Islamic Republic Has Grown Stronger Day by Day: Leader
Speaking in a live televised speech on the anniversary of Imam Khomeini's (RA) demise on Friday, the Leader stated that Imam Khomeini’s great act was that he created and actualized this idea of an Islamic Republic and the base for the realization of that theory was his deep knowledge of Islam and people.
“Among the world's political systems, there is no system whose downfall has been anticipated as much as that of the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“Since day one, ill-wishers have said it would collapse in two months or so, but the Islamic Republic has grown stronger day by day,” he added, according to khameneni.ir.
“The key to the Islamic Republic's permanency is in the two words ‘Islamic’ and ‘republic’. Our magnanimous Imam's great act was that he created and actualized this idea of an Islamic Republic. The base for the realization of that theory was his deep knowledge of Islam and people.”
The Leader said despite many successive political, security, economic obstacles created for Iran, “the Islamic Republic today is more developed than 40 years ago and is ahead in all respects by the grace of God.”
Addressing the youth, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “You, the youth, who have not experienced the pre-Revolution era, it is hard for you to feel that era.”
He recollected that people played no role at all in their destiny, especially during the dark tyranny of the Pahlavi dynasty.
“The Imam brought the people to the field with a leaping movement. The nation believed in itself and the Imam used the great capacity of the nation's ability and will, and with his leadership and guidance, he was able to take it to a stage where he could do great things,” he added.
There was a time, the Leader continued, when the Islamic Republic was a sapling, and now it is a robust tree which cannot be uprooted by any storm.
Ayatollah Khamenei called Iran's religious democracy a “divine gift”, but warned of plots by the enemies to undermine it.
“Thank God, after the departure of the Imam, the Iranian nation preserved this divine gift and this religious democracy," he said.
“The enemies of Iran, who made all kinds of efforts to separate the people and make them lose belief in religious democracy, had their plot thwarted and every time they tried a new way they faced the steel barrier of the Iranian people,” the Leader said.
“It is the same today. The enemies are lying in ambush to drive a wedge between the people and the Islamic system, but they are facing the steel barrier of the Iranian people. They plotted both security and intellectual invasion, all of which failed.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said there are some people inside Iran, who either knowingly or unknowingly repeat the claims of the enemies.
“The idea that democracy does not go hand in hand with religion is also the claim of the enemies. Of course, some may say this out of negligence. They should know that this is the talk of the enemy and the enemy wants to eradicate Islam… It is a great mistake if we alienate democracy from Islamic thought and spirit.”
