TEHRAN- Mar Awa III, the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), on Monday praised Iran’s campaign against the Daesh terrorist organization to save civilization and religion in Iraq and Syria.

During a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, the Assyrian patriarch hailed Iran’s dedication to interfaith dialogue and respect for monotheistic religions.

He stated that the Islamic Republic’s strong regard for monotheistic religions is demonstrated by the inclusion of members of numerous religions in its institutional framework and expressed hope that this affinity would continue to grow.

For his part, the Iranian president asserted that a lack of morality and religious belief is the root cause of human subjugation and brutality around the globe.

Raisi also remarked that morality and religion are the primary requirements of human civilization and, if properly implemented, could resolve a wide range of issues.

“Humans do not merely need development and welfare but amongst the most important needs of humans in such societies, which have been overlooked, are morality, spirituality and relationship with God.” 

The Iranian president said while Takfiri terrorists were perpetrating atrocities in the region, the made bogus claims that they were promoting religious beliefs.

Raisi highlighted that the leading Iranian and Iraqi anti-terror commanders, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, among others, were gifted with real religion and morals. “They stood up to criminal terrorists and freed the region from their danger,” he pointed out.

“Iran has always been a haven for people of different religions”

In a meeting on Monday with Mar Awa III, Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said throughout history people of different faiths have coexisted peacefully in Iran.

Ghalibaf stated that Christians in Iran coexist happily with their fellow Iranians.

He continued by saying that the Iranian laws protect Christians and that they are represented in the Iranian parliament.

Iran demonstrated its commitment to protecting religious minorities in practice, he continued, citing its anti-terrorism campaign, most notably General Soleimani’s campaign in Iraq, particularly in Kirkuk and Nineveh, to protect the Christian minorities against the Daesh terrorism. 

For his part, the patriarch noted that there are many Christians in Iran and emphasized that “dialogues between Muslims and Christians will have many benefits for the world today.”

“Western countries provide safe haven for terrorist organizations”

Also, during a meeting with Mar Awa III on Monday, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, refuted accusations from the West that Iran supports terrorism, asserting that it is the same Western nations that have become a safe haven for terrorist organizations.

The Iranian people have been victims of terrorism, with 17,000 innocent people killed in terrorist attacks around the country, Gharibabadi lamented.

According to Gharibabadi, while the United States openly assassinated Iran’s legendary commander against terrorism three years ago, Iran is accused by the West of backing terrorist organizations.

“Western countries are trying to impose their own lifestyle on other countries, but we believe that it is necessary to respect various cultures,” he added. 

The top human rights official also pointed out that the concept of human rights has its roots in monotheistic faiths.

Gharibabadi highlighted that human dignity is highly valued in Islam and other holy faiths.

He stated that there are less than 200,000 religious minorities in Iran who have “special rights” and are well-represented in the parliament.

According to recent statistics, Iran has 400 churches for Christians, the most of which are operating. In contrast, Gharibabadi said, it is nearly hard to build a mosque in nations that profess to uphold human rights.

He stressed that religious minorities, in addition to Muslims, make up the majority of Iranian society.

Referring to the U.S. sanctions, Gharibabadi pointed out that “Iran is an independent country that has never attacked any country or violated the rights of any state, but Western countries have committed gross human rights violations by imposing unilateral sanctions against Iranians.”

The Assyrian patriarch, for his part, maintained that freedom and human rights are not properly understood in international contexts, arguing that Western powers have mistakenly interpreted freedom as forsaking God.

He noted that the emphasis on human dignity and rights is shared by both Islam and Christianity.