\t\t\t\tMessage of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
\nPresident of the Islamic Republic of Iran
\nTo the American People<\/p>\n
\nIn the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
\nO, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all
\nby You, and make us among his followers.<\/p>\n
\nNoble Americans,
\nWere we not faced with the activities of the US administration in this part of the
\nworld and the negative ramifications of those activities on the daily lives of our
\npeoples, coupled with the many wars and calamities caused by the US
\nadministration as well as the tragic consequences of US interference in other
\ncountries;
\nWere the American people not God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking,
\nwhile the US administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any
\nobjective portrayal of current realities;
\nAnd if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom
\nand human dignity and integrity;
\nThen, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you.<\/p>\n
\nWhile Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far
\napart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit,
\nwhich proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought
\nour two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together.<\/p>\n
\nBoth our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, and both seek
\ndignity, respect and perfection.
\nBoth greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as
\ncompassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice
\nand equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and
\nbullies.<\/p>\n
\nWe are all inclined towards the good, and towards extending a helping hand to
\none another, particularly to those in need.
\nWe all deplore injustice, the trampling of peoples\u2019 rights and the intimidation and
\nhumiliation of human beings.
\nWe all detest darkness, deceit, lies and distortion, and seek and admire
\nsalvation, enlightenment, sincerity and honesty.
\nThe pure human essence of the two great nations of Iran and the United States
\ntestify to the veracity of these statements.
\nNoble Americans,
\nOur nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
\nHundreds of thousands of my Iranian compatriots are living amongst you in
\nfriendship and peace, and are contributing positively to your society. Our people
\nhave been in contact with you over the past many years and have maintained
\nthese contacts despite the unnecessary restrictions of US authorities.
\nAs mentioned, we have common concerns, face similar challenges, and are
\npained by the sufferings and afflictions in the world.
\nWe, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the
\nPalestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more
\nand more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad daylight,
\nin front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding
\ninnocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at
\nstudents in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief.
\nNo day goes by without a new crime.<\/p>\n
\nPalestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children,
\nand are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their
\nchildren. What mother wouldn\u2019t?
\nFor 60 years, the Zionist regime has driven millions of the inhabitants of
\nPalestine out of their homes. Many of these refugees have died in the Diaspora
\nand in refugee camps. Their children have spent their youth in these camps and
\nare aging while still in the hope of returning to homeland.<\/p>\n
\nYou know well that the US administration has persistently provided blind and
\nblanket support to the Zionist regime, has emboldened it to continue its crimes,
\nand has prevented the UN Security Council from condemning it.<\/p>\n
\nWho can deny such broken promises and grave injustices towards humanity by
\nthe US administration?
\nGovernments are there to serve their own people. No people wants to side with
\nor support any oppressors. But regrettably, the US administration disregards
\neven its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the
\ntrampling of the rights of the Palestinian people.
\nLet\u2019s take a look at Iraq. Since the commencement of the US military presence
\nin Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced.<\/p>\n
\nTerrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. With the presence of the US military
\nin Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or
\nto alleviate poverty. The US Government used the pretext of the existence of
\nweapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just
\na lie and a deception.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough Saddam was overthrown and people are happy about his departure,
\nthe pain and suffering of the Iraqi people has persisted and has even been
\naggravated.
\nIn Iraq, about one hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from
\ntheir families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current
\nUS administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded
\nand their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\nTheir mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their
\ndiscontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of
\nmiles away from US shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have
\nbeen sent to Iraq.<\/p>\n
\nI consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the
\nbillions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military
\nmisadventure.<\/p>\n
\nNoble Americans,
\nYou have heard that the US administration is kidnapping its presumed opponents
\nfrom across the globe and arbitrarily holding them without trial or any
\ninternational supervision in horrendous prisons that it has established in various
\nparts of the world. God knows who these detainees actually are, and what
\nterrible fate awaits them.
\nYou have certainly heard the sad stories of the Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib
\nprisons. The US administration attempts to justify them through its proclaimed
\n\u201cwar on terror.\u201d But every one knows that such behavior, in fact, offends global
\npublic opinion, exacerbates resentment and thereby spreads terrorism, and
\ntarnishes the US image and its credibility among nations.<\/p>\n
The US administration\u2019s illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to
\noutside its borders. You are witnessing daily that under the pretext of \u201cthe war on
\nterror,\u201d civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed. Even
\nthe privacy of individuals is fast losing its meaning. Judicial due process and
\nfundamental rights are trampled upon. Private phones are tapped, suspects are
\narbitrarily arrested, sometimes beaten in the streets, or even shot to death.
\nI have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and
\nindeed deplore it.<\/p>\n
\nThe US administration does not accept accountability before any organization,
\ninstitution or council. The US administration has undermined the credibility of
\ninternational organizations, particularly the United Nations and its Security
\nCouncil. But, I do not intend to address all the challenges and calamities in this
\nmessage.<\/p>\n
\nThe legitimacy, power and influence of a government do not emanate from its
\narsenals of tanks, fighter aircrafts, missiles or nuclear weapons. Legitimacy and
\ninfluence reside in sound logic, quest for justice and compassion and empathy
\nfor all humanity. The global position of the United States is in all probability
\nweakened because the administration has continued to resort to force, to conceal
\nthe truth, and to mislead the American people about its policies and practices.
\nUndoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they
\nshowed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the
\nmid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will
\nheed the message of the American people.
\nMy questions are the following:
\nIs there not a better approach to governance?
\nIs it not possible to put wealth and power in the service of peace, stability,
\nprosperity and the happiness of all peoples through a commitment to justice and
\nrespect for the rights of all nations, instead of aggression and war?<\/p>\n
\nWe all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent.
\nBut, can terrorism be contained and eradicated through war, destruction and the
\nkilling of hundreds of thousands of innocents?
\nIf that were possible, then why has the problem not been resolved?<\/p>\n
\nThe sad experience of invading Iraq is before us all.
\nWhat has blind support for the Zionists by the US administration brought for the
\nAmerican people? It is regrettable that for the US administration, the interests of
\nthese occupiers supersedes the interests of the American people and of the
\nother nations of the world.
\nWhat have the Zionists done for the American people that the US administration
\nconsiders itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors? Is it not
\nbecause they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking,
\nfinancial, cultural and media sectors?
\nI recommend that in a demonstration of respect for the American people and for
\nhumanity, the right of Palestinians to live in their own homeland should be
\nrecognized so that millions of Palestinian refugees can return to their homes and
\nthe future of all of Palestine and its form of government be determined in a
\nreferendum. This will benefit everyone.
\nNow that Iraq has a Constitution and an independent Assembly and Government,
\nwould it not be more beneficial to bring the US officers and soldiers home, and to
\nspend the astronomical US military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and
\nprosperity of the American people? As you know very well, many victims of
\nKatrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty
\nand homelessness.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019d also like to say a word to the winners of the recent elections in the US:
\nThe United States has had many administrations; some who have left a positive
\nlegacy, and others that are neither remembered fondly by the American people
\nnor by other nations.<\/p>\n
\nNow that you control an important branch of the US Government, you will also be
\nheld to account by the people and by history.
\nIf the US Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with
\nan approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past
\nafflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But
\nif the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American
\npeople would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent
\nelections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the
\ncurrent administration\u2019s policies. These issues had been extensively dealt with
\nin my letter to President Bush earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\nTo sum up:
\nIt is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one
\nof coercion, force and injustice.
\nIt is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and
\nhonesty and compassion.
\nIt is possible to provide welfare and prosperity without tension, threats, imposition
\nor war.<\/p>\n
\nIt is possible to lead the world towards the aspired perfection by adhering to
\nunity, monotheism, morality and spirituality and drawing upon the teachings of
\nthe Divine Prophets.
\nThen, the American people, who are God-fearing and followers of Divine
\nreligions, will overcome every difficulty.<\/p>\n
\nWhat I stated represents some of my anxieties and concerns.
\nI am confident that you, the American people, will play an instrumental role in the
\nestablishment of justice and spirituality throughout the world. The promises of
\nthe Almighty and His prophets will certainly be realized, Justice and Truth will
\nprevail and all nations will live a true life in a climate replete with love,
\ncompassion and fraternity.<\/p>\n
\nThe US governing establishment, the authorities and the powerful should not
\nchoose irreversible paths. As all prophets have taught us, injustice and
\ntransgression will eventually bring about decline and demise. Today, the path of
\nreturn to faith and spirituality is open and unimpeded.<\/p>\n
\nWe should all heed the Divine Word of the Holy Qur\u2019an:
\n\u201cBut those who repent, have faith and do good may receive Salvation. Your
\nLord, alone, creates and chooses as He will, and others have no part in His
\nchoice; Glorified is God and Exalted above any partners they ascribe to Him.\u201d
\n(28:67-68)<\/p>\n
\nI pray to the Almighty to bless the Iranian and American nations and indeed all
\nnations of the world with dignity and success.<\/p>\n
\nMahmoud Ahmadinejad
\nPresident of the Islamic Republic of Iran
\n29 November 2006<\/p>\n
Posted by: skip
\nViews: 8873
\nTopic:14\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Message of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of the Islamic Republic of Iran To the American People In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers. Noble Americans, Were we not faced with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}