Khamenei's Representative Acknowledges Youth's Alienation from 'Revolutionary Concepts and Foundations'

On Thursday, the representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acknowledged that the Islamic Republic has failed to convey the 'concepts and foundations of the revolution' to the third generation. According to a report on Thursday, June 4, by Tasnim News Agency, Ali Saeedi made these remarks at a conference titled 'Explaining the Role of the Quran in Reducing Social Harms' in Gorgan. In his speech, he also criticized 'some' individuals who accept a 'secular model' of Islam. Mr. Saeedi referred to the 'third generation' that is 'alienated from the revolution and we have not been able to familiarize them with the concepts and foundations of the revolution.' The representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC did not provide further explanation on this issue nor did he mention the reasons for the regime's failure in this regard. However, previously, Mohammad Hossein Naghjat, the cultural deputy of the IRGC, had stated that the Islamic Republic has been unsuccessful in attracting the 'gray segment' of society in the virtual space. Mr. Naghjat said, 'We have been successful in the virtual space in communicating with the Hezbollah segment but unsuccessful in facing the gray segment of society; we must turn this segment into producers in the field of the Islamic Revolution.' He added that the Islamic Republic has not yet been able to explain 'the message of the revolution to the ordinary people of the country' and noted that 'we must pay attention to how this segment speaks, and it is natural that the language of this segment differs from that of the Hezbollah segment of society.' Ali Saeedi, in this context, advised the missionaries of this force on Thursday that 'if they do not pay attention to the necessities of the time, they will not achieve significant success in propaganda.' He urged the missionaries to 'respond to the doubts that exist within society' and to convey their 'message indirectly to the people' in their speeches. Mr. Saeedi added that missionaries should pay attention to both 'enthusiasm' and 'intellect.' Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the Assembly of Experts, also stated in 2014 that the third generation youth have doubts about the 'legitimacy' of the 1979 revolution and have considered the idea that 'perhaps' the Pahlavi regime was 'right.' The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad further mentioned Hollywood's film industry as one of the most important factors that have caused the younger generation to doubt the 'legitimacy' of the Islamic Revolution.