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

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Dear brethren and sisters, who are present here;

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you are very welcome. I thank Mr. [Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Kazem] Nourmofidi [the Leader’s representative in Golestan province and Friday prayers leader of the city of Gorgan] as well as other brethren in charge,

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who have started and took this great measure and this lasting move with regard to dear martyrs of that territory.

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The issue of martyrs is a very important issue and although a long time has passed,

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we have not yet truly assessed the importance of what our youths did during this long period of time following the victory of the [Islamic] Revolution up to the present day,

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especially during the period of the Sacred Defense [Iraq’s eight-year imposed war against Iran]. I mean, we have not only failed to realize the true importance of this measure,

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which was taken to protect the revolution, the Islamic establishment, the country, our national dignity and our future and history,

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but have also failed to demonstrate and express [its importance].

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Therefore, these measures that you take for this purpose and on this path, are very valuable.

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Well, the remarks made by Mr. Nourmofidi were ample. He referred to very good and correct things about issues related to the revolution

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and [remarks made by other] gentlemen were also as such. Although some of the remarks made here

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were more suitable for [presentation to] the Cabinet and the likes of these, well, at any rate, they were remarks about an important region [of Iran], which is the Golestan region.

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Let me say a few words about merits of Golestan [province].

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The Golestan region is a region [in Iran] which, in terms of manpower and its people,

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for various reasons, is a truly exemplary region.

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First of all, the point on which Mr. Nourmofidi laid emphasis on, and is very important

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[the fact that the people in this province] are living in a desirable and effective coexistence among different ethnic and religious groups

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– [both] in Gorgan, [and elsewhere] in Golestan and Turkmen Sahra regions – is very important.

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Today, a great deal of money is being spent in order to sow discord among Islamic denominations and between Sunnis and Shias,

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and as put by Western people, [there are] think tanks, which deliberate and think and offer views and make plans [for this purpose].

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If [their efforts] are explained for people, they  would be really surprised that all these measures are being taken,

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so that, two Muslim persons, one of whom is Sunni or Shia, would not sit together, [or] talk to each other,

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would be estranged, be hostile toward each other, and take up arms against each other.

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Despite all these [measures], what happened in the Islamic Iran was exactly the opposite of what they wanted

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and one of the best regions in this regard is the Golestan region. I had visited this region before the revolution

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and [during that trip, I] traveled to [the city of] Gonbad Qabus, and Gorgan and some other cities like Galikesh and the likes of them,

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and know how people in that region have been endeavoring and persevering to maintain this coexistence and this cooperation

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and mutual compassion. This is very valuable, this must be preserved, [and this situation] must be kept in place.

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A few years ago, I took a trip to Gorgan,

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which lasted one day or one and a half days – I don’t remember clearly – [and during that trip] I went to [the city of] Gonbad [Qabus].

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The great majority of the people, who expressed their affection for me in Gonbad, were among Sunni brethren.

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This is quite the opposite of what Saudis and Takfiris, and behind them, America and

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[such Western] intelligence services [as] the CIA and [the British] Intelligence Service and the likes of them are working [to achieve] today; this is quite the opposite of that; q

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I mean, the political work [done there] is in the real sense of the world purposive, well-oriented, correct, sharp and categorical.

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This is one of the merits of the Golestan region, which in my opinion, is very important.

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Quite recently – a few months ago – I received a letter from [the family of] the Turkmen lady, who was martyred in the Mina incident [during last year’s Hajj pilgrimage].

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Her family had written to me that she

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had gone [for Hajj pilgrimage] to [the city of] Mecca and had told somebody to bear witness that she did the pilgrimage on behalf of this humble one – now, [I am not sure if it was] this trip or a trip before that – [and] this is very important.

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A Turkmen lady, whom I don’t know, or whose name is unknown to me,

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goes on a trip to Mecca and performs Hajj [pilgrimage] on behalf of this humble one and then tells some person to bear witness

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– they bore witness to this, wrote it down, and signed, [and] sent it to me a few months ago.

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These are among those things, which are really strong points in our country and among our nation.

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This asymmetrical war, which is talked about now, means that one side [of the war]

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is in possession of certain tools and means, with the other side lacking those tools and even sometimes knowing nothing about them; this is one of its examples.

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These cases of affection, these connections, [and] these forms of coordination are [among] those things that our opposite side – which is the global arrogance, is the Zionism, [and] is America –

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know nothing about , and even do recognize and cannot analyze at all.

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They cannot even analyze these [soft war tools]. This is one [important] point.

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Another point is the issue of the loyalty of this people to the revolution and issues related to it.

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I traveled to Gorgan in [the Iranian calendar year, 1343 (1964-65), [and] was a preacher there.

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It was about one year after the incidents that took place on the 15th [day of the Iranian month] of Khordad [in the Iranian year, 1342 (June 5, 1963)]; [and] it was the second or third ten-day period of [the lunar month of] Safar.

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That gathering and move that people created and that welcome, which people accorded [me], and that excitement that people showed

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was surprising for me. It was a sign of vigilance and interest of people in this [revolutionary] movement,

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[taking into account that] at that time, nothing important was taking place [with regard to the revolution], [and anti-Shah] struggles were not prevalent and widespread.

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Then it was the developments related to the revolution period. This very issue of [what happened on] the 5th day of [the Iranian month of] Azar [in the Iranian year, 1357 (November 22, 1978)] – to which you gentlemen referred –

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is an important day in [the course of] the developments of Gorgan.

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People in Gorgan heard about the attack on the shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) in [the city of] Mashhad and started a spontaneous move;

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neither anybody had invited them [to do this], nor anybody welcomed them, [but] they entered the arena and were, well, attacked [by former regime forces].

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This development was repeated a couple of weeks later in [the city of] Gonbad Qabus, this happened in [the city of] Galikesh as well;

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I mean people entered the arena. Or during early [months after the victory of the Islamic] Revolution,

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during the move that Marxists made in there

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– that massacre [of people] and that secessionism and the likes of these – the most important thing, which managed

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to save Gorgan or to save that region or to save [the entire] Turkmen Sahra was people’s resistance.

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[This was] because those [Marxist forces], who had gone there and found a foothold there and had recruited some people there, they lacked poplar support.

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When a group does not have popular support, it is easily defeated. People were supporting this [pro-revolution] side,

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people were supporting the revolution, [and] people were supporting [the late] Imam [Khomeini].

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At any rate, praise be to God, the merits of people [of Golestan] are numerous.

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Likewise, during the period of the Sacred Defense both the Army – the same Division 30 to which you referred – and

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Division 25 of the IRGC [Islamic Revolution Guards Corps], both belonging to Golestan and Gorgan region, were greatly successful and did great things,

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some of which he [the secretary of the congress] mentioned.

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Once, Mr. Nourmofidi was there when I went to the [war command] center

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and a group of our friends from Gorgan were there as well, [and] I think late Mr. [Seyyed Habibollah] Taheri [Gorgani, former representative of Gorgan in the Assembly of Experts] was there as well.

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May God bless his soul and increase his ranks [in the Afterworld, because] he played a great role.

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At any rate, their presence in the arena of war and their activities were extraordinary activities.

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Now, when it comes to the people of Gorgan, regardless of how much we would talk about them, it would not be sufficient.

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Hereby, I hail each and every one of our dear people [in Gorgan] both Shias and Sunnis,

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and especially the clerics of the region, both Shias and Sunnis. [I expect] Mr. Nourmofidi to take this trouble on my behalf

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and convey the greetings of this humble one to all clerics there and to all officials,

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who are active there, and [also] to all people. I really have a feeling of compassion and trust and devotion toward the people of Gorgan.

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As I said before, the issue of martyrs must be taken very seriously.

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We must believe in the same values for martyrs, which the Almighty God has considered for them, [when he said in the Quran that]:

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“They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Quran.”

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These people, who fight on the path of God and lay down their lives,

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are valuable both when they kill the enemy and when they are killed [by the enemy],

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[and] the Almighty God has given His divine promise to have mercy on them.

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Now, [about] that person, who loses his life in this way, we have in [Islamic] traditions that before leaving this world,

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they see the signs of God’s mercy.

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I mean, [Islamic] traditions have it that as soon as a martyr falls from his horse – at that time they fought on horseback – [and] before hitting the ground,

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they receive the divine promise. That is, even in this world, his eyes are opened and see the truth

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and God’s mercy, [and] understand and receive God’s favor in a tangible way;

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this is how valuable martyrs are. If it were not for these martyrdoms, [and] if it were not for these sacrifices,

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this establishment would not have survived; [because] this sapling was attacked by strong storms.

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The reason why this establishment has survived and this sapling was not destroyed and, thank God, turned into a robust tree,

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was sacrifices and selflessness and enthusiasm for martyrdom and entering the arena [by martyrs];

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this [quality] must be preserved. [At the same time,] the enemy must be known, [and] the enemy’s plot must be known.

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Today, you see that with regard to global issues, where the arrogance

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has a fundamental plot with regard to this region, that central point [of the plot] is Iran;

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why? [It is] because of the Islamic Revolution, because of this faithful nation, [and] because of the Islamic faith that exists here.

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We are target of frequent attacks; fortunately, the Almighty God has given us the power,

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[and] given us the ability [to repel those attacks]. We have both manpower, and a blessed country. We have a big country, have a big population,

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[and] have a talented and vigilant and active young generation.

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These are our potentialities, [and] these potentialities should not be taken lightly, [because] they are grand potentialities

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[and] we must take advantage of them. And state officials are addressees of these remarks in the first place

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followed by each and every one of [Iranian] people. Everybody must feel that

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they shoulder a duty with regard to this huge development that has taken place – in which the flag of Islam has been hoisted – [because] this is no small thing.

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At a time that all hands and policies and powers were endeavoring to isolate the absolute concept of religion,

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especially Islam, at that time,

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the most lively of religions, that is, the dear Islam,

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and the most eloquent of divine texts, that is, the Holy Quran, were able

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to rise to the highest level in a country and take control of the [whole] expanse of the country and, in addition to this,

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could throw geographical boundaries in disarray and enter various regions of the world;

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this is a very amazing and important development.  The enemy witnessed these developments and felt threatened

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and started its activities and efforts against the Islamic establishment since day one

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and [has continued those efforts] up to the present time; [however], praise be to God, they have not been able [to do anything] and, with God’s Grace, will certainly not be able to do anything from now on.

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The [main] condition [for their failure], however, is that all of us feel responsible. I mean, everybody must

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feel responsibility and every one of us, at any place that we are,

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must really make defending the Islamic establishment our first and foremost duty.

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and must regulate our moves accordingly

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This step that you take to revive [the name] of martyrs and promulgate their name

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and hold commemoration ceremonies for them, is certainly for this purpose

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and is effective in this regard and, God willing, is a good deed whose effects linger in time and is a lasting step and the Almighty God, God willing, will reward you for it.

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Make sure that these publications and these products of your work will hit [people’s] mind and reach the audience.

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I mean, we must not be satisfied that we have produced a book; of course, there is no doubt that production of a book is important

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or production of a film or an artistic production is important, but besides these measures, it is also important to find audience,

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or in other words, to create audience.

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Try to get this book reach the mind of the audience.

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At present, our youths need intellectual nourishment.

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Many of these young people of today, even our active and good youths, have neither seen the revolution,

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nor the Imam, nor the period of war,

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nor are informed of these various issues. Now, [for example] you referred to [what happened in Gorgan on] the 5th of Azar;

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well, do young people of Gorgan know what happened on the 5th of Azar? This is very important.

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They must know what happened on the 5th of Azar, which has been recorded in history;

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I mean, this is important. It is very important that young people would know their history, know their past,

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and in fact, know their revolutionary identity.

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You must try to do this as much as you can.

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Of course, doing this needs [hard] work; I mean, it is not an easy job.

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More difficult than writing a book is to offer that book to the views and mind of the audience; this is very important.

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This needs tact, needs accuracy, [and] has subtleties, which you must be able to infuse into the mind of these [young people].

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This very issue of Sunnism and Shiism, which was brought up here – both he (the Leader’s representative in Golestan province) mentioned this, and I also brought it up

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– is a very important issue. Both Shia and Sunni youth must know how important this issue is.

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Today, enemies are taking advantage of these differences, [and] of these grievances, which occur –

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either on this side, or on the other side – from time to time.

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The likes of Daesh and Takfiris and the likes of these [groups] are taking advantage of these things,

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[and] we must prevent them from taking advantage [of these differences]. This would not be possible unless a Shia youth, [and] a Sunni youth know

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that what they are doing right now, the coordination and coexistence and common language and empathy that exist between them, are very great things;

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[because] this is the biggest weapon against the enemy of Iran, the enemy of Islam and the enemy of the Quran.

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They must know this and preserve this [state of affairs]. These [facts] must be transferred and conveyed to the mind of our young audience in a tangible way.

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God willing, God will make you successful. God willing,

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God will elevate to the highest level the ranks of your deceased ones and great clerics of Gorgan

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some of whom I knew up-close and had met.

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God willing, God will increase achievements of these friends, who are present right now – [including] Mr. Nourmofidi, all of you and other brethren who are active –

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on a daily basis and, God willing, you would be able to take strong and unwavering steps on this path.

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