Islam Ensures Maximum Human Freedom

A senior Iranian cleric said Islam is a religion that grants the highest level of freedom to humans and has imposed restrictions in order to protect the rational and healthy freedom of individuals.

News ID: ۳۸۶۳۰۴

يکشنبه - ۰۲ اسفند ۲۰۲۵ / 2025 02 December

Ayatollah Seyed Mohammad Reza Modarresi Yazdi, a member of the Guardian Council, made the remark in an address on Wednesday to the closing ceremony of the international conference on the “People’s Rights and Legitimate Freedoms in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei”.

Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian was also in attendance.

In his address, Ayatollah Modarresi Yazdi framed consultation, or ‘Shura’, as a foundational Islamic principle for governance. “One of the foundational principles of Islam is the principle of ‘consultation’, which is considered the basis for administering societies,” he said.

He cited Islamic history to support his argument. “Even Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who possessed complete wisdom, was commanded to consult with the people,” he stated, quoting a verse from the Holy Quran.

The cleric described Islam as a religion that establishes the highest level of freedom for humans, arguing that any restrictions are meant to preserve rational and healthy liberty.

“Islam is such a religion; a religion that grants the highest level of freedom to human beings and has established limitations to safeguard the rational and sound freedom of individuals, whether political, economic, or in other spheres,” he stated.

He accused Western countries of hypocrisy in terms of advocating for freedom. “Countries that portray themselves as centers of freedom do nothing but deceive people in practice,” Ayatollah Modarresi Yazdi asserted.

“They show a mock-up of freedom to the world, but the reality is something else,” he continued. “They present America as the epicenter of freedom... but the situation in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza is testimony to how these claimants of freedom have for years placed these nations under bombardment, economic blockade, and deprivation. Is this not a clear violation of human rights?”

He also criticized international organizations. “International organizations also pressure nations and governments in the name of human rights and women’s rights,” he said.

The conference was organized by the Guardian Council’s research center and other academic institutions.

The international conference on the “People’s Rights and Legitimate Freedoms in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei” was held with the aim of 1- reviewing the thought and character of Ayatollah Khamenei in the field of the rights of the nation and legitimate freedoms, 2- outlining the desired system of the rights of the nation and legitimate freedoms based on the thought of Ayatollah Khamenei, 3- guaranteeing and protecting the rights of the nation and legitimate freedoms and how to promote them based on the opinions and thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei.