The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, met with members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. During this meeting he stated that the Council’s main role is to guide the culture of the people in Iran.
Faraan: Imam Khamenei emphasized that it is necessary for the country’s cultural structure to undergo a revolutionary reconstruction. He said, “By observing and recognizing the weaknesses and false ideas in the culture in different areas, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution needs to provide wise solutions for propagating correct, bettering concepts.”
In the beginning of this meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the presence of prominent, elite experts in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and he said, “Despite the elevated, high status of the individuals present in this Council, the collective identity of the Supreme Council has not demonstrated itself in the way that is required. It is necessary for the Council to strengthen its influence in the country’s cultural affairs. Of course, the members of the Council have other jobs and it is not expected that they refrain from undertaking their main duties. However, we expect that they allocate a suitable, adequate amount of time for the Council’s affairs.”
Imam Khamenei also addressed the question concerning what the duties of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution are. He said, “The Council’s most important role and responsibility is to guide the culture in the country and society.” He emphasized that the method of cultural guidance by official organizations is different from cultural guidance by NGOs and grassroots organizations. He explained this by saying, “By correctly guiding thousands of NGOs and grassroots organizations that are undertaking diverse, extensive cultural activities, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution can prepare the foundation for the formation of a public movement with regard to important issues, such as spreading the culture of being satisfied and not wasting.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution believes that these kinds of public movements for raising people’s awareness and correcting wrong cultures are a part of cultural engineering. With regard to the guidance of government cultural organizations, he added, “In the case of organizations such as [the Ministry of] Culture and Islamic Guidance, [the Ministry of] Education, the Islamic Development Organization, and the IRIB, you cannot guide a culture by just issuing documents for reform. These documents must be realized and implemented, and the heads of the three Executive Branches need to be present in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in order to guarantee their implementation.”
Imam Khamenei also referred to the matters he spoke about last year during his meeting with Iran’s cabinet regarding the need for a revolutionary reconstruction of the country’s cultural structure. He said, “What is meant by ‘structure’ is the cultural structure of the society and the mentality and culture that governs it. In one word, it is the culture that people in society base their actions on in their individual and collective lives.”
He explained that the reason for a need for a revolutionary reconstruction of the cultural structure is due to the fact that the Islamic Revolution brought about miracles through the leadership of Imam Khomeini (ra) and the movement of the people, and it changed the political, cultural, and social foundations and false ideas that had ruled over people’s minds.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further stated that the culture of saying “We can’t” is one of the false ideas that prevailed in society prior to the Islamic Revolution. He said, “The Revolution gradually changed this mindset with its constructive work and creative movements, which led to major accomplishments, such as: the construction of dams, power plants, highways, oil and gas industry equipment, and many infrastructures. These projects were carried out by young, domestic experts.”
Imam Khamenei also stressed that the culture of “infatuation with the West” and even the use of foreign words to be another wrong culture that had been common in society. He explained that it was the Islamic Revolution that changed this incorrect mindset and transformed this culture into a culture of “objecting to the West.”
