In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, upon his chosen companions and upon those who follow them until the Day of Judgment

The season of Hajj, which has always been coupled with a feeling of dignity, greatness and blossoming in the world of Islam, has been afflicted with sorrow this year as believers are subjected to a harsh separation from it. Hearts are stricken with grief stemming from separation from the Ka’bah and the pledge of the prevented is accompanied by tears and sighs. This deprivation is a short-term one and by Allah’s favor and grace, it will not last long. However, the lesson that we learn from it – in other words, appreciating the great blessing of Hajj – should become eternal and we should liberate ourselves from ignorance with this lesson. This year, we should tangibly feel and deliberate on, more than ever, the secret of the greatness and power of the Islamic Ummah, manifested with the magnificent gathering of believers in the sanctuary of the Ka’bah, in the Holy Shrine of the Holy Prophet (God’s greetings be upon him and his household) and in the Holy Shrines of the Imams (greetings be upon them).

Hajj is a unique obligation. Among Islamic obligations, it is the flower with a hundred petals. With it, all important individual, social, worldly, heavenly, historic and global aspects of religion are studied and reviewed. There is spirituality in it, but without any seclusion, isolation and reclusiveness. It involves congregation, but without any conflict, mudslinging and evil intentions. On the one hand, it involves psychological ecstasy resulting from supplication, transcendence and divine dhikr and on the other hand, it involves social contacts and social bonds. With one eye, hajjis watch their long-standing bond with history – with Ibrahim, with Ismael, with Hajjar and with the Messenger of God when he victoriously entered Masjid al-Haraam accompanied by a large group of early Islamic believers – and with the other eye, they watch their contemporary believers each of whom can stretch out a hand to help and to grab the rope that Allah has provided for believers.

Deliberation on the phenomenon of Hajj can help hajj pilgrims firmly believe that many ideals and aspirations of religion for humanity will not yield fruits without the cooperation, solidarity and camaraderie of the pious. Should this solidarity and cooperation come into being, then the subterfuges and tricks of the hostile enemies will not create big problems for the continuation of this path.

Hajj is a maneuver to show off one’s power in the face of the arrogant people who are the center of corruption, oppression, the destruction of the weak, and plunder. Today, the body and soul of the Islamic Ummah is covered with blood due to their oppression and their malevolence. Hajj is a manifestation of the hard and soft powers of the Islamic Ummah. This runs in the nature of Hajj. It is the soul of Hajj and it incorporates some of the most important goals of Hajj. This definition is one that our late Imam – the great Khomeini – described as “Ibrahimi Hajj”. If those in charge of Hajj – who refer to themselves as the servants of the two Holy Places – commit themselves to this manifestation of Hajj and if they choose divine satisfaction over pleasing the US government, this can solve great problems for the world of Islam. 

Today, as has been the case always and all the time, the Islamic Ummah’s interests clearly lie in unity: such a unity that forges a unanimous hand in the face of threats and enemies. Such a unity that can let out a thunderous cry at the embodiment of Satan – transgressing America – and at its mad dog, the Zionist regime. Such a unity that can resist bullying and thuggish behavior in a courageous manner. This is what the divine command means: “And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves” [The Holy Quran, 3: 103]. The Holy Quran defines the Islamic Ummah on the basis of this: “Those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, compassionate amongst each other” [The Holy Quran, 48: 29]. It also demands that the Islamic Ummah carry out the following obligations: “And incline not to those who do wrong” [11: 113], “And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way to triumph over the believers” [4: 141], “Fight the leaders of kufr” [9: 12] and finally, “Take not my enemies and yours as friends or protector.” [60: 1]. In order to identify the enemy, it issues the following command: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for your faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them” [60: 8]. These important and determining commands should never be left out of the ideological values of us Muslims and they should never be consigned to oblivion.

Today, the ground for bringing about this fundamental transformation is available, more than ever, to the Islamic Ummah, to sympathetic intellectuals and to those who have well intentions for the Ummah. Today, Islamic Awakening – in other words, the attention of Muslim intellectuals and youth to their ideological and spiritual assets – is an undeniable truth. Today, liberalism and communism, which were considered 50, 100 years ago as the most prominent achievements of western civilization – have completely lost their glamor and their fatal flaws have become visible. The system built on the basis of the latter has collapsed and the system founded on the basis of the former is struggling with deep crises and is on the verge of downfall.

Today, not only the cultural paradigm of the west – which stepped into the arena, from the beginning, with scandal and ignominy – but also its political and economic paradigm, its money-based democracy and its discriminatory capitalism, have shown their inefficiency and corruption.

Today, there are many intellectuals in the world of Islam who challenge all ideological and civilizational claims of the west with total honor, glory and dignity and who explicitly display Islamic alternatives. Today, even those western thinkers who would introduce liberalism, in the past, as the end of history have no option other than taking back their claims and acknowledging their sense of bewilderedness in theory and in practice. A perfunctory look at the streets of the US, at the behavior of US politicians towards their people, at the deep valley of class inequalities in that country, at the embarrassment and stupidity of those who have been chosen to run that country, at the dreadful racism there, at the cruelty of an officer who tortures an innocent individual to death on the street and does so in cold blood and in front of others, reveals the depth of the moral and social crisis in the western civilization and also the deviation and falsehood of its political and economic philosophy. The behavior of the US towards weak nations is an extension of the behavior of the police officer who puts his knees on the neck of a defenseless person of color, pressing so long until he dies. The other western governments are also the manifestation of this disastrous situation, each within the scope of their power and resources.

Ibrahimi hajj is a glorious Islamic phenomenon against this modern form of jahilliyah [ignorance]. Hajj is an invitation to Islam and it is a symbolic display of life in the Islamic community. This is a community in which the symbiosis of believers around the pivot of monotheism is the best sign. Refraining from tension and conflict, from discrimination and aristocratic privileges, from corruption and impurity, is the necessary precondition. Throwing stones at Satan, expressing one’s hatred of polytheists, establishing a close bond with the poor, helping the needy and displaying the signs of faith are among the main responsibilities of Muslims. And gaining access to public interests and benefits accompanied by the remembrance of God, expression of one’s gratitude to Him and being His humble servant are the mid-term and ultimate goals. This is a brief manifestation of the Islamic community as reflected in the mirror of Ibrahimi hajj. Comparisons with the reality of over-confident western societies fill the heart of every Muslim with the enthusiasm to work hard and to fight for the sake of building such a society.

With the guidance and leadership of the great Imam Khomeini, we people of Iran stepped onto this path and achieved success while we had such an enthusiasm. We do not claim that we have managed to achieve everything that we pursue and we like, but we claim that we have moved forward to a large extent on this path and that we have succeeded in overcoming many obstacles. In the shade of trust in Quranic promises, we have remained firm and strong. The greatest devil, bandit and traitor of our time – the US regime – has not managed to frighten us, to intimidate us with its deceptions and tricks and to prevent us from making worldly and otherworldly progress.

We consider all Muslim nations to be our brothers and we will behave in a kind and just manner towards the non-Muslims who have not participated in the camp of confrontation and hostility. We consider the grief and sorrow of Muslim societies as our own sorrow and grief and we will do our utmost to find a cure for it. Our eternal concerns are helping innocent Palestine and showing sympathy to the injured body of Yemen and to the consternations of Muslims subject to oppression in any part of the world. We also consider it our duty to offer words of advice to the heads of some Muslim countries who have resorted to the bosom of the enemy instead of relying on their Muslim brothers. They tolerate humiliation and bullying at the hands of the enemy just for the sake of temporary profits and they put the dignity and independence of their nations on auction. These are people who condone the survival of the usurping and oppressive Zionist regime and who extend their hand of friendship to them privately and openly. It is they to whom I am offering these words of advice and I warn them about the bitter consequences of this behavior.

We regard the presence of the US in West Asia as detrimental to regional nations and as a cause of insecurity, destruction and backwardness for countries. As for the current events in the US – the anti-discriminatory and anti-racial movement – our definite position is to support the people and to condemn the despicable behavior of the racist government in that country.

At the end of my statements, I wish to send my greetings to the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake), to commemorate the memory of our late Imam and to extend my greetings to the pure souls of the martyrs. And I also ask Allah the Exalted to help the Islamic Ummah to conduct a safe and blessed hajj pilgrimage – such a hajj pilgrimage that will please Him – in the near future.

Greetings be upon the righteous servants of God

 Sayyid Ali Khamenei

Mordad 7, 1399

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, upon his chosen companions and upon those who follow them until the Day of Judgment

The season of Hajj, which has always been coupled with a feeling of dignity, greatness and blossoming in the world of Islam, has been afflicted with sorrow this year as believers are subjected to a harsh separation from it. Hearts are stricken with grief stemming from separation from the Ka’bah and the pledge of the prevented is accompanied by tears and sighs. This deprivation is a short-term one and by Allah’s favor and grace, it will not last long. However, the lesson that we learn from it – in other words, appreciating the great blessing of Hajj – should become eternal and we should liberate ourselves from ignorance with this lesson. This year, we should tangibly feel and deliberate on, more than ever, the secret of the greatness and power of the Islamic Ummah, manifested with the magnificent gathering of believers in the sanctuary of the Ka’bah, in the Holy Shrine of the Holy Prophet (God’s greetings be upon him and his household) and in the Holy Shrines of the Imams (greetings be upon them).

Hajj is a unique obligation. Among Islamic obligations, it is the flower with a hundred petals. With it, all important individual, social, worldly, heavenly, historic and global aspects of religion are studied and reviewed. There is spirituality in it, but without any seclusion, isolation and reclusiveness. It involves congregation, but without any conflict, mudslinging and evil intentions. On the one hand, it involves psychological ecstasy resulting from supplication, transcendence and divine dhikr and on the other hand, it involves social contacts and social bonds. With one eye, hajjis watch their long-standing bond with history – with Ibrahim, with Ismael, with Hajjar and with the Messenger of God when he victoriously entered Masjid al-Haraam accompanied by a large group of early Islamic believers – and with the other eye, they watch their contemporary believers each of whom can stretch out a hand to help and to grab the rope that Allah has provided for believers.

Deliberation on the phenomenon of Hajj can help hajj pilgrims firmly believe that many ideals and aspirations of religion for humanity will not yield fruits without the cooperation, solidarity and camaraderie of the pious. Should this solidarity and cooperation come into being, then the subterfuges and tricks of the hostile enemies will not create big problems for the continuation of this path.

Hajj is a maneuver to show off one’s power in the face of the arrogant people who are the center of corruption, oppression, the destruction of the weak, and plunder. Today, the body and soul of the Islamic Ummah is covered with blood due to their oppression and their malevolence. Hajj is a manifestation of the hard and soft powers of the Islamic Ummah. This runs in the nature of Hajj. It is the soul of Hajj and it incorporates some of the most important goals of Hajj. This definition is one that our late Imam – the great Khomeini – described as “Ibrahimi Hajj”. If those in charge of Hajj – who refer to themselves as the servants of the two Holy Places – commit themselves to this manifestation of Hajj and if they choose divine satisfaction over pleasing the US government, this can solve great problems for the world of Islam. 

Today, as has been the case always and all the time, the Islamic Ummah’s interests clearly lie in unity: such a unity that forges a unanimous hand in the face of threats and enemies. Such a unity that can let out a thunderous cry at the embodiment of Satan – transgressing America – and at its mad dog, the Zionist regime. Such a unity that can resist bullying and thuggish behavior in a courageous manner. This is what the divine command means: “And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves” [The Holy Quran, 3: 103]. The Holy Quran defines the Islamic Ummah on the basis of this: “Those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, compassionate amongst each other” [The Holy Quran, 48: 29]. It also demands that the Islamic Ummah carry out the following obligations: “And incline not to those who do wrong” [11: 113], “And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way to triumph over the believers” [4: 141], “Fight the leaders of kufr” [9: 12] and finally, “Take not my enemies and yours as friends or protector.” [60: 1]. In order to identify the enemy, it issues the following command: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for your faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them” [60: 8]. These important and determining commands should never be left out of the ideological values of us Muslims and they should never be consigned to oblivion.

Today, the ground for bringing about this fundamental transformation is available, more than ever, to the Islamic Ummah, to sympathetic intellectuals and to those who have well intentions for the Ummah. Today, Islamic Awakening – in other words, the attention of Muslim intellectuals and youth to their ideological and spiritual assets – is an undeniable truth. Today, liberalism and communism, which were considered 50, 100 years ago as the most prominent achievements of western civilization – have completely lost their glamor and their fatal flaws have become visible. The system built on the basis of the latter has collapsed and the system founded on the basis of the former is struggling with deep crises and is on the verge of downfall.

Today, not only the cultural paradigm of the west – which stepped into the arena, from the beginning, with scandal and ignominy – but also its political and economic paradigm, its money-based democracy and its discriminatory capitalism, have shown their inefficiency and corruption.

Today, there are many intellectuals in the world of Islam who challenge all ideological and civilizational claims of the west with total honor, glory and dignity and who explicitly display Islamic alternatives. Today, even those western thinkers who would introduce liberalism, in the past, as the end of history have no option other than taking back their claims and acknowledging their sense of bewilderedness in theory and in practice. A perfunctory look at the streets of the US, at the behavior of US politicians towards their people, at the deep valley of class inequalities in that country, at the embarrassment and stupidity of those who have been chosen to run that country, at the dreadful racism there, at the cruelty of an officer who tortures an innocent individual to death on the street and does so in cold blood and in front of others, reveals the depth of the moral and social crisis in the western civilization and also the deviation and falsehood of its political and economic philosophy. The behavior of the US towards weak nations is an extension of the behavior of the police officer who puts his knees on the neck of a defenseless person of color, pressing so long until he dies. The other western governments are also the manifestation of this disastrous situation, each within the scope of their power and resources.

Ibrahimi hajj is a glorious Islamic phenomenon against this modern form of jahilliyah [ignorance]. Hajj is an invitation to Islam and it is a symbolic display of life in the Islamic community. This is a community in which the symbiosis of believers around the pivot of monotheism is the best sign. Refraining from tension and conflict, from discrimination and aristocratic privileges, from corruption and impurity, is the necessary precondition. Throwing stones at Satan, expressing one’s hatred of polytheists, establishing a close bond with the poor, helping the needy and displaying the signs of faith are among the main responsibilities of Muslims. And gaining access to public interests and benefits accompanied by the remembrance of God, expression of one’s gratitude to Him and being His humble servant are the mid-term and ultimate goals. This is a brief manifestation of the Islamic community as reflected in the mirror of Ibrahimi hajj. Comparisons with the reality of over-confident western societies fill the heart of every Muslim with the enthusiasm to work hard and to fight for the sake of building such a society.

With the guidance and leadership of the great Imam Khomeini, we people of Iran stepped onto this path and achieved success while we had such an enthusiasm. We do not claim that we have managed to achieve everything that we pursue and we like, but we claim that we have moved forward to a large extent on this path and that we have succeeded in overcoming many obstacles. In the shade of trust in Quranic promises, we have remained firm and strong. The greatest devil, bandit and traitor of our time – the US regime – has not managed to frighten us, to intimidate us with its deceptions and tricks and to prevent us from making worldly and otherworldly progress.

We consider all Muslim nations to be our brothers and we will behave in a kind and just manner towards the non-Muslims who have not participated in the camp of confrontation and hostility. We consider the grief and sorrow of Muslim societies as our own sorrow and grief and we will do our utmost to find a cure for it. Our eternal concerns are helping innocent Palestine and showing sympathy to the injured body of Yemen and to the consternations of Muslims subject to oppression in any part of the world. We also consider it our duty to offer words of advice to the heads of some Muslim countries who have resorted to the bosom of the enemy instead of relying on their Muslim brothers. They tolerate humiliation and bullying at the hands of the enemy just for the sake of temporary profits and they put the dignity and independence of their nations on auction. These are people who condone the survival of the usurping and oppressive Zionist regime and who extend their hand of friendship to them privately and openly. It is they to whom I am offering these words of advice and I warn them about the bitter consequences of this behavior.

We regard the presence of the US in West Asia as detrimental to regional nations and as a cause of insecurity, destruction and backwardness for countries. As for the current events in the US – the anti-discriminatory and anti-racial movement – our definite position is to support the people and to condemn the despicable behavior of the racist government in that country.

At the end of my statements, I wish to send my greetings to the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake), to commemorate the memory of our late Imam and to extend my greetings to the pure souls of the martyrs. And I also ask Allah the Exalted to help the Islamic Ummah to conduct a safe and blessed hajj pilgrimage – such a hajj pilgrimage that will please Him – in the near future.

Greetings be upon the righteous servants of God

 Sayyid Ali Khamenei

Mordad 7, 1399

The coronavirus is not to blame

Considering the economic crises that have come about in the wake of the epidemic and the compulsory home-isolation of families, it is obvious that family issues will be exacerbated, but it would be amiss to think that the global family crisis is the outcome of the coronavirus and that it has been created in the last few months. What we see is the result of a not-so-clandestine collapse which started several decades ago, and it has only found an opportunity to show itself more now. France, which is currently concerned about the exacerbation of domestic violence following stay-at-home orders, has always had one of the highest rates of domestic violence in Europe. Euronews has reported that every year, approximately 219,000 women are subjected to violence in France and that every three days, one woman is killed by her husband or partner.[iv] Of course, the crisis is not limited to France. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) has announced in a shocking report that in the United States of America, every minute 20 women suffer physical harm at home, which amounts to more than 10 million victims every year, and out of every 15 children, one is personally a witness to this violence.[v] It has been reported that children and teenagers in America commit approximately 215,000 serious, violent crimes.[vi] Research findings show that abusive parents, divorce, single-parent families, weak parent-child ties, lack of proper supervision of children, and other causes are among the most important factors that cause and exacerbate child and adolescent violence. And, all of these factors find meaning in the family environment.[vii] Furthermore, in the majority of different types of juvenile delinquency, the percentage of delinquent children who do not live with their families is higher than those who do.[viii] In fact, it is the crisis in the family that has caused the crisis in society.

What is the root of the crisis?

It may be wrongly believed that these family crises are the cost that modern human beings have had to pay to modernize, and that in order to build a civilization, there is no choice other than to depart from traditional patterns of behavior. Thus, the family is one of the institutions that must forego its earlier traditions. However, it is impossible to transfer cultural mores and build a civilization without the family institution.[ix] Zygmunt Bauma (1925), who introduced the idea of liquid modernity in his book titled “Liquid Love,”[x] explains that the concept of modernity which humankind has always been in pursuit of never materialized. That which did materialize was a deviation from the original idea, which has given rise to a world of contradictions. Human and family relationships have not been shielded from these contradictions. He believes that the capitalization of everything and the tendency towards unrestricted freedom have made long-term commitment in romantic relationships tiresome. People are worried that stable relationships will limit their freedom. Thus, commitments, just like everything else, must have a beginning and an end. [xi] Therefore, one may end relationships as soon as they become annoying.[xii] He continues on to explain that in these circumstances, even childbearing is viewed from a consumerist perspective. If it is not deemed to be cost-effective, it is reduced.[xiii] He compares today’s culture of consumption with the culture of production in the past and argues that ultimately, the only way out of the current, deteriorating liquid condition is to relinquish family consumption and return to building the family.[xiv] Otherwise, it will be impossible to build a society.

Such an analysis ultimately results in prescribing a new definition of human relationships in the modern world, which more than anything must cleanse the family of the consumerist attitude and rebuild its bonds based on a return to love and compassion.

What should be done?

The Islamic Revolution in Iran, as the reviver of the religious way of life in modern times, has a different view of the family. From this perspective, the society and the family cannot separately and independent from each other traverse their path to transcendence. The human body is composed of cells. The death, deterioration and illness of these cells result in the illness of the body. If the illness of the cells intensifies, it will lead to a dangerous situation for the entire human body. Likewise, society is composed of its own cells, or families. Each family is one cell in the body of society. When these cells are healthy and work properly, society as a whole will be healthy.[xv] Therefore, a society that is estranged from the family is chaotic and unreliable. It is a society where the cultural, intellectual and ideological traditions of one generation are not passed on to the next generation, and the education of human beings is not carried out easily and smoothly.[xvi]

Of course, it is wrong to conclude that the family is simply an environment for educating future generations. In a healthy family, not only the children but also parents are subjected to the process of education, and parents do not simply pass on what they had learned before marriage.[xvii] The identities of the couple in this environment are redefined and their children are educated in the process of this symbiosis, such that the outcome of this three-member society flows out into society. For this reason, Imam Khamenei describes the family using the word “tayyibah”[xviii] (immaculate) from the Qur’an. The difference between “immaculate” and “pure” is that immaculate is pure in itself and spreads purity to its surroundings.

The human world is an arena for battling obstacles in order to achieve natural, human aspirations. The modern world has doubled the controversies and anxieties, which exist in this arena. This chaos makes it all the more necessary to have a safe refuge today.[xix] A monotheistic person, who is living in this world, first finds peace and tranquility in the arms of the family and then transfers the fruits of this to society.[xx] From the Islamic standpoint, this is the ideal state of the family, and the path to building an Islamic civilization must pass along this path.

The first requirement to safeguarding the family environment is that the three essential elements of the family – the wife, husband and children – should be respected by society and the law.[xxi] The reason why we see the family coming to a crisis in modern Western societies is mostly due to disparaging the importance of the family institution and transforming it from a constant, stable institution to a commodity.[xxii] It is obvious that in a society where families are shaken, the foundations of civil life will also shake.[xxiii]

One of the most important consequences of modernity for the family institution is the shift in the roles of its main elements, which has inevitably led to the violation of the rights of its members,[xxiv] be it the wife, the husband or even the child. The framework of a family is defined based on the rights and duties of each element of the family and the role that each of the elements has to fulfill. When, regardless of the reason, the mother does not have the opportunity to carry out her role completely, when a father is reduced to an economic element and cannot function in his full capacity in his role, or when children do not connect fully with their parents, the family begins a downward spiral. It reveals its shakiness in times of crisis. In contrast, if all the elements of a family fulfill their functions to the fullest, no circumstances can cause irreparable damage to the foundation of that family.

The Coronavirus is an example

The coronavirus crisis was initially seen to be a challenge for medical science, an unknown virus that had been created in an unknown process and that had entangled the global medical community. Under such circumstances, only those societies, which were medically advanced and had more facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of this virus, could hope for a way out of this crisis . However, after the passage of a few weeks from the onset of this global struggle, medical science failed to offer much help in this situation, and modern human beings had no choice other than to retreat into their homes. Homes were needed that were not just a place to sleep or a temporary residence. Rather, they needed to be a safe shelter, which was meant to protect us from this crisis. Only a home that is the residence of a healthy family can fulfill this role. Self-isolation at home may appear to be something passive since its sole purpose is to keep away from the disease and slow down the rate of its spread. However, global experience during this time shows that families play other important roles in managing this crisis. The management of negative emotions that have been created in the wake of this crisis, inexpensive home remedies as opposed to the exorbitant cost of hospitalization, the shortage of medical equipment, continuing education at home when scientific and educational centers are shut down, and other such functions are examples of the functions that families fulfill in such a situation. And, these functions can only be carried out in homes that have elements of a family in proper arrangement and harmony. Keeping these points in mind, it would not be extravagant to say that the coronavirus was managed better in countries with strong family values in comparison to countries with more advanced medical capabilities. In countries with shaky family foundations, self-isolation at home is not tolerable and it gives rise to another crisis. But in our country, family members came together. With the active role, which mothers took with their patience and constructive behavior, they exhibited a good performance in dealing with the recent problems.[xxv]

This concrete example is a visible sign showing the need for family-centered discourses to once again reaffirm the importance of the family institution. It is also a warning to the societies that undervalue the family to discontinue the great sin of discouraging people from forming a family. Because, it is the family that serves as a place of refuge for us in times of crisis, and it welcomes us with open arms when the doors to all gatherings and offices are closed. Without these welcoming arms, we have no other place of refuge in contemporary times…

[i] https://www.dictionary.com/e/s/new-words-we-created-because-of-coronavirus/#covidivorce

[ii] www.euronews.com/amp/2020/03/28/domestic-violence-cases-jump-30-during-lockdown-in-france

[iii] https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/22/domestic-violence-has-increased-during-coronavirus-lockdowns

[iv] Ibid.

[v] https://ncadv.org/statistics

[vi] https://www.statista.com/statistics/477466/number-of-serious-violent-crimes-by-youth-in-the-us/

[vii] http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence

[viii] https://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/partial-listing-problems-facing-american-children-youth-and-families#exhibit2

[ix] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on April 15, 1998.

[x] Liquid love: On the frailty of human bonds. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. (2003).

[xi] Ibid, pp. 11-14.

[xii] Ibid, p. 16.

[xiii] Ibid, p. 37.

[xiv] Ibid, pp. 122 and 144.

[xv] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on May 29, 2002.

[xvi] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on January 19, 1999.

[xvii] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on May 5, 1995.

[xviii] Reference to the Holy Qur’an, 14:24.

[xix] Refer to speeches made by Imam Khamenei at wedding ceremonies on December 25, 1996 and July 22, 1997.

[xx] Reference to the Holy Qur’an, 7:179 and 30:21.

[xxi] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on April 08, 1998.

[xxii] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on April 13, 1999.

[xxiii] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on January 29, 1998.

[xxiv] Refer to the speech made by Imam Khamenei at a wedding ceremony on March 12, 2000.

[xxv] Refer to statements made by Imam Khamenei on May 10, 2020 during a videoconference with the National Committee on Combatting Coronavirus.