A Comparative Analysis of the Foundations of the Right to Self-Determination in the International Human Rights System and the Quranic Thought of Imam Khamenei

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Corresponding Author, PhD in Comparative Exegesis, Higher Education Complex of Quran and Hadith, Al Mustafa International University, Iran.

2 Faculty Member, Department of Quran and Humanities, Faculty of Quran and Hadith, Al Mustafa International University, Iran

Abstract

 
Objective: This study conducts a precise comparative-analytical examination of the theoretical foundations and guarantee mechanisms of the right to self-determination within international human rights law versus contemporary Islamic political discourse as articulated in the Quranic thought of Imam Khamenei.
Method: Utilizing an interdisciplinary comparative-analytical approach, the research employs thematic exegesis (tafsir mawdu'i) of Quranic verses to extract divine foundations alongside qualitative textual analysis of international treaties (UN Charter, 1966 Covenants, ICCPR General Comments), ICJ advisory opinions, and political-philosophical writings.
Findings: The two paradigms demonstrate profound divergence in ontological and anthropological foundations. International human rights law grounds self-determination in human inherent dignity and individual autonomy, struggling philosophically to justify collective rights and lacking internal enforcement. Conversely, the Quranic paradigm roots self-determination in divine dignity (karamah ilahiyyah), human vicegerency (khilafah), and unalterable divine historical laws (sunan), framing it through the real concomitance of rights and obligations (tamazum). Functionally, both frameworks converge on external anti-colonialism. The Quranic model introduces ”wilayat al-nusrah” (protective solidarity) as a conceptual framework for collective responsibility to protect oppressed peoples.
Conclusion: While international law provides established legal institutions hampered by geopolitical power dynamics, the Quranic model presents a cohesive theological synthesis bridging rights with moral duties. It resolves liberal individualist impasses regarding collective rights, offering a normative alternative to selective humanitarian intervention.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 March 2026
  • Revise Date: 06 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 05 April 2026

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