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When international human rights are discussed, it is self-evident that many countries do not endorse nor uphold The Universal Declaration of Human Rights that champions the following:
1. the right to life, liberty and security of person
2. the right to an education
3. right to participate fully in cultural life
4. freedom from torture or cruel, inhumane treatment or punishment
5. freedom of thought, conscience and religion
The declaration was passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1948, but not unanimously, and it is not a legally binding document, as the United Nations has no capacity to enforce it.
If you believe the declaration is universally accepted, think again.
There is a huge portion of this planet's governments that do not accept the declaration, which is as much an expression of hope as it is a guiding document for governments that seek to act morally and ethically.
There are many morally and ethically challenged Islamic governments that endorse a pernicious "other" declaration that seeks to subjugate and oppress women and religious minorities.
It's called the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam and it is clearly contradictory.
While the declaration makes it sound like human rights are extended to all people, the Cairo declaration is contradictory because it also states the following:
"All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah.
"The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this declaration."
By stating the Cairo declaration is subordinate to Shari'ah law, the declaration's duplicitous nature is self-evident, because Shari'ah law is oppressive and does not protect religious minorities nor does it legislate equality of men and women.
Can you believe that in 2009 we are still discussing the right of women to be equal to men?
Unbelievable, but we are.
"Under Shariah law, Muslim women and non-Muslims are not accorded equal treatment with Muslim men," according to the International Humanist and Ethical Union. "The ShariҒah, therefore, fails to honor the right to equality guaranteed under the UDHR and the international covenants, and thus denies the full enjoyment of their human rights to those living in states which follow Shariah law."
In all the Islamic countries that I know of, apostasy is a major part of Shari'ah law.
In the eyes of Islamic clerics and government stooges, apostasy is the rejection of Islam, whether or not your family was Muslim, and whether or not an individual -- through the exercise of his or her conscience (free will) -- has decided to convert from Islam to, for example, the Bahҡ' Faith.
Thus, if you are a Bah' in Iran and many other Islamic countries, you are an apostate for "renouncing" Islam and Muhammad, Seal of the Prophets, because you believe Bah'u'llh is the answer to Jewish, Christian, Islamic and other prophecies.
For the rest of this, please visit my blog at http://independentlyinvestigating.blogspot.com/200...
NEW YORK Many Baha'i communities around the world are observing Human Rights Day this week - which this year has special significance because it marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In New York, the Baha'i International Community will host a one-day seminar on "Freedom of Religion or Belief: Perspectives and Challenges after Sixty Years of United Nations Protection."
The seminar, on 8 December, will entail two panel discussions featuring, among others: Felice Gaer of the Jacob Blaustein Institute who serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Azza Karam of the United Nations Population Fund; Cole Durham of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University; and Malcolm Evans of the University of Bristol School of Law.
"Human Rights Day is especially significant this year because human rights seem to be under attack from many directions," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, who will also speak at the event in New York. "This year, given that it is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' 60th anniversary, it is all the more important, as that document sets the strongest normative standards for freedom of religion or belief."
Around the world
A number of Baha'i communities at both the national and local levels have planned events for Human Rights Day, commemorated each year on 10 December. Following are some examples:
In Canada, Baha'is are sponsoring or co-sponsoring at least 10 events, including a two-day "Human Rights Global Dignity Conference" in Victoria, British Columbia, held 6-7 December.
A number of events with Baha'i participation are taking place at various Canadian universities, including McGill in Montreal, and, in British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
Local observances will be held in Chilliwack, Abbottsford, Colwood, Maple Ridge, and Langley in British Columbia, and in Richmond Hill and Okaville in Ontario.
"We have been encouraging our Local Assemblies to hold events," said Gerald Filson, a spokesman for the Baha'i Community of Canada.
In Brazil, Baha'is will participate in the XI National Human Rights Conference in Brasilia on 15-18 December. About 1,500 people are expected to attend, among them elected delegates from the 27 Brazilian states, guests and observers.
The Baha'i Community of Brazil has prepared a new edition of the "Human Rights Pathway," an exhibition of 30 posters - representing the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - designed to line a corridor where people can pass through to view. The new edition of the "Pathway" was printed using language and drawings produced by middle school students from Guara, a city in the outskirts of Brasilia, and with partial financial support of the Organization of Ibero-American States.
In the United Kingdom, the Baha'is community produced two pamphlets for distribution in schools and universities that connect the persecution of Baha'i university students in Iran with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specifies the right to an education.
"Our Baha'i youth in various places are also organizing seminars, events, and presentations," said Robert Weinberg, a spokesman for the Baha'is of the United Kingdom.
He said Baha'is were also supporting an open letter, signed by a number of prominent educators, religious leaders, and academics from throughout Great Britain that criticizes Iran's policy of denying Baha'is access to higher education. The letter is to be released on Human Rights Day.
In Austria, the Baha'i community organized an event on 6 November 2008 at the Vienna Baha'i Center that commemorated the imprisonment and murder of Viennese Baha'is of Jewish background during World War II. That ceremony also celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In India, Baha'is are sponsoring a program in Lucknow that will launch a discourse on eradication of childhood poverty in collaboration with UNICEF of Uttar Pradesh.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. Over the years, a network of human rights instruments and mechanisms has been developed to ensure the primacy of human rights and to confront human rights violations wherever they occur.
source: http://news.bahai.org/story/676
