Iran, 2001

At the outset, Sir, I would

like to congratulate you on your election to the

presidency of the General Assembly. I would also like

to express my appreciation for the wise and persistent

efforts of the Secretary-General during the current

crucial world situation.

Human society stepped into the third millennium

with hopes and expectations. The United Nations

designated the last year of the twentieth century as the

International Year for the Culture of Peace and the first

year of the twenty-first century as the United Nations

Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. Today, however,

the world faces immense tragedies and grave concerns.

One of the most brutal and savage manifestations of

this was the terrorist attack against the American

people.

The decisive, immediate and unequivocal global

condemnation of the terrorist attacks of 11 September

represents the emergence of a public attitude and

common political will all over the world to counter

terrorism in all its manifestations, irrespective of

motives, perpetrators or victims. The Leader of the

Islamic Revolution of Iran spoke of the “jihad against

this evil phenomenon” so as to highlight the genuine

view of Islam and the Islamic Revolution vis-à-vis

terrorism and violence.

Immediately after the carnage of 11 September,

and in the name of the people and Government of the

Islamic Republic of Iran, I expressed sympathy with

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the American nation and all the victims of that criminal

act. And in the first days of the tragedy, in a letter to

the Secretary-General, I underlined that,

“Terrorism is the common problem of today’s

world. It threatens peace, liberty, spirituality,

knowledge, culture and global coexistence. A

sustainable solution to this hideous and dangerous

phenomenon requires vision, serious political will

and active participation and cooperation of all

members of the human society.”

The threat of terrorism should not be

underestimated, nor should its devastating

consequences be measured only in the visible realm of

politics. Terrorism is the chronic menace of our era,

rooted in the mentality of violence, the logic of might

and the practice of injustice and discrimination. When

spirituality, ethics and justice find no room in the

realms of politics, economics and culture, and when

discrimination, marginalization, exclusion and the

application of double standards push justice aside, the

world is bound to face alienation, despair, extremism

and lawlessness. In such a climate, terrorism finds

fertile ground for growth.

The disaster in the United States is so tragic and

grave that thinkers are urgently called on to engage in

deep reflection and dialogue on its real causes. For

many years, our great thinkers have cautioned us to

avoid submission to instrumental reasoning, warning of

the threats and tragedies that it could generate.

On the other hand, some of the great thinkers of

our time have ascribed atrocities such as fascism to the

reign of mythological speculation. They have attributed

the emergence of fascism not to the expansion of

rationality but to evading rationality and succumbing to

the reign of myth.

This does not mean that we will succumb to

mythical speculation if we do not want to. We have the

choice not to negate rationality. But at the same time,

we must also combine rationality with empathy, the

mind with the heart. Neither one can be without the

other. Neither one can be neglected. If it is, it will lead

to tragedy, no matter under what pretext, religion, race,

nationalism or any other nation. The same mythical

speculation is seen in modern cult ideology, which is a

form of rationality that is reduced to instrumental

reasoning and thereby stripped of all its moral and

human aspects. Religion, tradition, philosophy and art

descend to achieving only one goal, that of political

ends.

One of the most common features of these

ideologies, which is regrettably prevalent, is the

glorification of the self and the demonization of

opposing groups and ideas. The advocates of this

ideology in the West attribute to Islam, the religion of

humanity, compassion and justice, such labels as

terrorism. In the same manner, in parts of the Islamic

world, the West is equated with suppression. Such

polarization of the world and human beings would lead

to horrifying political and security consequences for

the whole world.

The world has yet to overcome the horror and

disbelief caused by the malicious terrorist attacks of 11

September against thousands of innocent people. At the

same time, the most destructive modern weapons are

being used in one of the most deprived parts of the

world against an oppressed and dispossessed people.

Once again, history repeats its sad experience that war

triggers war.

The time is ripe for us to analyse the history and

consequences of exclusionary ways of acting, to

initiate ways to engage intellectuals from different

cultures in dialogue and to encourage the public to

embark upon learning for the sake of dialogue and

dialogue for the sake of learning and to reinforce the

art of listening as sacred and invaluable.

Angry politicians should be prevented from

taking the initiative in ongoing developments. They

should be made to yield to the judgement of wisdom

and fairness.

The American nation has experienced one of the

most brutal forms of terrorism, in which the blind

hatred of terrorists has prevented the recovery of the

bodies of the victims of the 11 September tragedy.

Today, other nations walk hand in hand with the

American nation.

Today, beyond mere rhetoric, one can see the

convergence of the ideas of the peoples of the United

States and Iran, who have also experienced, in earlier

times, the mute but brutal massacre resulting from the

use of chemical weapons. This convergence of ideas

can also be discerned among all those refugees and

displaced persons who are victims of war, suppression

and terrorism — including State and non-State

terrorism — in Afghanistan and Palestine.

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We must have empathy for the suffering of people

everywhere: in occupied Palestine, oppressed

Afghanistan, New York, Washington or any corner of

the globe.

We shall rise to the challenge of promoting peace,

security and development among all nations on the

basis of justice, and we believe that in today’s

interconnected world, we cannot live in islands of

prosperity and progress while the rest of the world

suffers from increasing poverty, illiteracy, disease and

insecurity. Acquiescing to any act of terrorism,

anywhere in the world, is inconsistent with any

religious or ethical principle. Likewise, resorting to

violence and revenge to counter such acts could hardly

be justified because of ethical and humane

considerations. Lacing the sacred realm of religion

with violence and terror is a grave disservice to all

religions and their followers. The divine religions call

for peace, tolerance and compassion. They

unequivocally repudiate — in essence and appearance

— any thought or act of violence. I would like to quote

the late leader of the Islamic revolution, Imam

Khomeini, who said that “as followers of Islam, we

always oppose war and desire peace and tranquillity

among all States.”

Let us accept that no country in the world is

immune to terrorism. We should therefore seek

solutions at the highest possible level.

Today there is unprecedented momentum in the

world for combating terrorism, which should not be

lost. To this end, the United Nations can arrange and

guide a genuine and legitimate endeavour in the

international fight against terrorism. The Islamic

Republic of Iran is an active partner in this global

coalition and spares no effort for the success of the

international community in uprooting terrorism through

viable, just and non-discriminatory measures. By

articulating a comprehensive definition of terrorism,

the United Nations can overcome one of the major

historical hurdles to avoiding further misuse of that

term. The adoption of Security Council resolution 1373

(2001) and its effective implementation by all States

can be considered a first step for a coordinated

international campaign against terrorism. Moreover,

negotiations on the draft comprehensive convention on

terrorism, based on internationally accepted definitions

and principles, would provide an effective basis for

collective measures in this respect.

The 11 September attack indicated that the

division between centre and periphery can no longer

define the security order of the world today, for even

the most marginalized sectors might be able to inflict

blows on the biggest Powers. This development has

taken on all the more threatening dimensions in the

light of the emergence of the dangerous phenomenon

of bioterrorism.

The conflict-stricken regions of the world require

urgent and comprehensive attention. After decades of

war, insecurity and destruction, Afghanistan needs

order, law, security and stability. The ongoing military

operation in Afghanistan cannot, while inflicting

destruction and casualties, address the root causes of

the kind of terrorism that has been forced on the

defenceless people of that country. On the contrary: it

is more likely that the continuation of the current

military approach could incite sentiments that intensify

intolerance and violence in the region and the whole

world.

In the midst of the global terrorism crisis, the

world faces an intensive and severe kind of terrorism in

the Middle East. The occupation of the Palestinian

territories, the expulsion of the Palestinian people from

their homeland, the Judaization of Palestine — in

particular Al-Quds Al-Sharif — the building of illegal

settlements, the killing and terrorizing of defenceless

Palestinian civilians in their homeland, and the

destruction of historical sites, civil institutions and

residential areas are all examples of this phenomenon.

I would also like to underscore, on behalf of the

Group of 77, the significance of poverty alleviation

worldwide and the need for the support of the United

Nations. Poverty breeds violence and intolerance. The

recent slowdown in world economic growth and

development caused by the terrorist attacks further

aggravates the economic hardships of the developing

countries.

For a secure and hopeful life, the world therefore

needs innovative approaches and collective measures.

Let us therefore build a coalition for peace instead of

war and hostility. The initiative of dialogue among

civilizations is a step in this direction, and it offers a

new paradigm of interaction among nations and

cultures in a world that longs for peace and security.

Can the United Nations take the lead in devising

a programme to implement this fair and reasonable

approach and become the focus of a global coalition for

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peace based on justice? I have every confidence in the

wisdom and the will of the Secretary-General —

illustrated, inter alia, by the publication of a book,

entitled Crossing the Divide — to define a new

paradigm of dialogue among civilizations. World

public opinion is supportive of this proposal. The

adoption of the Global Agenda for Dialogue among

Civilizations yesterday represents a beginning for the

crystallization of this common desire and will of the

global community.

The achievements of the thirty-first United

Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) General Conference in

establishing dialogue among civilizations as one of its

strategic objectives and in adopting the Universal

Declaration on Cultural Diversity represent yet another

serious indication of this global trend, and I wish to

pay tribute to UNESCO and its Director-General. Will

politicians and statesmen also submit to this approach,

to prevent the transformation of the clash among States

into a clash among civilizations? I am hopeful; the

future will be the judge.