By:Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
     
There is a famous statement attributed to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) that once pointing to his prominent Iranian companion Salman Farsi, while foretelling events of the future, he said, if knowledge were to be found in the Pleiades his people (the Iranian Muslims) will acquire it.
It is obvious that Iranians have not yet reached that cherished goal, but the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 did transform the country from a western client state dependent on the mercy of the US, into a fully confident independent nation which over the past four decades has achieved astounding progress in almost all fields that were beyond imagination during the days of the British-installed Pahlavi regime.
The development of the Islamic Republic which has mastered the nuclear fuel cycle and nanotechnology, made breakthroughs in medical sciences and stem cells, achieved self-sufficiency in defence and other heavy industries, shattered the myth of invincibility of the US and the so-called big powers, helped regional countries defeat organized terrorism, promoted spiritual and religious values at home and abroad, inspired nations and freedom movements to rise up to reassert their denied rights, and is successfully exploring both outer-space and cyberspace, would have been more spectacular, had we heeded more attentively the guidelines of our divinely-inspired leadership.
A few days ago, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out in his televised speech on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadhan:"The holy Qur’an is our Excellent Guide and among its various directives for a virtuous life, including the courage to stand steadfastly against the oppressors, it teaches us to be fearless of the enemies.”
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei cited the practical precedent set by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), and by referring to the capture of the US den of espionage in Tehran in 1979 by revolutionary students, said: "He taught all of us not to be afraid of the big powers”.
The Leader, however, regretted: "We have seen certain cases where administrations in our country were afraid of the US and that fear created grave problems… although God says in the holy Qur’an (3:175): "So fear them not, and fear Me.”
His message to the nation for paving the path of progress towards the Pleiades, is thus clear, and yesterday in his videoconference with prominent manufacturing companies of the country on the occasion of Labour Week, he emphasized on his designation of the current calendar year as "Year of Production Leap”, by insisting on the Economy of Resistance in order to defeat the cowardly and criminal plots of the US, especially in the current state of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Leader said the Iranian economy is exposed to many natural and man-made viruses, but this does not mean there is any cause for despair for a nation which has successfully launched a crucial satellite into orbit.
In order to encourage officials and the public, he said: "Our economy might be afflicted by some natural microbes and viruses. Of course, there are man-made viruses as well. These are viruses such as sanctions and the current oil price. These are things that harm the economy; however, if we have a good, appropriate, and constantly developing production in the country, we can resist and overcome such viruses. Should we want to liken the economy to the human body, the defence system that provides the economy with security would be production, which means the element that can neutralize viruses and microbes targeting the economy and keep it healthy, is production.”
In pointing to the recent achievement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in launching the Nour Satellite into space, His Eminence stated: "Unfortunately, some people in the country constantly say that it’s impossible and that we can’t; however, we are perfectly capable. The reason for this is that when we are capable of launching a satellite into space with a speed of 7,500 m/s, can successfully put the satellite in orbit, and can make great progress in the area of defense industries, we are equally capable of achieving a surge in production.”
He added, "The wisdom and thought that can build such a satellite and set the goal of launching another satellite with an orbit of 36,000 kilometers, definitely has the spirit, innovation and creativity to build automobiles with a 5 L/100 km fuel consumption rate and to develop other areas of production.”
The most important point, however, stressed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in his latest nationwide address for revolutionizing the economy and evolving Iran into the predicted state on the path of progress towards the Pleiades is "genuine cooperation between employees and their employers, which requires respect for the natural rights of the workforce – in other words, fair wages and regular, on time payments.”
This requires soul-searching for officials and entrepreneurs, whether they are really respecting the rights of the workforce and the professionals including the journalists and investigative analysts, whose selfless efforts are quite often ignored in a country that ought to be adhering to the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an.