Scholars, NGOs review Islamic human rights model in Tehran

The International Islamic Human Rights Conference which was aimed to present an Islamic model for human rights wrapped up its work at the University of Tehran on April 15.

The day-long international gathering was also aimed at preparing an academic ground for eliminating the hegemony of Western human rights concepts and distancing from inaction in the face of this reality.

Three major themes including Foundations, Concepts, Distinctive features and Priorities of Islamic human rights were discussed during the international event.

Addressing the gathering Dean of Faculty of World Studies of the University of Tehran Saeid Reza Ameli underlined the human rights is considered as a global rule for the life of all human beings and has no border or limitation.

Ameli described war as the most inhuman measure which is occurring most frequently.

Meanwhile, professor of philosophy and theology at Baqir al-Olum University Ahmad Vaezi said clearly understanding the Islamic image of human freedom requires paying attention to principles and teachings from a rational framework based on which the Islamic interpretation of freedom is shaped.

Vaezi said freedom is primarily a “natural right” dedicated to human beings as a result of incorporating choice and liberty and free will.

Addressing the conference, elected imam of the Islamic Center of Washington, member of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic School of Thought, Tehran and member of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT) Mohammad H. Asi said the absence of justice and not the absence of “human rights” is what is the root of the problems in many countries around the world whose governments come out sugar-coating and disguising their self-centric policies by raising the issue of human rights.

Asi noted that the attitude of racism and the policies of racism which is one of those central issues of human rights springs from the fact that racists and bigots are incapable of honoring God’s will when HE decrees that some infants are born in a certain color, ethnicity, race, nationality, etc…

In his address, Malaysian Director of Citizens International Mohideen Abdul Kader said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has become an instrument for attacking, defaming and demonizing Islam and Muslims, and for subverting Islam’s values and the culture it produced.

Abdul Kader said the West claims that its concepts on human rights are universal and should be adopted by every other society.

He noted the US is the greatest violator of human rights, committing aggression against sovereign nations, killing thousands of civilians and imposing cruel sanctions.

Faculty member at Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at university of Tehran and special assistant to the President in Civil Rights Affairs Elham Aminzadeh noted that right of freedom is mentioned in Islam as the first and foremost human right.

Aminzadeh underscored that freedom of thought is guaranteed through the rule that prohibits imposing ideas over others because, according to this rule this kind of imposition is neither possible, nor correct.

She added in Islamic law, citizenship rights are referred to as what is public’s rights, and nation’s rights. “Of course, Islamic law does not possess a merely materialistic and horizontal approach; rather, it also attends to the vertical zenith of human beings.”

Another speaker, the Spokesman of Guardians Council and Professor at Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at University of Tehran Abbasali Kadkhodazadeh addressed the conference; his remarks focused on “Precaution; A Conventional Principle in the European Union?”.

*IRNA English News Staff Writer

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