The book “Violence, Human Rights, and Civil Society” is a collection of five articles written by the researcher and critical philosopher of religious intellectualism, Dr. Mohammad Reza Nikfar. As the title suggests, the book delves into the challenge of finding solutions for the expansion of civil society in today’s Iranian society, through the exploration of the relationship between violence, human rights, and civil society. In the introduction, the author states:

“The importance and expansion of the project of civil society at the global level is necessary; especially in Iran, after the events of June 2nd, 1997, there has been increasing discussion and contemplation about it in the public sphere. The themes that are reflected in the content of this book are indicative of the significance of: freedom, transparency, and human rights, which form the basis of a civil system…”

In the first article, Nikfar discusses the topic of ethics and violence from a philosophical and sociological perspective and condemns the violent sources that consider themselves exempt from explanation and justification. He highlights the phenomenon of violence as a systematic and heinous act perpetrated by the main source of power, and denounces it. At the end of this section, it is stated: “…in ancient society, breaking the law was seen as simple. In modern society, however, no case can be closed and perhaps it can be said that the end of history cannot be determined. It can be argued that none of the wars of the modern era have ended and will never end. Anyone who sees a film of the scenes of the Vietnam War participates in this war, every new photo that is found of this war, every new document that is discovered about it, every new book that is written about it, will contribute to the continuation of “war”…”

In the second section of the book, which is an article titled “Human Rights and Civil Rights,” the author distinguishes these two concepts from each other with philosophical and sociological precision and examines the relationship between these two elements that make up civil society, in pursuit of democratic goals.

In the third article included in this book, Nikfar challenges the cultural relativism of human rights by critically and metaphorically examining the issue through the lens of Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban. He questions the foundations of Islamic human rights and also critiques the Western concept of human rights. The author presents the topic of human rights as a universal, trans-ideological and non-religious issue and believes that a narrow view of this phenomenon will have disastrous consequences.

In the fourth article, the author discusses and analyzes the term “tolerance” and distinguishes it from “compassion” and “tolerance” and similar titles. He also insists, with a philosophical and sociological approach, that tolerance is a special concept that if not understood correctly, will always lead us towards negative consequences in the process of expanding our civil society. In one part of this article, it is stated: “…tolerance is accepting the position of ability, not disability… tolerance must be accompanied by respecting the freedom of others. They are free, it is acceptable for them to make their own decisions. I am not them, because I do not think like them and I do not make decisions like them, and they are not me. Therefore, it is acceptable for them to not think like me and not behave like me. Tolerance may be insulting, but tolerance is respecting the personality, freedom, and choices of others. We can consider compassion as a super

The author of this book, in its final section and in the fifth article, is in search of achieving the concept of Iranian civil society. He states at the beginning of the article: The aim of this article is to prove three points:

The issue of civil society in Iran is the issue of the government.

2 – But solving the problem of the government is within the scope of solving the problem of civil society.

3 – And this is a matter that must be courageously addressed with civic determination…

Although this book has been published in pocket size and around 180 pages, it contains such fundamental and challenging content that it is worth reading and studying multiple times. The mentioned book was published by Tarh-e-No Publications in 1378 and was first printed in 1389. However, it has not been allowed to be reprinted after the second edition.

We recommend reading this book to all those who truly intend to serve the culture and civil society of Iran.

Book name: Violence, Human Rights, Civil Society

Author: Dr. Mohammadreza Nikfar

Publisher: New Plan

Print number: Second 1389