Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The ambassador has just arrived and he is more than welcome. He must have been delighted to read in the newspapers that Ireland is the country in the world that is most faithful to the values of the Koran. This finding comes from a study conducted by an Iranian colleague of the ambassador who occupies a high ranking position in a wonderful university, George Washington University. Those of us who are secularists might find this difficult to understand.

When the ambassador was addressing the issue of human rights, he noted that Islamic law cannot be changed. I consider Iran as a key player in the world. There are conflicts right across the Arab, Muslim and Christian world, and Iran plays an important role. I refer to the Middle East, Israel, Iraq and Syria. Given the ambassador's strict interpretation of Islamic law and the laws of Iran, how do we interpret Islamic law through the Koran? For example, Saudi Arabia, which is another might world power, has a different interpretation. The Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant, which has just been announced, claims religious authority over all Muslims under its supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

He will have a different interpretation of Islamic law. How many of these conflicts are based on religion rather than politics? How many of those who are dying as a result of the activities of Boko Haram and al-Shabaab in countries such as Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Egypt are the victims of a religious war, rather than a political struggle as these conflicts are sometimes interpreted? How does the ambassador explain this terrible blood-letting between Shia and Sunni to people from the west who come from liberal democratic, Christian societies?

I am delighted the Ceann Comhairle will visit Iran because the more interaction our two countries have, the more we will understand each other.

On the issue of fundamental human rights, how can Iran claim its interpretation of the Koran is correct and justifies stoning people to death, executing gay and lesbian and transgender people and so forth?

The challenge is to define what role Iran is playing in the world? Is it assisting or undermining stability? We spoke about the conflict in and around Israel and the funding and training of Hamas and Hezbollah. Are these progressive forces? Should they be supported or is Iran playing out an international world struggle for supremacy in the world of Islam? It may take a while to answer my questions but I ask the ambassador to do his best.