Rafsanjani says Islam has been ‘pioneer’ in respecting human rights

@B=Tehran Times Political Desk
@T=TEHRAN – Rafsanjani said on Friday that Islam has always been “pioneer” in respecting human rights including “women’s rights” and allowing for “freedom of expression”.
However, Rafsanjani stated, “The fact is that there is a wide gap between what we act and what Islam has said.”
Addressing the Islamic unity conference in Tehran, Rafsanjani said certain misinterpretations about Islam is that “Islam has not been properly introduced” to the world.
For example, he said, issues such as “protecting environment” were first recommended by Islam.
The top cleric went on to say that Islam is against any form of terror. “Today enemies are using terrorism as the harshest tool against us (Muslims) but we know that how strongly Islam opposes terror.”
He said all Islamic Prophet’s wars were defensive and if there were any preemptive war by the Prophet it was just aimed at protecting Muslims from a sudden attack by enemies.
However, Rafsanjani said, Israel was created on the ashes of “terror” and it “officially makes terror announcements.”
“It is a great injustice to Muslims that others want to teach us (about) freedom or human rights,” the top cleric lamented.
Referring to religious extremism by some Muslim groups, the chairman of the Assembly of Experts said even in the early days of Islam religious scholars complained of “extremism”.
Pointing to the importance of unity among Muslims, Rafsanjani said, “Despite the fact that Islamic unity conference has been held 22 times the unity among the Islamic ummah is no still favorable.”
There are certain hurdles to unity in Muslim states and the roots of such problems are “clear” but enemies are also “making plans to sow discord” among Muslims, Rafsanjani warned.
The former president said there are 60 Muslim states which account for 25 percent of the world population and control the most strategically important regions in the world, and at the same time hold the largest reserves of fossil fuels in their possession which if keep their “unity” they can present new ideas to the world.
The 22nd Islamic Unity Conference opened in Tehran on Friday. The conference is hosted by the Forum for the Rapprochement of Islamic Schools in the world. 160 thinkers from 45 countries have participated in the meeting