Mehr News – Head of Iran’s High Council of Human Rights Mohammad Javad Larijiani said human rights is not an “imported commodity” in Iran, rather it is founded on “Islamic rationality”.
Head of High Council of Human Rights Mohammad Javad Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Belgian Chamber chairman Siegfried Bracke and his accompanied delegation on Sunday in Tehran. During the course of the meeting, the two sides discussed democracy in secular liberal governments and democracy based on Islamic rationality.
Other matters such as freedom of speech, egalitarianism, the right to have a lawyer, the issues of death penalty, drugs and ‘retaliation in kind’ were discussed and compared between the two government systems.
The Iranian offical pointed out that the HR council adheres to and improves on human rights and it is tasked with supporting and empowering non-profit organizations related to human rights. Larijani further expressed his concern over Islamophobia in the West and said this approach is not inconsistent with the fundamentals of Western democracy.
Belgian Chamber chairman, for his part, said his country needs to get better acquainted with Iran’s experiences, and went on to describe the meeting as a positive turning point. He expressed optimism that these talks could paint a better picture of the judicial system of Iran.
Stressing that some political inclinations promote Islamophobia, Siegfried Bracke added “people are not interested in such propaganda; for instance, an anti-Islam party in the parliament with more than 150 members managed to secure only three seats.”
“We believe that different religions can coexist peacefully in one country and our government fully respects Islam and Muslims,” he added.
