The permanent representative to the United Nations said the way to put an end to violence in the world is to follow "ethics", promote "justice", "development" and "freedom" and pursue "dialogue" to resolve differences.
"The path to a world free from violence passes through dialogue, ethics, justice, development and freedom," Gholamali Khoshroo said, adding, "All nations should enjoy equal opportunities for economic and social development."
He made the remarks in an address to a UN General Assembly meeting on "Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation" on Tuesday.
He denounced sanctions and military aggression against some countries as a major obstacle to establishment of "peace and security."
"Indeed, any type of economic sanction or military threat will, instead of promoting peace and security, merely create humanitarian crisis and aggravate conflict and divergence." Therefore, (removing) suspicion and mistrust and (promoting) mutual respect and constructive dialog on equal basis are necessary for the establishment of peace and tranquility."
Elsewhere, Khoshroo criticized some countries for adopting hawkish policies to prevent "Islamic revivalism" through establishing and supporting extremist groups. "Policies based on containment of Islamic revivalism and approaches to use radical groups to achieve political ends only inflame violence and extremism," the ambassador said, warning, "This trend endangers security and stability and weakens moral foundation of society."
He recommended, "We should go beyond fundamentalism/secularism dichotomy and promote religious democracy in the Islamic world."
Pointing to the relation between Islam and the West, he said, "In recent decades, Islamic revivalism, as a very influential political factor, is playing a greater role in relations between Islam and the West," noting, "For a constructive dialogue between Islam and the West, it is not advisable to expect Muslims to be secular in order to be a good party for dialogue. Such an approach is counterproductive and only widens the gap and deepens mistrust."
"Thus, a more practical and appropriate way to deal with Muslim societies is to promote democratic principles of the dignity and respect for moderation in the Islamic world," he added.
