My dear compatriots, the noble people of Iran,
I salute each and every one of you,
For over 21 years, a treacherous, inhumane and unpopular regime has ruled our nation. For over 21 years the clerical rulers of this regime have resorted to deception and demagoguery – pillaged our heritage and trampled upon our national pride. They have ruined the lives of millions of Iranians by bringing poverty, misery and disorder to our nation.
In all these bitter and horrific years, thousands upon thousands of Iranians lost their lives either in the senseless persistence of the war or in the dungeons of this regime – agonizing millions of their loved ones who are still in mourning. In all these years, suffering from the pains of exile, I have also felt your hardships with every inch of my soul. As part of my national duties, I have tried diligently to voice and reflect your aspirations in the world community, along with the injustice you have endured, inside our imprisoned homeland.
My compatriots,
Today your numerous messages, coming to me from the most remote places in Iran, have reiterated my hope in a national unity, which indeed, is the cornerstone for our liberty. It is based on this support and collective will, which I wish to convey to you the glad tidings that the days of our anguish and despair are numbered. Today, as a citizen of Iran, who bears greater responsibility, as a freedom-loving combatant, I have, with every segment of my soul, belief, and will, realized that we are only a few steps away from the gates of liberty.
In these moments, in these trying and sensitive times, more than ever, I sense the oneness with you – my sisters and brothers. With an unswerving belief in your resilience & freedom loving spirit, I have no doubt that the courageous sons and daughters of Iran will indeed take these few & final steps needed to bring back prosperity, tranquility and liberty to our nation. This regime, this benighted era and this un-Iranian system will be uprooted and the Almighty will assist us in this noble path.
My compatriots,
We are turning a decisive and sensitive corner in our struggle for freedom, finally reaching that pinnacle of victory after 21 years of opposing the injustice in our motherland – making our individual responsibilities and actions ever so crucial, momentous and conclusive.
With that in mind, I intend to have a dialogue with each and every one of you:
With you grieving & bereaved mothers and fathers, who lost your gallant children in the aimless continuation of the war, in foreign sand dunes, with you whom your dear ones were executed in the dungeons of this un-Iranian regime and are now buried in unmarked graves….
With you sisters, mothers and courageous Iranian women who have suffered from injustice and prejudice for over 21 years while your most basic rights are ignored and trampled upon…
With the young sons and daughters of Iran, the youth – the same ones who have shaken the very foundation of the clerical regime. With you enlightened students who are the forerunners of struggle against the injustice in Iran. With you young ones who are the brunt of the most vicious attacks and machinations of the regime aimed to destroy your future – to drown you in the infested pool of drugs, indifference and aloofness…
With you teachers and professors who have lost access to your classrooms, they have silenced you so the lessons of history and science or the glory, the heritage and the pride in our motherland could wither away…
With you Iranian workers who have witnessed the pillage of your factories and products, your services to your nation in the past is being ignored, your labor is undone and thousands upon thousands in your ranks are facing the agony of unemployment – amplifying your current social dilemmas…
With you diligent government employees and technocrats who are the victims of 21 years of incompetence and corruption due to nepotism. You are witnessing the total decay of the governmental sector infested with bribery and dishonesty…
With you villagers and farmers of my nation, who in search of a better life, had to leave behind your blessed farmlands for the quagmire of the cities. Today, you have joined the ranks of thousands of city dwellers who face the daily struggles in search of their basic needs…
With you merchants and business owners, who better than anyone else, have the pulse of this economy in your hands – its daily decay is making you more concerned about its revival….
With those involved in the arts, with you men and women of the pen, who have labored courageously to intensify the voice of dissent, the lack of freedom of expression, has filled your hearts and souls with a sense of frustration and despair…
With you genuine clerics who are witnessing the weakening and decay of the moral fiber of the society in the hands of these incompetent theocrats – with you who see the extent of corruption, prostitution, drug addiction, and the collective distaste of the society toward religion – with you who are ready to pay your dues to your nation by supporting the frustrated populace and eventually pursuing your recognized role….
And finally with you officers, soldiers and revolutionary guards who safeguarded the honor and the territorial integrity of your motherland during the 8 year war, with you enlightened members of the Armed Forces who wish to rid yourself of this dead-end, looking for an the appropriate moment to join the ranks of your innocent, freedom loving brethren…
I am indeed talking to each and everyone of you – my brothers, sisters and compatriots. With a resounding belief I wish to remind all of you that a new era has commenced in the path to liberty, in the struggle to bring down this wall of injustice and tyranny – a struggle which will no doubt, end all indignities, grievances, pillages, and demagogueries….
My compatriots,
Today, for every enlightened Iranian, it is clear as daylight that any hope in this regime, in its constitution, or its “reformist left” or “conservative right wing”, is indeed futile and wishful thinking – resulting in further waste of time and more detriments to our national psyche.
Today we are cognizant of the fact that this obscurantist and theocratic system, under no pretext, no reform or effort could make itself compatible with our national interests and/or our democratic ideals.
Today we have learned that the various entities of this regime: i.e. its institution of Presidency, its Islamic Parliament and its Judiciary, are merely tools of deception and demagoguery in the hands of a certain clique and a few anti-Iranian officials who have wrecked and pillaged the national resources and have done as they have pleased in the last 21 years.
When they deemed necessary, in a matter of a few months, they ruthlessly ordered the execution of thousands of young Iranians who were imprisoned in their dungeons– burying them in unmarked graveyards. When Iranians, from inside or in exile, dared to speak up against this tyranny, the regime either ripped their hearts apart, slit their throats or resorted to horrific serial murders, adding yet more badges of shame to the dismal report card of their anti-Iranian regime.
When a newspaper or a publication, even tacitly, made any reference to the sad state of affairs, the regime did not hesitate to shut them down. When writers spoke of liberty and human rights, they imprisoned them, tortured them and accused them of treachery and treason.
This is not the entirety of this regime’s report card. Today, the agony of unemployment has added insult to the injury, causing further despair amongst the youth. Today, poverty and disease is rampant in Iran. Inflation, pollution, contagious diseases, deforestation, water pollution in lakes and dams and the destruction of natural resources are all badges of incompetence in this regime’s shameful report card.
Today the oil and gas resources of our nation are being pillaged and there are no checks and balances to halt this trend.
It is indeed crystal clear that this regime is quite incapable of reform. These theocrats expect you to remain silent and inactive as a sign of gratitude for the infrequent and meaningless freedoms, which they grant the populace, in the hopes of buying time and prolonging their rule.
My compatriots,
These are the vital questions; are the basic freedoms and rights of a nation up for negotiations and sale? Is the 21-year report card of this regime not enlightening enough? Should we still put any faith in the futile hope that a regime, which has been solely responsible for all the miseries of the Iranian people, would mutate or undergo reform? Do we not hear the confession of incompetence uttered by the forerunner of this so-called reform scheme?
My compatriots,
If the regime blames the machination of foreign powers or the internal ill wishers as the culprit for poverty, economic bankruptcy, unemployment and social disorders, they are openly and overtly resorting to falsehoods.
Those responsible for this impasse and this obsolete & faulty political system, are the same leaders that from the early days of the 1979 Revolution have succeeded in devising anti-Iranian policies, have ordered the numerous executions, and are the sole culprit for the pillaging of our national resources. These are the same planners and the same clique who are masquerading as reformists and moderates in order to paint the immutable and despotic nature of this regime with colors of democracy. All of this is aimed to slow down or postpone the struggles of the Iranian people via empty promises of reform.
Despotic, cruel and totalitarian regimes, have never abandoned the scepter of power because of reform. The annals of history only attest to the fact that dissent & persistent struggles have brought such systems to their knees.
The communist regimes did not leave the scene of power voluntarily. The racist minority in South Africa yielded to the will of the people, only because the persistent struggles of the oppressed majority left it with no choice. It was the same untiring and collective presence of the Yugoslavians in the scene of struggle which brought down the unpopular regime in that nation. In the like manner, the colonialism of the British was defeated by the zeal and resilience of the Indian populace.
All of this, points to another fact that harshness and bloodshed are not the essential ingredients for these struggles. Alertness, presence in the scene of dissenting demonstrations, public strikes, collective boycotts and most important, the sense of unity, sympathy and unanimity, in today’s world are far more effective means in defeating the totalitarian regimes – a process which has taken roots in our nation because of the free spirited psyche of Iranians.
My compatriots,
Today, in our country, a new breeze is forming, one which has the aroma of freedom and liberty. Today, we Iranians, especially our youth, are determined to take the helm of our nation’s deluged ship from the hands of the current misguided captains, and with foresight and valor, direct it to the shores of security, tranquility, dignity and liberty.
Today, I see the shores of freedom, clearer than ever before in the horizon. A horizon in which the kind hearted people of Iran, after enduring a gut wrenching experience, have commenced a prosperous life…in a progressive Iran….an Iran void of any spite or grudge – an Iran without executions – without torture – without political prisoners – powerful, rich, independent and dignified.
I have no doubt that with the aid of the Almighty, with the national will and resilience, with persistence in our struggle, we will indeed bring despair to the hearts of those ill-wishers of Iran which intend to prolong the life of this regime and will soon reach our goals in instituting a democratic, popularly elected system.
My sisters and brothers, I will soon, talk more with you regarding freeing our nation.
My sisters and brothers, let us believe in ourselves!
My hearts beats for the day, whence in my own country, a birthplace that its distance has agonized my heart and soul, I will get to revisit with all of you and witness the replacement of sorrow and sadness with joy, hope and happiness in your eyes.
That day is not far! I believe. I have faith! Because the Almighty is on our side! Because our own will and zeal is our guide!
Today! Unity Only!
May God protect Iran!
