Why Religious Freedom in Iran Has Bad Press in the West?

Rasa - Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi couldn’t be more accurate when he dismissed as untrue and politically-motivated the latest report by the US State Department about religious freedoms in Iran.

News ID: 438102

Date: 06 June 2018 - 23:18

RNA - In his words, “Iran regards the report as unrealistic, unfounded and biased, and believes it has been drawn up to make certain political gains.”

It seems, however, the US government only seeks to make political capital out of the religious diversity in some world countries, and it is believed that this country does not have a precise and realistic assessment of the domestic situation of countries, especially their demographic and religious conditions.

However, history bears witness to the fact that the religious people of Iran, who enjoy a rich and age-old civilisation and culture, have lived side by side in a completely peaceful and fraternal atmosphere for thousands of years.

Despite that, the subject matter of human rights and religious freedom in Iran continues to have bad press in the West - ever since the United States invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, and later gave the green light to its partners and proxies to invade Gaza, Libya, Syria and Yemen. That's because Iran decided to stand in their ways, and hence, the US-led coalition assembled a vast international war chest to defeat the “threat” posed by Iran.

Here, a little double standard is in order too. Instead of going after those who turned Syria, Yemen, Libya and Gaza into rubbles and safe havens for terrorists (with the exception of Gaza of course), the professional aggressors, motivated by religious-racial hatred and neo-colonialism decided to report for their geopolitical interests – and their pro-Zionist, pro-Saudi convictions - to flag Iran. For all their faults, they have even managed to convince or coerce a great many UN member states to follow suit.

Writing off every war crime committed by Israel and Saudi Arabia in Gaza and Yemen, the anti-Iran and irredeemably reactionary currents in Washington might be emotionally satisfied for now. But it would be politically self-defeating and potentially disastrous in the long run.

According to Fars News Agancy, in actual fact, Israel and Saudi Arabia are currently in breach of, or have been the subject of dozens of UN Security Council resolutions. The US has taken no action to remedy the breaches. Worse still, it has even vetoed them.

Considering their running history of breaching international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention and countless UN resolutions, it is exceptionally ironic that both Israel and Saudi Arabia with support from the US are also chairing the UN Human Rights Council and a legal committee that aims to uphold international law and protect basic human rights!!! It means what it means. Through support, the US is also complicit in Israeli, Saudi war crimes.

While America’s human rights violations and atrocities are indeed part of its history, from slavery and crimes committed against indigenous people to nuking Japan to turning so many Muslim countries into failed states to the torture program to the drone war and the prison-industrial complex, so is the legacy of legitimate anti-US resistance from Iran, its allies and the international civil society who continue to defy the US-coerced double standards as regards religious freedom and human rights.

Taken together, the US issues anti-Iran reports to only pressure Tehran and its allies to contain the Islamic Republic's growing power by every possible means because Washington cannot control and channel the Iran-led Resistance Front toward its regional designs.

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