Imam made remarks during exile in the French city of Neauphle-le-Châtea. Imam told international media outlets that the Iranian nation had stood to claim their basic rights and raised their voices aginst oppression by the Shah regime which was being backed by the Western countries.
Some excerpts from the interview come as follwoing:
Interview
Date: November 2, 1978 [Ābān 11, 1357 AHS / Dhū’l-Hijjah 1, 1398 AH]
Place: Neauphle-le-Château, Paris, France
Subject: The target is the establishment of the Islamic republic
Interviewer: Luxembourg Radio-Television reporter
Question: [From France you encourage the Iranian people to revolt. Do you think this is the only solution to Iran’s problems?]
Answer: People are tired of the fifty year strangulations and disloyalties, and have stood up to claim their primary rights. In this legitimate crucial matter, we encourage people, both when we were in Iran and now that we are abroad, to revolt, and at the present, we have no other solution to remove the corrupt regime, but to proceed with the movement and to demand our rights by crying out about our being oppressed, and we will change course if necessary.
Q: [Are you planning to take over power when the Shāh leaves? What would you do if you had the chance to take over? I mean, it is your future plans for ruling over Iran that must substitute the Shāh’s. Many spectators believe that going back to the constitutional law is a right move.]
A: Our aim is the establishment of the Islamic republic, and our plan is to achieve freedom and independence, filter the ministries, remove those articles that Ridā Shāh and the present Shāh have annexed to the law by the force of bayonets, and to remove the articles concerning constitutional monarchy.
Sahifeh-ye-Imam, Vol. 4, page 247
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