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August 22, 2016 Special Dispatch No. 6584

IRGC Deputy Commander Salami On The Might Of Iran's Islamic Revolution In The World And The West's Threats To Iran From Within And Without

August 22, 2016
Iran | Special Dispatch No. 6584

Last month, in a number of speeches, Hossein Salami, deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), focused on the might of Iran's Islamic Revolution at home and its impact on the region and on the world, and also on threats to it and to the Islamic world by the West and its agent - Sunni Saudi Arabia.

On July 4, 2016, at a Memories of the Iran-Iraq War conference, Salami attributed Islamic Iran's steadfastness to its independence from the superpowers, to global recognition of its greatness, and to its martyrs. He said that Iran is the only country that challenges the world order and does not submit to the dictates of the superpowers.

On August 4, 2016, Salami extolled Iran's Shi'ite Islamic Revolution which, he said, had launched a new era in Islam-West relations and had eradicated the remnants of the secret 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement between Britain and France. Iran's revolution, he said, had restored Islam's pride, which had been suppressed by the West. Salami noted that Islam is now spreading in the West, and that due to the wave of conversions to Islam in Britain, the number of Muslims there will equal the number of Christians by 2050. He added that the West, in order to repel this threat and to destroy the foundations of Islam, had invented the "takfiris" (a reference to fundamentalist Sunnis, in this case both the Saudis and the Islamic State, or ISIS), and these takfiris are now the greatest threat to Iran as well as to all of Islam.

Next in his speech, Salami urged the Sunnis to support the Shi'ite revolutionary doctrine led by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who, he said, "shines with divine light" and is as concerned about the Sunnis as he is about the Shi'ites. He also warned them that if they fail to support this revolutionary doctrine, more Sunnis than Shi'ites will die in the fitna hat is being advanced by the West.

On August 10, 2016, at the third national conference of online Islamic Revolution activists, Salami warned about the Western, and particularly American, cultural activity that Iranian society faces from the West that emanates from Hollywood and the Internet. He called this Western cultural activity part of an American plot to spread corrupt Western and American values in order to undermine the Islamic Revolution and destabilize Iran's socio-cultural structure.

The following are excerpts from Salami's speeches in the last month:

 
Hossein Salami (Source: Tasnimnews.com)

'Iran Today Is The Only Country That Refuses To Recognize The Unjust World Order And [Instead] Follows Its Own Just Norms' - July 4, 2016

At the July 4 Memories of the Iran-Iraq War conference, Salami said: "Security, tranquility, progress and all the lofty values for which Iran is known, are [achieved] thanks to the bodies and great spirit of the martyrs...

"Some countries are considered weak, humiliated, and dependent [on the superpowers]. They are like slaves in a slavery regime. Such countries operate according to the political will of other countries, and are considered [satellite] states on the political map of [their master] countries. Thus, they are essentially unfree and have no liberty.

"Prior to its revolution, Iran was in this situation, subjugated by the American plot - to the point where [our understanding of who was] friend or foe was determined by America's political will. But today, by the grace of God, we have regained the essence we lost, and we [now] figure prominently in the world. Today, Islamic Iran is recognized as an independent regime and a model for emulation, a country [characterized by] resistance, steadfastness, strength, and invincibility.

"Today in the world, Iran is depicted in terms of its resistance and stability against the superpowers, and as not impacted [by their decisions]. Today in the world, there is no criterion for describing the essence of nations other than their dependency on the world powers. Thanks to the blood of its martyrs, Islamic Iran has achieved independence and might, free of foreign [influence].

"Iran today is the only country that refuses to recognize the unjust official world order and [instead] follows its own just norms. All these blessed things were achieved by steadfastness against the pressures and the disasters that, for the past 38 years, have been inflicted upon this country and upon the spirit of the Iranian nation. Despite all these pressures, the strength of the Iranian nation has been so great that it presents itself to the world as a mighty nation."[1]

'The Arrogance Leverages All Its Potential To Preventing The Creation Of An Islamic Culture' - August 4, 2016

On August 4, 2016, Salami said in a speech at the Standard-Bearers of Wisdom conference in Kermanshah province: "The awakening in the Islamic world came with the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and the reality of the Koran is being carried out in accordance with it.

"Only the leader [Khamenei] stands against the complex plots of the world of arrogance and the mercenaries in the region. The defenders of the holy sites stand fast against the enemy plots, and transform every inch of the Islamic lands into a graveyard for the dreams of the arrogant [i.e. the U.S. and Western powers]...

"The Islamic Revolution is a philosophy that saves [humanity] from slavery to tyrants. Since France and England signed a pact to divide the Islamic world [a reference to the 1916 Sykes-Picot accord], disaster, poverty, slavery, backwardness, dependence, and acceptance of foreign rule have become reality in the annals of Islam. Parts of Islamic lands became entangled in the plot and fitna of these two countries. America and England implemented a policy of 'divide and conquer.'

"It has been revealed that during World War II, many Muslims in India were murdered by England. The aim of the arrogant ones was to establish the Jewish government in Palestine and to create fitna in all Islamic lands.

"[Iran's 1979] Islamic Revolution revived the buried essence of the Muslims. Before it, the rulers of the Islamic countries were marionettes controlled by the West, and had all manner of destructive Western cultural attributes, such as the sale of alcoholic beverages. If not for the Islamic Revolution, the Muslims' destiny would have been in thrall to the foreigners - that is, in thrall to foreigners, and to backwardness.

"Thanks to the Islamic Revolution, the Western control of Islam has been stopped. Today, Islam has begun its advance in the West, which is why the West has resorted to creating the takfiris in order to halt this advance and deface the attractive face of Islam.

"[Today] the most common name for boys in England is the name of the Prophet of Islam [Muhammad], and the most common name for girls is Fatima Zahra [Muhammad's daughter]. Every year, 50,000 Englishmen become Muslims, and in Europe thousands of mosques are built. In light of this collapse [of Christian dominance], by 2050, Muslims will number the same as Christians [there]. In the past, we would fight within our own borders, but now our battlefronts have been moved far away.

"The arrogance leverages all its potential to preventing the creation of an Islamic culture, because in this century Islam is the only religion that creates a regime. The arrogance knows that if it cannot confront this rising sun, the balance of power will shift towards Islam. No plot is more dangerous than the plot of depicting Islam as violent.

"The arrogance seeks to destroy the character of the youth, and America uses the creative power of Hollywood movies to spread murder, crime, and the collapse of the family unit. It seeks to conquer the minds of the youth with satellite [channels] and the Internet, and if we are not careful, this phenomenon will emerge in the Islamic countries [as well].

"We are in an all-out war, and therefore Muslim unity is vital. It is crucial to society's leaders that we spread the divine message and information on global issues.

"Iran is a safe country. In Iran, the divine light shines through the leader [Khamenei], and, thanks to the senior clerics and the unity of the people, there is safety in Iran. Like in the story of Abraham, flames surround Islamic Iran.[2]

"It is vital that we issue warnings about global events: Saudi Arabia is obeying the West and sowing strife in the Islamic world. Today, Islamic countries are afflicted with disunity and the absence of blessings from the leader [Khamenei]. The leader has no concern other than the honor of the Muslims. He sees no difference between Shi'ites and Sunnis, as most Palestinians and Syrians are Sunnis yet receive ongoing support from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"We have toiled greatly so that Iran will maintain its honor. Today, we are defending the honor of the people, and without this defense, the fire of fitna would be burning more Sunnis than Shi'ites. There is no difference between Shi'ites and Sunnis, and the enemies have no way of promoting their policy.

"Today, the Muslims are finding ways to vanquish the infidels, based on God's tradition."[3]  

Iran Is 'Waging A Great Cultural Jihad' - August 10, 2016

On August 10, Salami said at the third national conference of online Islamic Revolution activists: "It [gives me] great pride to stand alongside knowledgeable revolutionary young people who rose up to fight, in the cultural dimension, a major assault by the regime of tyranny and arrogance [i.e. the U.S.]. Now, the Islamic Republic is waging a great cultural jihad. We believe that in this historic period, the front of the Islamic Revolution has deep and wise insight in this field. We need to realize that in the first stage, we must plan to intensify our capabilities and our faith in order to win the current war...

"You, as online activists examining the enemy's strategy, [surely] understand how America can conquer the minds of the people. This is not a conquest of land, but a conquest of public opinion via the Internet... Today, you are on the most important frontline of the fight against the enemy. The enemy has very powerful online tools - but the content of these [tools] is very vulnerable. If you look at how Hollywood movies are made, you will discover how America is spreading its values to the whole world. These movies present moral decay, sexual violence, and crime.

"The collapse of the social order in the Western world has begun, and it is advancing eastward. Every year, over 33,000 young people commit suicide in America. This indicates a human crisis among young Westerners. The rise in divorce has broken records in America, and one in four students in America has an abortion...

"The letter sent by the leader [Khamenei] showed young Europeans and Westerners the true face of Islam. We must continue this work of online activism... We must know that the Internet is a vitally important foundation for fighting the enemy, in this great jihad."


Khmaenei's letter tweeted on Khamenei's @Letter4u_ir Twitter account, December 1, 2015.

"Western society believes that if you want to create pressure on a society, you must change its main structure - that is, its core values. Therefore, they analyze the 2009 fitna [post-election unrest]...

"It is overly naïve to think that the enemy is not looking for a scenario that is dangerous [for us], because the enemy wants the Islamic Republic to be passive. It wants to change our cultural and social roots.

"[The term] 'non-American Americans' refers to Iranian citizens who are essentially American. This is part of America's cultural plot against Iran. Therefore, we must fight it online."[4] 

 

Endnotes:

 

[1] ISNA (Iran), July 4, 2016.

[2] A reference to a Koranic story. King Nimrod attempted to slay Abraham with a sword, but divine fire surrounded Abraham and protected him.

[3] Javanonline.ir, August 4, 2016.

[4] Tasnim (Iran), August 10, 2016.

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