Islam guarantees preserving their life, property, religious places, temples, ceremonies, and rites). Imam Ali A.S. says about observance of rights of Followers of The Book, “Those Tributaries, who have accepted covenant of protection, their property, blood and life, is the same as us”.
For better understanding of field of principle of legal and religious freedom of religious minorities, it is necessary that first we refer to article 13 of Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran and more important pay a fair attention to the Quranic verses in this regard in order to see how broadminded is Islam in observance of principle of religious freedom.
A. Verse 216, The Cow,
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B. Verses 93-125, The Bee,
C. Verse 11, Thunder,
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It is concluded from the above verses that Followers of The Book living in an Islamic country are not bound to accept Islam, and can remain in their own religion for ever. They can live in peace in the Islamic government, and enjoy conditional freedom in performing their religious obligations and rites.
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Quran confesses to the reality of divine religions, and divine selected prophets, and confirms their religions, and considered accepting them as one of the belief principles of Islam. Verse 3 of The House of Imran is a clear evident for this claim:
Quran introduces Torah, and Gospel as Divine Books and contenting divine religion and just sciences. One of the manifestations of special method of Islamic thought in respect to religious freedom is that Islam never permits to resort to unnatural means for developing an idea.
Rather belief and faith should be realized through free will and understanding, and the method of Quran for inviting people to the true religion is only permitted through intellect and logic, and this is the reason why Islam gives this right to Followers of The Book to discuss with Moslems regarding religious beliefs in the frame of intellect and reasoning, and defend their beliefs without fanaticism.
As our religious leaders held discussion and argumentation with the priests of Follower of The Book, and Followers of The Book freely propounded their critics and problems.
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According to the covenant of protection, the religious minorities (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians) throughout the country have right to participate in their special religious ceremonies and rites and nobody has right to object them. Thus Islam respects to all temples and sacred places of religious minorities.