AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Shah Cheragh terrorist incident disgraced the “hypocritical and black-hearted” Americans.
The following is the full text of Imam Khamenei's speech in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, which was delivered when he met with a number of the families of the martyrs who were murdered in the Shahcheragh terrorist attack.
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the remaining vestige of God on earth.
I would like to welcome you all here. The tragic, yet glorious, tragedy that took place in the holy shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa Shahcheragh (pbuh), is one that will remain permanently in history. First of all, it carries great meaning. Secondly, it is something that will remain. It is not an incident that will be forgotten anytime soon in Iran’s history. Ahmad ibn Musa himself was martyred. His honorable brother, Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (pbuh), was also martyred. They martyred them so that their names and their memories would be forgotten. But were they forgotten? Was Imam Reza forgotten? Was Shahcheragh forgotten? Much to the enemy’s dismay, the memories of [these two], their values, their status, and the greatness of God’s mercy on them is becoming more apparent with each passing day.
Of course, the families [of the victims] are grieving. We understand that completely. They have lost their loved ones, their children, even young children, their parents. There is no doubt about that. They are grieving. People’s hearts are aching for them, and so is mine. I too was greatly saddened by this tragedy, but in the face of this bereavement, there is a greatness, which is the grace that God will bestow on them and you – the loved ones they have left behind. To illustrate the large extent of God’s grace toward you, the Almighty God has stated the following in the Holy Quran, “It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy” (Quran 2:157). The word “they” here refers to people like you. It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy. God sends his greetings and blessings upon you, the families and the bereaved, who are mourning over the loss of these martyrs. They [the martyrs] themselves have an excellent status.
The enemy’s culpability in this case is different from many other acts of terrorism that have taken place inside the country. Sometimes they attack a military unit. On another occasion they might target a political group. That is one matter. [But] then they attack a number of pilgrims. It is not a political gathering, nor is it a battlefield. It is a place for making a pilgrimage. It is a place for seeking nearness to God. People went there from different places – from Tehran, from Hamedan, from Gilan Province, from Shiraz itself, from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province – to plead [with God], to have a quiet moment with God, and to confide in the Friends of God. Then they were attacked like that.
The enemy was totally disgraced in this case. Who is this enemy? Is the one who committed this crime the only enemy? He obviously is an enemy. He is a criminal. He is a treacherous criminal. But he was not the only one. There were people who were backing him. They say it was the “Daesh.” Well yes, but who created Daesh? Who created this dangerous creature? The US has clearly stated that they created Daesh. They explicitly stated this. Not now, seven or eight years ago they said they created Daesh. They are guilty – the ones who are holding up the flag of human rights.
May God curse these black-hearted, wretched liars. They act in that way, [but] speak in a different manner about human rights, the rights of women, and about various issues concerning humanity. They say one thing but act in a different manner. They were disgraced. They are totally hypocrites! And a person who is a hypocrite is an unbeliever. And an unbeliever is God’s enemy. They are God’s enemies. These [people] are unbelievers, hypocrites, and the enemies of God. They were disgraced in the tragedy that took place in the Shahcheragh shrine.
This tragedy must not be forgotten. Of course, it will not be forgotten. But even so, our cultural institutions, our media networks, and our artistic organizations need to preserve, give attention to, and show this event in the same way that they give attention to the Ashura tragedy and other historical events. They need to pass news of this on to future generations. We have had shortcomings in these areas. We have shortcomings when it comes to the media, the spreading of information, and to exposing events. Many of our youth are unaware of the events that took place 20 years ago. They do not know about the crimes committed by the MEK [terrorists].
During the month of Ramadan [in 1960] in this same city of Shiraz, a number of MEK terrorists broke into that honorable doctor’s [Dr. Mohammad Hassan Taheri’s] house at the time for breaking the fast and showered him [and his family] with bullets. During the month of Ramadan in Shiraz! I visited their home a while later. Unfortunately, our younger generation is unaware of many of these events. We have not worked hard enough [to raise awareness] in these areas. Those who work in the field of the arts should work on this. Now, you younger people who are here today, those of you who are talented in the field of the arts, the media, writing, and raising awareness in people, I want you to remember that these things are some of our obligatory duties.
Anyway, I would like to once again extend my condolences to all of you, the families of these noble martyrs. I would like to offer both my condolences and my congratulations. You should be congratulated. These [martyrs] have attained a high status, both the children and the adults. There were children among them, adults, the young, women, men, city people, and villagers. They all attained high positions. That is truly something to be congratulated about, and [of course] please accept my condolences too. God willing, may God grant you patience and reward you.
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