The Relation between Political Security and Political Freedom

In this section, in order to illustrate the relations between political security and political freedom in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, first, the rejection of the idea of each of political security and political freedom taking precedence over each other in his view is explained using the theoretical framework derived from the theory of employment (imaginary perceptions of Allamah Tabatabai), and reductio ad absurdum. Then, according to the reductio ad absurdum, after proving that two assumptions of three possible assumptions about the relation of political security and political freedom are rejected in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, only one possibility remains which will be proved as the only correct view in his thought. 

 

Undermining the Priority of Political Security Over Political Freedom in the View of Ayatollah Khamenei

 

According to Ayatollah Khamenei, political freedom is defined as “the liberation of man from the political constraints of political taghuts (tyrannical foreign governments and domestic despots) to achieve material and spiritual progress (divine perfection).”

 

According to the goal set in this definition, the type of political freedom in his view is also transcendent freedom that in the realm of political life, in addition to paying attention to man’s worldly liberation, also addresses his spiritual (divine perfection) freedom.

 

According to Ayatollah Khamenei, political freedom is one of the indisputable rights of citizens. “Islam regards freedom as an innate matter. Freedom is a right, one that is higher than other rights, such as the right to life... this is the Islamic view.” (1998/09/03) Therefore, no one has the right to deny such political freedom for citizens. For this reason, in his view, the Iranian people after the Islamic Revolution enjoy the right to have political freedom and their direct and indirect role in managing and regulating the affairs of the country and the link between officials and the people is a sign of the existence of such freedom in Iran. (2001/02/24)

 

In his remarks on social freedom, the Supreme Leader points to three important aspects of political freedom, namely freedom to think (freedom of thought), speak (freedom of expression) and choose (freedom of opinion and choice). (1998/09/03)

 

In another statement, Ayatollah Khamenei refers to another example of political freedom, namely, freedom of the press, and while pointing to freedom of expression and freedom of thought as the philosophy of the Islamic Revolution, states that no one opposes the free press in the Islamic Republic of Iran. (1999/07/30)

 

Ayatollah Khamenei believes that there are free political attitudes and ideas in Islamic society. For him, according to Islamic teachings, no one can be prosecuted for having a political or scientific thought. (1978/02/06) Studying Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements regarding the freedom of the parties and also his endeavours in establishing the Islamic Republic Party in Iran show that he also believes in the freedom of the parties, of course, party in its correct sense.

 

From his point of view, a party should not seek to gain power, rather it should take steps in the way of intellectual guidance of the people. (1999/02/23)

 

According to Ayatollah Khamenei, political freedom in its true sense is achieved when people could free themselves from foreign colonialism and despotism in addition to being liberated from domestic despotism. From his point of view, therefore, the liberation of nations from the influence of world powers is another example of political freedom. According to him, Iranian people have very valuable political freedom, because the great powers are unable to exert influence over them and the Islamic system. (1989/11/22)

 

In sum, given the views of Ayatollah Khamenei about political freedom, it is understood that first, political freedom in the view of the Supreme Leader, is seen as a human right. Therefore, the principle of the necessity of political freedom in society is acknowledged by him, and the assumption of the existence of a society without political freedom (an authoritarian security society) has no place in his thinking. Second, by political freedom, he means transcendent political freedom, which addresses the spiritual perfection of humanity and is defined in the context of religion. It is, therefore, distinguished from absolute political freedom and secular liberal maximum political freedom. Third, all forms of political freedom (freedom of vote and choice, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of parties) are the indisputable rights of every individual of which if he/she is deprived it would lead to political despotism (the minimal methodical political security), one-sided employment, and in other words, a cruel and unfair society. Therefore, according to reductio ad absurdum, in his view, the assumption of political security (minimal methodical) taking precedence over political freedom (which is, in fact, equal to depriving citizens of their indisputable right to have political freedom) is rejected.

 

Rejecting the Precedence of the Absolute or Maximal Methodical Political Freedom Over Political Security in Ayatollah Khamenei’s View

 

From Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, freedom as abandoning any boundaries has not been acknowledged as a value in any school, culture and philosophical and social views. In his view, if one is free to do whatever he wants, the very nature of this freedom will limit the freedom of other people depriving them of their comfort and security. From his point of view, for having a comfortable and ideal life it is necessary to prevent man, to some extent, from having total freedom. Therefore, for Ayatollah Khamenei, giving people and social freedom in an absolute manner is not possible and no one accepts that. (1986/12/26)

 

Because it will result in nothing but chaos and depriving others of having security and freedom.

 

From the point of view of Ayatollah Khamenei, there are political-security issues and areas (vital political values) ​​in society that should be protected from any threat and the freedom of citizens should not pose a threat to them. In fact, those values are the scope and framework of the political freedom of the citizens of Islamic society. Islam, political freedom, political ethics, national interests (political independence, political unity, preventing the occurrence of turmoil in society, etc.), are the most important political values ​​and issues and areas of political security in the political thought of Ayatollah Khamenei which will be explained.

 

“No one has the right to exercise his or her freedom in a way that it will harm people, society, religion, the Islamic Revolution, and the Islamic Republic. Within this boundary, everyone is free...” (1980/11/28)

 

Islam, especially its political laws, is one of the vital political values ​​in Ayatollah Khamenei’s thinking that should not be threatened. He calls for taking action for eliminating those threats and establishing political security in the country. While pointing out that the struggles of Iranian people are rooted in the Islamic principle of non-separation of religion from politics, he believes that the enemy tries to promote the idea of the separation of religion and politics. (1994/03/09) In his view, to dominate Iran, the arrogant system has decided to eliminate the Islamic system through two cultural and political currents. From his point of view, the cultural movement aims to make the Iranian nation indifferent to its ideals, beliefs, and goals, and the political movement also seeks to bring false doubts and challenges and create disagreement regarding the unquestionable issues in the Islamic Republic of Iran such as the constitution and religion, in an attempt to create divisions among the various factions and parties which their existence is rooted in the Islamic Revolution. (2003/11/14)

 

Therefore, from his point of view, if political freedom includes the aforementioned cases especially the Islamic laws regarding politics, it would disrupt the political security of society (one-sided employment and having a society with unfair relations) and, if this process continues, there will be chaos and turmoil in society that is by no means accepted in his political thought.

 

Citizens’ political freedom in society is another issue regarding political security and vital political values ​​from the point of view of Ayatollah Khamenei, which, in fact, necessitates his belief in freedom and citizenship. “We believe in freedom and our deep belief in freedom and citizenship in social issues is rooted in religious teachings.” (2003/08/06)

 

Thus, in his view, the political freedom of citizens, in addition to observing the Islamic laws, especially in the political sphere, is also limited to observing the political freedom of other citizens in society. Indeed, if political freedom includes the political freedom of others, it will create oppressive relations among the citizens and lead to having one-sided employment and the disturbance of political security in a society that is not accepted by Ayatollah Khamenei.

 

Observing Islamic political ethics in society is another vital political value ​​in the view ​​of Ayatollah Khamenei against which political freedom of citizens should not pose a threat. In his view, freedom of expression must be accompanied by honesty and truth, otherwise, the political security in society will be jeopardized. Therefore, the political freedom that violates Islamic political ethics, will create an unjust society in which employment is one-sided and citizens do not have political security. This situation is rejected in the view of Ayatollah Khamenei.

 

“Political security means that political thoughts and views in society should be clear, not paradoxical, and without any hypocrisy. It means that those who are responsible for expressing political issues to people should observe fairness and righteousness. In other words, those who are in charge of writing, distributing and disseminating teachings and views in society, should avoid telling lies, deceiving, cheating; this is political security.” (1999/09/01)

 

National Interest is another vital political value and issue of political security in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view which should not be jeopardized by political freedom. Misusing political freedom and, consequently, causing turmoil in society, are examples of threatening political security in his view. He believes that the conflicts and tensions in society prevent people from feeling the sense of having political security. He considers causing turmoil to be part of the policies of the Islamic Republic’s opposition groups and says that some political elites also out of their ignorance would exacerbate tensions. Inappropriate conversations and unnecessary debates about the mistakes of some political elites as well as unfair and destructive criticism of the government are, in his view, introduced as factors that create turmoil in society. (2008/09/20)

 

Also, in the view of Ayatollah Khamenei, using political freedom for the interests of the enemies of the Islamic system is another threat to the national interests. Therefore, political freedom does not in any way encompass national interests because, if they are included, they would cause having one-sided employment, unfair relations, and will undermine the political security of the Islamic system, all of which are not accepted by the Supreme Leader.

 

“No one opposes the free press. The philosophy of this revolution is freedom - freedom of speech and freedom of thought – but not in a way that the enemy’s words, desires, analysis, and orientation will take precedence; one who has become a friend of the enemy, his friend can no longer trust him. “(1999/07/30)

 

Political independence is also one of the vital political values ​​of the society in the view of Ayatollah Khamenei, which should be immune from any threat. He regards the slogan of independence as one of the most important slogans without which one cannot be optimistic about the existence of freedom. In his view, the freedom that threatens a country’s political independence is not, in fact, freedom. Therefore, in the view of Ayatollah Khamenei, political freedom should not threaten the country’s political independence. Because if the country loses its political independence, on the one hand, the enemies will dominate the political arena of the country and form one-sided employment for their own benefit (colonization and exploitation), and on the other hand, there will be no political freedom for citizens (creating a dependent government: political tyranny), which in turn will be also one-sided employment.

 

“My dear brothers and sisters! I raised the issue of independence because our constitution stipulates that neither independence can impede freedom nor freedom can impede independence, and this is a strong foundation. If some people in the name of freedom and with the slogan of freedom serve the enemy and help him to establish his influence, this is not freedom. This is what the enemy wants.” (2000/10/04)

 

The legitimate political system and the law are among the political values ​​and issues of political security in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view. In his view, freedom should not become a means of breaking the law of the Islamic Republic and acting against it. (2001/02/27) Because if the legitimate political system and a just law enacted by society are included in political freedom it will cause undermining the system and the fair and just law, which will, in fact, weaken political security in society, and this will require the formation of the one-sided employment and unfair relations in society all of which are rejected by Ayatollah Khamenei.

 

In sum, according to Ayatollah Khamenei, in Islam, there are certain truths and values ​​that freedom is limited to. In other words, from his point of view, freedom in Islam has moral and spiritual boundaries, in addition to material limits. The boundaries of freedom are, in his view, the same as the Islamic boundaries and what is known as the boundary in Quran, hadith, and the correct understanding of religion. Referring to those boundaries, he argues that the beautiful principle of freedom must be used within those boundaries. (1998/09/03)

 

On the whole, it is clear from the views of Ayatollah Khamenei regarding the prevention of threatening the political vital values ​​and political security issues and areas that political security is first a human right, hence, the principle of the existence of political security in society is endorsed by him, and the assumption of the existence of a society without political security has no place in his view. Second, the type of political security in his view is transcendent political security, so he believes that the absolute political methodical freedom (which creates turmoil) as well as the maximal methodical political freedom (which is liberal and secular and ignores religion) are not accepted and would lead to having the one-sided employment and impede the transcendent political security. Therefore, according to the reductio ad absurdum, the assumption of political freedom (absolute or maximal methodical) taking precedence over political security is rejected in his view.

 

The Interaction of Political Security and Political Freedom in Ayatollah Khamenei’s View

 

The invalidation of the assumption of minimal methodical political security taking priority over political freedom in the opinion of Ayatollah Khamenei, on the one hand, and the nullification of the assumption of the priority of absolute or maximal methodical political freedom over the political security in his opinion, based on reductio ad absurdum on the other, would logically, prove the third premise, that is, the interaction and concomitance of political security and political freedom in his thinking. In fact, the political security and political freedom in his idea, each contributes to the survival and continuation of the other, so that the existence of one of them not only does not reject the existence of the other but also is attached to it. For this reason, and also because in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view the political security and political freedom also consider the transcendence and spiritual aspect of humans, one can call them the transcendent political freedom and transcendent political security distinguishing them from the maximal methodical political freedom (secular and liberal) and the maximal methodical political security (secular and liberal) which have a formal interaction.

 

“In Islam, people’s freedoms must be within the framework of Islamic rules and regulations... Freedom has a certain limit which is outlined by Islam... and this freedom is far better than the freedom that all governments in today’s world present.” (1980/11/28)

 

Therefore, from Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, the freedom that is the basic need of humanity and its loss is a catastrophe, (2001/02/27) is legal and legitimized freedom. In other statements, he calls it “Islamic freedom” (1987/01/23) And freedom outside the legal and religious boundaries is not, in fact, freedom. (2001/02/21) Such freedom never endangers the other vital values ​​of society, and it is only the absolute and unconditional freedom that is both detrimental to freedom and also endangers other values ​​and is considered a security threat. Of course, it was stated that such freedom, in his view, is not real freedom.

 

 

Therefore, what is understood from Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements about the relation between political freedom and political security is that in his view, political freedom is effective in both strengthening and weakening political security in its negative and positive dimensions. Political freedom does not constitute a threat to the vital values ​​of society such as religion, Islamic Revolution, Wilayat al-Faqih, unity and so on if it acts according to the law. Therefore, negative political security will be strengthened and continued. On the other hand, given the existence of such political freedom in the society will cause a certain degree of satisfaction, hence the positive political security in society will also be strengthened and continued. Likewise, political security is also effective in guaranteeing and maintaining political freedom. Because one of the conditions of security in its negative dimension is the lack of the existence of a threat to political freedom as a vital value in society. Also, on the positive side, political freedom is one of the demands in society the fulfillment of which will lead to public satisfaction. Therefore, in his view, political security and political freedom are effective in reinforcing and maintaining each other if they act according to the law. (1980/11/28) But if political freedom and political security fall outside the legal framework, both of them will seek the destruction of the other, and freedom will lead to chaos and finally tyranny.

 

“The officials of the country are not allowed to deprive anyone of the natural right to have freedom - that is, legal freedoms. Of course, this is not a favour that governments do; they must grant freedom, and that is a duty... some want to create chaos and turmoil by misusing our unfamiliarity with the culture of freedom so that people will call for a powerful tyranny. In some societies, chaos, disorder, and turmoil are increasing such that people will wish that a despot ruler would come and establish order! They are the enemies of freedom. Freedom should not be defamed. It should not become a means of breaking the law of the Islamic Republic and eliminating it.” (2001/02/27)

 

In other words, in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view, legal freedoms are not opposed to security, but achieving security is directly linked to the fulfillment of legal freedoms. That is, the lack of political freedoms in society or threatening them is a sign of insecurity in society, so one of the conditions for security is that people can exercise their legal political rights. Therefore, political security and political freedom are, in his view, directly related to each other. That is to say, strengthening and continuation of using legal political freedoms by people is equal to strengthening and continuing political security. The opposite is also true. That is, strengthening and continuation of political security is equal to the strengthening and continuation of political freedoms.

 

Therefore, it turns out that from Ayatollah Khamenei’s perspective, there is a kind of interactive and necessary interrelation as well as reciprocal causation between political security and political freedom which necessitate mutual benefit and fair mutual employment.

Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei