Emphasising the high capacity of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction in creating national convergence for the progress and prosperity of the country, the President said, “Far from developing an organisation with the lowest cost and the highest efficiency, the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction attaches the capacities of the country’s administrative structure alongside revolutionary institutions and popular jihadist groups so that a new work can be done for the development of the country, and promotes progress and justice”.
Speaking on Thursday at the first meeting of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction, Nomadic Affairs and Rural Development, Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi emphasised the necessity of coherence in jihadist work, and said, “Relying on the 43-year experience of the glorious Islamic Revolution, a new movement will be made with the revival of jihad of construction in the context of the Second Step of the Islamic Revolution that the great nation of Iran deserves and is in line with the orders of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution”.
Explaining the jihad of construction measures in the years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution and its impact on the development of the country, Ayatollah Raisi said, “Imam Khomeini (RA) was the flag-bearer of the jihad of construction movement, and at the same time, jihad of construction is rooted in the essence and identity of the Islamic Revolution, and accordingly, the revolution will never be separated from jihadist and constructive movements”.
Referring to the experience of the integration of jihad of construction and the Ministry of Agriculture at a point in the history of the revolution, the President said, “It was once thought that if jihad of construction and the Ministry of Agriculture were merged, jihadist movements would become more specialised and the Ministry of Agriculture would become more committed. At the same time, those concerned about the revolution were worried that with this integration, the movement of jihad of construction would be lost in the complex administrative system, and later it became clear that this concern was completely correct”.
The President stated that despite the integration of jihad of construction with the Ministry of Agriculture, jihadist movements in the society did not stop, adding, “Despite the integration, jihadist groups continued their activities spontaneously and by fire at will, but the problem was that they did not have the necessary coordination”.
Emphasising the necessity of forming a new mechanism to create coherence and coordination in the field of jihad of construction, the President said, “After the studies and reviews that were done, we came to the conclusion that the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction can guide and support future movements by using past experiences”.
Emphasising the special role of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction in coordinating jihadist activities and identifying needs and priorities, the President noted, “Production, creating employment and eliminating unemployment can be one of the axes of activity of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction, especially in rural areas and suburbs of cities”.
Referring to other target areas and frameworks of jihadist activity, Dr Raisi noted, “The scope of jihad of construction activities should include villages, outskirts of cities and some urban areas. The Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction should encourage and support jihadi groups. It is necessary to support anyone who is working with a jihadist motive so that his motive doesn’t get cold”.
Emphasising the necessity of continuation of jihadist movements and expanding the discourse of jihad of construction in the country, the President stated, “Jihad of construction is the essence of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution. Therefore, all those who are close to and interested in the revolution should join the many jihadist groups, actions and movements”.
The president called the progress of the country the most important activity of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction and acknowledged, “All this movement is towards the realisation of the progress that the leader of the revolution explained. We want our country to progress and this progress is formed in the light of justice”.
Dr Raisi added, “We want an advanced society whose progress is not only in the field of industries and production tools, but also in spirituality, ethics and justice. A developed society that lacks justice is not a society that follows Imam Ali’s (AS) teachings”.
Emphasising that Jihadi movements should be defined with the focus of progress and justice, the President stated, “We should compile a comprehensive document in the field of jihad of construction”.
Referring to the importance of prioritisation in the actions of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction, Dr Raisi said, “Naturally, the facilities of the country are not sufficient for all the needs, and therefore we have to prioritise the work”.
While stressing the importance of the role of revolutionary institutions in solving people’s problems, the President noted, “One of the advantages of the Supreme Council of Jihad of Construction is that it brings out the capacities of the country’s administrative structure alongside the institutions of the Islamic Revolution and popular jihadist groups to form new work using past experiences”.
Source: Presidency of Islamic Republic of Iran
