Message to Scientific Elites and Sports Medalists

This is a translation of the original Persian text. Original text in Persian

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

These days, according to one of the narrations, coincide with the days of the martyrdom of the Mistress and Leader of the women of Paradise, the most pure and truthful one, Lady Fatimah Zahra (may God’s blessings and peace be upon her). How strange it is that the time of her martyrdom remains unknown, just as the honored burial place of that divine light has remained hidden, and, at a higher level, her worth and station likewise remain unknown and beyond human understanding. She is a model personality in worship, devotion, and servitude to God; the supreme example of special and all-round companionship with the Greatest Prophet and of wholehearted defense of the guardianship (wilayah) of the Commander of the Faithful (may God’s blessings and peace be upon them both and their household), of imparting knowledge and teaching, of discerning the right moment and rising for the truth, and of steadfastness and elucidation; the foremost exemplar of patience, sacrifice, selflessness, service without seeking gratitude, and solidarity in society; a model as a wife and mother and in raising children and the lineage of the Pure Imams (may God’s blessings and peace be upon them), who are the leaders of humanity; a model of effort, striving, struggle, purity, grace, piety, luminosity, and spirituality; and, in a word, an exemplar for all believing women and men. Among the shining virtues of the Fatimid community is that it opens to the revolutionary and Muslim nation of Iran the roadmap for great social movements, for presence in the arenas and fields of struggle, jihad, and popular movements, and even for the will to progress in scientific fields and in humble, unassuming service.

At this juncture, our dear Iran is above all a manifestation of will and hope, and the role of Iran’s elites and its talented and capable youth in this hope and progress, and in stepping onto the path toward its bright future, is unparalleled. Yet the geography of excellence is not confined to the realm of science and technology, or to sports and various skills. Any kind of positive and desirable distinction can bring excellence to realization. These days we are witnessing the excellence of select people of this land who, looking toward a broader horizon, strive for the exaltation of the sacred flag of their homeland. These are the elites of insight and jihad. We regard the likes of Rizali Khajavi and Ali Landi as elites whose names should be inscribed above the entrances of cultural venues; and among such choicest flowers of society are the martyrs and self-sacrificing veterans who, by sacrificing their lives and their health, left an extraordinary mark on the destiny of Islamic Iran and its dear nation, and received the medal of servitude from the One God they worship.

First, I take this opportunity to congratulate all the dear people of our country, and each and every one of those who have brought honor, on the many medals, distinctions, and scientific honors won at the Olympiads in astronomy and astrophysics, mathematics, earth sciences, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and artificial intelligence, and the humanities, as well as on the various recent sporting honors. I express my appreciation and gratitude for the determination and will of those leading the caravan of honor and hope and the standard-bearers of the country’s progress among all elite groups, from adolescents and youth to coaches, professors, and sages. The motivation and hope of the elites for transformation in the country is a blazing flame that I have witnessed from far and near over the past years and decades; and witnessing the great, hope-inspiring movement of the elites and of the scientific current in the country, and the manifestations of this movement in repeated, successive, and annual championships in scientific disciplines, Olympiads, and sports, is a source of honor and pride for the entire Iranian nation.

The brilliant rankings of our country’s hardworking athletes in various disciplines in recent days and months, and the new records they have set, attest to their effort, resolve, will, and faith. Those athletes who, through their physical strength, their spiritual, moral, and faith-based fortitude, and their continuous effort, add to the might of dear Iran before the eyes of all nations and display the vitality of the zealous Iranian nation to the whole world; those women athletes who make the honorable symbol of the Iranian woman’s dress shine throughout the world; those sports medalists who bring joy and enthusiasm to the heart of the Iranian nation and lend glory to the proud flag of Islamic Iran — each of them, in their own measure, has a share and an influence in giving meaning to a strong Iran.

Since these days are days of vitality and of attention to science and research in universities, Islamic seminaries, and schools, I deem it fitting to say a brief word on this subject to those who love knowledge, to the nation’s elites, and to the sages of dear Iran.

Excellence is a divine blessing and gift, and its principal substance is talent and intelligence — a great, God-given blessing and wealth that the Iranian nation, and especially our country’s youth, enjoys. Reason and servitude require that one properly give thanks for divine blessings; and if gratitude is expressed at all its levels — in the heart, in word, and in deed — the path toward the perfection of that blessing is paved. Appreciation of the blessing of excellence must likewise come first from the gifted person themselves, and then, at subsequent levels, from those around them — from father, mother, family, teacher, and professor to the school and university environment and the country’s system — so that this capacity may grow and increase and be put to proper use. Accordingly, the gifted person bears a heavier responsibility in thanking this blessing through action, and it is fitting that, in addition to empowering and developing their own excellence, they apply this talent in the best possible way to solving the problems of the country and of society.

An elite is not someone who, merely by possessing remarkable talent and intelligence, considers himself a class apart and thinks only of fleeting, personal desires; an elite is one who cares about the growth of his talent, defines himself as an influential element in society, and uses his talent and capacity for his own growth and that of his society at one and the same time. The Iranian elite has shown that knowledge and talent can be turned into a tool for solving the real problems of the people and the country, and that one can seek to put one’s science, knowledge, and excellence to practical use — from stem cells, nanotechnology, and biotechnology to advanced aerospace technologies, industry, mining, medicine, agriculture, nuclear technology, energy, and infrastructure. All of us see the effects and manifestations of this forward-moving movement in real life. Electricity generated with Iranian turbines in power plants; knowledge-based technology in the desalination plants of the southern islands; agricultural drones flying over the farms, orchards, and rice paddies of the north to optimize farming operations and the use of water and soil; the birth of children to infertile families through the advanced technologies of Royan; the diagnosis and treatment of intractable diseases with radiopharmaceuticals; the monitoring of land, water, and crops with remote-sensing satellites; and the improvement of productivity and food security through scientific and technological innovations are only a few examples that can be mentioned of this vast and fruitful body of work. Many other such achievements, especially in the defense and military fields, have in their time repeatedly astonished the world, and so it will be in the future as well.

A strong Iran rests upon scientific and technological power, and this axis is one of the most important components of Iran’s role in the equations of the new world order. Therefore, the key to making it ever stronger lies in the elites breaking boundaries and opening the way to solutions for the country’s scientific problems; and the malice and crimes of the enemies of Islamic Iran against its scientists and elites show the effective role the elites play in the country’s strength. The enemy that assassinates the distinguished scientists and influential elites of our society — in the second and third imposed wars, and indeed years before that, in their scientific settings and in their ordinary lives — cannot bear to see Iran’s progress and power, and uses all its tools and methods to weaken the elites of dear Iran: from spreading hopelessness and despair to seizing their minds and souls, swallowing them up in the digestive system of neo-colonialism, and turning them into nuts and bolts of the machine of Western plunder and capitalism. It is oblivious to the fact that every drop of the blood of this nation’s martyred elites, scientists, professors, university students, and schoolchildren has raised, and continues to raise, a storm of will and progress.

The Iranian nation remembers its ancient civilization, its varied honors in the sciences and arts, and its world-renowned luminaries and scientists, alongside two centuries of severe backwardness and the historical passivity of the Qajar and Pahlavi eras. This nation knows the worth and value of the victorious meta-strategy of «اَلعِلمُ سلطان» (Knowledge is power) and its results in rejecting the West’s scientific domination, and of the rapid scientific and research growth of the elites over the past three decades, a considerable part of which has been owed to the special measures and guidance of our great martyred Leader (may God sanctify his pure soul). If, before the current juncture and the third imposed war, a new scientific uprising was a necessary and essential recommendation for the elites, the experience of the two recent wars proved to everyone that this new scientific uprising must be deep and rapid. To this end, in addition to the officials of scientific, research, and technological bodies and centers, each and every one of the elites and sages of dear Iran must devote themselves to their principal mission of building the glorious future of Islamic Iran and its progress and prosperity, and take the following points into consideration:

First, there should be a serious, precise, and practical program for the growth of the basic sciences and the humanities in the country. The growth and development of the basic sciences, such as physics, chemistry, the life sciences, and mathematics, as the main foundations of other sciences and of applied technologies, drives the country’s scientific and technological progress. Every nation that has achieved anything has done so through the basic sciences, and a country that does not develop these sciences will always lag behind.

Second, focusing on undiscovered truths, breaking boundaries in the basic sciences, and a permanent race to solve the famous unsolved problems of these sciences, especially mathematics, as a goal and destination, should receive continuous attention.

Third, the key point in a scientific uprising is creativity and innovation. Giving scope to creativity and positive imagination, which is the main element of growth and breakthroughs in all or most sciences; scientific courage for invention, creation, and initiative; and increasing personal and national self-confidence to try new and untrodden paths are highly necessary and beneficial. Offering acceptable and attractive incentives to anyone who can present effective creativity helps lay the groundwork for this.

Fourth, self-reliance in solving scientific problems, providing infrastructure, and removing technological bottlenecks for activity and action beyond the country’s borders create a combination of internal structural strength and the opening of horizons at the global level.

Fifth, giving scope to the talent of elites in the experimental and practical disciplines — including by linking industry to the university from the very first years of study — and facilitating knowledge-based businesses play an important role in putting knowledge to use and in the growth of the elites. Aligning the country’s scientific and technological capacities and strengthening the bond between the elites and scientific and research centers on the one hand and knowledge-based companies, industries, and even start-ups on the other, alongside support from executive bodies for the chain from knowledge to consumption, centered on the important issues of the country today and tomorrow — from water, soil, food, and energy to artificial intelligence — can connect and transfer the work desks of professors and students from the laboratories of universities and research centers to workshops and factories. A rapid leap will be achieved if economic interests and the market for commercializing products and services are blended with the motivation and will of the elites, establishing a lasting and continuous connection between the institution of science and research and industry and the consumer market.

Likewise, the direct and effective involvement of elites from the various theoretical and experimental disciplines of the university and the seminary at the levels of planning and policymaking greatly contributes to the country’s progress, and officials have a duty to make ample use of the individual capacities and the rationality and collective wisdom of committed elites.

If this path is followed correctly, the center of gravity and the hubs of knowledge, especially in certain branches of the basic sciences, will gradually move from Western countries to Iran; in the not-too-distant future the country will become a scientific and technological point of reference, and the aforementioned goal of our wise and martyred Leader (may God elevate his noble station) that Persian become one of the world’s reference languages of science will be realized.

God willing, through the blessing of the blood of the martyrs of the field of excellence and the benevolent prayers of our Master and Lord (may God the Exalted hasten his noble reappearance), may the deep and rapid scientific uprising of the nation’s elites and sages, and the all-round progress of an ever stronger Iran toward the new Islamic-Iranian civilization, be realized and made possible.

Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
Aban 4, 1405