Ayatollah Khamenei Makes Case For Moral Superiority Of The West

A number of political and religious leaders are using the coronavirus to attack those they despise. Ayatollah Khamenei is no exception.

Recently, Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the west's response to the coronavirus.

Commenting on how he believes people and governments in the west have failed to respond appropriately to the coronavirus, he remarked,  "This is, of course, the natural and logical outcome of the philosophy that rules western civilization, which is the philosophy of individualism, materialism, and mostly, atheism......there is a spirit of savagery in the west, and that this spirit does not contradict the west's neat and perfumed appearance."

There are many flaws and deficiencies in the west, as there are in all societies. But what the ayatollah fails to understand is that people in the west have a thing called freedom. This includes the freedom to choose or reject, and not be forced to follow the religious dictates of political and religious leaders.

People in the west can choose to be materialistic or reject materialism. It would be better if there was far less materialism everywhere. But this is a decision individuals get to make for themselves in the west.

People in the west have religious freedom, which includes the right to reject, criticize and to change religions. Being an atheist is not a crime in the west. If anything, there are probably more hidden atheists in theocratic societies like Iran that shove religion down people's throats. Individuals in the west are not forced to bend to the will of a theocrat or his cronies, many of whom are wealthy and corrupt.

In the west, people are allowed to think for themselves. They do not need an old man or anyone telling them how to live, dress, practice religion and what to believe. People do not go to jail for rejecting or criticizing their religious and political leaders. It is not a crime to reject or criticize religion. People have freedom in the west. They are not slaves to the religious beliefs of another.

The west is too materialistic and it is flawed. But so is much of the rest of the world. At least in the west, the government does not shove religion down the throats of others.

Nuclear weapons and environmental destruction are two of the greatest threats to human survival. Iran, instead of lessening either of these threats, instead promotes religious fanaticism and violent jihad.

Regarding savagery; martyrdom, suicide bombings, punishing and murdering non believers, and violent jihad are about as savage as a society can get.