Topic: Khatami's Address to the U.N. ( continued)

topic by
John Calvin
11/21/2001 (19:50)

And now, Mr. President and distinguished participants,
Allow me to speak here as a man form the East, the origin of brilliant civilizations and the birth place of Divine Prophets... Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad (peace be upon them all). I come from the noble land of Iran, representing a great and renowned nation, famous for its age old civilization as well as its distinguished contribution to the founding and expansion of the Islamic civilization; a nation that has survived the strong winds of despotism, reactionism and submission, relying on its cultural and human wealth; a nation which pioneered in the East the establishment of civil society and constitutional governments in the course its contemporary history, even though as a result of foreign interference deficiencies, at times it may have faltered in its course; a nation which has been at the forefront of the struggle for independence and against colonialism, though its national movement was subverted by a foreign orchestrated coup. And a nation which carries the torch of its popular revolution, not won by force of arms or a coup, but by dethroning of the regime of coup d'etat through the power of the 'word' and 'enlightenment'. In the course of its new experience, our nation has endured eight years of an imposed war, pressure, sanctions and various allegations. It has also fallen victim to terrorism, this ominous and sinister phenomenon of the twentieth century.

And today, the Iranian nation draws on its past to contemplate a better tomorrow while defying reactionary tendencies and, backed by principle and ideals rooted in its religious, national, historical and revolutionary heritage, and benefitting from positive achievements of contemporary civilization, marches, through trial and error, towards a promising future. The Islamic Revolution of the Iranian people was a revolt of reason against coercion and suppression. Certainly, a revolution which resorted to logic in the phase of destruction is much better disposed to resort to dialogue and reason in the phase of construction. Hence, it calls for a dialogue among civilizations and cultures instead of a clash between them. From this rostrum and the pulpit of the United Nations, I announce that humanity, despite all calamities and hardships, is heading towards emancipation and liberty. This is the unalterable Divine providence and the course of history.

Mr. President,
The word 'history' predates 'philosophy' and man is the pillar of history. History itself is the reflection of the light of Being upon various facets and dimensions of human existence. Thus, it is a unique and universal entity, albeit diverse in nature. Whenever, this unique entity takes on a new guise, a new era is ushered. Our assessment of history indeed emanates from our perception of humanity-its pivot and pillar. Human beings, who is Saadi's eloquent description borrowed form a saying of the holy Prophet of Islam, are various organs of the same body, are outside the reach of biology or psychology. Understanding human beings requires a philosophical and reflective view of man and its history. Since 'God created man with His own hand,' and in 'His own image,' and since He breathed into him of 'His own spirit,' humanity is but a single entity, and so is human history. The 'Hand of God' granted humankind history, will and freedom of choice; the 'image of God' provided him culture, spirituality and liberty; and the spirit of God bestowed upon him life and vitality. And, thus, humans beings have come to posses history, culture and liberty. Not only do all human beings originate from the one and the same origin and share a continuous and integrated history, but also one may further postulate a single end or telos: the telos of history is none other than spiritual culture and its requisite of genuine human liberty. Whether or not subscribes to the view that man is doomed to whirl in iterative historical cycles, or to grapple with historical moments or epoches, and whether or not one holds history to be self-driven, or driven by human urges, or by modes of production, or by superhuman heroes, all can agree that it is only the ever-inspiring foundation of faith that breaks every old and new shackle from humanity and arrests the iterative eternal cycle, and eventually emancipate humankind from the bounds of historical determination; just as it is only the vivifying breeze of liberty that can offer faith and spirituality to humanity. It is thus that he can serenade that 'the universe I shall not abide if not abiding me.' or that '...whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass.' Through such an understanding of freedom the tenets of human dignity can be upheld in the face of political domination and virtue and hope against baneful blasts of despair and nihilism. Here, one can discern the trajectory of history towards liberty. ...