claim

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that there has been vote rigging and these elections must be nullified;

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now, how many people had taken part [in those elections]? Forty million!

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Forty million people have taken part in an election

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and have voted for various candidates, [and] various nominees;

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[and yet] these guys [said this] claiming [there has been vote] rigging. Of course, I was very tolerant toward them

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– now, the details of what was done are lengthy –

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[I] tolerated [them], talked [to them], [and] said ‘OK, tell them go and inspect the [ballot] boxes,

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[and] any number of boxes that you want’. They did not heed [my call], [and] did not listen;

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it was not their plan to accept this right word; [therefore,] they did not accept the right word

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and caused losses for the country.

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I don’t know when these losses that were inflicted on us in the year 88 (2009)

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are going to be made up for? I really don’t know! They have not been yet.

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This is another point that everybody must accept the result of elections.

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Another issue is to respect the right [of people] in proposed lists [of candidates];

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these lists that they propose, [and] lists that they present for candidates.

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Those people who produce these lists, must really observe the right [of people];

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the issue of cronyism and factionalism and such things must not be allowed to interfere [in their decision]

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and look to see who is really qualified;

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[then] put that person who is qualified [on their list] and introduce [him] to people.

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This is also one part and one dimension of observing the right of people.

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Another dimension is that those people who want to vote,

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[must] trust those groups that are really trustworthy;

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there are some groups that are not trustworthy;

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[as put by the Quran:] “like one whom the devils enticed.”

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Sometimes, it is not that [becoming a candidate] is out of purity and reality and interest in the revolution

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– the basis of our work is the revolution –

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[and it is not that] they come and propose a list out of interest in revolution;

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no; they offer proposals on the basis of other objectives – sometimes [even] corrupt objectives.

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People should note and see from what source the proposed lists have been proposed;

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[and see] who has proposed them,

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[and then] elect those people who can be relied on, can be trusted, [and] are trustworthy.

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This is also one of the things [that are important about elections]. Therefore, the issue of the right of people, which I explained, has these dimensions

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– it has also other dimensions which now I don’t want to explain in detail –

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and this [issue] in this sense is really the right of people.

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An important issue about elections is maximum turnout,

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which I, God willing, later on [and] if I am still alive before the elections, will talk about maximum turnout again.

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The more people take part in the elections, the strength of the system

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and credit of the country will go higher;

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the more people take part [in election], the higher will go credit of the [Islamic] Establishment.

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[This is] because the Establishment is a popular Establishment and the reality of the issue is that [this Establishment] relies on

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people’s emotions and people’s sentiments and people’s choice and people’s demand.

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I have had this conviction [about] maximum [turnout in elections] since the past

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and I have always insisted on it, [and] this time around I insist on it again and, God willing, will talk more about it.

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Another issue is the issue of infiltration.

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I brought up this issue of infiltration in the case of JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] and after JCPOA;

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this is a very strange and very important issue.

357
00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:46,510
Those people who have access to information on various issues

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are well aware what a trap has been laid for the country,

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or [what a trap] they want to lay in order to infiltrate into the fortress and strong wall of the Iranian nation’s will and thought and decision

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through various kinds of ploys and policies and plots; this [plot] is now ongoing;

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[and] people must pay high attention to this [issue] with regard to elections.

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If we assume that an element of infiltration could enter the Islamic Consultative Assembly

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or enter the Assembly of Experts or infiltrate into other pillars of the Establishment by any means,

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it would gnaw [those organs] from inside like a termite and weaken the pillars and cause them to collapse.

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This issue is like this. The issue of infiltration is very important, which now, God willing, I will explain it.

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Of course, enlightenment is necessary in this regard;

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enlightenment without incrimination, without slander, [and] without giving examples,

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but enlightening people’s mind is a necessary step. Look, one of those things that the Honorable Quran [says]

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to the opponents, [and] to the Jews in that time and chides them, is this:

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“Why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?”

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One of the big problems is that you mix what is true with what is false [and] cause ambiguity;

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[the Quran uses the Arabic word] ‘labs’, which means “mistake,” and says [you] cause confusion between truth and falsehood

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and conceal the truth. The truth must be expressed and this is our duty.

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Dear brethren! Today is a sensitive day, [and our] time, is an extremely sensitive time.

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A perseverant system and a broad-based front are working against the Islamic Revolution;

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they pour money into the market, bring arms to the market, hatch conspiracy,

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[and] as put by themselves, have think tanks and are constantly working;

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the reason is that they feel threatened. [And] they are right;

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they must really feel threatened,

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because the Islamic thought has gotten out of the limits of the Islamic Republic’s Establishment.

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It has gotten out [of the Islamic Republic’s limits] on its own; I have frequently brought this example and said that [this is] like healthy air,

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like a light breeze, [and] like the fragrance of a flower; you cannot keep the fragrance of the flower contained in the garden,

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[because] the fragrance of the flower goes [out of the garden] and spreads around the garden.

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The revolutionary thought, the thought of the pure Islam,

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[and] the Islamic thought, which has [established] a government [is like this], and not that Islam, which is merely talk and likewise

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is only respected on the surface in a pretentious manner and just as a sanctity,

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and nobody acts upon it at all; the Islam [that spreads around is one] which has an effect in building the society and the social system.

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This is a mindset that has spread throughout the Islamic world

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and in some cases has trained and educated powerful and seasoned people

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thus, they feel threatened, they also think that the focus of

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this massive and overarching Islamic movement is the Islamic Republic [of Iran];

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[so they think] they must subject this [country] to intellectual bombardment and political bombardment, and they are doing this;

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00:44:01,450 --> 00:44:05,540
they take all kinds and sorts of measures: they spend money, hatch plots,

394
00:44:05,740 --> 00:44:13,370
[and] come and go at different levels [to see] ‘what we must do with the Islamic Republic, [and] with the Islamic Iran?’

395
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They also do all that is possible for them – I have [reliable] news [in this regard];

396
00:44:19,740 --> 00:44:24,310
I mean, what I say here is not an analysis, but is [true] information

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– including domestic incitement, inciting scoundrels, spending money, [and] laying moral traps

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in order to carry out this infiltration here;

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we must pay attention to this and this [issue] is very important.

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Americans have covetous eye on these elections;

401
00:44:52,740 --> 00:44:58,650
they seek change in Iran; we are also seeking change.

402
00:44:58,910 --> 00:45:04,910
I have frequently said that the society cannot remain static,

403
00:45:04,910 --> 00:45:07,940
it must go ahead, must develop, [and] must change;

404
00:45:07,940 --> 00:45:12,600
however, our change [is] directed toward full Islamization,

405
00:45:12,740 --> 00:45:18,540
because [although] our name is Islamic now, but well, we have a long way to go to become completely Islamic;

406
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we must continue to go ahead and day by day

407
00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:28,820
get closer to those goals, which the Revered Prophet [of Islam] (PBUH)

408
00:45:35,910 --> 00:45:40,310
has determined and set for the Islamic society; we must endeavor [to achieve those goals].

409
00:45:40,310 --> 00:45:44,850
We also believe in change, but their [idea of] change is against our [idea of] change.

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When they want change to take place in Iran, it means that we must constantly distance from those goals;

411
00:45:52,110 --> 00:45:56,510
regardless of how close we have got [to Islamic goals] [they want us to] distance [from those goals],  [and want us to] constantly backtrack

412
00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:58,420
and go in the direction that they want.

413
00:45:58,570 --> 00:46:03,250
They have a covetous eye on all domestic developments in our country;

414
00:46:03,250 --> 00:46:10,140
when two prominent figures express different viewpoints in here, they cast a covetous look on it;

415
00:46:10,420 --> 00:46:15,220
and this includes elections; they have covetous eye on elections.

416
00:46:15,710 --> 00:46:20,600
Despite [what] the enemies [want], the Iranian nation must

417
00:46:21,510 --> 00:46:26,940
make its move – both in these elections and in any other important social issue

418
00:46:27,050 --> 00:46:32,140
– exactly against the will of the enemy and punch the enemy in the mouth.

419
00:46:55,940 --> 00:47:01,370
Well, this much will suffice for the time being. God willing, if I am alive

420
00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:07,220
and there is [enough] time and opportunity, and energy and ability,

421
00:47:07,710 --> 00:47:11,220
I have more to tell our dear people later about elections, which I will say.

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I hope the Almighty God will count us among those who say their prayers [in the best possible way].

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Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings