[21 June 13] Morsi supporters stage rally ahead of planned...
It\'s nearly a year since Muslim Brotherhood figure, Mohamed Morsi, took power in Egypt, by winning 51 percent of votes in the country\'s first...
It\'s nearly a year since Muslim Brotherhood figure, Mohamed Morsi, took power in Egypt, by winning 51 percent of votes in the country\'s first election after the fall of ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak. But the hope for Egyptians to overcome their divisions seems as elusive as ever.
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4267
[26 June 13] Torture in Bahrain intensifying - English
Several victims of torture in Bahrain gave harrowing testimonies of their ordeals and those of their loved-ones at this seminar at the House of...
Several victims of torture in Bahrain gave harrowing testimonies of their ordeals and those of their loved-ones at this seminar at the House of Lords in London.
Some are exiled in the UK after having been forced to leave their country because of their political opposition to the Al Khalifah regime.
Two and a half years after a huge popular uprising broke out in the Persian Gulf nation, human rights defenders say that police officers who murdered and tortured protestors have not been held to account.
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5056
Ignored Revolution of Bahrain By Western Media and Governments - All...
A Bahraini opposition group says the British government has a negative attitude to the revolution in the Persian Gulf state and rather supports the...
A Bahraini opposition group says the British government has a negative attitude to the revolution in the Persian Gulf state and rather supports the suppressive al-Khalifa regime in the country.
Bahrain National Democratic Society’s Secretary General Fazel Abbas told Al-Alam news channel that London’s position is clear from comments by the British ambassador to Bahrain and the change in the al-Khalifa approach to protesters after the Bahraini ruler’s meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron “raise questions about Britain’s role in Bahrain”.
“We are extremely displeased with the British government’s stance,” Abbas added.
Last week, Cameron hosted talks with Bahraini ruler King Hamad al-Khalifa in London but no details of the meeting were made public except a brief statement by the British PM’s office.
“Cameron reiterated Britain’s support for ongoing political reform in Bahrain. The Prime Minister also encouraged His Majesty to continue to demonstrate substantive progress in all areas,” the statement said.
Ahead of his visit to London, the Bahraini dictator amended a law on public gatherings to “ban organizing protests, rallies, gatherings or sit-ins in Manama, with the exception of sit-ins outside (offices of) international organizations\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\".
Ahead of Hamad’s visit on Tuesday, human rights group Amnesty International warned Cameron that Bahrain is displaying “a façade of supposed reform” though the reality is that “critics and dissenting voices are just locked up and silenced”.
Fazel said the Bahraini opposition groups will surely continue peaceful protests, especially the Tamarod demonstration planned for August 14, despite the regime being fully geared up to suppress public rallies in the coming days.
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6448
[28 Oct 2013] Ousted President Mohamed Morsi rejects authority of court...
Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi rejects the authority of the court that is scheduled to try him next week. Morsi supporters say he has not...
Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi rejects the authority of the court that is scheduled to try him next week. Morsi supporters say he has not employed any lawyer to defend him against charges of incitement to murder. Morsi and 14 others will be brought to trial on November fourth in connection with deadly clashes between his supporters and opponents outside the presidential palace in December 2012. Morsi came from the Muslim Brotherhood. He was Egypt\'s first freely elected leader and came to power in 2012, one year after dictator Hosni Mubarak was toppled. Morsi was then ousted himself by the junta amid massive protests against his year-long rule.
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6154
[30 Nov 2013] Egypt new constitution forbids formation of religious...
An Egyptian panel tasked with drawing up the new draft constitution has approved an article that forbids the formation of religious parties.
The...
An Egyptian panel tasked with drawing up the new draft constitution has approved an article that forbids the formation of religious parties.
The document says any political party founded on a quote religious basis will be prohibited. The ban was in place during long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak\'s rule. The panel says 138 articles of the total 247 articles have been approved. If adopted in full, the charter will be put to a popular referendum early next year. Rights groups say the new charter strengthens the military. Muslim Brotherhood supporters accuse the military-backed government of having anti-democratic tendencies. They say the proposed amendments are contrary to the goals of the 2011 revolution that ended decades of dictatorship.
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[02 Dec 2013] 18th Conference of organization State parties opens at the...
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has opened its Conference of the States Parties in The Hague.
Top on the agenda is the...
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has opened its Conference of the States Parties in The Hague.
Top on the agenda is the organization\'s mission to get Syrian chemical stockpiles out of the country by the year-end for final destruction. Meanwhile, Iran\'s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham has said that Iran will actively participate in the conference. She added that as a victim of chemical weapons used by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Iran will be influential in the decisions made by the O-P-C-W. Iran\'s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will also make a speech at the conference on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Press TV\'s Nargess Moballeghi who is currently at the venue of the conference, has sent us this update.
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[02 Dec 2013] Iran calls for chemical weapons free world - English
Iran\'s deputy foreign minister has called for a world free of the production, stockpiling, and use of weapons of mass destruction especially...
Iran\'s deputy foreign minister has called for a world free of the production, stockpiling, and use of weapons of mass destruction especially chemical arms.
Abbas Araqchi made the comments at the 18th conference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Araqchi stressed that Iran is committed to the convention against chemical weapons. He says his country is a victim of the lethal weapons, referring to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein\'s chemical attacks on Iran. Saddam also used chemical weapons against his own people. He\'d obtained these weapons from some Western countries.
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6533
[05 Dec 2013] Iraqi PM meets Iran Supreme Leader to discuss regional...
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has met with Leader of Iran\\\\\\\'s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to discuss bilateral...
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has met with Leader of Iran\\\\\\\'s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to discuss bilateral issues.
During the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei laid emphasis on the importance of cooperation between the two neighbors. He said the two countries should take strides in expanding political, economic and scientific ties, arguing that there are no obstacles to this end. Ayatollah Khamenei praised the performance of the Iraqi government, but said Baghdad needs to do more to improve the welfare of Iraqis. Premier Maliki earlier held talks with President Rouhani during which both sides discussed Syria as well as bilateral ties. The top Iraqi official also held separate talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss similar topics. Iran and Iraq have enjoyed growing ties ever since the overthrow of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein in 2003.
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[05 Dec 2013] Egypt public prosecutor orders trial of activists under...
Egypt\'s public prosecutor has ordered the trial of three political activists on charges of protesting without permission and an alleged assault on...
Egypt\'s public prosecutor has ordered the trial of three political activists on charges of protesting without permission and an alleged assault on police. Among those to stand trial is Ahmed Maher, the founder of the April 6 movement. The movement helped ignite the popular uprising in 2011 that led to the ouster of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Still, no date has been fixed for the trial. But this is the first case of activists being charged under the provisions of a new, controversial protest law. The Interim President, Adly Mansour signed the Law in November. It bans gatherings of more than 10 people without prior permit. Critics have described the move as an attempt to stifle the right to public protest.
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5903
Bahrejni - English sub Albanian
Njeri nga shembujt e dyftyresise i te ashtu quajturit faktore nderkombetare dhe organizatave te ndryshme boterore per mbrojtjet e te drejtave dhe...
Njeri nga shembujt e dyftyresise i te ashtu quajturit faktore nderkombetare dhe organizatave te ndryshme boterore per mbrojtjet e te drejtave dhe lirive te njerezve eshte Bahrejni. Mbreteria e Bahrejnit eshte nje shtet i vogel ishull i vendosur ne brigjet perendimore te Gjirik Persik dhe udhehiqet nga diktatura gjakpirese e familjes El Khalifa (Kalif). I inspiruar nga revolta e pergjitshme e popujve mysliman ne boten arabe, ne fillimin e vitit 2001 populli i shtypur dhe i tiranizuar i Bhrejnit filloi protestat paqesore per te avansuar statusin e shumices se popullates shiite e udhehequr nga familja mbreterore synite. Per te goditur dhe shuar rezistence e popullit te shtypur, mbreti El Khalifa kerkoi ndihme nga Arabia Saudite e cila me armaten e vet me qellimin e thyerrjes se rezistences ekzekutoi dhe ende vazhdon te ben krime te renda ndaj popullates duke i vrare ata, duke ua prishur faltoret dhe duke i burgosur perfaqesusit politik dhe kulturore te popullit te shtypur te Bahrejnit. Nuk u mjafoti edhe kjo, ata privojne edhe te plagosurit nga protestat ne mjekim ndersa doktoret qe i trajtojne te plagosurit i shtyjne gjithashtu neper burgje.
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9580
[22 Dec 2013] Morsi faces trial for Mubarak-era prison break - English
Egypt\'s ousted president Mohamed Morsi will stand trial for a prison break during the 20-11 uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The...
Egypt\'s ousted president Mohamed Morsi will stand trial for a prison break during the 20-11 uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The case marks the third set of charges brought against the country\'s first democratically elected leader since he was ousted by the military on July 3. Critics say the trial is politically charged.
2m:7s
6057
[24 Dec 2013] Egyptian Military Backed Government Broadens Crackdown on...
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohammed Adel were figureheads of the popular movement that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak from power almost three...
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohammed Adel were figureheads of the popular movement that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak from power almost three years ago.
Now, the three activists have been sentenced to prison for three years on charges related to violating a prohibitive new protest law issued by the military-backed interim government that ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Egyptian security forces have in recent weeks extended their ongoing crackdown on the opposition movement of the Muslim Brotherhood to now include liberal political activists.
2m:2s
4940
[26 Dec 2013] Families of Tunisia martyrs seek Ben Ali extradition -...
Families of the Martyrs of the Tunisian revolution have come from across the country to demonstrate in front of the Military court of Tunis....
Families of the Martyrs of the Tunisian revolution have come from across the country to demonstrate in front of the Military court of Tunis. Parents and lawyers have condemned the liberation of the officers who had shot hundreds of young men and women three years ago.
Angry Protesters and human rights activists have called for the extradition of the former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who escaped to Saudi Arabia in January 2011.
2m:0s
5496
[27 Dec 2013] Al Mukhtar Army claimed responsibility for attacks on...
A militia group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the camp of anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization in Iraq.
The group,...
A militia group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the camp of anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization in Iraq.
The group, calling itself al-Mukhtar Army, says it fired 20 rockets and mortar rounds on the camp. It also says that they\\\'ve frequently asked the Iraqi government to expel M-K-O from the country, but they are still there. On Thursday, three members of the terrorist organization were killed and dozens more injured at the so-called Camp Liberty near Baghdad airport. M-K-O members were moved to the camp from their previous location in Iraq. The group is responsible for numerous acts of terror against Iranian civilians and officials. The organization aided Iraq\\\'s former dictator Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran in the eighties.
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5790
[02 Jan 2014] Ousted Egyptian president to face 3rd trail in January -...
Egypt\\\'s ousted president Mohamed Morsi is set to stand trial again.
Cairo\\\'s appeals court has set January twenty-eight as the date for the...
Egypt\\\'s ousted president Mohamed Morsi is set to stand trial again.
Cairo\\\'s appeals court has set January twenty-eight as the date for the new trial. Morsi is accused of murder during the time he was freed from a Cairo prison. It goes back to the start of the popular uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011. About one-hundred 30 other people will also face trial along with Morsi. The former leader is already on trial for allegedly inciting the killings of opposition activists during his one year in power. He was toppled by the military in early July last year.
3m:54s
5661
[11 Jan 2014] Rights activists called for key figures behind the 2003...
Rights activists have repeatedly called for key figures behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq to be put on trial. Britain, along with the US, attacked...
Rights activists have repeatedly called for key figures behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq to be put on trial. Britain, along with the US, attacked Iraq under the pretext that the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. W-M-Ds were never found in Iraq and the war took hundreds of thousands of lives. And now to further show the atrocities committed during the war, the International Criminal Court has been asked to investigate allegations of abuse and torture by British forces in the war-torn country.
2m:33s
7063
[14 Jan 2014] Several US lawmakers introduce bill to bring legal end to...
A group of lawmakers in the US have introduced legislation that would finally bring to an end Washington\'s authorization to wage war in Iraq.
The...
A group of lawmakers in the US have introduced legislation that would finally bring to an end Washington\'s authorization to wage war in Iraq.
The introduced bill has been led by Republican Senator Rand Paul. He says that US President Obama declared the war in Iraq over two years ago. Yet, it\'s necessary to bring the war to an official and legal end. Although Barack Obama has declared the war over, a loophole in the law green-lighting the March 2003 invasion allows for future U-S presidents to send troops back to Iraq. In 2003, the US attacked Iraq under the pretext that the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. WMDs were never found in the country and the war killed hundreds of thousands of people.
3m:41s
7964
*MUST WATCH* Bahraini Mujahideen defending dignity - Arabic sub English
Ayatullah Isa Qasim delivered the sermon, Bahraini youth act... The coward oppressive Al-Khalifa regime tortures Bahraini women... Mujahideen...
Ayatullah Isa Qasim delivered the sermon, Bahraini youth act... The coward oppressive Al-Khalifa regime tortures Bahraini women... Mujahideen decided to defend their dignity...! ھیہات مناالذلہ
2m:57s
13605
[15 Jan 2014] Shocking photos emerge showing US Marines burning bodies...
The United States and Britain are already under fire for the Iraq war, with many British and American troops accused of committing war crimes...
The United States and Britain are already under fire for the Iraq war, with many British and American troops accused of committing war crimes during the invasion. Now after nearly 11 years, shocking photos have emerged showing the extent of the crimes. Viewer discretion is advised. The following pictures contain very disturbing images. The shocking photos - reportedly taken in the city of Fallujah in 2004 - have been obtained by the website T-M-Z. They show American soldiers burning the remains of dead Iraqis and then posing for pictures with their skeletons. According to the website, the photographs were turned over to the US Department of Defense last week. The Pentagon is currently investigating the authenticity of the photos and the identities of the servicemen involved. The US attacked Iraq under the pretext that the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. WMDs were never found in the country and the war killed hundreds of thousands of people.
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6369
[28 Jan 2014] Morsi calls himself the country\'s legitimate leader, as...
Egypt\' ousted president Mohamed Morsi has questioned the legality of his trial, as he appears before a court for a prison break in 2011.
Morsi...
Egypt\' ousted president Mohamed Morsi has questioned the legality of his trial, as he appears before a court for a prison break in 2011.
Morsi and 130 others are accused of the prison break during the uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The former president told the judges from inside a glass-encased metal case that he remains the country\'s legitimate leader, and that the court itself is illegal. Morsi was flown by helicopter from the Borg al-Arab prison in Alexandria. The trial has now been adjourned until February 22. His other trial on the charge of inciting violence against anti-government protests, will resume on Saturday. The case has been delayed twice since it opened in November. Egypt \'s first democratically-elected president has been implicated in two other cases. The country has been gripped by mass protests since the military toppled him in early July last year.
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6156
[08 Feb 2014] Rapprochement between Tunisia & Iran - English
An Iranian delegation, headed by the country\'s parliament speaker has just paid a visit to Tunisia. The visit is the first by Iranian officials...
An Iranian delegation, headed by the country\'s parliament speaker has just paid a visit to Tunisia. The visit is the first by Iranian officials since the revolution that ousted former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali three years ago. Larijani took part in a ceremony to officially adopt Tunisia\'s new constitution.
1m:40s
5148
[11 Feb 2014] Egypt Marks Mubarak Removal - English
Several anti-government rallies took place on Tuesday as Egyptians from all walks marked the third anniversary of the ouster of long-time dictator...
Several anti-government rallies took place on Tuesday as Egyptians from all walks marked the third anniversary of the ouster of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.Rallies took place in the costal city of Alexandria, Sharqiya as well as in the capital Cairo.The aim of the demonstrations is to protest against the army which ousted the country\'s first democratically elected leader back in July.
The protesters also denounced what they describe as a return of the Mubarak era repressive practices which Egyptians revolted against three years ago.3 years on, protesters are saying that Mubarak and Sisi are two faces of the same coin, and that the defense minster Sisi is an enemy to the 25th of Jan revolution.
2m:4s
5313
[17 Feb 2014] Libya commemorates anniversary of beginning of 2011...
Libyans are commemorating the third anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
In Tripoli,...
Libyans are commemorating the third anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
In Tripoli, people gathered at the main crossroads of the capital to watch fireworks. Many streets were decked with Libya\'s revolutionary flag, and multicolored lights were strung across the main roads. But for many Libyans there is little to celebrate as the country is plagued by lawlessness. Libya is still struggling to rebuild an army capable of curbing the violence blamed largely on the well-armed militiamen who fought Gaddafi. And the government and the interim parliament are accused of corruption and failing to provide Libyans a better life.
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4336
[26 Feb 2014] Iran Iraq border issues resolved - English
Qatari and Iraqi foreign ministers in Tehran. Iraqi foreign minister after meeting with his Iranian counterpart held a press conference. He...
Qatari and Iraqi foreign ministers in Tehran. Iraqi foreign minister after meeting with his Iranian counterpart held a press conference. He announced that Iran and Iraq have talked about various issues including Iran\'s civil nuclear program, Syria and problem of terrorism in Iraq but he added that the most important issue they discussed was the 1975 border Treaty Iraq\'s former dictator, Saddam Hossein on September 1980 ripped the document in front of media and started war against Iran
2m:35s
5481
[05 Sep 13] Speech in Meeting with Members of Assembly of Experts -...
The following is the full text of the speech delivered on September 5, 2013 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in...
The following is the full text of the speech delivered on September 5, 2013 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the chairman and members of the Assembly of Experts.The meeting was held on the occasion of the 14th Congress of the Assembly of Experts which was held on the 12th and 13th of Shahrivar.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I would like to welcome the honorable gentlemen and the ulama and seminary scholars who are outstanding personalities from throughout the country and who have thankfully gathered in this meeting. Although the responsibilities of the Assembly of Experts have been defined in the Constitution, the arrangement of this meeting has resulted in the generation of different discussions about different arenas of the country and the expression of different opinions by the gentlemen.
Well, executive officials are also present in this meeting. Fortunately, the esteemed President and a number of other honorable officials are also members of this assembly and this has boosted the hope that the opinions of the gentlemen in this meeting will receive more attention. I hope that this will be done and we too will help, within the scope of our capabilities and responsibilities, for the gentlemen to achieve the stated matters.
I deem it necessary to point out that your participation in the funeral procession of the [unknown war] martyrs - which was held in the beginning of this congress - was very valuable and constructive. When the people see that honorable and great personalities, such as the esteemed chairman of the Assembly of Experts and other personalities, pay their respects to the bodies and graves of martyrs - whom they do not know - and participate in their funeral procession because of the fact that they are the martyrs of the path of the Revolution and the path of righteousness, this will be a lesson for our society. And I will say that our country and our society will be in need of keeping the memory of the martyrs alive and preserving their path for a very long time.
The point that I would like to make is that on different levels of decision- making for the Islamic Republic, it is our responsibility to adopt a comprehensive outlook towards the issues of the country. It is obvious that different events - on regional, international and domestic levels - occur which are beyond our power to prevent. The Islamic Republic, the officials, the people and those who protect the foundations of the Islamic Republic have certain responsibilities. These responsibilities cannot be defined on the basis of the events which occur. That is to say, when something happens, we cannot make a certain move and adopt a certain position in an inactive way. This should not be done. This means that the Islamic Republic is being dragged into different events. It is necessary to preserve our comprehensive outlook towards the issues of the country and we should adopt positions and identify events with this comprehensive outlook. Thankfully, this comprehensive outlook has dominated the country until today. It is not the case that officials have ignored this issue since the beginning of the Revolution until today.
The Islamic Republic was formed amid a whirlwind of events. This has been repeatedly mentioned, but we should not forget that the heart of this statement is the preservation of God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s religion in people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s lives, in society and in our country. The heart of this statement is the formation of our social lives on the basis of sharia, the divine religion and the divine values and rules. The formation of such a government in a world which was quickly moving towards materialism was like a miracle and this miracle happened.
When the Islamic Republic was formed, there was an opposition to the issue of reliance on Islam. We should not say that their opposition and enmity was because of our independence or because our policy of fighting against global arrogance. Of course, this is true and this is one reason for their enmity, but fighting against global arrogance grew out of the heart of Islam. Our democracy grew out of the heart of Islam as well. It has been said many times that when we speak about religious democracy, this does not mean an unusual combination between democracy and religion. This is not the case. Our democracy has originated from religion and Islam has shown us this path. We managed to form the Islamic Republic with the guidance of Islam. By Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s favor, it will be the same in the future. As a result of this belief in Islam, the enemies have focused their attention on Islam. If they can take Islam away from the Islamic Republic, the products of Islam will naturally be destroyed and undermined. Issues should be analyzed by adopting this outlook.
There are certain deployments in the world and we are always one side of things in many of these deployments. We should see who and what our opposing side is. We should see why it shows hostility towards us and why we put up a resistance against it. We should take a look at these things with a comprehensive outlook. Allah the Exalted says, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Is then one who walks headlong, with his face groveling, better guided- or one who walks evenly on a straight path?\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [The Holy Quran, 67: 22] The meaning of \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"walks evenly on a straight path\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" is that we should see - with open eyes, with wisdom and foresight and by considering all aspects - what the goal is, how we should achieve it and what the existing realities are. We should make a decision and move forward by paying attention to these things.
Today, you can see that different events are happening in our region. For several years up until today, global arrogance has chosen West Asia as a place where it can launch its attacks. But despite the presence of arrogant powers in the region and despite their activities, Islamic Awakening has emerged. And I will tell you that Islamic Awakening has not come to an end. It is not the case that we can think Islamic Awakening has been destroyed by the events which have taken place in a number of countries. Islamic Awakening is not like a mere political event or a coup d\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'état. It is not like a process in which power is transferred from one individual to another.
Islamic Awakening means the emergence of a kind of awareness and self-confidence which is based on Islam. Under certain circumstances, this Islamic Awakening created certain events in North Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and, before these countries, in Sudan. In other countries too, there is an enormous potential for such events.
We should not think that Islamic Awakening has been destroyed. Islamic Awakening is a reality which is hidden beneath the outer layers of Islamic societies. This is why the people in any country which claims to be oriented towards Islam vote for an Islamic government. This is a sign of people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s orientation towards and attention to Islam. Therefore, Islamic Awakening is a very great event and despite the efforts of global arrogance, this event has taken place. It was not what global arrogance wanted. Therefore, it is natural for the opposing side to react to it. Today, we are witnessing the reactions of the camp of the enemies. These reactions and responses can be seen in East Asia - that is to say, in Pakistan and Afghanistan - and the farthest corners of West Asia such as Syria and Lebanon.
Arrogant powers - the government of the United States of America being the outstanding power among these arrogant powers - have defined certain interests for themselves based on their colonial outlook. This outlook is the same as the colonial outlook which they adopted in the 19th century, but it has a different form. And they are trying to solve all the regional issues by promoting the interests which they have defined for themselves. They are doing the same thing in Syria and Bahrain. The presence of global arrogance in the region is one which is based on transgression, oppression and greed and which wants to destroy every resistance which is put up against arrogant powers. Of course, thankfully, they have not managed and will not manage to do this.
This region has enormous wealth and it has a very important geographical and natural location. Therefore, it is natural for them to pay attention to this region. If one takes a look at what they say and what they have already done, he will see that their goal is to possess and establish their domination over the region by making the Zionist regime play a pivotal role. They are after achieving this goal. As you can see, on the issue of the latest events in Syria, the excuse which they have recently made for their interference is the use of chemical weapons in this country. Of course, with sophistry and clever use of reasons, they are trying to pretend that they want to interfere on humanitarian grounds. Who in the world does not know that this is a false claim?
Undoubtedly, what is not important at all for American politicians is humanitarian needs. These are the people who kept, for many years, thousands of prisoners in Guantanamo prisons and, before that, in Abu Ghraib in Iraq while there were not any trials for these prisoners. They were imprisoned just because of certain allegations. A number of them are still in prison. Well, is this humanitarian? These are the people who saw the heavy bombardment [with chemical weapons] of the region - whether what happened in Iraq\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Halabja or what happened in our cities such as Sardasht and other cities - which was conducted by Saddam, but who did not at all react. Not only did they not react, but they also helped Saddam.
Given that the Americans did not help Saddam by giving him chemical weapons - of course, westerners gave him chemical weapons and there is no doubt about this because we have the information which is related to this issue - they at least saw what happened. They became aware of this, but they did not express any opposition. This is the way they show their humanitarian support.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, they fire a volley of bullets at wedding caravans and kill many people. In Iraq, they killed hundreds of thousands of people with oppressive measures. Today too, their agents are still doing the same things, but they behave in an indifferent way. No one in the world believes that the Americans care about humanitarian issues. Of course, they use sophistry and give clever reasons, but they say such things to justify their own moves. We believe that they are doing is a mistake. On this issue, they will receive a serious blow and they will feel it. They will definitely suffer a loss in this regard and there is no doubt about this. Well, this is the condition of the region.
The Islamic Republic was formed amid a whirlwind of events. At that time, it stood up against different hostile groups for many years. Not only was the Islamic Republic and its slogans not weakened and undermined, but it also became stronger, in the real sense of the word, on a daily basis. Today, the Islamic Republic is completely different - in terms of power, influence and domestic capabilities - from the Islamic Republic which existed 25, 30 years ago and today, its slogans are firm. Therefore, it should know what it wants to do by taking a look at its miraculous background and paying attention to the plots of the enemy in the region. Our responsibility, the responsibility of all the officials of the country and the responsibility of the Islamic Republic\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s government is to pay attention to three great criteria for all decisions and actions:
The first criterion is the ideals and goals of the Islamic Republic. These ideals and goals should never be ignored. We can refer to one of the most important ideals of the Islamic Republic in a short phrase: ‘Creating an Islamic civilization\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'. Islamic civilization means an environment in which we can achieve growth in spiritual and material areas and in which we can attain the ultimate goal for which Allah the Exalted has created us. It means living a good and dignified life. Islamic civilization means building a dignified, powerful, confident and innovative individual who can improve the natural world. This is the goal and ideal of the Islamic Republic.
The second criterion is the methods and guidelines which help us achieve these goals. These are general guidelines and they should be identified. These guidelines are relying on Islam and taking care not to become the oppressor or the oppressed in different interactions. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Be an enemy of tyrants and oppressors and be a friend and helper of those who are oppressed and tyrannized.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 47] This is a responsibility. This is a general guideline. Reliance on the votes of the people and reliance on what helps us establish democracy and other such things constitute the main policies and the major guidelines of the Islamic Republic for achieving ideals. Other guidelines are communal work, communal effort, communal innovation, national unity and other such things.
And the third criterion is taking realities into consideration. We should see realities. In a meeting which was held in the auspicious month of Ramadan, I said to officials of the Islamic Republic that what we need is a kind of idealism which takes realities into consideration. We should gain a proper understanding of realities. We should take a look at realities and see what our weak and strong points are and we should know what prevents us from moving forward. We should gain a proper understanding of realities. In that meeting, I referred to a number of sweet realities which exist in our country. We should not always take a look at our weak points and shortcomings.
The emergence of outstanding ideas and thoughts, the existence of active and innovative elements, the promotion of religious teachings and spiritual concepts among many youth, the preservation of religious and Islamic slogans, and the increasing influence of the Islamic Republic in the region and in the entire world constitute a number of the existing realities. These realities should be seen. Of course, besides these sweet realities, there are a number of bitter realities. This is similar to our [personal] lives which is a combination of sweetness and bitterness. By relying on and strengthening sweet realities, we should try to decrease bitter realities or make them fade away.
These three elements should receive attention. Ideals and the guidelines which are necessary to achieve these ideals should not be ignored. Of course, realities should be taken into consideration as well. If we do not take realities into consideration, we will not tread our path in the right way. However, realities should not prevent us from treading our path. If the existence of a rock makes us turn back from our path, we have made a mistake. Also, if the existence of this rock is ignored and if we tread the path in a careless way, we have made another mistake. But if we take a look and see what ways we can find around this rock or how we can take the rock away from our path, make a hole in it or find an alternative path, then we have adopted the right outlook on realities.
This is what our magnanimous Imam did in the first chapter of the Revolution - that is to say during the first 10 years of the Revolution which were very fateful and sensitive years. Our magnanimous Imam did not close his eyes to realities, but he did not back down and did not forget about the guidelines either. You should take a look at Imam\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s life and slogans. Our magnanimous Imam was a person who was not afraid of anyone on the issue of the Zionist regime. The idea that the Zionist regime is a cancer and should be destroyed was expressed by Imam. He was not afraid of anyone on the issue of the evil, arrogant and meddling moves of America. It was Imam who said, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"America is the Great Satan.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" It was Imam who said, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"The attack of Muslim youth and Muslim students on the U.S. embassy and taking their documents and tools - which were used for spying - is like conducting a second revolution and is perhaps better and more important than the first revolution\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\". These are the methods of Imam. One the issue of the war, he said, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"We fight until we end the fitna.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" This is what Imam said. Other people used to say, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"We should continue fighting until we can achieve victory.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" But Imam said that \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"We fight until we end the fitna.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" It was such resistance which strengthened the foundations of the Islamic Republic.
You can see what happened to those people who did not know this path, who acted in a different way in their own countries and who compromised their principles and forgot about their main slogans in order to please arrogant powers. If the slogan of fighting against Israel had been advocated in Egypt and if they had not accepted the false promises of America and its agents, the situation would definitely not have been like this. Today, the dictator of the Egyptian people, who destroyed their dignity for 30 years, has been released from prison and those who had been elected with the votes of the people may be sentenced to death.
If they had not done these things, such a situation would never have been brought about. If the elected officials had adopted proper positions, those who gathered around Tahrir Square and chanted slogans against the elected officials- half or more than half of them would have started to support these elected officials. That is to say, they were not the kind of people to confront and oppose the elected government, but when one stops adopting correct and appropriate positions, such things happen. These are things which should receive attention.
What we feel we should do to solve problems is that we should strengthen the Islamic Republic from inside the country. It is not only in this era that problems exist. Problems have always existed. Problems exist in all countries. If anyone thinks that there are no problems in such and such an advanced country, or in such and such a wealthy European or western country which is densely or sparsely populated, then they are wrong. Problems exist everywhere. Naturally, each nation faces certain problems when it wants to do something. The officials in such a country should solve the problems and move forward.
Now, some people may want to solve problems by asking for help, by relying on others, by bribing other people and by suffering humiliation. And a number of people may want to solve problems with their own power and with the capabilities which exist in their own country. We believe that we should strengthen the Islamic Republic from inside the country. This is the essence of our work. We should strengthen ourselves from the inside. It is possible to strengthen ourselves from inside the country by thinking rationally and adopting a wise outlook. It can be done by making scientific progress and by building economic infrastructures and managing economic issues in the right way. In my opinion, these are things which are possible.
Today, you can see that when they exert pressures on our oil industry, we will face certain problems. What is the reason for this? This is because since the war ended until today, we have not managed to reduce our dependence on oil. If we had reduced our dependence on oil, such pressures would not have brought about this situation. Therefore, we should take a look at ourselves and we should want to solve problems with our willpower.
Thankfully, there is a new administration in our country today. One of the advantages of the current condition is that a fresh administration has entered the arena. With new ideas and thoughts, with new innovations and with a competent group of people, it wants to carry out its responsibilities and move things forward. It wants to move towards the goals which it has highlighted. The honorable President is a cleric who is active and experienced in different revolutionary arenas. This is also one of the advantages which we enjoy today.
Naturally, all of us should help the administration. I think it is my responsibility to help. As we helped and supported all administrations, we will definitely help and support this administration as well. And officials will do this too. Of course, my support for different administrations does not mean that I agree with all the things that they do. In different eras, there were different administrations. We both supported and criticized all these administrations. But, such criticisms should not make us think that the administration is an outsider and it should not make us withdraw the support that we should provide to all administrations. It is necessary to provide such support and help. It is also necessary to pray for all administrations and offer our advice to them. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Advice is necessary for all believers\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [speaking in Arabic].
A friendly piece of advice may sometimes be offered in a harsh and severe way. I believe that if the officials who receive such a harsh and severe piece of advice think carefully, they will be happy to have received such advice. Even this harsh and severe piece of advice is to their advantage.
Anyway, when I take a look at the current conditions in the country, I see that the future is very promising despite the problems which were referred to by the friends in this meeting - of course, they did not refer to many of the existing problems. I see that we have a clear path ahead of us and we have clear and definite ideals. We know what we want to do. Also, the path to achieving these ideals is clear and well-defined and there is no ambiguity and confusion in our guidelines and it is clear what should be done.
During the recent years, it has become clear where alignments - on a regional and international level - lie. Of course, flexibility and clever maneuvers in all political arenas are good and acceptable, but such maneuvers should not make us cross certain red lines, stop pursuing the main guidelines and ignore ideals. These things should be observed. Of course, each administration and each individual uses specific methods and implements specific ideas and they move things forward with these ideas. I am completely optimistic and I believe that all the existing problems - including economic, political and security problems and cultural problems which are deeper and more important than economic problems although a number of economic problems have a higher priority - can be solved and the path to achieving this goal can be taken. I ask Allah the Exalted to help us do this.
There is a certain point that I have written down to discuss. You should pay attention to the fact that one of the main methods used by the enemies of Islam, particularly the enemies of the Islamic Republic in the region, is to create sectarian and denominational discord between Shia and Sunni Muslims. You should pay attention to this issue. There are two groups of people who have turned into the agents and mercenaries of the enemy. The first group is made up of a number of Sunni Muslims and the second group is made of a number of Shia Muslims. The first group engages in takfirism and has deviated from the essence of religion and the second group is made up of people who work for the enemy. In the name of Shia, these people provoke the feelings of other Muslims, justify their enmity and fuel the fire of fitna.
Each group, each institution and each government which is deceived by this great plot, which involves itself in this issue and which makes a mistake in this regard will certainly harm the Islamic movement and the Islamic government. Our country in particular will be harmed if this happens. I insist that outstanding ulama - whether Shia or Sunni ulama and whether those who live in Iran or those who live in other countries - should pay attention to the fact that differences between Islamic denominations should not make us create a new camp against ourselves. Such differences should not make us ignore the main enemy which is the enemy of the essence of Islam and the enemy of the independence and welfare of the people of the region.
I hope that Allah the Exalted will help all of us and I hope that all of you and us benefit from the blessings and prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).
Greetings be upon you and Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s mercy and blessings
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