RNA – In a meeting marking Basij Week with the commander of Imam Husayn Brigades and a number of the Basiji paramilitary volunteer militia in the holy city of Qom, Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad-Ali Alavi-Gorgani, said, “The issue of the Basij is very important and the brothers of the Basij must be aware and clear in this regard in order to understand what the main purpose of the Basij has been.”
The Basij or “The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed” is one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by order of Ayatollah Khomeyni, the late founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
The distinguished teacher in the Islamic Seminary of Qom said that the Basij is a universal organ and doesn’t belong to a particular people – minorities also benefit from the existence of the Basij and in terms of significance and organization, it’s a general title that takes all characteristics into consideration.”
He stated that the Basij is like a vein that has the task of supplying blood to all parts of the body and added, “The Basij exists in all the members of this holy system and no one can prevent it and confront it. The Basij belongs to nation and the system and the people act in this regard.”
Referring to the verses of the Holy Quran, Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani emphasized, “For the two classes in Islamic society, responsibilities exist. One class is the messengers and prophets who are commanded by Almighty God, and the second class is the people in the community who continue the path of the prophets. The Basijis are the second class and they must have an Islamic commitment to implement the goals of the system in a good manner.”
His Eminence stated that Basij was established on the orders of Imam Khomeyni after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and it remains to this day, and said, “The Basij is a divine blessing and the Basijis believe in the system, Islam and the Islamic Revolution and they are present everywhere so that they can strengthen this sacred system.”
Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani emphasized that the value of the blessings of the Basij must be taken into consideration, “The Basijis and the nation of Basijis must be under the shadow of the system and the Islamic Revolution and take full advantage of the blessings of the holy system of the Islamic Republic.”
He argued that we must achieve the building of a Islamic system that is accepted by the Imam of the Time [Imam al-Mahdi], adding, “The enemies are always awake and aware and attacks us many times from all sides. We must be careful that a neglectful sleep doesn’t overtake us.”
The senior source of emulation emphasized that the lofty goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran must be put into practice and said, “In Surah al-A’raf [The Heights], God says that the prophets and the public will be asked how they acted. The Basij are responsible to convey the message of truth to humanity.”
In conclusion, Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani wished for ever-increasing grace for the Basijis and said, “An invitation by the tongue isn’t enough and that this invitation must be in practice, In fact, the Basij should be based on the narration of Imam al-Sadiq. A Basiji is a deserving and necessary person from whom a society is taught and educated by.”