Assyrian Church leader hails Iran’s anti-Daesh fight
The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Awa III, has commended Iran’s battle against the Daesh terrorist group to protect humanity and faith in Iraq and Syria.
In a Monday meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi in Tehran, the Assyrian patriarch also hailed Iran’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and respect for monotheistic religions.
The presence of representatives of various religions in the structure of the Islamic establishment shows the Islamic Republic’s high respect for monotheistic religions, he said, expressing hope that such affinity would be further improved.
The Iranian president, for his part, said oppression and cruelty against humanity in various parts of the world are emanating from the lack of morality and faith.
Raeisi added that faith and morality are the key needs of the human society, which could solve many problems if applied correctly.
The Iranian president pointed out that the Takfiri terrorists falsely claimed to be advocating religious values, while committing crimes in the region.
The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East also held a separate meeting with Secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi.
During the meeting, the Iranian official dismissed Western-led charges of supporting terrorism against Iran, saying that it is the same Western states that have turned into a safe haven for terrorist groups.
He said the Iranian people are victims of terrorism as 17,000 innocent people have lost their lives in terrorist attacks across the country.
Gharibabadi said the West accuses Iran’s of supporting terrorist groups, while the United States overtly assassinated the greatest anti-terror Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani three years ago.
He noted that the concept of human rights is rooted in monotheistic religions, adding that, “Western countries are trying to impose their own lifestyle on other countries, but we believe that it is necessary to respect various cultures.”
The senior Iranian rights official said Islam and other divine religions attach great significance to human dignity. There are less than 200,000 religious minorities in Iran who enjoy “special rights” and are well-represented in the parliament, he added.