A Comparative Examination of the Right to a Healthy Environment in Imam Khamenei’s Quranic Thought and the International Human Rights Regime

Document Type : Scholary

Authors

1 Faculty Member, Department of Quran and Humanities, Higher Education Complex of Quran and Hadith, Al-Mustafa International University, Qum, Iran

2 Ph.D. Student of Comparative Tafsīr, Quran and Hadith Higher Education Complex, Al-Mustafa International University, Qum, Iran

10.22034/qns.2025.22321.1147

Abstract

Environmental issues constitute a critical global challenge in the contemporary era. The well-being of present and future generations hinges upon safeguarding a healthy environment, as its degradation inflicts severe harm on human life. The international community has recognized the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental human right. Ayatollah Khamenei similarly accords this right a central place in human existence, viewing it as a right belonging to all generations.
     The present study examines the right to a healthy environment from two competing perspectives: the international human rights framework and the Qur’ānic-political thought of Ayatollah Khamenei. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach, the research elucidates the commonalities and divergences between these two paradigms.
     Findings reveal that Ayatullah Khamenei regards a healthy environment as the essential foundation for human growth and transcendence in both material and spiritual dimensions. He considers its realization attainable through an integrated process encompassing religious duty, legal codification, criminalization of violations, cultural promotion, scientific advancement, and societal engagement. In contrast, the international human rights system—shaped by liberal-individualist principles and lacking a divine worldview—focuses exclusively on the material aspect of this right and suffers from inadequate mechanisms for effective implementation and enforcement. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the primary source of Ayatullah Khamenei’s perspective is divine revelation (the Quran), in which this right is explicitly and unambiguously articulated.

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