Israel arrests Gaza activists and Press TV journalist Hassan Ghani - Nov...
This was the last footage we received of Press TV correspondent Hassan Ghani reporting from the Freedom Wave, two boats led by groups from Canada...
This was the last footage we received of Press TV correspondent Hassan Ghani reporting from the Freedom Wave, two boats led by groups from Canada and Ireland, attempting to break the siege on Gaza and get aid to the impoverished strip.
Several hours later, Hassan tells us the boat is being surrounded.
As we wrap up the conversation just 5 minutes later, the situation intensifies.
That's the last we heard from Hassan. Israel raided the flotilla, and arrested those on board. They are now in Israeli jail. We spoke to Hassan's father Haq for the latest he's heard from his son.
Hassan was also aboard the Mavi Marmara that was attacked by the Israeli Military, leaving nine people dead. He was arrested and warned never to return.
This time he was on-board with former press TV journalist Jihan Hafiz who was reporting for U-S based democracy now and other journalists too. Gazan journalist and activist Sameh Habeeb says the Israeli action is all a part of the siege strategy.
Israel had called the freedom wave a provocation and a threat to its national security.
We contacted the foreign office who told us that a consular officer will be visiting Hassan again Sunday morning, that all detainees were moved quickly through the port and immigration to a detention center and that Hassan had called his arrest “extremely objectionable in principle”. They say it is very likely that Hassan will be deported from Israel soon. But for now he remains a journalist in an Israeli prison for no other reason than doing his job. And the status of those on board with him remains unclear.
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Vali Amr Muslimeen Ayatullah Ali Khamenei - HAJJ Message 2011 - [ENGLISH]
AYATULLAH KHAMENAEI’S MESSAGE
TO HAJJ PILGRIMS – 2011/1432A.H.
In the Name of Allah, the
All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
All praise...
AYATULLAH KHAMENAEI’S MESSAGE
TO HAJJ PILGRIMS – 2011/1432A.H.
In the Name of Allah, the
All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may divine blessings and greetings be to the Master of the creatures, Muhammad al-Mustafa and his immaculate family and his elect companions.
The spiritual spring of Hajj has arrived with its freshness, purity and God-given grandeur and majesty, gathering again the faithful and eager hearts like butterflies encircling the Ka’bah of Divine Monotheism and Islamic Unity. Camped at Makkah and Mina, Arafat and Mash´ar are the fortunate human beings who, having responded to the call of (وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ): (22:27) “proclaim the Hajj to all the people”, are being honored with the hospitality of the Clement and Munificent Lord. Here is the blessed House and the source of guidance from which the enlightening Divine signs radiated and the canopy of safety was set up to cast its universal shade.
Wash your hearts in the Zamzam of piety, humility and God’s remembrance. Open the inner eye to the lights of the Divine signs. Embrace the spirit of submission and dedication, which are the hallmarks of true servant-hood. Keep on refreshing in your hearts the memory of that patriarch who, in willing compliance, led his Ishmael (Ismâeil) to the scene of sacrifice, thus showing us the clear path of attaining the friendship of the Glorious Lord and the manner of traversing it with a resolve infused with faith and an intent imbued with sincerity.
The station of prophet Abraham (Ibrâhim) is one among these clarifying signs. The footprint by the side of Holy Ka’bah of prophet Ibrâhim, may Peace be upon him, is only a symbol of the station of Ibrâhim. The station of Ibrâhim is his station of dedication and self-sacrifice, his fortitude and resistance to personal desires and fatherly feelings as well as against the domination of unfaith, polytheism and Nimrod, the tyrant of the time.
Today these two paths of deliverance lie open before each of us, individuals belonging to the Muslim Ummah. Determination, courage and firmness of resolve on part of each one of us can advance us towards the same goals to which mankind have been invited by the Divine envoys from Adam to the Seal of the Prophets, with the promise of dignity and felicity, in this world and in the Hereafter, for those who take this path.
It will be worthy of the Hajj pilgrims’ attention at this great assembly of the Islamic Ummah to address the most important issues of the Islamic world. The uprisings and revolutions in some important Islamic countries are at the head of these issues. The events that have taken place in the Islamic world in the period between the previous and present Hajj pilgrimages can change the destiny of the Islamic Ummah, and they forebode a bright future accompanied with dignity and progress, material and spiritual. Dictators and ‘corrupt’ taghoots, allied with foreign powers, have been overthrown in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, and the stormy waves of popular uprising in some other countries threaten to bring down the castles of wealth and power.
This new chapter in the history of Our Ummah reveals certain facts which are all manifest Divine signs and give us vital lessons. These facts should be taken into account by Muslim nations in all their calculations.
First, a young generation has emerged from the hearts of these nations after decades of political subjugation to foreign powers, which with its admirable self-confidence, is ready to face threats, confront the dominant powers and is determined to change the status-quo.
Second, despite the authority and efforts of secular rulers and their overt and covert measures to curtail the influence of religion in these countries, Islam, with its conspicuous and impressive presence, has become the guiding principle of popular expression and sentiment. Like a fountainhead effusing through popular discourse and behavior it has given vitality and freshness to the rallies and activities of the millions. The mosques and minarets, Islamic slogans and calls of Allahu Akbar, all are clear indications of this fact and the recent Tunisian elections provide decisive evidence for this claim. There is no doubt that free elections in any Islamic country will hardly result in anything but what happened in Tunisia.
Moreover, as revealed for all by this year’s events, God Almighty has placed such a force in the resolve and determination of nations that no power whatsoever can withstand it. With this God-given power nations can change their destiny and partake of Divine help.
Furthermore, during the last decades arrogant powers, led by the United States, had reduced the regional states to a subjugate condition through their political and security tactics. They imagined to have opened an obstacle-free highway for their rising economic, cultural and political domination over this susceptible part of the world. But now they are the primary target of the disgust and hatred of the region’s nations. Undoubtedly, the regimes emerging from these revolutions will never submit to the disgraceful inequalities of the past, and the political geography of the region will be drawn by the nations in pursuance of their dignity and complete independence.
In addition, the crafty nature of the hypocritical Western powers has become all too apparent for the people of these countries. The U.S. and Europe made their utmost efforts to retain their pawns in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, each of them in a particular way. But when their wishes had to give in before the resolve of the nations, they cast a wily friendly smile at the triumphant public.
There are further precious facts and manifest Divine signs embedded in the regional events of the past year, which are not hard to discern for reflective minds.
Nevertheless, the entire Islamic Ummah and especially the revolutionary nations stand in need of two basic elements:
First, the continuity of their stand and avoidance of slackness in resolve. In the Qur’an, the Divine summons to the Greatest Messenger, may God bless him and his family, are addressed in these words:
فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلاَ تَطْغَوْا
“Be steadfast, just as you have been commanded—[by Allah] and whoever has turned [to God] with you—and do not overstep the bounds (11:112)” and (فَلِذَلِكَ فَادْعُ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ). “Be steadfast, just as you have been commanded (42:15).” The Prophet Moses, may peace be upon him, is quoted as telling his people:
(وقَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللّهِ وَاصْبِرُواْ إِنَّ الأَرْضَ لِلّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ)
“Turn to God for help and be patient. The earth indeed belongs to God, and He gives its inheritance to whomever He wishes of His servants, and the outcome will be in favor of the pious people. ” (7:128)
At the present, the most significant aspect of piety for the risen nations is not to halt in their auspicious movement, and not to let themselves be diverted by the achievements of this phase. This is the important part of the piety whose possessors are rewarded with the “favorable outcome.”
Second, careful awareness with regard to the plots and gimmicks of the arrogant international powers who have suffered a setback from these uprisings and revolutions. They evidently will not sit idle. They will reenter the arena with all their political, financial and security outfits to reestablish their influence and control in these countries. Their outfits are carrot and stick and deceit. Experience has shown there are some among the elite who are susceptible to these gimmicks. Fear, greed or negligence prompt them to serve the enemy. The vigilant eyes of the youth, intellectuals and religious scholars should be closely watchful.
The greatest threat posed by the Camp of Unfaith and arrogant powers lies in its intervention and influence over the structures of the new political systems in these countries. They will do their utmost to see that the new systems do not take on an Islamic and republic identity. All the concerned people in these countries and all those who cherish their homeland’s honor, dignity and progress should work to ensure the complete and perfect Islamic and republic character of the emergent polity. In this regard, the role of the constitutions will be significant. National unity and official recognition of sectarian, tribal and ethnic differences are a precondition of future success.
The valiant revolutionary nations of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, as well as other awakened and combatant nations, should know that the sole means of deliverance from the oppression and guile of the United States and other Western hubristic powers is to establish a global balance of power conducive to their interests. The Muslims should bring themselves on a par with the great world powers in order to be able to reach a serious solution of their problems with the World-devourers. This cannot be achieved except with the cooperation, understanding and solidarity of Islamic countries. This was an unforgettable advice of the great Imam Khomeini.
For months on, the United States and NATO dropped bombs on the heads of the Libyan people making Gaddafi, a vicious dictator, an excuse. Gaddafi was someone who was considered their close friend before the valiant uprising of the Libyan people. They used to coddle him, steal the wealth of Libya through his hands and press or kiss his hand in order to dupe him. Following the people’s uprising, they made him an excuse to destroy the entire infrastructure of Libya. Which state could stop the tragic massacre of the Libyan people and destruction of the country at the hands of NATO? Until the claws and fangs of the bloodthirsty and barbaric Western powers are not broken, such dangers will remain conceivable for Islamic countries. Their safety from such dangers is not possible except by forming the Islamic world as a powerful pole.
Today the West, United States and Zionism are weaker than ever before. Economic troubles, successive failures in Afghanistan and Iraq, deep-running public outrage in America and other Western countries with its daily widening scope, the struggles and sacrifices of the people of Palestine and Lebanon, the daring popular uprisings in Yemen, Bahrain and some other countries under American influence—all these are significant portents for the Islamic Ummah, especially for the emergent revolutionary nations. Faithful men and women throughout the Islamic world, particularly in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya should make the most of this opportunity for the formation of an international Islamic power block. The vanguard and the elite of the uprisings should place their trust in Almighty God and, with reliance on His promise of help, adorn the new chapter in the history of the Islamic Ummah with their lasting achievements, thus earning God’s approval and fulfilling the prerequisites of His help
May Peace be upon God’s righteous servants!
Sayyid Ali Husaini Khamenaei
29 Dhul Qa´dah, 1432
05 Âbân, 1390
27 October, 2011
11m:15s
40508
Iran airs CIA spy confession - 18Dec11 - English
A CIA spy recently detained in the Islamic Republic has confessed to having been on a mission to infiltrate the Iranian Intelligence Ministry....
A CIA spy recently detained in the Islamic Republic has confessed to having been on a mission to infiltrate the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
According to Press TV, in a televised confession, broadcast on the Iranian television on Sunday night, the operative, named Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, said he joined the US Army in 2001 and underwent decade-long intelligence training.
He added that he was sent to the US-run Bagram Air Base in eastern Afghanistan and given access to classified intelligence before flying to Tehran.
Hekmati of Iranian origin, who was born in the southwestern US state of Arizona, said he intended to win the confidence of the Iranian intelligence apparatus with the information he had been given by the agency.
He said, "It was CIA's plan to first burn some useful information, give it to them (the Iranians) and let Iran's Intelligence Ministry think that this is good material".
Iran says its networks, tasked with monitoring the activities in the Bagram base, had learned about Hekmati there and thwarted the operation.
This is not the first time Iran has arrested CIA spies. On May 30, members of a CIA espionage and sabotage network were arrested by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
1m:18s
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[28 May 2012] West loses credibility on Syria - English
[28 May 2012] \'West loses credibility on Syria\' - English
Syria slams the wording of a United Nations Security Council statement on the recent...
[28 May 2012] \'West loses credibility on Syria\' - English
Syria slams the wording of a United Nations Security Council statement on the recent massacre of civilians in the central town of Houla. Ja\'afari said the 15-nation council misinterpreted the words of the head of the UN mission in Syria, General Robert Mood. He was referring to a part in the statement that condemned the Syrian government for the artillery and tank shelling of a residential neighborhood in Houla. Ja\'afari said it was an interpretation of Western states such as Germany and the UK. He added that General Mood had said it was unclear how the mass killings had taken place and that the events needed to be investigated. The Security Council released the statement after an emergency session to discuss the Houla killings. Over one-hundred people were killed and three-hundred others wounded in the town on Friday.
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[22 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen Comment -...
[22 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen Comment - English
Thousands of angry Egyptians have camped out in the historic...
[22 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen Comment - English
Thousands of angry Egyptians have camped out in the historic square since Wednesday, calling on the military council to quit power immediately as the electoral authorities delayed the announcement of the final results of the presidential run-off on Thursday as scheduled. Egypt's election committee said on Wednesday they want to look into all complaints from the two candidates before making an announcement. The protesters say the move could be a sign that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is trying to declare former premier Ahmed Shafiq the winner.
Egyptians cast their ballots in a two-day presidential runoff election on June 16 and 17, which pitted the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammed Morsi, against Shafiq. On June 18, a member of the Egyptian Electoral Committee confirmed that Morsi is in the lead in the country's run-off presidential election. Early on the day, the Brotherhood had declared Morsi's victory over Shafiq in the voting. Officials from the group had said that Morsi has won 52.5 percent of the counted ballots.
23m:6s
10712
[21 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen - Comment...
[21 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen - Comment - English
Thousands of angry Egyptians have camped out in the historic...
[21 June 2012] Egypt What is happening And what should happen - Comment - English
Thousands of angry Egyptians have camped out in the historic square since Wednesday, calling on the military council to quit power immediately as the electoral authorities delayed the announcement of the final results of the presidential run-off on Thursday as scheduled. Egypt's election committee said on Wednesday they want to look into all complaints from the two candidates before making an announcement. The protesters say the move could be a sign that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is trying to declare former premier Ahmed Shafiq the winner.
Egyptians cast their ballots in a two-day presidential runoff election on June 16 and 17, which pitted the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammed Morsi, against Shafiq. On June 18, a member of the Egyptian Electoral Committee confirmed that Morsi is in the lead in the country's run-off presidential election. Early on the day, the Brotherhood had declared Morsi's victory over Shafiq in the voting. Officials from the group had said that Morsi has won 52.5 percent of the counted ballots.
25m:42s
10053
[22 June 2012] Water occupation - Remember Palestine - English
[22 June 2012] Water occupation - Remember Palestine - English
On December 13, 2011, the French National Assembly issued a 320-page report...
[22 June 2012] Water occupation - Remember Palestine - English
On December 13, 2011, the French National Assembly issued a 320-page report entitled, The Geopolitics of Water, which dedicated 20 pages to an alleged water war between Israelis and Palestinians. Employing the incendiary term apartheid, the report's lead author, Jean Glavany, accused Israel of usurping Palestinian water sources and showing favoritism to 450,000 settlers who purportedly use more water than 2.3 million Palestinians in the West Bank. This year the UN also reported from the 530 springs they surveyed in the West Bank 30, mostly in areas where Israel retains military control, were taken over by the settlers.
It added that Palestinians currently had limited access to 26 other springs where settlers had moved in and threatened to take control. This month, local security forces in Jenin said that the bulldozers destroyed the well near Beit ad village, north of Jenin. The well belonged to a Palestinian resident of Tubas and provided water for tens of acres in Beit Qad plain. Sources added that a handful of military machinery, supported by two bulldozers were in the area during the destruction of the well. The governor of Jenin, Talal Dweikat, denounced the destruction of the well which he described as designed to fight the rights of Palestinians. Dweikat also said that this issue has come to shape an important worry for all districts in Palestine, especially Jenin which has been suffering continuously from similar attacks.
25m:11s
6946
Saudi Ayatullah Sheikh Nimr: We Should Rejoice / No fear of Al E Saud -...
Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr Dares Saudi Regime to Attack Iran and Declares: We Are Loyal to Allah, Not to Saudi Arabia or its Royal Family...
Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr Dares Saudi Regime to Attack Iran and Declares: We Are Loyal to Allah, Not to Saudi Arabia or its Royal Family Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr, which was posted on the Internet on October 7, 2011. Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr is from the city of Awwamiyah in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. He is an outspoken Shia cleric known for his criticism of the Saudi government and his constant call for freedom of religion, equality, and justice for the Shia minority in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Al-Nimr said that the dignity of the Saudi Shia is more precious than the unity of the land, and suggested that Saudi Shia might secede from Saudi Arabia. Fearing arrest, Al-Nimr currently is in hiding. Nimr Al-Nimr: �For the past 100 years, we have been subjected to oppression, injustice, fear, and intimidation. From the moment you are born, you are surrounded by fear, intimidation, persecution, and abuse. We were born into an atmosphere of intimidation. We feared even the walls. Who among us is not familiar with the intimidation and injustice to which we have been subjected in this country? I am 55 years old, more than half a century. From the day I was born and to this day, I�ve never felt safe or secure in this country. �You are always being accused of something. You are always under threat. The head of the State Security Service admitted this to me in person. He said to me when I was arrested: �All you Shi�ites should be killed.� That is their logic. The head of the State Security Service in the Eastern Province said so himself. [...] �They are still plotting to carry out a massacre. They are more than welcome. We are here. Our blood is a small price to pay in defense of our values. We do not fear death. We long for martyrdom. [...] �A few months ago, the flame of honor was sparked in the spirits of the youth. The torch of freedom was lit. The people took to the streets demanding reform, honor, and freedom. There are people who have been held in prison unjustly for more than 16 years. In addition, the Peninsula Shield Force and the Saudi army invaded Bahrain. Then there were more and more arrests. �So who was it who instigated strife and unrest? [...] �The strife and unrest in Awwamiya were instigated by the regime, not the people. [...] �We will continue to defend both the veteran and the new prisoners. We will stand by them. We don�t mind being arrested, and joining them. We don�t even mind shedding our blood for their sake. We will continue to express even stronger solidarity with Bahrain. It is our own kin in Bahrain. Even if the Saudi army and the Peninsula Shield Force had not intervened, it still would have been our duty to stand by the people of Bahrain, our kin, let alone when the Saudi army takes part in oppression, the killing, the violation of women�s honor, and the plundering of money. [...] �[The Saudi regime says] that we are acting �at the behest of a foreign country.� They use that false pretext. By �foreign country� they mean Iran, of course. You can�t really tell if it�s Iran, Turkey, a European country, or the U.S., but they usually mean Iran. In December 1978, there was an Intifada to defend the honor of Awwamiya, when the riot police attacked the town. This was on December 10, 1978, before the Shah was deposed, before the Islamic Republic of Iran was even established. �It was in 1978 � four months before the fall of the Shah. A group of people convened to perform the religious rite of taziyeh for Imam Hussein. It had nothing to do with political or security matters, but the security forces arrived and attacked them, and a confrontation ensued. People were defending themselves, as well as their faith and their honor. That night, they arrested 100 people. This was in December 1978, prior to the fall of the Iranian [Shah]. So how can they talk about foreign interferen
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18192
[17 July 2012] Iran biggest fraud trial ends - English
[17 July 2012] Iran biggest fraud trial ends - English
Iran's Big Fraud Trial Ends. People will hear about the fate of defendants for whom the...
[17 July 2012] Iran biggest fraud trial ends - English
Iran's Big Fraud Trial Ends. People will hear about the fate of defendants for whom the bill of indictment has been issued in the biggest fraud case in Iran's history. There are more than a hundred people arrested in this case out of which thirty nine bills of indictment have been issued up to now. The last three defendants for whom a bill of indictment was issued defended themselves in the fifteenth court session, held in Tehran. The lawyers in previous sessions had stated that the people put on trial here had created many jobs and the judge started the session by answering them.
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[18 July 2012] Should Africans support Iran in the face of western...
[18 July 2012] Should Africans support Iran in the face of western economic imperialism - English
Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and a host of...
[18 July 2012] Should Africans support Iran in the face of western economic imperialism - English
Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and a host of African nations have been threatened with sanctions if the import oil from Iran. Some of them rely on Iranian oil because of the flexibility in payment.
In Tanzania, Iranian embassy and a shipping agent in Dubai had to assure the country that no Iranian ships have been re-flagged to dodge sanctions to import oil to the East African nation.
Kenya has cancelled plans to import crude oil from Iran following threats of sanctions, an official at the Kenyan energy ministry has said.
The outline deal signed last month was to import about 4 Million tonnes of oil from the Iranian National Oil Company.
But the US embassy in Nairobi had warned it was important to cut revenue to the Iranian government.
24m:21s
5476
Sayyed Nasrallah Advises Zionist Officials Before They Go To War - 12...
On the 12th of July 2006, following the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers by the Resistance, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a press conference...
On the 12th of July 2006, following the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers by the Resistance, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a press conference in Beirut, in which he advised the Zionist officials that were present in 2006, that before thinking about declaring war on Lebanon, they should ask the former Israeli heads of state and ministers about their past experiences in Lebanon.
Ofcourse, the Israeli Winograd Commission (the director of which can be seen towards the end) found that Israel had lost the war, as Israel had failed to achieve its objectives in Lebanon, first of which was to completely wipe out the Resistance. Not only did this not happen, but Hezbollah is believed today to be several times more powerful than it was during the war in 2006.
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16829
Justice : Saudi Style - Documentary - English
This documentary is about the Iranian fishermen who were kidnapped by Saudi government agents while fishing off the coat of the Islamic Republic of...
This documentary is about the Iranian fishermen who were kidnapped by Saudi government agents while fishing off the coat of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Following their kidnap and with no information given to anyone about their health or condition, they were convicted - without a lawyer present or anyone who could at least give them information on the allegations against them - to death by execution by the Saudi officials. The crime they were alleged to have been guilty to was drug trafficking into Saudi. A crime that they vehemently deny and the living conditions of their families provides that they could not have been drug traffickers.
Subsequently, a number of then were executed in public execution ceremonies by the Saudi officials, and a number of them still await execution.
The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has worked tirelessly to try and get information and to secure the release of these innocent fishermen, but the Saudi government and it's officials are not from those who keep their word.
Prior to the execution, Saudi Foreign Minister had given his word to the Iranian Foreign ministry that the Iranian fishermen would not be executed. Yet within a very short time from him giving his word, the news of the executions by the Saudi officials came through.
This documentary looks at their case, and looks at the impact their imprisonment and in some cases cold blooded state sponsored murder has had on their families and loved ones.
Broadcast on August 13, 2012 - Press TV
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6987
Supreme Leader Message Condemning Anti-Islam Film - 13 Sep 2012 -...
The following is the full text of the message issued on September 13, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution to...
The following is the full text of the message issued on September 13, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution to condemn an American-made film which insults the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.).
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The Mighty and Wise Allah said: \\\"Their intention is to extinguish Allah\\\'s Light with their mouths: But Allah will complete His Light, even though the unbelievers may detest (it).\\\" [The Holy Quran, 61: 8]
Honorable people of Iran, great Islamic Ummah:
The wicked enemies of Islam have once again revealed their deep malice by insulting the Holy Prophet (God\\\'s greetings be upon him and his household) and in an idiotic and disgusting move, they showed that evil Zionist groups are furious at the increasing brilliance of Islam and the Holy Quran in the world today. The fact that they have made the holiest person in all of creation the target of their disgusting nonsense is enough to disgrace those who have committed this great crime and sin. What lies behind this wicked move is the hostile policies of Zionism, America and other leaders of the arrogant powers, who are vainly trying to make young generations in the Islamic world lose respect for what is held sacred and to extinguish their religious sentiments. If they had refused to support the previous links in this evil chain - namely, Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoonist and Quran-burning American priests - and if they had not ordered tens of anti-Islam films from the companies affiliated with Zionist capitalists, today this great and unforgivable sin would not have been committed. The number one culprit in this crime is Zionism and the American government. If American politicians are sincere that they are not involved, they should duly punish the perpetrators and the financial backers of this hideous crime, who have filled the hearts of Muslim people with pain.
And our Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world should know that these futile and desperate moves by the enemies against Islamic Awakening are a sign of the greatness and importance of this uprising and a sign of its increasing growth. \\\"And Allah has full power and control over His affairs.\\\" [The Holy Quran, 12: 21]
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
Shahrivar 23, 1391
Source: http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1689
3m:20s
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[Audio][12] Distortions of Ashura - by Martyr Ayatullah Murtada...
Hence the developments relating to Karbala\\\\\\\' are quite clear and all of them are throughout a matter of great honor and pride. But we have...
Hence the developments relating to Karbala\\\\\\\' are quite clear and all of them are throughout a matter of great honor and pride. But we have disfigured this shining historic event to such an extent and have committed such a monstrous treachery towards Imam Husayn (\\\\\\\'a) that if he were to come and see, he will say, \\\\\\\'You have changed the entire face of the event. I am not the Imam Husayn that you have sketched out in your own imagination. The Qasim ibn Hasan that you have painted in your fancy is not my nephew. The \\\\\\\'Ali Akbar that you have faked in your imagination is not my aware and intelligent son. The companions that you have carved out are not my companions.\\\\\\\"
We have fabricated a Qasim whose only desire is to become a bridegroom and whose uncle\\\\\\\'s wish, too, is to have him wedded. Contrast this one with the historical Qasim. Reliable histories report that on the night of \\\\\\\'Ashura\\\\\\\' the Imam (\\\\\\\'a) gathered his companions in a tent whose location, as described by the phrase \\\\\\\'inda qurbil-ma\\\\\\\', was the place where water used to be kept, or near it. There he delivered that very well-known sermon of the night preceding \\\\\\\'Ashura\\\\\\\'. I do not want to mention its details here, but, to put it briefly, in this sermon the Imam told them that every one of them was free to depart and leave him to confront the enemy alone. The Imam did not want anybody to stay just for considerations of courtesy or to remain out of compulsion, or even to think that they were obliged to do so by virtue of the allegiance (bay\\\\\\\'ah) they had given him. Hence he tells them, \\\\\\\"You are all free, my companions, members of my family, my sons, and my nephews-everyone-to leave without being liable to anything. They [i.e. the enemy\\\\\\\'s forces] have nothing against anyone except me. The night is dark. Take advantage of the darkness of the night and depart. They will definitely not stop you.\\\\\\\" At first, he expresses his appreciation for them and tell them, I am most pleased with you. I do not know of any companions better than mine, and no better relatives than the members of my family.\\\\\\\"
But all of them tell him, in unison, that such a thing was impossible. What answer will they give to the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection? What will happen to loyalty, to humanity, to love and attachment? Their ardent responses and their words said on that occasion melt a heart of stone and are most moving. One of them says, \\\\\\\"Is one life worth enough to be sacrificed for someone like you? I wish that I were brought to life seventy times to die seventy time for your sake.\\\\\\\" Another says, \\\\\\\"I would lay down a thousand lives for your sake if I had them.\\\\\\\" Another says, \\\\\\\"If I were to sacrifice my life for you and my body were burnt to ashes and the ashes were cast to wind, and were this done a hundred times, I would still love to die for your sake.\\\\\\\" The first to speak was his brother Abu al-Fadl, and then the Imam changed the subject and told them about the events of the next day, informing them that they all would be killed. All of them receive it as a great good news.
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Analysis: Western War on Free Speech - 24 Jan 2013 - English
An activist says that the West has \'profoundly lost its way\' in terms of the freedom of speech, to a degree that they take some alternative...
An activist says that the West has \'profoundly lost its way\' in terms of the freedom of speech, to a degree that they take some alternative channels off air but at the same time continue to air degrading channels. A group of Spanish lawmakers have heaped scorn on their government for pulling the plug on Iranian channels Press TV and Hispan TV under the influence of Zionist lobbies in the United States. In a letter, the United Left deputies asked the Spanish government to explain if Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo had discussed the ban on Iranian networks in his meeting with the Zionist lobbies in October 2012. An overwhelming majority of 72 percent of respondents to a recent Press TV poll from across the globe said Iran\'s media are attacked by Zionist lobbies for their revelation of truth about Israel and the West. The ban on Press TV and Hispan TV in Spain followed a similar move by France\'s Eutelsat company, which had already taken several Iranian satellite channels and radio stations off the air, claiming that the channels were removed because of \"a wider interpretation of EU regulations.\"
To shed more light on the issue at hand, Press TV\'s The Debate program has conducted an interview with William Spring, human rights activist from London, Caleb Maupin, with the International Action Center from New York City and Alon Ben-Meir, with the NYU Center for Global Affairs from New York City.
24m:12s
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[ENGLISH] Sayyed Khamenei: Speech to Baseej - 21 November 2012
Supreme Leader\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Speech to Basijis
21/11/2012
The following is the full text of the speech delivered on November...
Supreme Leader\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Speech to Basijis
21/11/2012
The following is the full text of the speech delivered on November 21, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with Basijis and Salehin activists.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Thankfully, an event similar to the great event of Ashura - which has been narrated for us - took place in our own times. During the Sacred Defense Era, many men, women and young people who were trying to achieve their noble goals, laid down their lives and wealth and forgot about the material aspects of their lives. Today we are benefiting from the blessings of this event. The coincidence of this event with the great event of Ashura is a lesson for us. The Islamic Ummah should never forget the event of Ashura which is a lesson and a source of guidance for us. Definitely Islam is alive because of the event of Ashura and the efforts of Hussein ibn Ali (a.s.).
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"And I am from Hussein.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" This narration means that Hussein (a.s.) continued the path of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and he continued to promote Islam after him. If it had not been for the event of Ashura and if these great sacrifices had not been made in the history of Islam, this valuable experience and this practical lesson would not have been bestowed on the Islamic Ummah and Islam would have definitely deviated from its path - as many religions before Islam did - and nothing would have remained from it. The greatness of Ashura is because of this.
Of course, the pain and suffering which Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his followers endured on the day of Ashura were too agonizing and the harm which was inflicted was very serious. The life of Hussein ibn Ali (a.s.) is more valuable than everything in the world. The pure and sacred lives of those followers of Imam Hussein (a.s.), the lives of those youth and those members of Imam Hussein\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s (a.s.) household are not comparable to the life of other people. Their bodies were covered in blood and dirt. They made sacrifices and they laid down their lives. The households of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and Imam Ali (a.s.) were imprisoned. Those events are very tragic and very difficult to tolerate. But what was achieved on the day of Ashura was so great and glorious that it made it easy for Imam Hussein (a.s.), his followers and his household to endure the sufferings. This has been narrated by prominent figures.
The late Hajj Mirza Javad Agha Maleki (may God bestow paradise on him) stressed in his book \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Muraqibaat\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" - what he has said in this book is certainly true - that the greater the sufferings grew on the day of Ashura, the brighter and more cheerful the face of Hussein ibn Ali (a.s.) would become. You should always keep in mind these important and extraordinary facts about Ashura.
In our own times, we have seen similar examples of these sacrifices. We have seen similar examples of sacrifices which we have read about in history books. One significant and remarkable example of these sacrifices is what Basij did before the start of the imposed war, during the Sacred Defense Era and after it ended. We have enormously benefited from the blessings of Basij and by Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s favor, these blessings should and will continue to benefit us.
An important point about Basij is that during the Sacred Defense Era, we could see that Basij enjoyed great purity. We should preserve this purity in Basij. The present situation is more complicated. It is dangerous to go to war, kill, fight and take on responsibilities which may result in martyrdom or disability. It is still dangerous even if nothing happens to you, but being present in a military confrontation is not complicated. The present situation in which you are faced with the enemy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s plots and attacks has certain complications. The confrontation between you and the enemy has certain complications. The dangers that our soldiers were exposed to may not exist today, but the present situation has more complications.
An advantage of the military confrontation we experienced was that whoever entered it showed great purity of intention. Entering the arena of war was a life and death situation. It was not a joke. It needed courage, selfless efforts, faith and reliance on God, but our soldiers went to war and they were martyred. Today we still need that kind of courage and faith in different arenas, but it is possible that certain people call themselves basijis without having these characteristics. You should be vigilant about this. First, we should guard ourselves against this and second, we should guard Basij against this. This is the duty of all members of Basij. You should strengthen the basiji spirit in Basij organizations including Salehin organizations which you manage. We should make sure that Basij has purity in everything it does. This is difficult to some extent. One reason why practicing self-restraint and paying attention to spiritual matters is called \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"greater jihad\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" is the difficulty of this task. In a military confrontation with the enemy, one can easily measure one\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s and other people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s purity. It is easier to do this in the case of a military confrontation, but in the arena of practicing self-restraint this is not very easy. In latter case, you may make a mistake in judging how pure your actions are and others may also misjudge what kind of person you are.
Another point is that we should avoid negative qualities such as arrogance, pretension and hypocrisy. These qualities are very destructive. If we make an achievement, we should be thankful to God and we should know that our achievement has been made with the help of God and we should ask God to help us continue making these achievements. It is very important not to be arrogant and not be over-confident. We should not think that we have made achievements on our own and we should rely on God Almighty. It is a fact that there is no power except the power of God Almighty. Everything is done by God. Our achievements, our capabilities, our enthusiasm, our faith and our love all come from God. We should know this and we should be thankful to God. We should ask God Almighty to increase these qualities in our characters. This is an important issue.
I noticed an important point in the statements of the dear people who spoke in this meeting. That point is the high quality of organizations which form the basis of Basij. What is damaging is superficiality in our beliefs, our understanding of different matters and our principles. Superficiality is damaging. It is like a precarious stack of things which is easily blown down by a strong wind. We should give depth to our beliefs. Thankfully, you pay attention to these issues. Salehin organizations were created with a view to giving depth to the thoughts and the spirits of young basijis in spiritual and educational matters.
Generally, Basij is one of the miracles of the Revolution. Basij reflects the innovation of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). It shows his understanding, his wisdom and it reflects the connection between his enlightened heart and the source of divine wisdom. Basij provided a solid foundation for the Revolution. See how active Basij is in the area of scientific matters, in the area of practical matters, in the area of technological matters, in the area of spiritual matters, in the area of social services, in the area of formulating theories on different parts of social life, and in different other areas. If one day something happens which makes our people arm themselves against the enemy for the purpose of defending their country, these youth, these basijis, these brave youth of our dear nation will once more prove the courage of the Iranian nation, the resistance of the Iranian nation, the power of the Iranian nation and the invincibility of the Iranian nation to the enemy.
Other groups of people and other countries which have tried to tread the enlightened path of Islam will follow our example. We have a valuable experience in this regard. We should perform well because it will make Basij a living and dynamic role model in the world of Islam. Today this has almost happened. Therefore strengthening Basij, making all its members as pure and spiritual as possible, expanding its activities to all areas of life are among the tasks which should be carried out by the people in charge of Basij, member of Basij and everyone connected with Basij.
Islam has advised us to start from ourselves. All of us, at all levels, should start from ourselves. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"He who considers himself the leader of people should educate himself before educating others.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [Nahjul Balaghah, Saying 73] This piece of advice is true at all levels. We should start from ourselves. We should establish this idea in Basij.
The Islamic view of lifestyle can be a standard for self-evaluation in Basij. I am not saying that organizations which are higher in rank should evaluate our behavior. I am saying that we should be the people who evaluate our own behavior. How is our behavior in our workplace? How is our behavior towards our wife and children? How is our behavior at home and in social environments? How is our behavior towards people who stand below us in rank? How is our behavior towards people who stand above us in rank? How is our behavior towards the enemy? In Islam, there are certain criteria for all of these. We should evaluate ourselves. This is self-evaluation. This can lay a firm foundation for our lives and for the work we should do in all areas - especially the work we should do in Basij, which is the topic of our discussion.
Anyway, our country, our nation, our Revolution and our history need Basij and Basij needs to improve itself on a daily basis in terms of quality. What you dear brothers and sisters are doing - in Salehin organizations - is very good and outstanding and it perfectly complements Basij. By Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s favor, we should improve Basij on a daily basis. We should raise quality in Basij. Of course, quality should be given more significance than quantity, but increasing the quantity of work as well as the quality of work is also important. That is to say, we should both increase the volume of our work and add depth to it. Both should be taken into consideration. Today the world of Islam needs this movement by Basij.
The savage attack on Gaza over the past week, which is truly shocking, should awaken the world of Islam and it should give fresh impetus to the movement of Muslim peoples. The enemy is not sitting idle. This effort by the Zionist regime has several dimensions. First, it shows the extreme brutality of the Zionist regime. How savage these people are. They have no conscience at all. You become shocked when you see how savagely they attack innocent people and civilians. They have no human qualities. They are against the world of Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran. These creatures who have no human qualities want to challenge the Islamic Republic of Iran at international meetings. This is one aspect of the issue which is very important.
Another shocking aspect of the issue is that the leaders of global arrogance behave so shamelessly in this crisis. They not only do not frown at the brutal Zionist regime and they not only do not prevent it from doing what it is doing, but they rather support and encourage it. America explicitly supported the Zionists. England supported them. France supported them. These are the leaders of global arrogance. Muslim peoples do not have enemies who are as hated and brutal as these people. All these people explicitly supported them. The recent event shows how willing the leaders of global arrogance are to observe morality. They are very far away from human qualities. Now that they give political support to the Zionist regime for the purpose of safeguarding their corrupt political interests, why do they claim that they support human rights? Does America - which not only fails to condemn this violent and savage attack in Gaza, but also supports it - have the right to claim that it supports human rights? Does it have the right to put itself in the position of prosecutors of other nations and governments in the name of defending human rights? This is a shameless claim. The same is true of France and England. Muslim nations have not forgotten their past behavior in the world of Islam, the crimes that they committed, the killings that were carried out and the pressures that they exerted on Muslim peoples in different countries. And today they support the actions of a brutal regime, namely the Zionist regime. This is another aspect of the issue.
Another aspect of the issue is the behavior of Arab and Islamic governments regarding the event of Gaza which was not acceptable. Some of them only condemned the Zionists in words and some others did not even condemn the Zionists in words. Those who call Muslim nations to unity and claim to be the leaders of the Islamic Ummah should prove themselves in such situations. They are very outspoken on issues which suit their political agenda, but in this case - because they have to face America and England - they refuse to condemn the Zionists in an outspoken and genuine way or they merely offer verbal support, which is of little value and is not very effective. Today the world of Islam, especially Arab countries, should join hands to defend the people of Gaza and make the enemy lift the siege. They should try to help the innocent people of Gaza.
Of course, God Almighty has bestowed on the people of Gaza the blessing to resist and stand up against this violent and savage enemy. The people of Gaza saw the result of their resistance: they managed to preserve their dignity. They proved that by relying on resistance and hard work it is possible - even with a small number of people - to defeat large and heavily armed groups that are supported by the arrogant powers. Today the Zionists, who have occupied Palestine, are looking for a ceasefire more desperately than the people and the officials of Gaza. Although they committed these crimes and brutal actions, they were harmed more. This happened because of the resistance of the small number of Muslim people and youth in Gaza. There is no other way to defeat the enemies. This is a message to the world of Islam.
If the world of Islam wants to be invulnerable to the attacks, machinations and plots of the enemy, it should defend itself strongly. It should strengthen itself, both spiritually - strengthening one\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s faith and determination - and materially. Material strength includes making scientific and technological progress, gaining experience and making advances in the area of building weapons and in other areas. The world of Islam and Islamic societies should equip themselves with these. If they do this, then every district even as small as Gaza can inflict as much harm on the enemy as the people of Gaza did. As I said before, what the people of Gaza did made the enemy look for a ceasefire more desperately than the people and the officials in Gaza although they went through pain and suffering and a number of them were martyred. This is a lesson for the world of Islam and of course we learned this lesson during the Sacred Defense Era. Thankfully, our people, our youth, our scientists and our experts have made progress in this regard. We have made progress in theoretical and practical areas. We have become fully aware of the fact that we should stand on our own feet which is one of the requirements for resistance.
Another point is the issue of unity among the Islamic Ummah and among the people of each country. The unity among the people and the political parties of each country is important. The same is true of our nation. The reason I repeatedly point out that political parties, our dear officials, people who can address the public - including newspapers, websites, executive and other organizations in charge of our media - writers and people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s representatives should preserve unity among themselves, is that unity is very important in essence. Fortunately our country has managed to preserve its unity and cohesion. Fortunately the recent disagreements between the officials have not shattered the unity of our nation. The fact that there are differences of opinion between the officials creates no problems as long as these differences do not result in major disputes. In the eyes of the enemy, our country has been very powerful since the start of the Revolution and this has happened because of our unity. Today they have the same opinion. Some time ago I advised the officials to preserve unity among themselves. Fortunately the esteemed officials of the three branches of government listened to my advice. This is very valuable. It is necessary to thank these people. The officials and the heads of the three branches of government listened to my advice. They stressed that they will preserve their unity in different areas although they have differences of opinion. We welcome this positive move made by these dear brothers and esteemed officials and we believe that it was a wise move and they should continue to be careful about what they say.
What the MPs are doing in the Majlis is one of the things that has certain praiseworthy aspects. You dear brothers and sisters and the honorable people of Iran should know that asking questions of our government officials, whether the President or other executive officials, is a positive move because of two reasons. One reason is that it shows the people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s representatives in the legislative branch have a sense of responsibility towards issues of the country. This is positive. Another reason is that the executive branch announced with confidence and with praiseworthy courage that it is prepared for answering the questions posed by the MPs. This is positive too. The legislative branch carries out its responsibility and our executive officials show that they have confidence in their decisions and sincerity. What else do we expect? This is the best situation. This decision has been made: the Majlis has announced that it wants to summon the President for questioning which shows their sense of responsibility, and the executive branch has announced that it is prepared to answer the questions with confidence - they said this to me too. This too is praiseworthy. These two moves made by the Majlis and the executive branch are both good. But I believe that the efforts should not be continued. They should end the issue immediately.
This was a good test for both the Majlis and the executive branch. The people are also insightful and wise. Continuing this issue is exactly what the enemies want. The enemies want to pitch the two branches against each other. The enemies want to provoke people on each side to give in to their feelings and create uproar through newspapers, websites and other such things. Our country needs tranquility. All the officials, no matter which branch of government they belong to, need tranquility to do their duties and the people also want tranquility. The Majlis did its duty and in response to the decision of the Majlis, the executive branch showed that it has the necessary self-confidence to defend its actions. What these two branches of government did is satisfactory. Now I ask the brothers who made this decision in the Majlis to end this issue and show that government officials in the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government respect unity and tranquility more than anything else.
I thank all the brothers and sisters in Basij. I hope that Allah the Exalted bestows success on all of you. I thank all the brothers and sisters who spoke in this meeting. I hope that God Almighty bestows great rewards on them. I also thank the dear brother who gave me his medal. I have accepted this medal, but I would like to give it back to him as gift. It is better for him to keep the medal because it will evoke the memory of his championship and something to remember me by. I hope that Allah the Exalted bestows success on you.
Source : http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1727&Itemid=4
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26084
[English Translation] Interview Bashar Al-Asad - President Syria on...
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday,
Following is the full text of the...
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday,
Following is the full text of the interview:
Al-Manar: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum. Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated. This is the only constant over which there is little disagreement between those loyal to the Syrian state and those opposed to it. However, there is no common ground over the other constants and details two years into the current crisis. At the time, a great deal was said about the imminent fall of the regime. Deadlines were set and missed; and all those bets were lost. Today, we are here in the heart of Damascus, enjoying the hospitality of a president who has become a source of consternation to many of his opponents who are still unable to understand the equations that have played havoc with their calculations and prevented his ouster from the Syrian political scene. This unpleasant and unexpected outcome for his opponents upset their schemes and plots because they didn’t take into account one self-evident question: what happens if the regime doesn’t fall? What if President Assad doesn’t leave the Syrian scene? Of course, there are no clear answers; and the result is more destruction, killing and bloodshed. Today there is talk of a critical juncture for Syria. The Syrian Army has moved from defense to attack, achieving one success after another. On a parallel level, stagnant diplomatic waters have been shaken by discussions over a Geneva 2 conference becoming a recurrent theme in the statements of all parties. There are many questions which need answers: political settlement, resorting to the military option to decide the outcome, the Israeli enemy’s direct interference with the course of events in the current crisis, the new equations on the Golan Heights, the relationship with opponents and friends. What is the Syrian leadership’s plan for a way out of a complex and dangerous crisis whose ramifications have started to spill over into neighboring countries? It is our great pleasure tonight to put these questions to H. E. President Bashar al-Assad. Assalamu Alaikum, Mr. President.
President Assad: Assalamu Alaikum. You are most welcome in Damascus.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, we are in the heart of the People’s Palace, two and a half years into the Syrian crisis. At the time, the bet was that the president and his regime would be overthrown within weeks. How have you managed to foil the plots of your opponents and enemies? What is the secret behind this steadfastness?
President Assad: There are a number of factors are involved. One is the Syrian factor, which thwarted their intentions; the other factor is related to those who masterminded these scenarios and ended up defeating themselves because they do not know Syria or understand in detail the situation. They started with the calls of revolution, but a real revolution requires tangible elements; you cannot create a revolution simply by paying money. When this approach failed, they shifted to using sectarian slogans in order to create a division within our society. Even though they were able to infiltrate certain pockets in Syrian society, pockets of ignorance and lack of awareness that exist in any society, they were not able to create this sectarian division. Had they succeeded, Syria would have been divided up from the beginning. They also fell into their own trap by trying to promote the notion that this was a struggle to maintain power rather than a struggle for national sovereignty. No one would fight and martyr themselves in order to secure power for anyone else.
Al-Manar: In the battle for the homeland, it seems that the Syrian leadership, and after two and a half years, is making progress on the battlefield. And here if I might ask you, why have you chosen to move from defense to attack? And don’t you think that you have been late in taking the decision to go on the offensive, and consequently incurred heavy losses, if we take of Al-Qseir as an example.
President Assad: It is not a question of defense or attack. Every battle has its own tactics. From the beginning, we did not deal with each situation from a military perspective alone. We also factored in the social and political aspects as well - many Syrians were misled in the beginning and there were many friendly countries that didn’t understand the domestic dynamics. Your actions will differ according to how much consensus there is over a particular issue. There is no doubt that as events have unfolded Syrians have been able to better understand the situation and what is really at stake. This has helped the Armed Forces to better carry out their duties and achieve results. So, what is happening now is not a shift in tactic from defense to attack, but rather a shift in the balance of power in favor of the Armed Forces.
Al-Manar: How has this balance been tipped, Mr. President? Syria is being criticized for asking for the assistance of foreign fighters, and to be fully candid, it is said that Hezbollah fighters are extending assistance. In a previous interview, you said that there are 23 million Syrians; we do not need help from anyone else. What is Hezbollah doing in Syria?
President Assad: The main reason for tipping the balance is the change in people’s opinion in areas that used to incubate armed groups, not necessarily due to lack of patriotism on their part, but because they were deceived. They were led to believe that there was a revolution against the failings of the state. This has changed; many individuals have left these terrorist groups and have returned to their normal lives. As to what is being said about Hezbollah and the participation of foreign fighters alongside the Syrian Army, this is a hugely important issue and has several factors. Each of these factors should be clearly understood. Hezbollah, the battle at Al-Qseir and the recent Israeli airstrike – these three factors cannot be looked at in isolation of the other, they are all a part of the same issue. Let’s be frank. In recent weeks, and particularly after Mr. Hasan Nasrallah’s speech, Arab and foreign media have said that Hezbollah fighters are fighting in Syria and defending the Syrian state, or to use their words “the regime.” Logically speaking, if Hezbollah or the resistance wanted to defend Syria by sending fighters, how many could they send - a few hundred, a thousand or two? We are talking about a battle in which hundreds of thousands of Syrian troops are involved against tens of thousands of terrorists, if not more because of the constant flow of fighters from neighboring and foreign countries that support those terrorists. So clearly, the number of fighters Hezbollah might contribute in order to defend the Syrian state in its battle, would be a drop in the ocean compared to the number of Syrian soldiers fighting the terrorists. When also taking into account the vast expanse of Syria, these numbers will neither protect a state nor ‘regime.’ This is from one perspective. From another, if they say they are defending the state, why now? Battles started after Ramadan in 2011 and escalated into 2012, the summer of 2012 to be precise. They started the battle to “liberate Damascus” and set a zero hour for the first time, the second time and a third time; the four generals were assassinated, a number of individuals fled Syria, and many people believed that was the time the state would collapse. It didn’t. Nevertheless, during all of these times, Hezbollah never intervened, so why would it intervene now? More importantly, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah fighting in Damascus and Aleppo? The more significant battles are in Damascus and in Aleppo, not in Al-Qseir. Al-Qseir is a small town in Homs, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah in the city of Homs? Clearly, all these assumptions are inaccurate. They say Al-Qseir is a strategic border town, but all the borders are strategic for the terrorists in order to smuggle in their fighters and weapons. So, all these propositions have nothing to do with Hezbollah. If we take into account the moans and groans of the Arab media, the statements made by Arab and foreign officials – even Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over Hezbollah in Al-Qseir – all of this is for the objective of suppressing and stifling the resistance. It has nothing to do with defending the Syrian state. The Syrian army has made significant achievements in Damascus, Aleppo, rural Damascus and many other areas; however, we haven’t heard the same moaning as we have heard in Al-Qseir.
Al-Manar: But, Mr. President, the nature of the battle that you and Hezbollah are waging in Al-Qseir seems, to your critics, to take the shape of a safe corridor connecting the coastal region with Damascus. Consequently, if Syria were to be divided, or if geographical changes were to be enforced, this would pave the way for an Alawite state. So, what is the nature of this battle, and how is it connected with the conflict with Israel.
President Assad: First, the Syrian and Lebanese coastal areas are not connected through Al-Qseir. Geographically this is not possible. Second, nobody would fight a battle in order to move towards separation. If you opt for separation, you move towards that objective without waging battles all over the country in order to be pushed into a particular corner. The nature of the battle does not indicate that we are heading for division, but rather the opposite, we are ensuring we remain a united country. Our forefathers rejected the idea of division when the French proposed this during their occupation of Syria because at the time they were very aware of its consequences. Is it possible or even fathomable that generations later, we their children, are less aware or mindful? Once again, the battle in Al-Qseir and all the bemoaning is related to Israel. The timing of the battle in Al-Qseir was synchronized with the Israeli airstrike. Their objective is to stifle the resistance. This is the same old campaign taking on a different form. Now what’s important is not al-Qseir as a town, but the borders; they want to stifle the resistance from land and from the sea. Here the question begs itself - some have said that the resistance should face the enemy and consequently remain in the south. This was said on May 7, 2008, when some of Israel’s agents in Lebanon tried to tamper with the communications system of the resistance; they claimed that the resistance turned its weapons inwards. They said the same thing about the Syrian Army; that the Syrian Army should fight on the borders with Israel. We have said very clearly that our Army will fight the enemy wherever it is. When the enemy is in the north, we move north; the same applies if the enemy comes from the east or the west. This is also the case for Hezbollah. So the question is why is Hezbollah deployed on the borders inside Lebanon or inside Syria? The answer is that our battle is a battle against the Israeli enemy and its proxies inside Syria or inside Lebanon.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, if I might ask about Israel’s involvement in the Syrian crisis through the recent airstrike against Damascus. Israel immediately attached certain messages to this airstrike by saying it doesn’t want escalation or doesn’t intend to interfere in the Syrian crisis. The question is: what does Israel want and what type of interference?
President Assad: This is exactly my point. Everything that is happening at the moment is aimed, first and foremost, at stifling the resistance. Israel’s support of the terrorists was for two purposes. The first is to stifle the resistance; the second is to strike the Syrian air defense systems. It is not interested in anything else.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, since Israel’s objectives are clear, the Syrian state was criticized for its muted response. Everyone was expecting a Syrian response, and the Syrian government stated that it reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place. Why didn’t the response come immediately? And is it enough for a senior source to say that missiles have been directed at the Israeli enemy and that any attack will be retaliated immediately without resorting to Army command?
President Assad: We have informed all the Arab and foreign parties - mostly foreign - that contacted us, that we will respond the next time. Of course, there has been more than one response. There have been several Israeli attempted violations to which there was immediate retaliation. But these short-term responses have no real value; they are only of a political nature. If we want to respond to Israel, the response will be of strategic significance.
Al-Manar: How? By opening the Golan front, for instance?
President Assad: This depends on public opinion, whether there is a consensus in support of the resistance or not. That’s the question. Al-Manar: How is the situation in Syria now?
President Assad: In fact, there is clear popular pressure to open the Golan front to resistance. This enthusiasm is also on the Arab level; we have received many Arab delegations wanting to know how young people might be enrolled to come and fight Israel. Of course, resistance is not easy. It is not merely a question of opening the front geographically. It is a political, ideological, and social issue, with the net result being military action.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, if we take into account the incident on the Golan Heights and Syria’s retaliation on the Israeli military vehicle that crossed the combat line, does this mean that the rules of engagement have changed? And if the rules of the game have changed, what is the new equation, so to speak?
President Assad: Real change in the rules of engagement happens when there is a popular condition pushing for resistance. Any other change is short-term, unless we are heading towards war. Any response of any kind might only appear to be a change to the rules of engagement, but I don’t think it really is. The real change is when the people move towards resistance; this is the really dramatic change.
Al-Manar: Don’t you think that this is a little late? After 40 years of quiet and a state of truce on the Golan Heights, now there is talk of a movement on that front, about new equations and about new rules of the game?
President Assad: They always talk about Syria opening the front or closing the front. A state does not create resistance. Resistance can only be called so, when it is popular and spontaneous, it cannot be created. The state can either support or oppose the resistance, - or create obstacles, as is the case with some Arab countries. I believe that a state that opposes the will of its people for resistance is reckless. The issue is not that Syria has decided, after 40 years, to move in this direction. The public’s state of mind is that our National Army is carrying out its duties to protect and liberate our land. Had there not been an army, as was the situation in Lebanon when the army and the state were divided during the civil war, there would have been resistance a long time ago. Today, in the current circumstances, there are a number of factors pushing in that direction. First, there are repeated Israeli aggressions that constitute a major factor in creating this desire and required incentive. Second, the army’s engagement in battles in more than one place throughout Syria has created a sentiment on the part of many civilians that it is their duty to move in this direction in order to support the Armed Forces on the Golan.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not hesitate to attack Syria if it detected that weapons are being conveyed to Hezbollah in Lebanon. If Israel carried out its threats, I want a direct answer from you: what would Syria do?
President Assad: As I have said, we have informed the relevant states that we will respond in kind. Of course, it is difficult to specify the military means that would be used, that is for our military command to decide. We plan for different scenarios, depending on the circumstances and the timing of the strike that would determine which method or weapons.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, after the airstrike that targeted Damascus, there was talk about the S300 missiles and that this missile system will tip the balance. Based on this argument, Netanyahu visited Moscow. My direct question is this: are these missiles on their way to Damascus? Is Syria now in possession of these missiles?
President Assad: It is not our policy to talk publically about military issues in terms of what we possess or what we receive. As far as Russia is concerned, the contracts have nothing to do with the crisis. We have negotiated with them on different kinds of weapons for years, and Russia is committed to honoring these contracts. What I want to say is that neither Netanyahu’s visit nor the crisis and the conditions surrounding it have influenced arms imports. All of our agreements with Russia will be implemented, some have been implemented during the past period and, together with the Russians, we will continue to implement these contracts in the future.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, we have talked about the steadfastness of the Syrian leadership and the Syrian state. We have discussed the progress being achieved on the battlefield, and strengthening the alliance between Syria and the resistance. These are all within the same front. From another perspective, there is diplomatic activity stirring waters that have been stagnant for two and a half years. Before we talk about this and about the Geneva conference and the red lines that Syria has drawn, there was a simple proposition or a simple solution suggested by the former head of the coalition, Muaz al-Khatib. He said that the president, together with 500 other dignitaries would be allowed to leave the country within 20 days, and the crisis would be over. Why don’t you meet this request and put an end to the crisis?
President Assad: I have always talked about the basic principle: that the Syrian people alone have the right to decide whether the president should remain or leave. So, anybody speaking on this subject should state which part of the Syrian people they represent and who granted them the authority to speak on their behalf. As for this initiative, I haven’t actually read it, but I was very happy that they allowed me 20 days and 500 people! I don’t know who proposed the initiative; I don’t care much about names.
Al-Manar: He actually said that you would be given 20 days, 500 people, and no guarantees. You’ll be allowed to leave but with no guarantee whatsoever on whether legal action would be taken against you or not. Mr. President, this brings us to the negotiations, I am referring to Geneva 2. The Syrian government and leadership have announced initial agreement to take part in this conference. If this conference is held, there will be a table with the Syrian flag on one side and the flag of the opposition groups on the other. How can you convince the Syrian people after two and a half years of crisis that you will sit face to face at the same negotiating table with these groups?
President Assad: First of all, regarding the flag, it is meaningless without the people it represents. When we put a flag on a table or anywhere else, we talk about the people represented by that flag. This question can be put to those who raise flags they call Syrian but are different from the official Syrian flag. So, this flag has no value when it does not represent the people. Secondly, we will attend this conference as the official delegation and legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. But, whom do they represent? When the conference is over, we return to Syria, we return home to our people. But when the conference is over, whom do they return to - five-star hotels? Or to the foreign ministries of the states that they represent – which doesn’t include Syria of course - in order to submit their reports? Or do they return to the intelligence services of those countries? So, when we attend this conference, we should know very clearly the positions of some of those sitting at the table - and I say some because the conference format is not clear yet and as such we do not have details as to how the patriotic Syrian opposition will be considered or the other opposition parties in Syria. As for the opposition groups abroad and their flag, we know that we are attending the conference not to negotiate with them, but rather with the states that back them; it will appear as though we are negotiating with the slaves, but essentially we are negotiating with their masters. This is the truth, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves.
Al-Manar: Are you, in the Syrian leadership, convinced that these negotiations will be held next month?
President Assad: We expect them to happen, unless they are obstructed by other states. As far as we are concerned in Syria, we have announced a couple of days ago that we agree in principle to attend.
Al-Manar: When you say in principle, it seems that you are considering other options.
President Assad: In principle, we are in favour of the conference as a notion, but there are no details yet. For example, will there be conditions placed before the conference? If so, these conditions may be unacceptable and we would not attend. So the idea of the conference, of a meeting, in principle is a good one. We will have to wait and see.
Al-Manar: Let’s talk, Mr. President, about the conditions put by the Syrian leadership. What are Syria’s conditions?
President Assad: Simply put, our only condition is that anything agreed upon in any meeting inside or outside the country, including the conference, is subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a popular referendum. This is the only condition. Anything else doesn’t have any value. That is why we are comfortable with going to the conference. We have no complexes. Either side can propose anything, but nothing can be implemented without the approval of the Syrian people. And as long as we are the legitimate representatives of the people, we have nothing to fear.
Al-Manar: Let’s be clear, Mr. President. There is a lot of ambiguity in Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 about the transitional period and the role of President Bashar al-Assad in that transitional period. Are you prepared to hand over all your authorities to this transitional government? And how do you understand this ambiguous term?
President Assad: This is what I made clear in the initiative I proposed in January this year. They say they want a transitional government in which the president has no role. In Syria we have a presidential system, where the President is head of the republic and the Prime Minister heads the government. They want a government with broad authorities. The Syrian constitution gives the government full authorities. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Army and Armed Forces and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council. All the other institutions report directly to the government. Changing the authorities of the president is subject to changing the constitution; the president cannot just relinquish his authorities, he doesn\\\'t have the constitutional right. Changing the constitution requires a popular referendum. When they want to propose such issues, they might be discussed in the conference, and when we agree on something - if we agree, we return home and put it to a popular referendum and then move on. But for them to ask for the amendment of the constitution in advance, this cannot be done neither by the president nor by the government.
Al-Manar: Frankly, Mr. President, all the international positions taken against you and all your political opponents said that they don’t want a role for al-Assad in Syria’s future. This is what the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal said and this is what the Turks and the Qataris said, and also the Syrian opposition. Will President Assad be nominated for the forthcoming presidential elections in 2014?
President Assad: What I know is that Saud al-Faisal is a specialist in American affairs, I don’t know if he knows anything about Syrian affairs. If he wants to learn, that’s fine! As to the desires of others, I repeat what I have said earlier: the only desires relevant are those of the Syrian people. With regards to the nomination, some parties have said that it is preferable that the president shouldn’t be nominated for the 2014 elections. This issue will be determined closer to the time; it is still too early to discuss this. When the time comes, and I feel, through my meetings and interactions with the Syrian people, that there is a need and public desire for me to nominate myself, I will not hesitate. However, if I feel that the Syrian people do not want me to lead them, then naturally I will not put myself forward. They are wasting their time on such talk.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, you mentioned the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal. This makes me ask about Syria’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, with Qatar, with Turkey, particularly if we take into account that their recent position in the Arab ministerial committee was relatively moderate. They did not directly and publically call for the ouster of President Assad. Do you feel any change or any support on the part of these countries for a political solution to the Syrian crisis? And is Syria prepared to deal once more with the Arab League, taking into account that the Syrian government asked for an apology from the Arab League?
President Assad: Concerning the Arab states, we see brief changes in their rhetoric but not in their actions. The countries that support the terrorists have not changed; they are still supporting terrorism to the same extent. Turkey also has not made any positive steps. As for Qatar, their role is also the same, the role of the funder - the bank funding the terrorists and supporting them through Turkey. So, overall, no change. As for the Arab League, in Syria we have never pinned our hopes on the Arab League. Even in the past decades, we were barely able to dismantle the mines set for us in the different meetings, whether in the summits or in meetings of the foreign ministers. So in light of this and its recent actions, can we really expect it to play a role? We are open to everybody, we never close our doors. But we should also be realistic and face the truth that they are unable to offer anything, particularly since a significant number of the Arab states are not independent. They receive their orders from the outside. Some of them are sympathetic to us in their hearts, but they cannot act on their feelings because they are not in possession of their decisions. So, no, we do not pin any hopes on the Arab League.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, this leads us to ask: if the Arab environment is as such, and taking into account the developments on the ground and the steadfastness, the Geneva conference and the negotiations, the basic question is: what if the political negotiations fail? What are the consequences of the failure of political negotiations?
President Assad: This is quite possible, because there are states that are obstructing the meeting in principle, and they are going only to avoid embarrassment. They are opposed to any dialogue whether inside or outside Syria. Even the Russians, in several statements, have dampened expectations from this conference. But we should also be accurate in defining this dialogue, particularly in relation to what is happening on the ground. Most of the factions engaged in talking about what is happening in Syria have no influence on the ground; they don’t even have direct relationships with the terrorists. In some instances these terrorists are directly linked with the states that are backing them, in other cases, they are mere gangs paid to carry out terrorist activities. So, the failure of the conference will not significantly change the reality inside Syria, because these states will not stop supporting the terrorists - conference or no conference, and the gangs will not stop their subversive activities. So it has no impact on them.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, the events in Syria are spilling over to neighboring countries. We see what’s happening in Iraq, the explosions in Al-Rihaniye in Turkey and also in Lebanon. In Ersal, Tripoli, Hezbollah taking part in the fighting in Al-Qseir. How does Syria approach the situation in Lebanon, and do you think the Lebanese policy of dissociation is still applied or accepted?
President Assad: Let me pose some questions based on the reality in Syria and in Lebanon about the policy of dissociation in order not to be accused of making a value judgment on whether this policy is right or wrong. Let’s start with some simple questions: Has Lebanon been able to prevent Lebanese interference in Syria? Has it been able to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or weapons into Syria or providing a safe haven for them in Lebanon? It hasn’t; in fact, everyone knows that Lebanon has contributed negatively to the Syrian crisis. Most recently, has Lebanon been able to protect itself against the consequences of the Syrian crisis, most markedly in Tripoli and the missiles that have been falling over different areas of Beirut or its surroundings? It hasn’t. So what kind of dissociation are we talking about? For Lebanon to dissociate itself from the crisis is one thing, and for the government to dissociate itself is another. When the government dissociates itself from a certain issue that affects the interests of the Lebanese people, it is in fact dissociating itself from the Lebanese citizens. I’m not criticizing the Lebanese government - I’m talking about general principles. I don’t want it to be said that I’m criticizing this government. If the Syrian government were to dissociate itself from issues that are of concern to the Syrian people, it would also fail. So in response to your question with regards to Lebanon’s policy of dissociation, we don’t believe this is realistically possible. When my neighbor’s house is on fire, I cannot say that it’s none of my business because sooner or later the fire will spread to my house.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, what would you say to the supporters of the axis of resistance? We are celebrating the anniversary of the victory of the resistance and the liberation of south Lebanon, in an atmosphere of promises of victory, which Mr. Hasan Nasrallah has talked about. You are saying with great confidence that you will emerge triumphant from this crisis. What would you say to all this audience? Are we about to reach the end of this dark tunnel?
President Assad: I believe that the greatest victory achieved by the Arab resistance movements in the past years and decades is primarily an intellectual victory. This resistance wouldn’t have been able to succeed militarily if they hadn’t been able to succeed and stand fast against a campaign aimed at distorting concepts and principles in this region. Before the civil war in Lebanon, some people used to say that Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness; this is similar to saying that a man’s intelligence lies in his stupidity, or that honor is maintained through corruption. This is an illogical contradiction. The victories of the resistance at different junctures proved that this concept is not true, and it showed that Lebanon’s weakness lies in its weakness and Lebanon’s strength lies in its strength. Lebanon’s strength is in its resistance and these resistance fighters you referred to. Today, more than ever before, we are in need of these ideas, of this mindset, of this steadfastness and of these actions carried out by the resistance fighters. The events in the Arab world during the past years have distorted concepts to the extent that some Arabs have forgotten that the real enemy is still Israel and have instead created internal, sectarian, regional or national enemies. Today we pin our hopes on these resistance fighters to remind the Arab people, through their achievements, that our enemy is still the same. As for my confidence in victory, if we weren’t so confident we wouldn’t have been able to stand fast or to continue this battle after two years of a global attack. This is not a tripartite attack like the one in 1956; it is in fact a global war waged against Syria and the resistance. We have absolute confidence in our victory, and I assure them that Syria will always remain, even more so than before, supportive of the resistance and resistance fighters everywhere in the Arab world.
Al-Manar: In conclusion, it has been my great honor to conduct this interview with Your Excellency, President Bashar al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. Thank you very much. President Assad: You are welcome. I would like to congratulate Al-Manar channel, the channel of resistance, on the anniversary of the liberation and to congratulate the Lebanese people and every resistance fighter in Lebanon.
Al-Manar: Thank you.
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[Arabic] لقاء خاص مع الرئيس بشار الأسد - Bashar...
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday,
Following is the full text of the...
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday,
Following is the full text of the interview:
Al-Manar: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum. Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated. This is the only constant over which there is little disagreement between those loyal to the Syrian state and those opposed to it. However, there is no common ground over the other constants and details two years into the current crisis. At the time, a great deal was said about the imminent fall of the regime. Deadlines were set and missed; and all those bets were lost. Today, we are here in the heart of Damascus, enjoying the hospitality of a president who has become a source of consternation to many of his opponents who are still unable to understand the equations that have played havoc with their calculations and prevented his ouster from the Syrian political scene. This unpleasant and unexpected outcome for his opponents upset their schemes and plots because they didn’t take into account one self-evident question: what happens if the regime doesn’t fall? What if President Assad doesn’t leave the Syrian scene? Of course, there are no clear answers; and the result is more destruction, killing and bloodshed. Today there is talk of a critical juncture for Syria. The Syrian Army has moved from defense to attack, achieving one success after another. On a parallel level, stagnant diplomatic waters have been shaken by discussions over a Geneva 2 conference becoming a recurrent theme in the statements of all parties. There are many questions which need answers: political settlement, resorting to the military option to decide the outcome, the Israeli enemy’s direct interference with the course of events in the current crisis, the new equations on the Golan Heights, the relationship with opponents and friends. What is the Syrian leadership’s plan for a way out of a complex and dangerous crisis whose ramifications have started to spill over into neighboring countries? It is our great pleasure tonight to put these questions to H. E. President Bashar al-Assad. Assalamu Alaikum, Mr. President.
President Assad: Assalamu Alaikum. You are most welcome in Damascus.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, we are in the heart of the People’s Palace, two and a half years into the Syrian crisis. At the time, the bet was that the president and his regime would be overthrown within weeks. How have you managed to foil the plots of your opponents and enemies? What is the secret behind this steadfastness?
President Assad: There are a number of factors are involved. One is the Syrian factor, which thwarted their intentions; the other factor is related to those who masterminded these scenarios and ended up defeating themselves because they do not know Syria or understand in detail the situation. They started with the calls of revolution, but a real revolution requires tangible elements; you cannot create a revolution simply by paying money. When this approach failed, they shifted to using sectarian slogans in order to create a division within our society. Even though they were able to infiltrate certain pockets in Syrian society, pockets of ignorance and lack of awareness that exist in any society, they were not able to create this sectarian division. Had they succeeded, Syria would have been divided up from the beginning. They also fell into their own trap by trying to promote the notion that this was a struggle to maintain power rather than a struggle for national sovereignty. No one would fight and martyr themselves in order to secure power for anyone else.
Al-Manar: In the battle for the homeland, it seems that the Syrian leadership, and after two and a half years, is making progress on the battlefield. And here if I might ask you, why have you chosen to move from defense to attack? And don’t you think that you have been late in taking the decision to go on the offensive, and consequently incurred heavy losses, if we take of Al-Qseir as an example.
President Assad: It is not a question of defense or attack. Every battle has its own tactics. From the beginning, we did not deal with each situation from a military perspective alone. We also factored in the social and political aspects as well - many Syrians were misled in the beginning and there were many friendly countries that didn’t understand the domestic dynamics. Your actions will differ according to how much consensus there is over a particular issue. There is no doubt that as events have unfolded Syrians have been able to better understand the situation and what is really at stake. This has helped the Armed Forces to better carry out their duties and achieve results. So, what is happening now is not a shift in tactic from defense to attack, but rather a shift in the balance of power in favor of the Armed Forces.
Al-Manar: How has this balance been tipped, Mr. President? Syria is being criticized for asking for the assistance of foreign fighters, and to be fully candid, it is said that Hezbollah fighters are extending assistance. In a previous interview, you said that there are 23 million Syrians; we do not need help from anyone else. What is Hezbollah doing in Syria?
President Assad: The main reason for tipping the balance is the change in people’s opinion in areas that used to incubate armed groups, not necessarily due to lack of patriotism on their part, but because they were deceived. They were led to believe that there was a revolution against the failings of the state. This has changed; many individuals have left these terrorist groups and have returned to their normal lives. As to what is being said about Hezbollah and the participation of foreign fighters alongside the Syrian Army, this is a hugely important issue and has several factors. Each of these factors should be clearly understood. Hezbollah, the battle at Al-Qseir and the recent Israeli airstrike – these three factors cannot be looked at in isolation of the other, they are all a part of the same issue. Let’s be frank. In recent weeks, and particularly after Mr. Hasan Nasrallah’s speech, Arab and foreign media have said that Hezbollah fighters are fighting in Syria and defending the Syrian state, or to use their words “the regime.” Logically speaking, if Hezbollah or the resistance wanted to defend Syria by sending fighters, how many could they send - a few hundred, a thousand or two? We are talking about a battle in which hundreds of thousands of Syrian troops are involved against tens of thousands of terrorists, if not more because of the constant flow of fighters from neighboring and foreign countries that support those terrorists. So clearly, the number of fighters Hezbollah might contribute in order to defend the Syrian state in its battle, would be a drop in the ocean compared to the number of Syrian soldiers fighting the terrorists. When also taking into account the vast expanse of Syria, these numbers will neither protect a state nor ‘regime.’ This is from one perspective. From another, if they say they are defending the state, why now? Battles started after Ramadan in 2011 and escalated into 2012, the summer of 2012 to be precise. They started the battle to “liberate Damascus” and set a zero hour for the first time, the second time and a third time; the four generals were assassinated, a number of individuals fled Syria, and many people believed that was the time the state would collapse. It didn’t. Nevertheless, during all of these times, Hezbollah never intervened, so why would it intervene now? More importantly, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah fighting in Damascus and Aleppo? The more significant battles are in Damascus and in Aleppo, not in Al-Qseir. Al-Qseir is a small town in Homs, why haven’t we seen Hezbollah in the city of Homs? Clearly, all these assumptions are inaccurate. They say Al-Qseir is a strategic border town, but all the borders are strategic for the terrorists in order to smuggle in their fighters and weapons. So, all these propositions have nothing to do with Hezbollah. If we take into account the moans and groans of the Arab media, the statements made by Arab and foreign officials – even Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over Hezbollah in Al-Qseir – all of this is for the objective of suppressing and stifling the resistance. It has nothing to do with defending the Syrian state. The Syrian army has made significant achievements in Damascus, Aleppo, rural Damascus and many other areas; however, we haven’t heard the same moaning as we have heard in Al-Qseir.
Al-Manar: But, Mr. President, the nature of the battle that you and Hezbollah are waging in Al-Qseir seems, to your critics, to take the shape of a safe corridor connecting the coastal region with Damascus. Consequently, if Syria were to be divided, or if geographical changes were to be enforced, this would pave the way for an Alawite state. So, what is the nature of this battle, and how is it connected with the conflict with Israel.
President Assad: First, the Syrian and Lebanese coastal areas are not connected through Al-Qseir. Geographically this is not possible. Second, nobody would fight a battle in order to move towards separation. If you opt for separation, you move towards that objective without waging battles all over the country in order to be pushed into a particular corner. The nature of the battle does not indicate that we are heading for division, but rather the opposite, we are ensuring we remain a united country. Our forefathers rejected the idea of division when the French proposed this during their occupation of Syria because at the time they were very aware of its consequences. Is it possible or even fathomable that generations later, we their children, are less aware or mindful? Once again, the battle in Al-Qseir and all the bemoaning is related to Israel. The timing of the battle in Al-Qseir was synchronized with the Israeli airstrike. Their objective is to stifle the resistance. This is the same old campaign taking on a different form. Now what’s important is not al-Qseir as a town, but the borders; they want to stifle the resistance from land and from the sea. Here the question begs itself - some have said that the resistance should face the enemy and consequently remain in the south. This was said on May 7, 2008, when some of Israel’s agents in Lebanon tried to tamper with the communications system of the resistance; they claimed that the resistance turned its weapons inwards. They said the same thing about the Syrian Army; that the Syrian Army should fight on the borders with Israel. We have said very clearly that our Army will fight the enemy wherever it is. When the enemy is in the north, we move north; the same applies if the enemy comes from the east or the west. This is also the case for Hezbollah. So the question is why is Hezbollah deployed on the borders inside Lebanon or inside Syria? The answer is that our battle is a battle against the Israeli enemy and its proxies inside Syria or inside Lebanon.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, if I might ask about Israel’s involvement in the Syrian crisis through the recent airstrike against Damascus. Israel immediately attached certain messages to this airstrike by saying it doesn’t want escalation or doesn’t intend to interfere in the Syrian crisis. The question is: what does Israel want and what type of interference?
President Assad: This is exactly my point. Everything that is happening at the moment is aimed, first and foremost, at stifling the resistance. Israel’s support of the terrorists was for two purposes. The first is to stifle the resistance; the second is to strike the Syrian air defense systems. It is not interested in anything else.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, since Israel’s objectives are clear, the Syrian state was criticized for its muted response. Everyone was expecting a Syrian response, and the Syrian government stated that it reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place. Why didn’t the response come immediately? And is it enough for a senior source to say that missiles have been directed at the Israeli enemy and that any attack will be retaliated immediately without resorting to Army command?
President Assad: We have informed all the Arab and foreign parties - mostly foreign - that contacted us, that we will respond the next time. Of course, there has been more than one response. There have been several Israeli attempted violations to which there was immediate retaliation. But these short-term responses have no real value; they are only of a political nature. If we want to respond to Israel, the response will be of strategic significance.
Al-Manar: How? By opening the Golan front, for instance?
President Assad: This depends on public opinion, whether there is a consensus in support of the resistance or not. That’s the question. Al-Manar: How is the situation in Syria now?
President Assad: In fact, there is clear popular pressure to open the Golan front to resistance. This enthusiasm is also on the Arab level; we have received many Arab delegations wanting to know how young people might be enrolled to come and fight Israel. Of course, resistance is not easy. It is not merely a question of opening the front geographically. It is a political, ideological, and social issue, with the net result being military action.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, if we take into account the incident on the Golan Heights and Syria’s retaliation on the Israeli military vehicle that crossed the combat line, does this mean that the rules of engagement have changed? And if the rules of the game have changed, what is the new equation, so to speak?
President Assad: Real change in the rules of engagement happens when there is a popular condition pushing for resistance. Any other change is short-term, unless we are heading towards war. Any response of any kind might only appear to be a change to the rules of engagement, but I don’t think it really is. The real change is when the people move towards resistance; this is the really dramatic change.
Al-Manar: Don’t you think that this is a little late? After 40 years of quiet and a state of truce on the Golan Heights, now there is talk of a movement on that front, about new equations and about new rules of the game?
President Assad: They always talk about Syria opening the front or closing the front. A state does not create resistance. Resistance can only be called so, when it is popular and spontaneous, it cannot be created. The state can either support or oppose the resistance, - or create obstacles, as is the case with some Arab countries. I believe that a state that opposes the will of its people for resistance is reckless. The issue is not that Syria has decided, after 40 years, to move in this direction. The public’s state of mind is that our National Army is carrying out its duties to protect and liberate our land. Had there not been an army, as was the situation in Lebanon when the army and the state were divided during the civil war, there would have been resistance a long time ago. Today, in the current circumstances, there are a number of factors pushing in that direction. First, there are repeated Israeli aggressions that constitute a major factor in creating this desire and required incentive. Second, the army’s engagement in battles in more than one place throughout Syria has created a sentiment on the part of many civilians that it is their duty to move in this direction in order to support the Armed Forces on the Golan.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not hesitate to attack Syria if it detected that weapons are being conveyed to Hezbollah in Lebanon. If Israel carried out its threats, I want a direct answer from you: what would Syria do?
President Assad: As I have said, we have informed the relevant states that we will respond in kind. Of course, it is difficult to specify the military means that would be used, that is for our military command to decide. We plan for different scenarios, depending on the circumstances and the timing of the strike that would determine which method or weapons.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, after the airstrike that targeted Damascus, there was talk about the S300 missiles and that this missile system will tip the balance. Based on this argument, Netanyahu visited Moscow. My direct question is this: are these missiles on their way to Damascus? Is Syria now in possession of these missiles?
President Assad: It is not our policy to talk publically about military issues in terms of what we possess or what we receive. As far as Russia is concerned, the contracts have nothing to do with the crisis. We have negotiated with them on different kinds of weapons for years, and Russia is committed to honoring these contracts. What I want to say is that neither Netanyahu’s visit nor the crisis and the conditions surrounding it have influenced arms imports. All of our agreements with Russia will be implemented, some have been implemented during the past period and, together with the Russians, we will continue to implement these contracts in the future.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, we have talked about the steadfastness of the Syrian leadership and the Syrian state. We have discussed the progress being achieved on the battlefield, and strengthening the alliance between Syria and the resistance. These are all within the same front. From another perspective, there is diplomatic activity stirring waters that have been stagnant for two and a half years. Before we talk about this and about the Geneva conference and the red lines that Syria has drawn, there was a simple proposition or a simple solution suggested by the former head of the coalition, Muaz al-Khatib. He said that the president, together with 500 other dignitaries would be allowed to leave the country within 20 days, and the crisis would be over. Why don’t you meet this request and put an end to the crisis?
President Assad: I have always talked about the basic principle: that the Syrian people alone have the right to decide whether the president should remain or leave. So, anybody speaking on this subject should state which part of the Syrian people they represent and who granted them the authority to speak on their behalf. As for this initiative, I haven’t actually read it, but I was very happy that they allowed me 20 days and 500 people! I don’t know who proposed the initiative; I don’t care much about names.
Al-Manar: He actually said that you would be given 20 days, 500 people, and no guarantees. You’ll be allowed to leave but with no guarantee whatsoever on whether legal action would be taken against you or not. Mr. President, this brings us to the negotiations, I am referring to Geneva 2. The Syrian government and leadership have announced initial agreement to take part in this conference. If this conference is held, there will be a table with the Syrian flag on one side and the flag of the opposition groups on the other. How can you convince the Syrian people after two and a half years of crisis that you will sit face to face at the same negotiating table with these groups?
President Assad: First of all, regarding the flag, it is meaningless without the people it represents. When we put a flag on a table or anywhere else, we talk about the people represented by that flag. This question can be put to those who raise flags they call Syrian but are different from the official Syrian flag. So, this flag has no value when it does not represent the people. Secondly, we will attend this conference as the official delegation and legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. But, whom do they represent? When the conference is over, we return to Syria, we return home to our people. But when the conference is over, whom do they return to - five-star hotels? Or to the foreign ministries of the states that they represent – which doesn’t include Syria of course - in order to submit their reports? Or do they return to the intelligence services of those countries? So, when we attend this conference, we should know very clearly the positions of some of those sitting at the table - and I say some because the conference format is not clear yet and as such we do not have details as to how the patriotic Syrian opposition will be considered or the other opposition parties in Syria. As for the opposition groups abroad and their flag, we know that we are attending the conference not to negotiate with them, but rather with the states that back them; it will appear as though we are negotiating with the slaves, but essentially we are negotiating with their masters. This is the truth, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves.
Al-Manar: Are you, in the Syrian leadership, convinced that these negotiations will be held next month?
President Assad: We expect them to happen, unless they are obstructed by other states. As far as we are concerned in Syria, we have announced a couple of days ago that we agree in principle to attend.
Al-Manar: When you say in principle, it seems that you are considering other options.
President Assad: In principle, we are in favour of the conference as a notion, but there are no details yet. For example, will there be conditions placed before the conference? If so, these conditions may be unacceptable and we would not attend. So the idea of the conference, of a meeting, in principle is a good one. We will have to wait and see.
Al-Manar: Let’s talk, Mr. President, about the conditions put by the Syrian leadership. What are Syria’s conditions?
President Assad: Simply put, our only condition is that anything agreed upon in any meeting inside or outside the country, including the conference, is subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a popular referendum. This is the only condition. Anything else doesn’t have any value. That is why we are comfortable with going to the conference. We have no complexes. Either side can propose anything, but nothing can be implemented without the approval of the Syrian people. And as long as we are the legitimate representatives of the people, we have nothing to fear.
Al-Manar: Let’s be clear, Mr. President. There is a lot of ambiguity in Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 about the transitional period and the role of President Bashar al-Assad in that transitional period. Are you prepared to hand over all your authorities to this transitional government? And how do you understand this ambiguous term?
President Assad: This is what I made clear in the initiative I proposed in January this year. They say they want a transitional government in which the president has no role. In Syria we have a presidential system, where the President is head of the republic and the Prime Minister heads the government. They want a government with broad authorities. The Syrian constitution gives the government full authorities. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Army and Armed Forces and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council. All the other institutions report directly to the government. Changing the authorities of the president is subject to changing the constitution; the president cannot just relinquish his authorities, he doesn\'t have the constitutional right. Changing the constitution requires a popular referendum. When they want to propose such issues, they might be discussed in the conference, and when we agree on something - if we agree, we return home and put it to a popular referendum and then move on. But for them to ask for the amendment of the constitution in advance, this cannot be done neither by the president nor by the government.
Al-Manar: Frankly, Mr. President, all the international positions taken against you and all your political opponents said that they don’t want a role for al-Assad in Syria’s future. This is what the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal said and this is what the Turks and the Qataris said, and also the Syrian opposition. Will President Assad be nominated for the forthcoming presidential elections in 2014?
President Assad: What I know is that Saud al-Faisal is a specialist in American affairs, I don’t know if he knows anything about Syrian affairs. If he wants to learn, that’s fine! As to the desires of others, I repeat what I have said earlier: the only desires relevant are those of the Syrian people. With regards to the nomination, some parties have said that it is preferable that the president shouldn’t be nominated for the 2014 elections. This issue will be determined closer to the time; it is still too early to discuss this. When the time comes, and I feel, through my meetings and interactions with the Syrian people, that there is a need and public desire for me to nominate myself, I will not hesitate. However, if I feel that the Syrian people do not want me to lead them, then naturally I will not put myself forward. They are wasting their time on such talk.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, you mentioned the Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal. This makes me ask about Syria’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, with Qatar, with Turkey, particularly if we take into account that their recent position in the Arab ministerial committee was relatively moderate. They did not directly and publically call for the ouster of President Assad. Do you feel any change or any support on the part of these countries for a political solution to the Syrian crisis? And is Syria prepared to deal once more with the Arab League, taking into account that the Syrian government asked for an apology from the Arab League?
President Assad: Concerning the Arab states, we see brief changes in their rhetoric but not in their actions. The countries that support the terrorists have not changed; they are still supporting terrorism to the same extent. Turkey also has not made any positive steps. As for Qatar, their role is also the same, the role of the funder - the bank funding the terrorists and supporting them through Turkey. So, overall, no change. As for the Arab League, in Syria we have never pinned our hopes on the Arab League. Even in the past decades, we were barely able to dismantle the mines set for us in the different meetings, whether in the summits or in meetings of the foreign ministers. So in light of this and its recent actions, can we really expect it to play a role? We are open to everybody, we never close our doors. But we should also be realistic and face the truth that they are unable to offer anything, particularly since a significant number of the Arab states are not independent. They receive their orders from the outside. Some of them are sympathetic to us in their hearts, but they cannot act on their feelings because they are not in possession of their decisions. So, no, we do not pin any hopes on the Arab League.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, this leads us to ask: if the Arab environment is as such, and taking into account the developments on the ground and the steadfastness, the Geneva conference and the negotiations, the basic question is: what if the political negotiations fail? What are the consequences of the failure of political negotiations?
President Assad: This is quite possible, because there are states that are obstructing the meeting in principle, and they are going only to avoid embarrassment. They are opposed to any dialogue whether inside or outside Syria. Even the Russians, in several statements, have dampened expectations from this conference. But we should also be accurate in defining this dialogue, particularly in relation to what is happening on the ground. Most of the factions engaged in talking about what is happening in Syria have no influence on the ground; they don’t even have direct relationships with the terrorists. In some instances these terrorists are directly linked with the states that are backing them, in other cases, they are mere gangs paid to carry out terrorist activities. So, the failure of the conference will not significantly change the reality inside Syria, because these states will not stop supporting the terrorists - conference or no conference, and the gangs will not stop their subversive activities. So it has no impact on them.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, the events in Syria are spilling over to neighboring countries. We see what’s happening in Iraq, the explosions in Al-Rihaniye in Turkey and also in Lebanon. In Ersal, Tripoli, Hezbollah taking part in the fighting in Al-Qseir. How does Syria approach the situation in Lebanon, and do you think the Lebanese policy of dissociation is still applied or accepted?
President Assad: Let me pose some questions based on the reality in Syria and in Lebanon about the policy of dissociation in order not to be accused of making a value judgment on whether this policy is right or wrong. Let’s start with some simple questions: Has Lebanon been able to prevent Lebanese interference in Syria? Has it been able to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or weapons into Syria or providing a safe haven for them in Lebanon? It hasn’t; in fact, everyone knows that Lebanon has contributed negatively to the Syrian crisis. Most recently, has Lebanon been able to protect itself against the consequences of the Syrian crisis, most markedly in Tripoli and the missiles that have been falling over different areas of Beirut or its surroundings? It hasn’t. So what kind of dissociation are we talking about? For Lebanon to dissociate itself from the crisis is one thing, and for the government to dissociate itself is another. When the government dissociates itself from a certain issue that affects the interests of the Lebanese people, it is in fact dissociating itself from the Lebanese citizens. I’m not criticizing the Lebanese government - I’m talking about general principles. I don’t want it to be said that I’m criticizing this government. If the Syrian government were to dissociate itself from issues that are of concern to the Syrian people, it would also fail. So in response to your question with regards to Lebanon’s policy of dissociation, we don’t believe this is realistically possible. When my neighbor’s house is on fire, I cannot say that it’s none of my business because sooner or later the fire will spread to my house.
Al-Manar: Mr. President, what would you say to the supporters of the axis of resistance? We are celebrating the anniversary of the victory of the resistance and the liberation of south Lebanon, in an atmosphere of promises of victory, which Mr. Hasan Nasrallah has talked about. You are saying with great confidence that you will emerge triumphant from this crisis. What would you say to all this audience? Are we about to reach the end of this dark tunnel?
President Assad: I believe that the greatest victory achieved by the Arab resistance movements in the past years and decades is primarily an intellectual victory. This resistance wouldn’t have been able to succeed militarily if they hadn’t been able to succeed and stand fast against a campaign aimed at distorting concepts and principles in this region. Before the civil war in Lebanon, some people used to say that Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness; this is similar to saying that a man’s intelligence lies in his stupidity, or that honor is maintained through corruption. This is an illogical contradiction. The victories of the resistance at different junctures proved that this concept is not true, and it showed that Lebanon’s weakness lies in its weakness and Lebanon’s strength lies in its strength. Lebanon’s strength is in its resistance and these resistance fighters you referred to. Today, more than ever before, we are in need of these ideas, of this mindset, of this steadfastness and of these actions carried out by the resistance fighters. The events in the Arab world during the past years have distorted concepts to the extent that some Arabs have forgotten that the real enemy is still Israel and have instead created internal, sectarian, regional or national enemies. Today we pin our hopes on these resistance fighters to remind the Arab people, through their achievements, that our enemy is still the same. As for my confidence in victory, if we weren’t so confident we wouldn’t have been able to stand fast or to continue this battle after two years of a global attack. This is not a tripartite attack like the one in 1956; it is in fact a global war waged against Syria and the resistance. We have absolute confidence in our victory, and I assure them that Syria will always remain, even more so than before, supportive of the resistance and resistance fighters everywhere in the Arab world.
Al-Manar: In conclusion, it has been my great honor to conduct this interview with Your Excellency, President Bashar al-Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic. Thank you very much. President Assad: You are welcome. I would like to congratulate Al-Manar channel, the channel of resistance, on the anniversary of the liberation and to congratulate the Lebanese people and every resistance fighter in Lebanon.
Al-Manar: Thank you.
34m:40s
13926
[10 June 13] Media corruption in Italy - English
Recent elections outcome have proven Italy to be an anomalous country. One of its most dangerous anomalies concerns newspaper ownership. Business,...
Recent elections outcome have proven Italy to be an anomalous country. One of its most dangerous anomalies concerns newspaper ownership. Business, economic and political interests within the press favor censorship.
Conflict of interest concerns all major Italian media groups and news organizations, such as RCS, L\'Espresso editorial group, Fininvest, Caltagirone editor and many others.
The type of political and business control concerning the press is even more dangerous. Italian newspapers are affected by an astonishing ethical crisis that is far from being solved.
El Pais journalist Juan Arias once said that \"the intertwining between politics and journalism is one of the cancers of Italian journalism.\"
He added that in Italy, journalism is completely tied to power: \"every journalist had been accepted because of a politician\'s recommendation and to that politician, in one way or another, the journalist had to respond.\"
On this week\'s INFocus we interview Italian journalists, University and independent researchers, publishers and politicians to shed light on this issue.
20m:12s
5198
[18 June 13] Syria unrest likely to trigger regional war: Mark Mason -...
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says European countries will \"pay the price\" if they send weapons to foreign-backed militants in the...
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says European countries will \"pay the price\" if they send weapons to foreign-backed militants in the Arab country. Assad also rejected US, British and French claims that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons against the foreign-backed militants fighting in the country.
Syria\'s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, also criticized discussions by Western countries on arming Syria militants saying they are \"incitement to murder and unacceptable on a human and moral level.\"
The comments came after US President Barack Obama ordered his administration last week to provide militants in Syria with weapons, claiming that the Syrian government had crossed Washington\'s \"red line\" for using chemical weapons against the militants.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Mason, political commentator, about the situation in Syria.
3m:31s
5498
Video Surfaces of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Aseer Beating Up Defenseless...
Video footage has surfaced online showing radical Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Aseer beating up a Lebanese abductee with his rifle.
The hardline...
Video footage has surfaced online showing radical Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Aseer beating up a Lebanese abductee with his rifle.
The hardline cleric, whose extremist group of Salafists had recently kidnapped Mohammad Abu Zahr in the Abra region of the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, is shown with some of his companions hitting the man.
Aseer had previously denied having attacked Abu Zahr.
The radical Sheikh is on the run from the Lebanese military after his armed group launched a deadly attack on an army post last month, leading to the death of 20 soldiers and injuring a number of others in the ensuing confrontations.
(Video & English Subtitles from Al-Manar website)
Credit: TheKeysToEternity
0m:14s
4912
[13 July 13] G4S shares fall amid revelations of financial scandal -...
The troubles just keep mounting for under-fire security firm G4S. They are facing \'a forensic audit\' after inconsistencies were discovered...
The troubles just keep mounting for under-fire security firm G4S. They are facing \'a forensic audit\' after inconsistencies were discovered between the work the firm charged for and what it actually did.
G4S is privately contracted to provide a host of justice-related work including transporting prisoners and monitoring their electronic tags. G4S are said to have billed the government for monitoring prisoners who had left the country, been returned to prison or had even died.
3m:3s
3792
[18 July 13] Turkish police arrest 30 anti-government protesters - English
Turkish security police continue to detain and arrest anit-govenrment protesters in what many lawyers call witch-hunt for people with any links to...
Turkish security police continue to detain and arrest anit-govenrment protesters in what many lawyers call witch-hunt for people with any links to the Gezi protests. Since late May, the protesters have been calling for the downfall of the ruling AK Party led by Prime Minister Raccip Tayyip Erdogan.
The association of photographers says over one hundred photographers have been detained, or badly beaten as well. They have also had their photos erased by the police during the demos in Istanbul and Ankara. One photographer who accepted to talk to us on condition of anonymity says he had a yellow press ID card when the police attacked him.
2m:48s
5838
معجزه عصر Miracle of Quran - An Illeterate Person Became Hafiz e...
kazim karbalai kazim karbalai Miracle of Quran - An Illiterate Person Became Hafiz e Quran in one night iran pule ahanchi ulmas ayatullah and...
kazim karbalai kazim karbalai Miracle of Quran - An Illiterate Person Became Hafiz e Quran in one night iran pule ahanchi ulmas ayatullah and mujtehdeen examined and witnessed
http://moejezeasr.blogfa.com/
Re revelation of the Quran ( Miracle of the Quran )
Kazem Karbalai Saruqi village in the central province of functions, in the year 1275 Hijri was born in a poor family and religion. The family\\\\\\\'s main occupation was agriculture. But due to lack of personal property he had to work in the fields of others
In that year he worked day after day, in passing through the village shrine between sleep and waking, Alshhvdy is subject to discovery. During which a whole section on the Holy Quran. Leaders have sought to verify this. After testing, it\\\\\\\'s wonderful to be acknowledged. The documents are available to them. Kazim Quran could be read from the ends first. If someone deliberately sang a verse that was wrong. Became blind later in life. The rest of the land was in 1336 Hijri New Qom was buried in the cemetery
Here is sarogh an ancient city. The great and faithful men like Karbalaey kazem saroghy lived in this terriorty. Professor Jafar Sobhany says:
In 1333 (A.H) it is said that aman who was 50 years old and illitrate could read qoran by heart and show the place of any verse in it but he couldn’t read any book or papper .karbalaek kazem saroghy said that he was learned it in a dream in fact, Qoran was inspired to him.
karbalaek kazem saroghy ‘s old son say: my father said that I was in shrine then two seyyed came there and learned me some thing that I didn’t know what is it: but I know it was Arabic. We went to see Mr sabery araky chaplam of the place Mr sabery araky asked him some questions. He understood that karbalaek kazem saroghy was illiterate. So he declared that it was a miracle and God give him the blessing.
Aiatollah Makarem Shirazi says: I wanted to know the cause of giving him the blessing. After studing, I understood that he was a farmer who followed religious laws like lawful, unlawful activities and pay a thithe of his wealth.
He went to Qom in 6 th of Moharam and died in 9 th of it
نزول مجدد غیبی قرآن
بعد بیش از حدود 1300 سال از پیامبری
حضرت محمد مصطفی (ص)
بر کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی (ساروقی)
۱- موید حقانیت وجود خداوند، عالم غیب و رسالت نبی اسلام حضرت محمد (ص)
۲- موید حقانیت و همچنین کم و زیاد نشدن قرآن مجید (حتی به قدر و اندازه یک کلمه)
۳- موید حقانیت، روی دادن و آمدن هر آنچه که در قرآن مجید آمده است از قبیل
آمدن روز قیامت و برانگیخته شدن مردگان و محاسبه ذره ذره اعمال افراد،
ابدیت،عذاب و سختی جهنم، عظمت و ابدیت بهشت و ...
ین حادثه و معجزه عظیم دارای ویژگی هایی
به قرار ذیل می باشد
1- این اتفاق و رخ داد در مورد قرآن و نزول مجدد آن از عالم غیب و از جانب خداوند حکیم می باشد. تایید این رخ داد در حقیقت تایید وجود خداوند، عالم غیب، حقانیت رسالت نبی مکرم اسلام حضرت محمد مصطفی (ص)، حقانیت تحریف نشدن قرآن و .... بوده و می باشد که نیاز حیاتی و داروی درمان دردهای نسل امروز بشر می باشد.
2- در حقانیت رخ داده شدن این حادثه حتی ذره ای تردید وجود ندارد به صورتی که در طول 38 سال در ایران و چند کشور خارجی چه علماء و مراجع شیعه و سنی و ما بقی مردم اجتماع او را مورد امتحان قرار دادند و بر حقانیت و راستی رخ داده شدن این معجزه بزرگ تایید نمودند و شهادت دادند و حداقل این را برای حقانیت این اتفاق می توان گفت که علماء و مراجع تقلید افرادی نیستند که این تایید جمعی آنها را بتوان زیر سوال برد و منکر شد و اسناد ویدیویی و مکتوب آن در دست می باشد.
۳- تسلط و توانایی کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی بر قرآن آموختنی نبود که فردی بتواند این ادعا را بنماید که او این تسلط را با تلاش و یا نبوغ خود آموخته و به دست آورده است.
۴- این اتفاق در زمانه ما و در عصر ما رخ داده است و مربوط به زمانهای گذشته و خیلی دور نمی باشد.
اسنادی در ارتباط با این معجزه را با عناوین ذیل،
ی توانید از این پایگاه اینترنتی، دریافت و دانلود نمایید:
1- فیلم ساخته شده بر اساس داستان حقیقی زندگی محمد کاظم کریمی ( ساروقی ) در چهار قسمت
2- بیانات مرجع عالیقدر، آیت الله مکارم شیرازی (از شاهدان و تصدیق کنندگان رخ دادن این معجزه)
3- فیلم مصاحبه با آیت الله خزعلی، عضو مجلس خبرگان رهبری(از شاهدان و تصدیق کنندگان رخ دادن این معجزه)
4- مصاحبه با فرزند ارشد کربلایی کاظم کریمی (ساروقی) در شبکه تلویزیونی المنار لبنان در دو قسمت
5- مصاحبه با فرزند ارشد کربلایی کاظم کریمی (ساروقی) در دانشگاه آزاد شهر مجلسی در شش قسمت
6- فیلم مصاحبه با دوستان و آشنایان کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی (ساروقی) در شش قسمت
7- مصاحبه با فرزند ارشد کربلایی کاظم کریمی (ساروقی) در مرکز اسناد آستان قدس رضوی در شش قسمت
نوشته شده توسط در تاریخ یکشنبه بیست و دوم اردیبهشت 1392 با موضوع
Karbalai Kazem
Re revelation of the Quran ( Miracle of the Quran )
Kazem Karbalai Saruqi village in the central province of functions, in the year 1275 Hijri was born in a poor family and religion. The family\\\\\\\'s main occupation was agriculture. But due to lack of personal property he had to work in the fields of others
In that year he worked day after day, in passing through the village shrine between sleep and waking, Alshhvdy is subject to discovery. During which a whole section on the Holy Quran. Leaders have sought to verify this. After testing, it\\\\\\\'s wonderful to be acknowledged. The documents are available to them. Kazim Quran could be read from the ends first. If someone deliberately sang a verse that was wrong. Became blind later in life. The rest of the land was in 1336 Hijri New Qom was buried in the cemetery
Here is sarogh an ancient city. The great and faithful men like Karbalaey kazem saroghy lived in this terriorty. Professor Jafar Sobhany says:
In 1333 (A.H) it is said that aman who was 50 years old and illitrate could read qoran by heart and show the place of any verse in it but he couldn’t read any book or papper .karbalaek kazem saroghy said that he was learned it in a dream in fact, Qoran was inspired to him.
karbalaek kazem saroghy ‘s old son say: my father said that I was in shrine then two seyyed came there and learned me some thing that I didn’t know what is it: but I know it was Arabic. We went to see Mr sabery araky chaplam of the place Mr sabery araky asked him some questions. He understood that karbalaek kazem saroghy was illiterate. So he declared that it was a miracle and God give him the blessing.
Aiatollah Makarem Shirazi says: I wanted to know the cause of giving him the blessing. After studing, I understood that he was a farmer who followed religious laws like lawful, unlawful activities and pay a thithe of his wealth.
He went to Qom in 6 th of Moharam and died in 9 th of it
نوشته شده توسط در تاریخ پنجشنبه دهم شهریور 1390 با موضوع
توضیحاتی در مورد این معجزه عظیم ( حافظ قرآن شدن کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی ساروقی در یک لحظه )
داستان زندگی کربلایی کاظم قبل از روی دادن معجزه به
صورت غیبی حافظ قرآن شدنش
محمد کاظم کریمی ساروقی فرزند عبد الواحد، معروف به کربلایی کاظم در یکی از روستاهای دور افتاده اراک به نام ساروق ، از توابع فراهان اراک، در خانوادهای فقیر چشم به جهان گشود و پس از گذراندن ایام کودکی به کار کشاورزی و دامداری پرداخت. وی تقریبا همچون سایر مردم روستا از خواندن و نوشتن محروم بود و بهرهای از دانش و علم نداشت و با وجود علاقه به یاد گرفتن خواندن، نوشتن و آموزش قرآن، به علت عدم توانایی مالی پدر به مکتب نرفت و درس نخواند. یک سال، در ماه مبارک رمضان، مبلّغی از سوی آیتاللهالعظمی حاج شیخ عبدالکریم حایری به روستای ایشان میرود و در منبر و سخنرانی خود از نماز، خمس و زکات میگوید و در ضمن تاکید میکند که هر مسلمانی حساب سال نداشته باشد و حقوق مالی خویش را ندهد، نماز و روزهاش صحیح نیست. کسانی که گندمشان به حد نصاب برسد و زکات و حق فقرا را ندهند، مالشان به حرام مخلوط میگردد و اگر با عین پول آن گندمهای زکات نداده خانه یا لباس تهیه کنند، نماز در آن خانه و با آن لباس باطل است، وی همچنین تاکید میکند که مسلمان واقعی باید به احکام الهی و حلال و حرام خداوند توجه کند و زکات مالش را بدهد. محمد کاظم که میدانست ارباب و مالک ده، خمس و زکات نمیدهد، ابتدا به او تذکر میدهد، ولی او اعتنا نمیکند، از این رو، تصمیم میگیرد روستای خود را ترک کند و برای ارباب ده کار نکند، هر چه خویشان، به خصوص پدرش، بر ماندن وی پا فشاری میکنند، او حاضر نمیشود در آن روستا بماند و شبانه از ده فرار میکند و تقریبا سه سال برای امرار معاش در دهات دیگر به عملگی و خارکنی میپردازد، تا با دسترنج حلال گذران عمر کند. دقت شود که تقوای او و رعایت حلال و حرام در او به حدی بود که همسر خود را در روستا می گذارد و چند سال به شهر غربت می رود تا مال حلال به دست بیاورد. یک روز مالک ده از محل او مطلع میشود و برای او پیغام میفرستد که من توبه کردهام و خمس و زکات مالم را میدهم و از تو میخواهم که به ده برگردی و نزد پدرت بمانی. او به روستای خود بر میگردد و در زمینی که ارباب در اختیار او مینهد، مشغول کشاورزی میشود و از همان آغاز نیمی از گندمی را که در اختیارش نهاده شده بود، به فقرا میبخشد و بقیه را در زمین میافشاند. خداوند به زراعت او برکت میدهد، به حدی که فزونتر از حد معمول برداشت میکند. وی به شکرانه برکت یافتن زراعتش تصمیم میگیرد هر ساله نیمی از محصولش را بین فقرا تقسیم کند.
داستان چگونگی وقوع معجزه به صورت غیبی حافظ قرآن
شدن کربلایی کاظم (ره)
یک روز در سن 27 سالگی در زمان برداشت محصول، هنگامی که خرمنش را کوبیده بود، منتظر وزیدن باد میماند تا گندمها را باد دهد و کاه را از گندم جدا کند، ولی هر چه منتظر میماند باد نمیوزد. نا امیدانه به ده بر میگردد، در راه یکی از فقرای روستا او را میبیند و میگوید: «امسال چیزی از محصولت را به ما ندادی و ما را فراموش کردی». او میگوید: «خدا نکند که من فقرا را فراموش کنم! راستش، هنوز نتوانستهام محصولم را جمع کنم». آن فقیر خوشحال به ده بر میگردد، اما محمدکاظم دلش آرام نمیگیرد و آشفته حال به مزرعه باز میگردد و با زحمت زیاد، مقداری گندم را برای او جمع میکند و نیز قدری علوفه برای گوسفندانش میچیند و آنها را بر میدارد و روانه دهکده میشود. در راه بازگشت، برای رفع خستگی گندمها و علوفه را در کناری مینهد و روی سکوی درِ باغ امامزاده 72 تن، که نزدیک روستا قرار دارد، مینشیند. ناگاه میبیند که دو سید جوان عرب نورانی و بسیار خوش سیما، نزد او میآیند. وقتی به او میرسند، میگویند: محمدکاظم نمیآیی برویم در این امامزاده فاتحهای بخوانیم؟ او تعجب میکند که چطور آنها که هرگز او را ندیدهاند او را به اسم صدا میزنند؟ محمدکاظم میگوید: «آقا، من قبلاً به زیارت رفتهام و اکنون میخواهم به خانه برگردم» ولی آنها میگویند:« بسیار خوب، این علوفهها را کنار دیوار بگذار و با ما بیا فاتحهای بخوان. بنابراین محمدکاظم به دنبال آنها روانه امامزاده میشود» آن دو جوان مشغول خواندن چیزهایی میشوند که محمدکاظم نمیفهمد و ساکت کناری میایستد، یکی از آن آقایان می گوید که محمد کاظم به نوشته بالا نگاه بکن در این لحظه کربلایی کاظم می بیند که خطی به صورت نور دمیده شد و ناگاه مشاهده میکند که در اطراف سقف امامزاده، کلماتی از نور نوشته شده که قبلاً اثری از آن کلمات بر سقف نبود. یکی از آن دو به او میگوید:« کربلایی کاظم چرا چیزی نمیخوانی؟» او میگوید: «من نزد ملا نرفتهام و سواد ندارم.» آن سید میگوید: «تو باید بخوانی» تاکید می کند که باید بخوانی. سپس نزد محمدکاظم میآید و دست بر سینه او میگذارد و محکم فشار میدهد و میگوید: «حالا بخوان. محمدکاظم میگوید: «چه بخوانم؟» آن سید میگوید: «این طور بخوان: بسم اللهِ الرَّحمَنِ الرَّحِیم. إِنَّ رَبَّکُمُ اللهُ الَّذِی خَلَقَ السَّمَواتِ وَالارضَ فِی سِتَّةِ أیَّامٍ ثُمَّ استَوَی عَلَی العَرشِ یُغشِی اللَّیلَ النَّهَارَ یَطلُبُهُ حَثیثاً وَ الشَّمسَ وَ القَمَرَ وَ النُّجُومَ مُسَخَّراتِ بِأمرِهِ، ألاَ لَهُ الخَلقُ وَ الاَمرُ تَبَارَکَ اللهُ رَبُّ العَالمَیِنَ اعراف/ 54 . محمدکاظم آن آیه و چند آیة بعدی را به همراه آن سید میخواند و آن سید همچنان دست به سینة او میکشد، تا میرسند به آیة 59 که با این کلمات پایان می پذیرد:إنِّی اَخَافُ عَلَیکُم عَذَابَ یَومٍ عَظِیم.اعراف/59 محمدکاظم پس از خواندن آیات، سرش را بر میگرداند تا با آن آقا حرفی بزند، اما ناگهان میبیند که خودش تنها در داخل حرم ایستاده است و از نوشتههای روی سقف نیز چیزی بر جای نمانده است. در این موقع ترس و حالت مخصوصی به او دست میدهد و بیهوش بر زمین میافتد. صبح روز بعد که به هوش میآید، احساس خستگی شدید میکند و چیزی از ماجرا را به یاد نمیآورد. وقتی متوجه میشود که داخل امامزاده است، خودش را سرزنش میکند که چرا دست از کار کشیدهای و در امامزاده خوابیدهای!؟ بالاخره از جای بر میخیزد و از امامزاده خارج میشود و با بار علوفه و گندم به سوی ده و منزل حرکت میکند. در بین راه متوجه میشود که کلمات زیادی بلد است و ناخود آگاه آنها را زمزمه میکند و داستان آن دو جوان را به یاد میآورد و به خانه که بر می گرددو به خانه که می رسد پدرش به او می گوید که تو دیشب کجا بودی؟ ما همه جا را دنبالت گشتیم. در ادامه کربلایی کاظم می گوید که من دیشب در امامزادا بودم. پدر می گوید که تو چطور در امامزاده شب را گذراندی؟ چطور در امامزاده ای که چراغ ندارد و پر از مار و عقرب و جانور می باشد شب را گذراندی و نترسیدی؟ کربلایی کاظم گفت: دیشب اتفاقی برای من افتاد و دو نفر من را بردند آنجا و چیزی یادم دادند. پدر و مادرش مشکوک می شوند و احتمال می دهند که او جن زده شده باشد. در ادامه او را پیش همان واعظ روحانی ده می برند که ببیند چه اتفاقی برای او افتاده است؟ داستان را برای آن مبلغ روحانی روستا تعریف می کنند. آن روحانی می پرسد که حالا چه چیزی به تو یاد داده اند. کربلایی کاظم شروع می کند به خواندن. در آن موقع آن روحانی می گوید او قرآن می خواند و جن زده نشده است. قرآنی می آورند و هر جای قرآن را که باز می کنند و آیه ای می خوانند، می بینند که کربلایی کاظم قبل و بعدش را می داند و از حفظ می خواند. آنجا روحانی روستا می گوید که به کربلایی کاظم عنایتی شده است. روحانی روستا می گوید که برویم در امامزاده آن خطوطی را که کربلایی کاظم می گوید در سقف امامزاده دیده است ببینیم. وقتی می روند می بینند که نه اثری از خطی است و نوشته ی نورانی . آن نوشته نورانی فقط در آن لحظه وقوع معجزه بر کربلایی کاظم ظاهر شده بود.
داستان زندگی کربلایی کاظم پس از رویدادن معجزه نزول
مجدد غیبی قرآن بر او تا پایان حیات مبارکش
ملای روستا (( شیخ صابر )) شگفت زده این معجزه را تایید می کند و روستائیان، اهمیت این معجزه را تشخیص نداده جز اینکه گفتند محمد کاظم نظر کرده امام زاده ها شده است. این قضیه مهم به مرور زمان در روستا به فراموشی سپرده شد و هرگاه نیز ملای روستا به محمد کاظم می گفته تا به نزد علمای قم رفته و ایشان را مطلع نمایند، جواب میداده :میترسم ریاکاری شود و خداوند این موهبت را از من پس بگیرد . کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی به مدت 13 سال این اتفاق را مخفی نگاه می دارد تا حدود 40 سالگی خود.
تا اینکه روزی در سفر به عتبات عالیات در طول مسیر پس از گرفتن اشتباه قرآنی دو طلبه و پرس و جوی آن دو طلبه از چگونگی این تسلط او بر قرآن، آن ماجرا فاش می شود. در شهر نجف با علمای اعلام مواجه و پس از امتحانات عدیده از او ، بر آنان یققین حاصل گشت که ایشان بدون داشتن سواد ، به امر الهی نه تنها حافظ کل قرآن کریم شده ، بلکه قادر است به تمام سوالات علوم قرآنی پاسخ بدهد و متقابلا علماء خاص و عام پاسخگوی سوالات کربلایی کاظم در مورد قرآن نبودند .
بعد از بازگشت از کربلای معلا از سوی آیت الله بروجردی به شهر قم دعوت شد و مورد امتحان آیات عظام قرار گرفت . کربلایی کاظم با هر بار حاضر شدن در جمع علماء و طلاب و با پاسخگویی به سوالات قرآنی ، عام و خاص را متحیر می ساخت. با بلند شدن آوازه کربلایی کاظم ، شهید نواب صفوی به شهر قم آمد و از آنجا به رسم میزبانی ، کربلایی کاظم را با خود به تهران و در تهران از طریق برگزاری جلسات عمومی ، جلسات با علماء ، مصاحبات مطبوعاتی و به موازات از طریق مطبوعات کثیر الانتشار ، کربلایی کاظم معجزه پیش آمده قرآنی را به اطلاع عموم مردم کشور و نیز به اطلاع شخصیت های علمی و فرهنگی جهان اسلام رسانید و در ادامه با سفر به استان خراسان ، سمنان ، نیشابور ، سبزوار ، دامغان ، قوچان و شهر مشهد با استقبال بی نظیری از کربلایی کاظم، مردم و علماء از نزدیک با معجزه بزرگ قرآن آشنا شدند .
بعد از افشاء معجزه حافظ و عالم شدن کربلایی کاظم به قرآن کریم در سال 1308 شمسی ، علماء تشیع و تسنن در نجف ، در کویت ، در مصر ، در قم ، در تهران ، خراسان و بسیاری از شهرهای دیگر ایران از کربلایی دعوت به مباحثه می نمودند و روزنامه های کثیر الانتشار مثل روزنامه اطلاعات و روزنامه ندای حق خبر این ملاقات ها و جلسلت را پی در پی انتشار می دادند که عباس غله زاری در تهیه و نشر این گزارشات نقش جدی و عاشقانه ای را ایفا نمود .
شهید نواب صفوی او را با خود به تهران برد و روزنامهنگاران كیهان، اطلاعات، تهران مصور و خواندنیها را دعوت كرد و با آنها با وی مصاحبهای به عمل آورد و در جرائد آن روز منتشر نمودند. پس چون عازم مشهد مقدس شدند، وی را با خود به مشهد بردند و هنگامی كه در شهرهای سمنان، دامغان، شاهرود، سبزوار و نیشابور مورد استقبال مردم قرار گرفتند، آن شهید بزرگوار، وی را معرفی میكردند تا مردم با دیدن این معجزة، دین و ایمانشان تقویت شده، ارادة ایشان در عمل كردن به دستورات دین و مبارزه با طاغوت قویتر گردد. در مشهد به مهدیّة مرحوم حاج آقا عابدزاده وارد میشوند و همان روز علما، فرهنگیان و دیگر مردم میآیند و از حافظ قرآن دربارة آیات قرآن، سؤال میكنند. آیتالله سیّد هبةالدین شهرستانی كه مقیم بغداد بودند در سفر به مشهد مقدس، در راه بازگشت در شهر كنگاور با حافظ قرآن برخورد و پس از امتحانات بسیار او را با خود به عراق بردند. علما و حافظان قرآن ـ از شیعه و اهل سنت ـ را جمع و با او تذكره نمودند و همگی ضمن ابراز تعجّب آن را امری عجیب میدانستند. در كربلا در منزل آیتالله میراز مهدی شیرازی، حضرات آیات آیتالله حاج سیّد ابوالقاسم خویی و حاج سیّد هادی میلانی و دیگران اجتماع و هر سؤالی از قرآن از ویكردند، بدون تأمل و به صورت دقیق پاسخ میگفت.
حتی کار به جایی رسید که محمد رضا شاه بعد از اطلاع از این اتفاق از طریق یکی از استانداران و یکی از فرمانداران وقت خود پیامی برای کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی ساروقی فرستاد مبنی بر اینکه من شنیده ام که فردی به صورت معجزه حافظ قرآن شده است به او بگویید که به دربار ما بییاید تا مسئولیت قرآنی دربار را به او بسپاریم و همیشه اینجا نزد ما باشند. در ادامه کربلایی کاظم به آن فرماندار اینگونه می گوید که پول او بدرد من نمی خورد. بهتر است آن پول را به خواهرش بدهد چون شنیده ام قمار باز خوب و قهاری است تا از آن استفاده بکند. من از مجتهدین و مراجع پول قبول نمی کنم، حال بییایم و از او پول بگیرم. آن هم پولی حرام.
چگونگی تسلط کربلایی کاظم بر قرآن
(سطح تسلط او بر قرآن قابل یادگیری و آموختنی نبود )
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بیان کردن تعداد حروف سورهها و اطلاعاتی در مورد تکرار حرفها و...
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اطلاع داشتن در اسرار قرآن و خواص آیات
تسلط کربلایی کاظم بر قرآن آموختنی نبود که بتوان معجزه بودن آن را زیر سوال برد و منکر شد و آن سطح تسلط او بر قرآن را ناشی از نبوغ و یا سعی و تلاش بالایش در یادگیری دانست. کربلایی کاظم با وجود بی سواد بودن، به غیر از آنکه قرآن را از ابتدا به انتها حفظ بود و می خواند، می توانست قرآن را از انتها به ابتدا نیز بخواند. بر تمام کلمات و حروف قرآن تسلطی کامل و عجیب داشت و بر تعداد تکرار کلمات و حتی حروف در هر سوره و در کل قرآن آگاه بود.. برای مثال اگر از او پرسیده می شد که کلمه لم چند بار در قرآن تکرار شده است او سریع و بدون مکث تعداد تکرار آن کلمه و مکان های آن در قرآن را ذکر می کرد و همچنین اگر از تعداد تکرار یک حرف برای مثال تعداد تکرار حرف د در هر سوره ای برای مثال سوره بقره از او سوال می شد او سریعا تعداد تکرار آن حرف را در آن سوره مشخص جواب می داد و بعد از بررسی و شمارش مشخص می شد که جواب او کاملا درست بوده است. آیات قرآن برای او نور می داد و در کتب عربی در هر جا که آیه قرآنی آورده شده بود سریعا پس از ورق زدن کتاب آن آیات قرآنی را نشان می داد و چگونگی توانایی خود بر تشخیص آنها را نورانی بودن آیات قرآن بر خلاف متون غیر قرآنی می دانست که کلمات متون غیر قرآنی برای او تیره بودند. اگر آیه قرآنی برای او خوانده می شد و هر قرآنی به دست او داده می شد ( با تعداد برگهای متفاوت و اندازه متفاوت ) او آن قرآن را مانند استخاره کردن باز می کرد و همان صفحه ای را می آورد که آن آیه قرآن در آن صفحه قرار داشت.
همچنین اگر کلمه و لغتی عربی که در قرآن مجید آورده شده است برای مثال لغت عربی قل را فردی بر روی کاغذی 2 مرتبه می نوشت، یک بار به نیت قرآنی بودن آن و یک بار به نیت غیر قرآنی بودن( که عرب زبانان در گفتار و نوشتار روزمره خود از آن لغت استفاده می کنند )، اگر آن نوشته به کربلایی کاظم کریمی نشان داده می شد و پرسیده می شد که آیا این نوشته ها قرآن است و یا خیر، کربلایی کاظم قرآنی بودن یکی و قرآنی نبودن دیگری را تشخیص می داد و بیان می کرد، از نویسنده آن دو کلمه ( هر فردی می توانست باشد) سوال که می شد او بر صحت تشخیص کربلایی کاظم تصدیق می نمود که کدام را به نیت قرآنی و کدام را به نیت غیر قرآنی نوشته است. از کربلایی کاظم که چگونگی توانایی اش بر تشخیص قرآنی بودن یکی و غیر قرآنی بودن دیگری را که سوال می نمودند با آنکه کاتب و نویسنده آن دو کلمه، از نیت خود چیزی را بر زبان نیاورده بود، کربلایی کاظم چنین می گفت که آن لغتی که به نیت قرآنی نوشته شده است (برای مثال لغت قل ) در نظر من نورانی است و روشن است و آن لغت قل که به نیت غیر قرآنی نوشته شده است تیره می باشد و نور نمی دهد. حال هر لغتی از قرآن و توسط هر فردی اگر یک بار به نیت قرآنی و یک بار نیز به نیت غیر قرآنی نوشته می شد و بدون آنکه نویسنده آن دو لغت یکسان، از نیت خود چیزی بگوید، قرآنی بودن یکی و غیر قرآنی بودن دیگری را کربلایی کاظم به درستی تشخیص می داد و نویسنده آن لغات صحت گفتار کربلایی کاظم را تصدیق می نمود.
محمد کاظم کریمی ( معروف به کربلایی کاظم ) بعد از افشاء معجزه قرآنی تا آخر عمر بنا به دعوت علماء و مردم به کشور عراق ، عربستان ، کویت ، مصر و شهرهای بزرگ ایران سفر میکند و با حضور در صدها جلسه عمومی و خصوصی در برابر جمعیت کثیر و علمای اعلام و نیز طلاب پرسشگر به همه سوالات پاسخ می دهد . مثلاً کسی پرسیده آقای کریمی در قرآن کلمه (( الله )) چند دفعه تکرار شده ؟ او بدون لحظه ای تامل تعدادش را می گفته . سوال کنندگان بعدی بدون فرصت دادن نمونه این سوال را می پرسیدنده اند و ایشان فوری پاسخ میداده است . چند فا ؟ چند الف ؟ چند حیم ؟ چند کاف ؟ چند ؟ چند ؟ تعداد همه را بدون تامل می گفته . حتی تعداد هر کلمه از کلمات قرآن را اگر می پرسیدند اعلام میکرده . آیات قرآن« را نیز از آخر به اول میخوانده . کدام حافظ قرآن قادر است چنین پاسخ هایی را بدهد ؟ کدام حافظ قرآن به خود جرات میداده در مدرسه فیضیه قم ، در مدارس علمیه شهر نجف و در محضر علمای اعلام و در میان خبرنگاران داخلی و خارجی ادعا کند هر سوالی از قرآن دارید بپرسید و پاسخ بگیرید ؟
تسلط او بر قرآن فقط محدود به ظواهر آیات نبود بلکه او بر مکی و مدنی بودن آیات، شان نزول آیات، خواص آیات و ... نیز اطلاع و آگاهی داشت و یکی از گلایه های آن مرحوم در اواخر حیاتشان هم همین مطلب بود که چرا فقط از ظواهر قرآن از او پرسیده شد.
تسلط کربلایی کاظم فقط بر قرآن بود و هیچ متن و یا کتاب دیگری را به علت بی سواد بودن نمی توانست بخواند.
اقداماتی که تاکنون در جمهوری اسلامی ایران در
راستای معرفی این معجزه انجام گرفته است
1- پخش ویژه برنامه ای در مورد این معجزه نزول مجدد غیبی قرآن در ماههای مبارک رمضان، هر سال از شبکه سراسری صدا و سیمای جمهوری اسلامی ایران
2- نوشتن چندین جلد کتاب در مورد این اتفاق برای گروههای سنی مختلف
3- بر پایی کنگره بین المللی کربلایی کاظم کریمی ساروقی با حضور علما و شخصیت های داخلی و خارجی 59 کشور جهان اسلام در مرداد ماه سال 1386 در اراک.
4- ساخت فیلمی بر اساس داستان حقیقی زندگی کربلایی کاظم کریمی ساروقی
5- نشر و معرفی این اتفاق توسط خبرگزاری های مختلف خبری اینترنتی ایرانی
6- انجام مصاحبه های متعدد با فرزند ارشد ذکور کربلایی کاظم کرمی ساروقی در دانشگاهها و ...
7- برپایی نکوداشت های کربلایی کاظم کریمی ساروقی در نقاط مختلف ایران
8- رونمایی از تندیس یادبود کربلایی کاظم ساروقی در شهرستان اراک
9- رو نمایی از تمبر یادبود کربلایی کاظم کریمی ساروقی
10- ثبت در فهرست آثار ملي كشور به عنوان ميراث معنوي استان مركزي و تلاش برای ثبت جهاني اين واقعه مهم .
هدف خداوند از بروز این معجزه و استفاده ای که نسل امروز
و نسل های بعدی بشریت می توانند از این اتفاق ببرند:
ببینید زمانی که چنین معجزه ای در روستای ساروق اتفاق می افتد ، حدود یک هزار و سیصد سال از نزول قرآن« بر پیامبر اکرم گذشته است و دنیای قدیم جای خود را به دنیای نو و دنیای دانش و پیشرفت داده است . قرآن کریم از یک سو اسیر دست کج فهمی و ساده انگاری مسلمانان قرار گرفته ( و قالَ الرَسولُ یا رَبِ اِنَ قوم اتخذوا هذا القرآن مهجورا )) و اختلافات در امت پیامبر اسلام وارد شده است و از سوی دیگر مورد استهزاء در مکاتب ضد دین واقع بوده ... مانند مکتب مارکسیسم و... و میرفت تا قرآن« در انزوای کامل قرار گیرد . اینجا بود که خداوند برای محافظت از قرآن« به میانه آمد : (( انا نحن نزلنا الذکر و انا له لحافظون )) و قرآن را بگونه ای شگفت انگیز برای بار دوم با حذف مسئولیت رسالت ، بر قلب یک انسان شایسته به نام کربلایی کاظم نازل نمود و خداوند این مرد را تا آخر عمر به داخل کشورهای مطرح اسلامی و شهرهای مهم کشور به حرکت در می آورد تا برای مخالفان و ناآگاهان به قرآن روشن شود قرآن حق است و در طول این مدت تا پایان عمر کربلایی کاظم تسلط او بر قرآن حتی به اندازه ذره ای تضعیف نمی گردد و این موهبت از او گرفته نمی شود .
سنریهم ایتنا فی الافاق و فی انفسهم حتی یتبین لهم انه الحق ( سوره کهف آیه 52 )
یعنی : بزودی نشانه هایی را برای اثبات حقانیت قرآن نشان میدهیم
در عصر حاضر که انسانها در دنیا با انواع انحرافات فکری و اعتقادی روبرو هستند و ناحق خود را گاها جای حق می نشاند و حق، باطل جلوه داده می شود تا جایی که اخیرا قرآن کریم کتاب خداوند عالم در آمریکا سوزانده می شود و یا در کشوری مانند چین با جمعیتی در حدود یک و نیم میلیارد نفری که با افکار کمونیستی از اساس وجود خداوند را منکر می شوند حال چه برسد به حقانیت رسالت نبی مکرم اسلام و خاتم النبیین حضرت محمد مصطفی (ص)، راه درمان چیست؟
یکی از بهترین و موثرترین راههایی که در بیان حقانیت پیامبری پیامبر بزرگ اسلام حضرت محمد(ص) به عنوان پیامبر بر حق و خاتم الهی و کتاب او قرآن به عنوان کتابی الهی و همچنین دست نخورده و تحریف نشده می توان انجام د اد، معرفی درست معجزه حافظ شدن غیر آموختنی قرآن فرد بی سواد، کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی ساروقی می باشد. حادثه ای که دهان هر انسان حتی لجوجی را می بندد.
نوساناتی را که معرفی و نشر این حادثه در ایران در طول
تاریخ بعد از وفات کربلایی کاظم به خود دیده است:
پس از فوت کربلایی کاظم در سال 1326 و خاکسپاری ایشان در قبرستان نو شهر قم (( روبروی حرم حضرت معصومه ( س) ))، با توجه به زمان طاغوت بودن آن هنگام و سلطنت محمد رضا شاه، سال به سال ماجرای معجزه پیش آمده برای کربلایی کاظم از اذهان عمومی رخت بر بست و تنها علماء و اغلب طلاب علوم دینی می دانستند چنین معجزه ای در ایران رخ داده است . با وقوع انقلاب اسلامی توجه علماء و عوام مردم به طور کامل به مسائل انقلابی و سیاسی معطوف شد و موضوع کربلایی کاظم حتی از بین خواص نیز رخت بربست تا اینکه در سال 1380 شمسی فیلم داستانی کربلایی کاظم با حمایت همه جانبه حجه الاسلام حاج آقا قرائتی به دست آقای عباس مبشری مدیریت تهیه و کارگردانی گردید و در ادامه با انجام مصاحبه های متعدد با فرزند ارشد کربلایی کاظم آقای حاج اسماعیل کریمی ساروقی روحی جدید در کالبد معرفی و توجه به این آیت و معجزه بزرگ تاریخ اسلام یعنی نزول مجدد غیبی قرآن آن هم در زمانه ما، وارد شد و تلاش بر آن است که انشاء الله هر چه زودتر این اتفاق جهانی شده و بندگان خداوند در اقصی نقاط عالم با این اتفاق عظیم آشنا گشته و موجبات هدایت روز افزون و سریعتر بندگان خداوند به آیین پاک و صراط مستقیم اسلام عزیز فراهم آید. انشاء الله
الحمد لله رب العالمین
نوشته شده توسط در تاریخ پنجشنبه دهم شهریور 1390 با موضوع
کربلایی کاظم در بیان علماء و اشخاص
علما و شخصیت های اهل تسنن و تشیع که رخ دادن این
معجزه را مورد تایید قرار دادند
این ماجرا را افراد زیادی پس از دیدن کربلایی کاظم و انجام امتحانات از او در طی 38 سال، تایید نمودند و اسناد آن موجود می باشد که تعداد قابل توجهی از آن اسناد که مربوط به تصدیق علماء گذشته می باشد به صورت مکتوب بوده و تعدادی از این اسناد نیز ویدیویی می باشند (این اتفاق در سن 27 سالگی برای کربلایی کاظم روی داد و پس از 13 سال مخفی نگاه داشتن آن توسط کربلایی کاظم، در سن 40 سالگی فاش شد و تا پایان عمر او در سن 78 سالگی با او همراه بود. کربلایی کاظم در سال 1300 ه.ق برابر با 1257 ه.ش به دنیا آمد و در سال 1379 ه.ق برابر با 1336 ه.ش از دنیا رفت).
از جمله علماء و مراجع تقلید عظام گذشته می توان 1- آیت الله العظمی بروجردی،2- امام خمینی، 3- آیت الله امینی صاحب الغدیر، 4- آیت الله مرعشی نجفی، 5- آیت الله میلانی،6- آیت الله حجت کوه کمری، 7- آیت الله خوانساری، 8- آیت الله سید احمد زنجانی، 9- آیت الله دستغیب،10- آیت الله صدر،11- آیت الله فاضل لنکرانی و ... را نام برد.
از جمله علماء و مراجع تقلید زنده فعلی که در زمان جوانی خود کربلایی کاظم را از نزدیک دیده اند و مورد امتحان و تصدیق قرار داده اند می توان افراد ذیل را نام برد:
1- رهبر معظم انقلاب آیت الله خامنه ای ۲- آیت الله مکارم شیرازی ۳- آیت الله خزعلی ۴- آیت الله شبیری زنجانی ۵- آیت الله نوری همدانی ۶- آیت الله سبحانی ۷- آیت الله وحید خراسانی ۸- آیت الله مصباح یزدی ۹- آیت الله استادی ۱۰- آیت الله صافی گلپایگانی ۱۱- آیت الله مقتدایی ۱۲- آیت الله محفوظی ۱۳- آیت الله شاه آبادی ۱۴- آیت الله مظاهری ۱۵- آیت الله گرامی ۱۶- آیت الله سیستانی
همچنین کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی به همراه شهید نواب صفوی به کشور مصر رفت و همچنین به کشور عراق، کویت و عربستان سفر نمود و مورد امتحان و تایید مسلمانان اهل سنت نیز قرار گرفت.
صدای این معجزه بزرگ تا آنجا اوج گرفت که امیر کویت و دانشگاه الازهر مصر کربلایی کاظم را به کشور کویت و کشور مصر دعوت نمودند و ایشان دعوت آنان را اجابت نمود و به تمام سوالات علماء و دانشمندان این دو کشور پاسخهای حیرت انگیز داد و مورد تایید آنها نیز قرار گرفت.
امیر كویت از ایشان دعوت رسمی نمود و پس از رفتن او به كویت، امیر كویت تقاضای اقامت او را نمود تا كاخی را با همة امكانات در اختیار او گذارده تا طلابی كه قرآن را حفظ میكنند در نزد او مشغول باشند ولی علمای عراق این امر را صلاح ندانستند و ایشان به عراق و بعد به ایران و قم بازگشت.
خلاصه اینکه تمامی علمای تشیع و تسنن اعلام داشتند ، کربلایی کاظم یک فرد عادی نیست ، بلکه معجزه ی بزرگ قرآن کریم است که بعد از پیامبر اکرم ، اینگونه قرآن کریم ، یکجا بر قلب او نازل شده است .
بعضا میگویند معجزه بزرگ قرآن در قرن بیستم . اما باید گفت حافظ و عالم شدن محمد کاظم کریمی ساروقی به قرآن کریم در کمتر از چند دقیقه ، بعد از نزول قرآن کریم بر پیامبر اسلام ، بزرگترین معجزه بزرگ قرآن در طول تاریخ اسلام است .
آیت الله مرعشی نجفی (ره) در طول یک ماه قرآن موجود را با قرآنی که به کربلایی محمد کاظم کریمی داده شده و القاء شده بود مقایسه نمود و دیدند که در کل قرآن، حتی کلمه ای بین قرآن موجود و قرآنی که کربلایی کاظم می خواند تفاوت وجود ندارد و تنها چند حرکت فتحه، کسره و ضمه تفاوت وجود داشت.
در حال حاضر دستونشته هایی از علما در مورد تایید این اتفاق وجود دارد که در زیر به آنها اشاره می گردد.
آیت الله بروجردی و کربلایی کاظم
در جلسه ای مرحوم آیة الله العظمی بروجردی آیاتی را از حافظ قرآن پرسیدند و او بدون معطلی پاسخ گفت . سپس آیة الله آیه ای تلاوت می کند ، کربلایی کاظم میگوید : آقا ، آیه آنطور که خواندید نیست . آقا می فرماید : من هم اشتباه خواندم ؟ عرض کرد : بلی آقا ، شما مجتهد و مرجع تقلید هستید ، ولی آیه آن گونه که خواندید نیست بلکه این طور است . سپس قرآن آوردند و دیدند که حافظ قرآن درست گفته است . در موارد خلاف بین قراء سبعه ، مرحوم آیة الله بروجردی نظر کربلایی کاظم را جویا می شدند و قرائت او برایشان معتبر و قابل اعتماد بود و در موردی فرمودند : ما سوره حمد را نمی توانیم به قهقرا بخوانیم ، ولی او سوره بقره را می تواند از انتها به اول بخواند.
کربلایی کاظم در جلسه ای و در حضور علماء قم به حضرت آیت اله بروجردی میگوید : شما ساعت ها از من سوال کردید در مورد قرآن و من همه را جواب دادم . اکنون من یک سوال می پرسم و شما جواب بدهید . از آقای بروجردی می پرسد :کدام سوره از سوره های قرآن است که خداوند هفت حرف از حروف عربی را در آیاتش نازل نکرده است و آن هفت حرف مربوط به هفت طبقه جهنم می باشد که خداوند از سوره حمد آنها را برداشته است . آیت الله و دیگران که از پاسخ دادن عاجز می مانند از ایشان در خواست می کنند پاسخ سوال را خود بگوید .
کربلایی کاظم می گوید : و آن سوره حمد است که همیشه در نماز می خوانید و آن هفت حرف : ( ث ، ج ، خ ، ذ ، ش ، ظ ، ف ) می باشد و تفسیر و علت نازل نشدن این حروف در سوره حمد چنین می گوید که ث از ثبورا می آید که در سوره فرقان قرار دارد و مکان افرادی است که نماز نمی خوانند و در طبقه زیرین جهنم است، ج از جهنم است، خ که از خسران می آید، ذ از ذقوم می آید که خوراک اهل جهنم بوده و در سوره دخان قرار دارد، ش از شیطان می آید، ظ هم از لظا می آید که آتش سوزانی است که در جهنم قرار دارد و به یک لحظه انسان را ذوب می کند، ف از فضع اکبر می آید که در سوره انبیاء قرار دارد که در روز قیامت مردم در فضع اکبر هستند که خداوند با آنها چه می کند؟
- به نقل از روزنامه ندای حق شماره 44 – سال 1344
آیت الله خامنه ای و کربلایی کاظم
حضرت آیت الله خامنه ای در دیدار با فرزند کربلایی کاظم در تاریخ 01/03/85
مرحوم کربلایی کاظم را من در حرم حضرت علی بن موسی الرضا (ع) در دیده بودم ، در کنار مناره مسجد گوهر شاد نشسته بود . قرآنش هم دستش بود ، هر کس هر آیه ای را می پرسید با این که اصلا سواد نداشت قرآنش را باز میکرد و با دستش آن آیه را نشان می داد . این را من خودم دیدم و امتحان کردم این سماعی نبود . مرحوم کربلایی کاظم همان کسی است که بیسواد و در جوانی بر اثر یک توسل به امامزادگانی که در ساروق است حافظ قرآن شد ، بنده هم رفتم آن امامزادگان را زیارت کردم ، آن شبستانی که ایشان شب در آنجا بیتوته کردند و در همان جا هم مشرف به حمل قرآن شدند را بنده رفته و دیده ام . آیت الله بروجردی ایشان را امتحان و تایید کرده بودند .
موقعی که شهید نواب صفوی، کربلایی محمد کاظم را به مشهد آوردند و در بالای منبر او را به علما معرفی کردند از کربلایی سؤالهایی درباره قرآن و آیات قرآن کردم و حافظ قرآن شدن ایشان را جزو کرامات دیدم
آیت الله سید محمد جواد علوی طباطبایی بروجردی و کربلایی کاظم
نوه آیت الله العظمی بروجردی
مرحوم آقای سید اسماعیل علوی، پسر عموی پدر بنده و برادرزادة حضرت آیت الله بروجردی ـ رحمة الله علیه ـ بود. ایشان رئیس ادارۀ ثبت اراك بودند؛ ازاین رو با مرحوم كربلایی كاظم آشنایی پیدا كردند و بیدرنگ ایشان را به قم نزد مرحوم پدر ما آوردند و به وسیلۀ ایشان خدمت آیت الله بروجردی رسیدند.
مرحوم آیتالله بروجردی ذاتاً فرد زود باوری نبودند؛ هر ادعایی را به سادگی نمی پذیرفتند و در این زمینه بسیار دقت می كردند.از آنجا که بنده در آن زمان، مدرسه می رفتم، در نخستین جلسه ای كه کربلایی کاظم را خدمت ایشان آورده بودند، حاضر نبودم. پدر من در همان زمان، داستان آن جلسه را برای برخی از دوستانی كه برای دیدن مرحوم كربلایی كاظم به منزل ما می آمدند، از جمله حضرت امام ـ رحمةا لله علیهـ نقل می كردند. ایشان می فرمودند که مرحوم آیت الله بروجردی در آن جلسه سؤالات مختلفی از کربلایی کاظم پرسیده بودند. خود ایشان حافظ بسیاری از آیات قرآن بودند؛ چنان که پدرم می فرمودند: بیش از یک سوم قرآن را حفظ بودند. ایشان آیه ای را می خواندند و مرحوم كربلایی كاظم ادامۀ آن را تلاوت می کرد؛ همان گونه كه در آن زمان معمول بود.
پدرم نقل می كردند که حتی آیت الله بروجردی برخی از آیات را به هم می چسباندند؛ ابتدای یک آیه، بخشی از وسط آیۀ دیگر و انتهای آیۀ دیگری را به هم می چسباندند و به عنوان یک آیه می خواندند. كربلایی كاظم با همان زبان خودش می گفت: آیه این نیست.قسمت اول را به همراه دنباله اش می خواند و شمارۀ آیه و نام سوره اش را هم می گفت.سپس بخش وسطی را با قبل و بعد آن می خواند و بعد بخش انتهایی را به همین ترتیب بیان می کرد. در نتیجه ایشان از همان جلسۀ اول نزد آیت الله بروجردی جلوه كردند.
مرحوم کربلایی کاظم بسیار مورد توجه آیت الله بروجردی قرار گرفته بود؛ به گونهای که گاهی در حدود دو ساعت می نشستند و با هم صحبت می كردند. این امر برای من جای پرسش داشت؛ چون آن زمان آیت الله بروجردی، در اوج مرجعیت شیعه و زعامت عامه بود و كربلایی كاظم هم فرد بی سوادی بود که در ظاهر هیچ سنخیتی با ایشان نداشت. من بعد ها از مرحوم آقای سید اسماعیل علوی و پدر خودم پرسیدم كه آیتالله بروجردی به چه دلیل چنین توجهی به ایشان داشتند؟ پدر من در پاسخ، بر دو نكته بسیار تأکید می كردند:
نخست اینکه آیت الله بروجردی، وجود شخص کربلایی كاظم را حجتی در زمان ما می دانستند.شخصی كه كاملاً بی سواد بود، با عنایت ویژه ای حافظ قرآن شده بود؛ به گونه ای که حتی ویژگی های سوره ها و آیه ها را نیز می شناخت. این امر از آن رو اهمیت داشت که در آن زمان، تفكر ماتریالیستی و مادی گرایانۀ حزب توده، به ویژه در محافل علمی و دانشگاهی بسیار جا افتاده بود. هرچند این حزب سرکوب شده بود، اما مبانی فکری آن در بین جوانان و جامعۀ روشن فكری آن زمان، به تفكر غالب تبدیل شده بود. مرحوم آیت الله بروجردی نیز با دیدگاه گستردۀ خود، به همة جنبه ها توجه داشتند و معتقد بودند كه معرفی مرحوم کربلایی كاظم به جوانان به عنوان حجتی در روزگار ما، كار بسیار مهمی است؛
مطلب دوم كه برای آیت الله بروجردی بسیار مهم بود، بحث تحریف قرآن بود. در بین علمای شیعه اختلاف است كه آیا قرآن تحریف شده است یا خیر. آیت الله بروجردی، خود قایل به عدم تحریف قرآن بودند؛ اما بسیاری از بزرگان ما، مانند مرحوم صاحب كفایه ـ رضوان الله تعالیعلیه ـ در این مسئله شك و شبهه داشتند. آیتالله بروجردی به گونه های مختلف کربلایی کاظم را آزمایش کردند تا اینكه برای ایشان ثابت شد واقعاً قرآن به آن مرحوم عنایت شده است. در این صورت، قرآنی كه به ایشان عنایت شده است، باید همان قرآنی باشد كه به رسول اكرم ـ صلوات الله و سلامه علیهـ نازل شده است و در نتیجه نباید هیچ گونه تحریفی در آن وجود داشته باشد.
آیتالله بروجردی نیز بار ها همۀ مواردی را كه احتمال تحریف در آنها وجود داشت، از ایشان می پرسیدند و كربلایی كاظم هم که هیچ اطلاعی دربارۀ بحث تحریف قرآن نداشت، فقط آیاتی را كه از او پرسیده می شد، می خواند. آیت الله بروجردی در برخی موارد، بعضی از آیات و سوره ها را چندین بار به گونه های مختلف تغییر می دادند؛ مثلاً کلماتی را که برخی از بزرگان مانند مرحوم میرزا حسین نوری معتقد بودند که جزو قرآن بوده و حذف شده است، در آیه می آوردند و می خواندند. كربلایی كاظم آیه را تصحیح می كرد و می گفت: نه؛ این طور نیست؛ پس از این كلمه، آن كلمه است. بحث اثبات عدم تحریف قرآن، یكی از مسائلی بود كه بسیار مورد عنایت آیت الله بروجردی بود و من شنیدم كه ایشان پس از آشنایی با کربلایی کاظم، قایل شده بودند كه هیچ تحریفی در قرآن صورت نگرفته است و در این زمینه، اطمینان یافته بودند.
خود من این خاطره را دارم كه جلسهای در منزل ما برگزار شد و حدود ده تا پانزده نفر از علما همچون حضرت امام، حاج آقا مرتضی حائری و مرحوم حاج فقیهی رشتی، و نیز آقای اسماعیل علوی و کربلایی کاظم حضور داشتند. پس از صرف نهار، نوبت به آزمایش کربلایی کاظم رسید. حاضران كتاب شرح لمعه را برای آزمون انتخاب کردند. این كتاب به زبان عربی است و در جای جای آن، آیه و حدیث نیز هست. این کتاب را پیش روی کربلای کاظم گذاشتند. ایشان دست می گذاشت و متن عربی شهید را رد می كرد؛ چون نمی توانست بخواند؛ روایت ها را هم نمی توانست بخواند و رد می كرد؛ اما وقتی به یك كلمۀ قرآن می رسید، آن را می خواند.
آنچه موجب تعجب من بود، این بود كه کلماتی مثل «الله» را که در متن مرحوم شهید و حتی در روایت بود، نمی دید و نمی توانست بخواند؛ اما در آیه قرآن می توانست بخواند. این آزمایش را چندین بار انجام دادند؛ مثلاً مواردی را مشخص كرده بودند كه آیه و روایت به هم آمیخته بود؛ دو کلمۀ یکسان ـ مثلاً «الله»ـ را به او نشان دادند و گفتند كه این «الله» است؛ آن هم «الله» است. کربلایی کاظم گفت: من نمی دانم آنجا چه چیزی است؛ اما به آیه كه می رسم، نور سبزی هست؛ با این نور، من آن آیه را می بینم و می توانم بخوانم؛ اما غیر آن را نمی توانم بخوانم. بنابراین، ایشان این كلمات و نوشته ها را نمی دید؛ بلکه آنچه می دید، ورای نوشته ها بود. با اینكه «الله»همان است كه در قرآن هست، اما کلمۀ الله را در جملۀ «رحم الله» در كلام مرحوم شهید، نمی دید؛ ولی در آیۀ قرآن می دید. من خودم این را در آن جلسه دیدم.
به این ترتیب، مرحوم کربلایی کاظم به برکت عنایتی که دربارۀ او شده بود، در مجامع علمی قم در آن زمان، جا افتاد. در حوزه، هر مطلبی به زودی پذیرفته نمی شود؛ هركس ادعایی كند، علما آن را بسیار می سنجند تا جا بیافتد؛ اما داستان کربلایی كاظم و اینکه واقعاً قرآن به او عنایت شده است، در میان علما پذیرفته شد.
مرحوم كربلایی كاظم حجتی است برای کسانی که غیر از زندگی ظاهری را نفی می كنند.همچنین مؤمنین و علما که معتقدند لیس العلم بكثرة التفهم والتفهیم، به برکت عنایتی که به ایشان شد، این معنا را به صورت حق الیقین درك كردند. مرحوم كربلایی كاظم از كسانی بود كه باعث شد افراد، آنچه را به صورت علم الیقین باور داشتند، به صورت حق الیقین باور کنند. بنابراین ایشان هم بر حوزه حق دارد، هم بر عامۀ مردم.
مرحوم آقای سید اسماعیل علوی نقل می كردند كه وجود ایشان در اراک، تحولی در ایمان مردم و جوانان ایجاد كرد. در آن زمان، جنبه هایی كه موجب روی گردانی جوانان از دین شود، كم نبود و جوان هنگام ورود به دبیرستان و دانشگاه، بیدرنگ مورد هجمۀ
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[Must Watch] Aperture - American Coup - Part 1 - English
After the hugely popular PM Mosaddegh successfully nationalized Iran’s oil industry, UK and US intelligence services overthrew his democratically...
After the hugely popular PM Mosaddegh successfully nationalized Iran’s oil industry, UK and US intelligence services overthrew his democratically elected government during the 1953 coup d’état.
Aperture-American CoupAMERICAN COUP
IN AUGUST OF 1953 IRAN HAD A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. ITS PARLIAMENT AND PRIME MINISTER, THE POPULAR MOHAMMAD MOSSADEGH, HAD NATIONALISED THE OIL INDUSTRY TO CONTROL THE COUNTRY’S CHIEF ASSET. THEN THE CIA INTERVENED.
I am honoured to be in the timeless city of Cairo. (cheering) We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world. Tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. For many years Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country and there
is, in fact, a tumultuous history between us. Since the Islamic revolution Iran has played in role in acts of hostage taking and violence against US troops and civilians. In the middle of the Cold War the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government. This history is well
known.
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[23Sep2013] Latest Development - Syed Hasan Nasrallah - Arabic sub English
Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a speech on Monday evening, September 23rd, 2013, to address some of the most...
Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a speech on Monday evening, September 23rd, 2013, to address some of the most recent local and regional developments.
His eminence first talked about the deployment of Lebanese Army forces in the Southern Suburb of Beirut (Dahiyeh) in order to protect the area from any potential threats. Sayyed Nasrallah thanked the efforts of the government and the army, and he asked that people cooperate with the Lebanese Army at various checkpoints.
The Secretary General also addressed some claims alleging that Hezbollah had supposedly received over a ton of chemical weapons from the Assad regime in Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah assured that these claims are indeed false and ridiculous. His eminence then moved on to clarify some claims about Hezbollah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s communications network in Zahle. He also spoke about the formation of the Lebanese government.
On the regional level, Hezbollah called on various key players who have been fueling the crisis in Syria, such as Saudi Arabia and the GCC, Egypt, and Turkey, to reconsider their stance sooner rather than later. His eminence rejected Saudi claims about Hezbollah having \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"occupied\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" Syria.
Finally, Sayyed Nasrallah made some important comments regarding the long-forgotten cause of Bahrain. The Secretary General assured that He is not surprised at the recent actions of the Bahraini regime, which placed the Lebanese Resistance on a terrorist organizations\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' list. He said that this is merely due to the fact that Hezbollah supported the popular uprising in Bahrain against the Al-Khalifa regime in February 2011. Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that Hezbollah still supports the demands of the Bahraini people, whose patience and peacefulness has surprised even him. He said that the Bahraini people has had to withstand all kinds of torture and repression at the hands of the Bahraini regime, which also called in foreign (Saudi) forces to help quell the revolution and crush the people. His eminence added that the regime has unlawfully withdrawn Bahraini scholars\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' nationalities, and imprisoned a large number of them. This oppressive regime has also detained and imprisoned hundreds of activists since over two years, and it imprisons even women and children, subjecting them to torture and despicable forms of maltreatment. The regime has also torn down mosques and other religiously sacred sights, and yet the international community has remained silent. Sayyed Nasrallah rejected claims of foreign interference in the popular uprising, and urged the international community, and more specifically Islamic peoples and scholars to publicly oppose what is going on in Bahrain.
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[23 Oct 2013] Germany chancellor demands obama clarify reports of US...
Germany chancellor has called the U-S president to demand immediate clarification on reports that the U-S spied on her.
The German government...
Germany chancellor has called the U-S president to demand immediate clarification on reports that the U-S spied on her.
The German government spokesman says Angela Merkel had made clear to Barack Obama that if the information proves to be true, it would be completely unacceptable and represents a grave breach of trust. This, after Germany said it had received info that the U-S is spying on Merkel\'s cell phone communications. But the White House says Obama has assured Merkel that her phone is not being monitored. The U-S spying scandal is taking center stage after fugitive American whistle-blower Edward Snowden revealed the details of the program. Washington\'s espionage scandal has already caused outrage among Italian, French, Mexican and Brazilian officials.
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[24 Oct 2013] New protests against Morsi ouster in Egypt - English
Protests by the anti-coup groups calling for the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi continue in Egypt\'s universities. This comes...
Protests by the anti-coup groups calling for the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi continue in Egypt\'s universities. This comes despite violent clashes between anti-coup demonstrators and security forces as well as the army\'s supporters.
On Wednesday protests spread to Zagazig University where students rallied against disciplinary action taken by the University Administration against 4 Muslim Brotherhood students.
Violent clashes had also taken place the day before in the Delta City of Mansoura. There, Morsi\'s supporters clashed with students supporting the military. Security forces intervened to disperse the crowds by firing tear gas.
Similar clashes also took place at Cairo University but the Al Azhar University had the flashpoint of anti-coup protests and violence.
Morsi supporters staged large protests for 3 consecutive days demanding the reinstatement of the ousted president and the release of students arrested.by the security forces.
The clashes in Al Azhar University left dozens of students injured. More than 40 students were also arrested. but the Islamic Students Against the Military Coup said they would continue demonstrating against the military and the interim government untill their demands are met.
Since the start of the academic year in September, Egyptian Universities have been the scene of repeated protests and violence, which have disrupted the educational process.
Egyptian universities are among places where you can clearly see the effects of societies\' polarization between supporters of Morsi and those backing the military. If no serious reconciliation efforts are made soon, it is feared that clashes and violence could become a frequent occurrence on-campuses around the country.
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