The Determination of the Expediency of the Country is not by One Person (6 February 2010)

In an interview, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, the former president, while explaining the goals and principles of the Islamic Revolution, criticized the radical movements who interpret religion and freedom against each other. 

Then by comparing the Islamic Revolution to other recent revolutions said that this revolution was truly based on people’s will and had less financial and human costs, given that it overthrew a very powerful establishment.

Khatami restated that the main demand of the people was to be free from tyranny and foreign intervention. He said that what was unique about the Islamic Revolution was that the historic demands of the nation were linked to the historic identity of the nation and people asked their demands through religion; and religion was taken to mean such that it became the basis for freedom, independence, prosperity, and justice so that the Islamic Republic was born from the Islamic Revolution.

Then he added: “But we should not think that after the victory of the Islamic Revolution on February 11 everything is done, but the fact is that February 11 is only a beginning of the hard efforts of the people in order to achieve the goals and demands of the revolution.”

Khatami continued: “Reform is not separate from this path and that is why we believe that it has deep roots and cannot be eliminated.”

He also emphasized: “Expediency is not according to desire, to consider something for the expediency of the country if it is desirable to one, and consider it against the expediency if it is not desirable is wrong… Determining the expediency of the country is very delicate and specialized and naturally should be done by specialists, not only one individual or a specific trend of thought.”

By defending the track record of reform during his presidency and comparing it to the current critical situation of the country, Khatami suggested that there would be fair judgments on the reform era and its achievements and said: “Our goal during the reform era was a government based on people’s will and their votes and having a responsible government that would provide the tools for democracy and freedoms, to honor the dignity of all those who respect the constitution regardless of their views and opinions as well as the economic, social and cultural prosperity of the country, strengthening the foundations of international respect, and providing security for the nation and by the nation.”

 
Speaker or Agency: Mohammad Khatami

Title: The determination of the expediency of the country is not by one person

Language: English and Persian

Western Date: 6 February 2010

Persian Date: 17 Bahman 1388

Physical/Electronic Location: http://www.facebook.com/notes/mir-hossein-mousavi-myr-syn-mwswy/ktmytsky-mlt-swr-br-hdh-y-sk-w-y-slyqh-nystkhatamidetermining-the-expediency-of-/291072067605; http://www.parlemannews.ir/?n=8221 

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Translator: Facebook (unknown)

Date Translated: 6 February 2010

Tags: mohammad khatami, statement 

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