A letter from "my dear leader" for you. Message of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei To the Youth in Europe and North America. #LETTER4U www.khamenei.ir

1. InthenameofGod,theBeneficenttheMerciful
TotheYouthinEuropeandNorthAmerica,
TherecenteventsinFranceandsimilaronesinsomeotherWesterncountrieshaveconvincedmeto
directlytalktoyouaboutthem.Iamaddressingyou,[theyouth],notbecauseIoverlookyourparents,
ratheritisbecausethefutureofyournationsandcountrieswillbeinyourhands;andalsoIfindthatthe
senseofquestfortruthismorevigorousandattentiveinyourhearts.
Idon’taddressyourpoliticiansandstatesmeneitherinthiswritingbecauseIbelievethattheyhave
consciouslyseparatedtherouteofpoliticsfromthepathofrighteousnessandtruth.
IwouldliketotalktoyouaboutIslam,particularlytheimagethatispresentedtoyouasIslam.Many
attemptshavebeenmadeoverthepasttwodecades,almostsincethedisintegrationoftheSovietUnion,
toplacethisgreatreligionintheseatofahorrifyingenemy.Theprovocationofafeelingofhorrorand
hatredanditsutilizationhasunfortunatelyalongrecordinthepoliticalhistoryoftheWest.
Here,Idon’twanttodealwiththedifferentphobiaswithwhichtheWesternnationshavethusfarbeen
indoctrinated.Acursoryreviewofrecentcriticalstudiesofhistorywouldbringhometoyouthefactthat
theWesterngovernments’insincereandhypocriticaltreatmentofothernationsandcultureshasbeen
censuredinnewhistoriographies.
ThehistoriesoftheUnitedStatesandEuropeareashamedofslavery,embarrassedbythecolonialperiod
andchagrinedattheoppressionofpeopleofcolorandnon-Christians.Yourresearchersandhistoriansare
deeplyashamedofthebloodshedswroughtinthenameofreligionbetweentheCatholicsandProtestants
orinthenameofnationalityandethnicityduringtheFirstandSecondWorldWars.Thisapproachis
admirable.
Bymentioningafractionofthislonglist,Idon’twanttoreproachhistory;ratherIwouldlikeyoutoask
yourintellectualsastowhythepublicconscienceintheWestawakensandcomestoitssensesafteradelay
ofseveraldecadesorcenturies.Whyshouldtherevisionofcollectiveconscienceapplytothedistantpast
andnottothecurrentproblems?Whyisitthatattemptsaremadetopreventpublicawarenessregarding
animportantissuesuchasthetreatmentofIslamiccultureandthought?
Youknowwellthathumiliationandspreadinghatredandillusionaryfearofthe“other”havebeenthe
commonbaseofallthoseoppressiveprofiteers.Now,Iwouldlikeyoutoaskyourselfwhytheoldpolicy
ofspreading“phobia”andhatredhastargetedIslamandMuslimswithanunprecedentedintensity.Why
doesthepowerstructureintheworldwantIslamicthoughttobemarginalizedandremainlatent?What
conceptsandvaluesinIslamdisturbtheprogramsofthesuperpowersandwhatinterestsaresafeguarded
intheshadowofdistortingtheimageofIslam?Hence,myfirstrequestis:Studyandresearchthe
incentivesbehindthiswidespreadtarnishingoftheimageofIslam.
MessageofayatollahSeyyedAliKhamenei
LeaderofTheIslamicRepublicofIran21st
Jan.2015

2. Mysecondrequestisthatinreactiontothefloodofprejudgmentsanddisinformationcampaigns,tryto
gainadirectandfirsthandknowledgeofthisreligion.Therightlogicrequiresthatyouunderstandthe
natureandessenceofwhattheyarefrighteningyouaboutandwantyoutokeepawayfrom.
Idon’tinsistthatyouacceptmyreadingoranyotherreadingofIslam.WhatIwanttosayis:Don’tallow
thisdynamicandeffectiverealityintoday’sworldtobeintroducedtoyouthroughresentmentsand
prejudices.Don’tallowthemtohypocriticallyintroducetheirownrecruitedterroristsasrepresentativesof
Islam.
ReceiveknowledgeofIslamfromitsprimaryandoriginalsources.GaininformationaboutIslamthrough
theQur’anandthelifeofitsgreatProphet.Iwouldliketoaskyouwhetheryouhavedirectlyreadthe
Qur’anoftheMuslims.HaveyoustudiedtheteachingsoftheProphetofIslamandhishumane,ethical
doctrines?HaveyoueverreceivedthemessageofIslamfromanysourcesotherthanthemedia?
HaveyoueveraskedyourselfhowandonthebasisofwhichvalueshasIslamestablishedthegreatest
scientificandintellectualcivilizationoftheworldandraisedthemostdistinguishedscientistsand
intellectualsthroughoutseveralcenturies?
Iwouldlikeyounottoallowthederogatoryandoffensiveimage-buildingstocreateanemotionalgulf
betweenyouandthereality,takingawaythepossibilityofanimpartialjudgmentfromyou.Today,the
communicationmediahaveremovedthegeographicalborders.Hence,don’tallowthemtobesiegeyou
withinfabricatedandmentalborders.
Althoughnoonecanindividuallyfillthecreatedgaps,eachoneofyoucanconstructabridgeof
thoughtandfairnessoverthegapstoilluminateyourselfandyoursurroundingenvironment.Whilethis
preplannedchallengebetweenIslamandyou,theyouth,isundesirable,itcanraisenewquestionsin
yourcuriousandinquiringminds.Attemptstofindanswerstothesequestionswillprovideyouwithan
appropriateopportunitytodiscovernewtruths.
Therefore,don’tmisstheopportunitytogainproper,correctandunbiasedunderstandingofIslamsothat
hopefully,duetoyoursenseofresponsibilitytowardthetruth,futuregenerationswouldwritethehistory
ofthiscurrentinteractionbetweenIslamandtheWestwithaclearerconscienceandlesserresentment.
SeyyedAliKhamenei
21stJan.2015
MessageofayatollahSeyyedAliKhamenei
LeaderofTheIslamicRepublicofIran21st
Jan.2015