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This article provides an overview of liberalism in Iran. It is limited to the Iranian liberal movement and liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in the majlis (Iranian Parliament). Today, the main liberal parties in Iran are the National Front of Iran and the Constitutionalist Party of Iran. The historical development of Iranian liberalism is a controversial subject, since several of the most fundamental liberal concepts stand in direct opposition with the ideological positions of the Islamic republic. Regarding this dichotomy, Ramin Jahanbegloo, a liberal philosopher and Iranian dissident who currently lives in exile, has commented that "freedom is possible even in a world of secret police and of the rule of autocrats. Freedom is a universal human possibility."〔''Reading Legitimation Crisis in Tehran: Iran and the Future of Liberalism'' by Danny Postel, from Prickly Paradigm Press (2006). It appeared in German in Blätter für Deutsche und internationale Politik 9/2006.〕 ==Liberalism: overview== Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophies that considers individual liberty and equality to be the most important political goals.〔A: "'Liberalism' is defined as a social ethic that advocates liberty, and equality in general." – C. A. J. (Tony) Coady ''Distributive Justice'', A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, editors Goodin, Robert E. and Pettit, Philip. Blackwell Publishing, 1995, p.440.〕 Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Within liberalism, there are various streams of thought which compete over the use of the term "liberal" and may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for political liberalism, which encompasses: freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual's right to private property,〔Oxford Manifesto 1997〕 and a transparent system of government.〔Compare for the latter aspect the (Oxford Manifesto ) of 1947 of the Liberal International (''Respect for the language, faith, laws and customs of national minorities''), (Oxford Manifesto ) of 1997 (''We believe that close cooperation among democratic societies through global and regional organizations, within the framework of international law, of respect for human rights, the rights of national and ethnic minorities, and of a shared commitment to economic development worldwide, is the necessary foundation for world peace and economic and environmental sustainability''), the (ELDR Electoral programme 1994 ) (''Protecting rights of minorities flows naturally from liberal policy, which seeks to ensure equal opportunities for everyone'')〕 All liberals support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.〔Compare the (Oxford Manifesto ) of the Liberal International〕 Liberalism is rooted in the Age of Enlightenment and rejects many foundational assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, established religion, and economic protectionism.〔Free Trade and Liberal England, 1846-1946 By Anthony Howe〕〔Ideologies and Political Theory By Michael Freeden〕〔The Cambridge Economic History of Europe by Peter Mathias, John Harold Clapham, Michael Moïssey Postan, Eileen Edna Power, H. J. Habakkuk〕 Instead, it founds itself on the assumption of the equal dignity and worth of individuals. Liberalism in its broadest sense is arguably the dominant ideology of the Western World, where mainstream political debate is held largely within the realm of accepted liberal principles such as government by consent, rationalism, freedom of speech etc., and these principles being accepted and prized by parties across the political spectrum. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Liberalism in Iran」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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