The university professor and the former president of the Iranian Islamic Human Rights Commission, Ayatollah Mousavi Bojnourdi, said: "Freedom means that we can criticize each other peacefully and logically, but it does not mean insulting an idea or a thought. As the matter of fact Muslims or other religion's followers should respond to the insults addressing them and this is of their rights."
On the description of freedom in Islamic views, this professor of the university and Hawzah said: "Each human has its own rights and he can be free and delivers his own ideas, this is the freedom of speech on the personal extent, but delivering one's ideas on human rights and humanistic issues is different and there are limitations for it that should be considered."
Ayatollah Mousavi Bojnourdi continued: "If there is an issue that more than one billion people consider it holy and sacred and honorable, thus any insults in the forms of cartoons, articles, films and … which makes those billions of people hurt emotionally won't be the freedom of speech but it is the adversative of the human rights; because not to hurt the feelings and emotions and not violating the religious beliefs is the right of humans. We can't ridicule human's emotions and ideas and be a defender of the human rights. This is obviously an interpretation which is in contrast with the sublime definition of human right."
The former president of the Iranian Islamic Human Rights Commission said: "If someone insults Jesus Christ, many Muslims and Christians will be emotionally hurt because Jesus is honored and sacred for the Muslims too. These recently happened audacities are actually denying the human rights as it is in contrast with the sublime definition of the freedom. So, emotions and beliefs of milliards of human will be exceeded, so can it be considered human rights?"
He also said: "One of the human rights is respecting people's values and beliefs and ideas, so insulting them cannot be considered as the concept of freedom."
The head of the faculty of jurisprudence and laws of the Kharazmi University added: "Now I should declare precisely that anyone who insults the Torah, Bible and Quran and the holy prophets Moses, Jesus and Hadrat Muhammad and Abraham, actually has insulted the values of all of us. Muslims, Jews and Christians do not differ; the Abrahamic religions should be together and be united in these issues."
Stating that the international Zionism has participated in all of the problems such as this one and has intended to separate the followers of the different religions, this university professor added: "These inappropriate behaviors have only one main origin which is the "international Zionist". 1400 years before, the Quran has said "O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah." (The Holy Quran, 3:64) In fact God has called all the followers of the religions that worship the unique God. We all mean to say just the same thing. Judaism, Christianity and Islam and other followers of the Abrahamic religions, we all say that there is only one God. All of us, the God worshipers, should reply God's calling and be united."
Addressing Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Catholics, Ayatollah Mousavi Bojnourdi said: "After saying greetings to the Pope, I'll say that we expect him that when the Christians do insults such as this one, he should warn them and stop them. He already knows that Islam is the caller for the aggregation. I'm really sorry that some people under the name of Christianity and Judaism insult someone who is the caller of monotheism and unity of the religions."
On warning the intrigue of the "international Zionism", he addressed the Pope and said: "I hope that the Pope and all the Christian scholars do warn those who insulted, because insulting the great prophet of Islam is insulting Jesus Christ and Moses and it should be confirmed by Christian, Judaism and Islam scholars."
About the statement of the US Secretary of States which had mentioned "because of the absolute laws for the freedom of speech in America, they can't stop these irreverent people", he declared: "This is actually abusing the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech is only accepted in a way that it would be harmless for everyone, even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights acknowledges that the freedom of speech and pen is within the limits of law. Freedom without considering the limits for it will cause anarchy and the calm and peaceful life in the world would be in danger."
The former president of the Human Rights Commission mentioning his visit to the House of Lords in London continued: "During our presence in the House of Lords, a law titled "The Blasphemy Law" was being analyzed in that session, according to that law if a person insults Jesus Christ then he'd be imprisoned for four years, then some of the lawyers objected this new law and declared this will violate the human rights and the freedom of speech then I was invited by the four Muslim members in the parliament, and objected the lawyers viewpoint and I said that this is not totally in contrast with the human rights. As a matter of fact insulting the people's values and annoying their feelings is considered violating the human rights, and my answer was granted and now this law exists in England and it was strongly reflected in the journals of England that a Muslim scholar has defended the law."
On answering the question that "how should the Muslims response the recent insult to Hadrat Muhammad?" while condemning the assassination of the diplomats he said: "Assassinating the western diplomats is certainly incorrect and Muslims should avoid this kind of reactions."
He added: "We shouldn't do something that will accuse other Muslims of being terrorists. Now Islam is armed by the best weapon which is the weapon of reason. The holy Quran invites us to the best ways of the battle, while the weapon of reason is appropriate, using the uncivilized actions is just darkening the glorious feature of the holy Quran and Islam and the holy prophet and no useful results will be followed."