Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran (AP Photo/Office of the Supreme Leader)

(CNSNews.com) - In a speech translated into English and posted on his official website, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iran’s “Assembly of Experts” last week that “our goal and main guideline should be to pursue Islam in its entirety."

"What we understand from all Quranic teachings is that Islam commands Muslims to create a perfect and complete Islamic government," said the Supreme Leader. "Islam wants the complete implementation of Islam."

The ayatollah also said Iran should use what he called "Islamophobia" and the “targeting of Islam” to reach out to youth throughout the world and “provide them with real Islam.”

“We should make efforts. In the Islamic Republic, the great and important feat is that all of us--anyone at any level and with any capability in this regard--should make efforts to introduce original Islam, one that supports the oppressed and that opposes the oppressor,” said the ayatollah. “The youth who live in Europe, America and distant countries become excited about this kind of Islam.”

Two paragraphs later, in explaining the “kind of Islam” he was talking about introducing to people, the ayatollah said: “We should introduce the Islam of mercy to the weak and the Islam of jihad and fighting against arrogant powers.”

Khamenei delivered this speech on March 12. It is currently the top item posted on the homepage of his English-language website. (It can be read in its entirety here.)

The ayatollah told the assembly that the promotion of Islamaphobia by Iran’s enemies had provided an opportunity to spread Iran’s vision to the West.

“Now, under such circumstances, our goal and main guideline should be to pursue Islam in its entirety,” said the ayatollah. “We should really do our best--Allah the Exalted does not expect us to act beyond our power and capability--to pursue this. Our effort and goal should be to establish Islam--in its entirety and with all its parts and constituents--in society. When this becomes our goal, they immediately bring up a certain issue, namely Islamophobia which is common in today's world. In my opinion, we should not at all adopt a passive outlook towards the phenomenon of Islamophobia. Islamophobia exists.

Ayatollah Khamenei leading prayers on Eid al-Fitr, which occurs at the end of Ramadan. (AP Photo)

“Some individuals are frightening peoples, societies, youth and minds of Islam,” said the ayatollah. “Who are these individuals? When we delve deeply into this matter and when we think carefully about it, we see that they are the same minority of bullies and greedy individuals who are afraid of the rule of Islam. They are afraid of political Islam. They are afraid of Islam's presence in the heart of societies. The reason for their fear is that Islam harms their interests. As a matter of fact, Islamophobia is a translation of powers’ fear and anxiety in the face of Islam. This is the truth of the matter."

The ayatollah argued for giving the "masses" of the world a "little nudge" in the direction of the Iranian vision.

“Of course, despite what are they doing, their movement against Islam and their effort to create Islamophobia will produce the opposite result,” he said. “That is to say, their actions will make youth curious about Islam. If the masses of the people in the world are given a little nudge and if we attract their attention, they will begin to understand why the Zionist press and television networks--those which are dependent on powerful and well-to-do cliques--launch so many attacks on Islam. This will pose a question in their minds and we believe that this question has certain blessings and that it can turn this threat into an opportunity.

“We should make efforts. In the Islamic Republic, the great and important feat is that all of us--anyone at any level and with any capability in this regard--should make efforts to introduce original Islam, one that supports the oppressed and that opposes the oppressor,” said the ayatollah.

“The youth who live in Europe, America and distant countries become excited about this kind of Islam,” he said. “They become excited and it becomes clear to them that Islam means a force, motive and thought which moves against oppressors and transgressors and in favor of the oppressed. It becomes clear to them that Islam has plans to pursue this and that it considers it its responsibility to do so.”

A moment later, the ayatollah contrasted the kind of Islam he was talking about to what he called “secular Islam” and “secular Christianity.”

“We should introduce the kind of Islam that is present in people's lives as opposed to secular Islam,” said the ayatollah. “Secular Islam is similar to secular Christianity which imprisons itself in a corner of church and which has no presence in real life. Secular Islam acts in the same way,” he said. “Today, there are some people who invite people to isolated Islam, one that has nothing do with people's lives. This kind of Islam calls on people to perform some religious acts in a corner of mosques or houses. We should introduce the kind of Islam that is present in people's lives. We should introduce the Islam of mercy to the weak and the Islam of jihad and fighting against arrogant powers.

“In my opinion, this is a responsibility that falls on everyone's shoulders,” said the ayatollah. “Our promotional and scholarly organizations and our Islamic seminaries should pursue this goal.”

The Iranian supreme leader described those “targeting Islam” as “Zionists.”

“Today, they are targeting Islam on many occasions,” said the ayatollah. “And it is clear which, people, organizations and orientations are doing so. They are dependent on a powerful and well-to-do clique which is active in economic and political areas and whose members are mostly Zionist and Jewish.

“If not so,” said the ayatollah, “they are non-Jewish Zionists. Today, we have non-Jewish Zionists in the world as well. Against these people, we should benefit from the opportunity to pose this question in the minds of people and youth throughout the world so that they can think about why they are attacking Islam so vigorously.

“Then,” said Iran’s supreme leader, “we should provide them with real Islam.”

In the same speech, the ayatollah referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “Zionist clown.”

“As you can witness, the statements that they make are really ridiculous and disgusting,” said the supreme leader. “In the recent days, a Zionist clown [Benjamin Netanyahu] travelled to the U.S. and made certain statements there.”

The ayatollah also described America as a "deceitful" nation that supported terrorist groups like the Islamic State, whch he referred to by its Arabic acronym "DAESH."

“America is deceitful and dishonest and it stabs people in the back,” he said.

"[T]he world can witness that the power and government that has supported and created the most vicious terrorists--such as DAESH and other such groups--is America as well as its allies,” he said.

The supreme leader also pointed to the open letter 47 senators signed to the Iranian leader warning that an agreement between President Obama and the ayatollah that is not ratified by the Senate or otherwise approved by Congress might not outlast Obama’s administration.

That letter, said the ayatollah, “is a sign that shows the total destruction of political ethics in America. It indicates that this system is one that cannot really continue. It indicates that this system is totally ruined.

In its latest report on human rights in Iran, the State Department described the totality of Ayatollah Khamenei’s power in that nation.

“While mechanisms for popular election exist within the structure of the state, the supreme leader directly controlled the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as well as the armed forces,” said the State Department. “The supreme leader also indirectly controlled internal security forces and other key institutions. Since 1989 the supreme leader has been Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.’

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has testified in Congress that Iran’s decision on whether to build a nuclear weapon “would be made singly by the Supreme Leader.”

Early in his speech to the Assembly of Experts, the Supreme Leader said he felt a need to restate the goals of Islam in light of the challenge raised by “arrogant governments” including on the “nuclear issue.”

In this context, he noted that the Quran commands establishment of “a perfect and complete Islamic government.”

“Because of the conditions that dominate our region and the world,” said the ayatollah, “because of the challenge that exists between the Islamic Republic and some egotistic and arrogant governments on different issues--whether the nuclear issue or other issues--because of the economic discussions that have broken out in the country and the efforts that different officials are making, in different ways, for the sake of achieving Islamic goals and ensuring the interests of the people and finally because of the issue of Islamophobia which is one of the common phenomena in the arrogant and western world, I deemed it necessary to discuss this matter with you: what we understand from all Quranic teachings is that Islam commands Muslims to create a perfect and complete Islamic government. Islam wants the complete implementation of Islam.”

The Supreme Leader said that “global bullies and arrogant individuals” are the “main opponents” of this.

“There is another holy ayah from Sura ash-Shura which is related to God's command to Noah, Ibrahim, Musa and other prophets: ‘You should establish religion’ [The Holy Quran, 42: 13],” said the ayatollah. “What God wants is to establish religion, all of it: ‘And make no divisions therein. Hard to the unbelievers is that which you call them to. Allah chooses for Himself whom He pleases, and guides to Himself him who turns to Him, frequently.’[The Holy Quran, 42: 13].

“Allah calls for the establishment of the entire religion with all its parts and constituents,” said the supreme leader. “And the main opponents of this movement and outlook--that is to say, the establishment of religion with all its parts and constituents--are global bullies and arrogant individuals: ‘Hard to the unbelievers is that which you call them to.’ It is difficult for atheists to accept what you invite them to do.”