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Full Translation of
Ahmadinejad's Speech
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/weekinreview/30iran.html?ex=1136782800&en=d932ad0feae2cdef&ei=5070
October 30 2005
This is a translation, by Nazila Fathi
in The New York Times Tehran bureau, of
the October 26 speech by President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to an Islamic
Student Associations conference on "The
World Without Zionism." The conference
was held in Tehran, at the Interior
Ministry.
The text of the speech was posted
online, in Persian, by the Iranian
Student News Agency
(
http://www.isnagency.com
). Bracketed explanatory material is
from Ms. Fathi.
I thank God that I have had the
opportunity to participate in the event
today ….
We need to examine the true origins of
the issue of Palestine: is it a fight
between a group of Muslims and non-Jews?
Is it a fight between Judaism and other
religions? Is it the fight of one
country with another country? Is it the
fight of one country with the Arab
world? Is it a fight over the land of
Palestine? I guess the answer to all
these questions is ‘no.’
The establishment of the occupying
regime of Qods [Jerusalem] was a major
move by the world oppressor [ the United
States] against the Islamic world. The
situation has changed in this historical
struggle. Sometimes the Muslims have won
and moved forward and the world
oppressor was forced to withdraw.
Unfortunately, the Islamic world has
been withdrawing in the past 300 years.
I do not want to examine the reasons for
this, but only to review the history.
The Islamic world lost its last defenses
in the past 100 years and the world
oppressor established the occupying
regime. Therefore the struggle in
Palestine today is the major front of
the struggle of the Islamic world with
the world oppressor and its fate will
decide the destiny of the struggles of
the past several hundred years.
The Palestinian nation represents the
Islamic nation [Umma] against a system
of oppression, and thank God, the
Palestinian nation adopted Islamic
behavior in an Islamic environment in
their struggle and so we have witnessed
their progress and success.
I need to thank you for choosing this
valuable title for the conference.
Many who are disappointed in the
struggle between the Islamic world and
the infidels have tried to spread the
blame. They say it is not possible to
have a world without the United States
and Zionism. But you know that this is a
possible goal and slogan.
Let’s take a step back. We had a hostile
regime in this country which was
undemocratic, armed to the teeth and,
with SAVAK, its security apparatus of
SAVAK [the intelligence bureau of the
Shah of Iran’s government] watched
everyone. An environment of terror
existed. When our dear Imam [Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder the
Iranian revolution] said that the regime
must be removed, many of those who
claimed to be politically well-informed
said it was not possible. All the
corrupt governments were in support of
the regime when Imam Khomeini started
his movement. All the Western and
Eastern countries supported the regime
even after the massacre of September 7
[1978] and said the removal of the
regime was not possible. But our people
resisted and it is 27 years now that we
have survived without a regime dependant
on the United States. The tyranny of the
East and the West over the world must
should end, but weak people who can see
only what lies in front of them cannot
believe this.
Who could believe that one day we could
witness the collapse of the Eastern
Empire? But we have seen its fall during
our lives and it collapsed in such a way
that we have to refer to libraries
because no trace of it is left. Imam
[Khomeini] said Saddam must go and he
said he would grow weaker than anyone
could imagine. Now you see the man who
spoke with such arrogance ten years ago
that one would have thought he was
immortal, is being tried in his own
country in handcuffs and shackles by
those who he believed supported him and
with whose backing he committed his
crimes.
Our dear Imam said that the occupying
regime must be wiped off the map and
this was a very wise statement. We
cannot compromise over the issue of
Palestine. Is it possible to create a
new front in the heart of an old front.
This would be a defeat and whoever
accepts the legitimacy of this regime
[Israel] has in fact, signed the defeat
of the Islamic world. Our dear Imam
targeted the heart of the world
oppressor in his struggle, meaning the
occupying regime. I have no doubt that
the new wave that has started in
Palestine, and we witness it in the
Islamic world too, will eliminate this
disgraceful stain from the Islamic
world. But we must be aware of tricks.
For over 50 years the world oppressor
tried to give legitimacy to the
occupying regime and it has taken
measures in this direction to stabilize
it. About 27 or 28 years ago they took a
major step and unfortunately one of the
leading countries made a mistake which
we hope will correct it.[an apparent
reference to the peace treaty between
Egypt and Israel].
Recently they [the Israelis] tried a new
trick. They want to show the evacuation
from the Gaza strip, which was imposed
on them by Palestinians, as a final
victory for the Palestinians and end the
issue of Palestine with the excuse of
establishing a Palestinian government
next to themselves. Today, they want to
involve Palestinians with mischief and
trick them into fighting with one
another over political positions so that
they would drop the issue of Palestine.
They want to convince some of the
Islamic countries that, since they
evacuated the Gaza strip with good
intentions, the legitimacy of their
corrupt regime should be recognized. I
hope Palestinian groups and people are
aware of this trick.
The issue of Palestine is not over at
all. It will be over the day a
Palestinian government, which belongs to
the Palestinian people, comes to power;
the day that all refugees return to
their homes; a democratic government
elected by the people comes to power. Of
course those who have come from far away
to plunder this land have no right to
choose for this nation.
I hope the Palestinian people will
remain alert and aware in the same way
that they have continued their struggle
in the past ten years.
If we get through this brief period
successfully, the path of eliminating
the occupying regime will be easy and
down-hill.
I warn all leaders of the Islamic world
that they should be aware of this trick.
Anyone who recognizes this regime
because of the pressure of the World
oppressor, or because of naiveté or
selfishness, will be eternally disgraced
and will burn in the fury of the Islamic
nations.
Those who are sitting in closed rooms
cannot decide for the Islamic nation and
cannot allow this historical enemy to
exist in the heart of the Islamic world.
Also see:
Iran's Threat to
Israel
Was Ahmadinejad
Misquoted?
Iran's Leader
Calls for Israel's Destruction
World Leaders
Condemn Iran's Threat to Israel
Iran's President
Wishes Sharon to Die
Ahmadinejad
Threatens Israel Again
Eye on Iran: Why
Israel? Why Now?
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