LET THE CHURCH BELLS RING FOR THE DEPRIVED AND ABASED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
December 23, 1979
Imam Khomeini gave the following message on the occasion of Christmas. In this message, the Imam once again seriously condemns the U.S. government’s policy of criminal interference in the affairs of other countries and particularly, Iran. The Imam, in quoting some verses from the Qur’an and the Bible invites all of the Christians of the world, especially the Christian leaders and priests to support the rights of the deprived nations.
In the Name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate
O ye who believe! Always stand up for God, bearing witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Act ye equitably that is nearer to piety. Fear ye God. Verily God is aware of what ye do. (5:8)
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shag be filled. (Mathew, 5)
Blessed are those who endeavor for justice for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (Mathew, 5)
On the blessed occasion of Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ, the most respected Prophet who was appointed by God to support the oppressed and establish justice and mercy and through his divinely inspired words and angelic deeds, condemn oppressors and tyrants and support the oppressed, deprived and abased people, I offer my greetings to all of the Oppressed nations of the world, Christian nations and Christians of Iran and the rest of the world.
Fathers of the Church, O Christian clergy, and followers of Jesus Christ arise! Rise up and support the oppressed and deprived people of the world who have been seized by the claws of the arrogant. Let your church bells for once ring for the Oppressed people of Iran and for the, denunciation of the oppressors so that God's will be done and the edicts of Jesus Christ be obeyed. Carter, the leader of the oppressors of the world, has demanded that church bells throughout America, ring for the sake of spies against the oppressed people of Iran. It would be appropriate if you rang the church bells by the command of God and the edict of Jesus Christ for the deprived nations whose existence has fallen under the boots of Carter's executioners.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, who are trying to establish justice. Woe be unto those who, contrary to the edicts of Jesus Christ and all the prophets, labor on behalf of the oppressors and spies and trample on the rights of nations.
Nations and disciples of Jesus Christ, the spirit of God, arise! Rise and defend the honor of Jesus Christ and Christian nations. Do not allow your enemies to misuse the divine teachings and oppose heavenly decrees and misrepresent Christian nations and Christian spiritual leaders to the oppressed nations of the world.
Do not be deceived by the presence of the super-powers in churches and their praying for spies and traitors, who oppose the oppressed and deprived peoples. Their only thought is greater power and attaining leadership of the world which is in contrast to the divine teachings. Our nation has for years suffered in anguish from the hypocrisy of oppressors.
Nations of Christ! Ask yourself why it is that Mr. Carter did not pray and did not ask that church bells ring for the massacres in Iran, Vietnam, Palestine and Lebanon and other areas? But now, in order to be re-elected as President of the U.S. and in order to continue several more years of oppression against weaker nations, he prays and asks that the church bells ring out.
Fathers of the Church, arise! Rise and release Jesus Christ from the claws of these executioners because that great prophet resents the oppressor who uses religion as a means of oppression, who prays to ascend to the throne of oppression, who oppresses humanity. All divine teachings, descended from Heaven, are to save the oppressed peoples.
All deprived people of the world, arise! Rise and unite. Push the oppressors off the stage because the earth belongs to God and the deprived are its inheritors.
American people! Do not listen to the propaganda of Presidents because their only thought is to attain power. Rest assured that our youth treat the spies fairly because Islam commands one to have mercy upon captives, even if they are oppressors or spies.
American people! Demand Carter to hand over the criminal, the deposed shah, to Iran. He is the key to the release of the spies. Christians! Pray and ring your church bells and ask God to render your Presidents with justice and equity. Blessed are those who seek and pray for justice.
Peace be upon you, and the Mercy and Blessings of God.

EVERYTHING RELATING TO JESUS CHRIST WAS A MIRACLE
December 27, 1979
Imam Khomeini met with six Christian priests who had come to Iran to visit the hostages. At this meeting, Dr. Thomas Ericks, Georgetown University professor of Middle Eastern history, thanked the Iranian people for their hospitality. He said they had gone to the Behesht-i-Zahra Cemetery in Tehran to pray for the late Ayatollah Taleqani and the martyrs of the Iranian Revolution. He went on to say that he prayed to God to guide them to find other ways to face the present crisis in order to turn the current confrontation into cooperation. While humanity is going towards violence and war, the way of God is pointed towards peace and forgiveness. The Imam, in reply made the following comments.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Greetings to all the oppressed nations of the world, the Christian nations, and our Christian compatriots on the occasion of Christmas. Everything relating to Jesus Christ was a miracle. It was a miracle that he was born of a virgin mother. It was a miracle that he spoke in his cradle. It was a miracle that he brought humanity peace, happiness and spirituality. All the prophets were miracles, and they came to shape humanity. They all want humanity to take the straight, divine path, and for .everyone to live in peace, happiness and fraternity.
The people of the world are today afflicted by the great satanic powers who prevent the teachings of the prophets from being realized. The Christian clergy have many peculiarities, as the super-powers are Christians or lay claims to Christianity. In contradiction to the words of God the Almighty, the super-powers act against Jesus Christ's teachings. According to the teachings of Christ and Almighty God, the Christian clergy have a duty to wage a spiritual war against the superpowers who act contrary to the way of the prophets and the way of Christ.
You went to Behesht-i-Zahra and saw some of the martyrs’ graves. Wherever you go in Iran, you will see such graves. You have not seen our wounded. Everywhere in Iran you will see people who have lost their limbs or have been injured under the old regime and are unable to lead normal lives. I wish you Christian clergymen could stay in Iran for a while and travel to various towns, villages and hamlets to see the results of the crimes committed by the deposed shah who was Supported by American presidents. I wish you could go and see the crimes of those imposed on us by U.S. presidents.
But you can see what they did to our youths in underground cells just because our youth wanted independence for the country. Time is lacking now for even a brief account of the crimes they committed against our youths. Suffice it to say that they amputated the limbs of many of our youths, they charred or broiled many others, and cut off the limbs of many children in front of their parents so that the parents would confess. They did things which it would be shameful to tell. They did all this on the grounds that they were commissioned by the big powers, that they had a mission to fulfill in this country.
They committed crimes here and put the blame on the U.S. government for what they did. They did things to foul the name and holiness of Jesus Christ in the eyes of the people. Christian clergymen have a responsibility to rescue Jesus from this entanglement to which your presidents have brought him. Jesus looks to Christian clergymen and scholars. He is looking at you with intent eyes to see what you will do with these cruel people who acted like this towards others.
Have you ever brought up or discussed such crimes in your churches? Has the Pope ever done anything about these crimes? Has the Pope condemned us because we have kept the hostages? Does the Pope know what jobs these people had? Is it in keeping with the dignity of a clergyman to condemn an oppressed nation? Would it be justified to condemn a nation which was under the yoke of governments which only apparently adhered to Christianity? Did any person among the Christian clergy ever protest against the cruel crimes which were committed in Iran?
On the occasion of the birthday of Jesus Christ, we wrote an article about the crimes which had been committed in Iran, but to our regret we heard that the Pope would not approve the printing of our article. Why should the Christian clergy have such an attitude towards the oppressed peoples?
Why should the followers of the gospel of the Lord Jesus condemn us, and why should they be biased towards acts of cruelty? Are you not aware that they have plundered the wealth of this country? And that they have left behind a hungry nation? Do you not know that they subjected this nation to oppression and torture over a period of 50 years and that they robbed her whole wealth to pay the big powers? Does the Christian clergy not know that in blatant violation of the teachings of the prophets and of Jesus, Mr. Carter has frozen the assets of Iran in all banks? Do you realize how they want to exert pressure on an oppressed nation? Do you know that by his proposal for economic sanctions, Mr. Carter intends to kill a nation of 35 million by starvation.
Is the Pope aware of all this or has he been misinformed about events in Iran? If he is, it is a misery -for us, for the Christian world and for the Christian clergy, and if he is not, it is a disgrace for the Vatican. Why should you people who have come here not give an account of the issues here as you see them? Would the Vatican not rely on your words? Would the Vatican only accept reports from the big powers?
Are you aware of the U.S. mass media's war against us? Do you realize that all this propaganda in the United States is precisely against the demands of the oppressed people in the world? But you say it is not your responsibility to prevent all this misleading propaganda. The Pope apparently is not responsible for checking the acts of those who are waging war against us with their pens and by other practical means. If this is not his responsibility, then whose is it? Whoever on the earth should propagate Christianity? Whose duty is it to teach people the gospel?
But the sufferings here are varied and many and time is lacking for us to investigate the pains and afflictions of the oppressed nation. But I would like to send a message to the American nation, to the clergy in the United States and to the Christian clergy through you. I call on you all to save Christianity, to save the oppressed masses now, at this moment when the Messiah and Christianity are facing a challenge and so is the Pope.
On this holy day, which should be a day of peace, the U.S. president has started wars everywhere. He suppresses the oppressed while the Christian clergy are silent onlookers. May God Almighty save mankind from the evils of those who act against the Divine teachings, against the teachings of the Kingdom of Heaven and may God Almighty rescue the oppressed from the claws of the oppressors.
Peace be upon you, and the Mercy and Blessings of God.

LIBERATION MOVEMENT'S CONFERENCE CONVENES IN IRAN
January 6, 1980
The Six-day World Liberation Movement's Conference was attended by representatives of tens of liberations movements from different countries, who were invited by Muslim Students Adhering to the Imam's Line of Thought. The conference opened with a message from Imam Khomeini.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Now that a number of the Liberation Movements and a group who struggle in order to gain freedom have gathered together in Iran to see and understand our country at close hand, and sense our difficulties, it has been suggested that we send them a message.
I do not know where to begin. Should I begin with the difficulties that have been imposed upon our people throughout history and in particular, in the present century or should I begin with the difficulties which the arrogant and super-powers have imposed upon the deprived of the world? Whom should I cry out against? The men in power, the oppressors, the plunderers who bear witness to the crimes of oppressors and who do not rise up in revolt? Or should I complain of the people who have willingly consented to being slaves in the hands of foreigners and who do not follow the example of the bold and the brave people of Iran to defeat the super-powers? A nation which with its bare hands, but a sincere faith, has succeeded in bringing the criminal U.S. government to its knees, expel the ex-shah and which, God willing, will continue its struggle until such time as it puts an end to all manifestations of dependence. Or should I complain of the Islamic governments which have the weapon of oil at their disposal and other resources whereby they could make the West and East yield to them but who themselves do not use this weapon for freeing themselves from the yoke of the imperialism of the West or East?
Liberation movements and movements in pursuit of independence and freedom! Rise in revolt. Tell your own nations and Iranians that it is more disgraceful and shameful to submit to oppressions and cruelty than it is to do injustice to others. Tell your governments to rescue themselves from the self-imposed lassitude and abjection. Tell them to turn to Islam and to Islamic brotherhood.
Oh you downtrodden and oppressed masses of the world! Arise in revolt and rescue yourselves from the claws of the enemies of humanity. Do not continue to submit to injustice, for God will aid the oppressed.
Peace be upon you, and the Mercy and Blessings of God.

THE IRANIAN NATION SHOULD BE A MODEL FOR OTHER NATIONS
January 10, 1980
Representatives of the world liberation movements met with Imam Khomeini. In his speech to the visiting members of the liberation movements, the Imam said that the super-powers depend on the third world countries for much of their needs and that one day, if the countries of the third world would use the weapons which they already have at their disposal, the super-powers would be subjugated. The following is the text of the Imam's speech.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
I thank you very much gentlemen for having come here to see at close hand the conditions of the country. I am afraid, however, that you cannot see everything. For more than 50 years our nation has been embroiled in chaotic conditions that were created by two illegal and cruel rulers. One of them, Reza Khan, was imposed upon us by the British, and the second one by the three governments of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. One cannot enumerate the crimes that were committed against this nation during this past century since the documents of these criminal acts are not all available. There is not any one person who can claim to be cognizant of all the crimes that were committed in this country. Nobody knows, except for the men who ruled here in the past and except perhaps for their close relatives and the insiders. Therefore, it is impossible for you to witness the whole of the documents pertaining to such crimes. At best, you can only learn by word of mouth or you may perhaps have seen just a small group of the people who were injured and became invalids in their struggle against the past regime. But the nations of the east will not reach independence unless they realize that the east is a geographical area like any other place in the world and that they too are nations by no means inferior to any other nation.
The east has long since lost its identity in its confrontation with the west. The people of the east have lost their cultural identity.
They have lost the great culture of Islam which is by far superior to resources, but they have taken everything from you and above that, they have sowed discord among people. They have also beguiled our youth in two ways: first, they have distorted the culture of the east, and secondly, they have published their own ideologies which have even failed in their own countries. But due to their widespread propaganda, our youth have taken to these ideologies. In still another invasion, they established places for demoralizing our youth; the places which enchanted and attracted our youth and in which they gradually lost their identity. There were more places for moral corruption in Tehran than there were libraries. They deprived and stripped our youth of the power typical of the young people so that by denuding our youth from its necessary faculties, they could better plunder our wealth before the eyes of indifferent people.
This was the situation during the past regime. They had taken our youth to places of corruption. All newspapers and magazines here had devoted their whole effort to preaching corruption and so had our radio and television stations. The whole of our mass media had mobilized themselves for wasting our youth. Another plot for ruling the morality of our people was the spread of narcotics and alcohol in our country. Narcotics and alcohol were long in vogue among our youth for our enemies realized that and by making our youth addicted to such things, they could better continue to plunder our wealth. They did not want our youth to ask who was taking away our oil, or how much of it and why. They did not want our youth to ask why there was suppressed in the country and why there was no freedom for the people. Such were the plans and the conspiracies of imperialism for our country. They had invariably the same conspiracies for your countries. Therefore, it remains your duty as well as the duty of all other people who love their country, who love their nation, and who love Islam to eliminate all these symptoms which have become the principal problems of our countries. Your immediate concern should be to restore the misled brains to their normal course. The universities should provide proper education to the youth if their administrators have faith in Islam. We must do our best to rid our youth from this spirit which is commonly known here as 'westoxication'. It is unfortunate that the government seldom shows any concern with these issues. But if they love Islam and their country and their people, they should adopt a different attitude in their approach to the issues. The Muslim countries are vast and rich. They all need you. The super-powers need you. If any day you should use the weapons which you have at your disposal, your enemies would yield. But, despite all this, they continue to plunder our wealth while the governments have become subordinate to the super-powers. This situation now necessitates a reform which could elevate the people to virtues typical of the early Islamic period. Already, our people have become, to some extent, similar to the people of the early Islamic period and this same change was responsible for the triumph of our Revolution. The Iranian nation must serve as a model to other nations. If the people should all decide to find shelter under one single cause, that cause is Islam. The Muslims, with all the resources and wealth which they have, are destined to gain prestige in the entire world. But despite all this, the super-powers do not want such a status for Muslims. Therefore, it remains your duty to increase the consciousness of your people.
I pray to God Almighty for His awakening of the Muslim people and for Muslims to close ranks and feel like brothers and abandon all differences. I also hope that the governments will put an end to differences among themselves.
I hope that God Almighty will eliminate these problems and that the Muslim people will be a whole, unified mass throughout the world.
Peace be upon you, and the Mercy and Blessings of God.