Freedom of Speech, Religion, and Politics - Case Study Example

Freedom of Speech, Religion and Politics Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction There have been many organizations which are fighting for the human rights both locally and globally. People need to have their freedoms of speech, political freedoms and freedom of worship. Observing human rights helps to improve the wellbeing of individuals as they will feel free to express their views. In the political arena, political freedom enables individuals to elect their leaders independently without influence as well as religion and freedom of speech (Sasson 2001). In this regard, this paper will compare between Eastern countries such as Oman, KSA, QATAR and Western countries such as UK, France and Italy in terms of freedom of politics, religion and speech. Freedom of speech in Oman, KSA, Qatar In Oman, there have been many arrests recently by the Oman authorities which want to take all legal measures. Most of the arrests made were due to freedom of speech. Article 24 of the law of Oman guarantees that, any person who is arrested should be provided with reasons for the arrest and given chance contact any person and seeks council advice. The Arab Charter on Human Rights under Article 14(2-3) guarantees any person's liberty except under circumstances deprived by the law. Moreover, freedom of speech is guaranteed in article 29 of the Oman basic law. Article 32 guarantees any person freedom of expression. Under article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil Rights expresses that all human beings should have freedom of expression (Brownlie 2002). In KSA, the kingdom operates under the Islamic religious laws. The government of KSA has been criticized for lack of observing the rights of its people. The freedom of speech in KSA is stated in article 26 of the basic law of Saudi Arabia. The government of Saudi Arabia like any other Eastern countries has the law which protects the freedom of speech as explained in article 26. However, there are some circumstances when the individuals can be deprived their freedom of speech, according to the Islamic law and freedom which can be a threat to the government (Sasson 2001). On the other hand, freedom of speech in Qatar has been observed except in the recent conduct of the government. The freedom of speech in Qatar is stated in article 47 of the Qatar constitution. However, the freedom of expression is limited to some circumstances, if it can threaten the rights of other people. In the year 2013, a meeting headed by prime minister and head of foreign affairs, agreed to draft a law which limits the use of the media (Brownlie 2002). The law could regulate the online activists who use the internet to fight for freedom of speech. Freedom of speech in UK, Italy and France Like any other western countries, the UK has clear policies for observing the human rights. One of the human rights observed by the UK government is freedom of speech. In the constitution of UK, article 10 clearly indicates the freedom of expression and the rights of individuals to freely interact and give their opinions (Alston 2005). However, the freedom of speech is guaranteed if it protects the national security, prevent disorder or nay crime and protect the rights of other individuals. On the other hand, Italy also observes the rights of its citizens. In article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that each individual has the freedom of speech. The media are guaranteed the freedom to disseminate information and ideas which cannot cause threats. People are given their freedom to interact and speak their ideas on the internet and in any place, whether in public or private (Brownlie 2002). The people are given the freedom to publish information which does not violate the rights of other people and is not a threat to other people. The same case applies to France. France has ratified many international instruments which try to uphold human rights. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights explains how France upholds the rights of speech. In addition, articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on political and human rights also guide France how it observes the human rights (Brownlie 2002). However, the freedom of speech should not conflict with the rights of other individuals and does not cause any harm as stated in the Constitution of France. Politics in Oman, KSA and Qatar Politics in Oman operates under the kingdom system of government. There are no political parties which are allowed in the country and there are no representatives who are directly elected. Qaboos Bin Sa'id Al Sa'id overthrew his father and took over the throne. The kingdom has been careful to include the tribal leaders in the government (Freeman 2002). The government selects members of the council from the members presented from the 59 Wilayats. Oman operates as hereditary monarchy and Sultan rules the royal palace and has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. Oman had no constitution until the year 1996 when Sultan proclaimed the basic law. KSA is another absolute monarchy system of government, which is founded under the Islamic law. KSA has both the head of state and the head of government. Major decisions are made with the consultation of the royal family. The Quran is the constitution of KSA and is guided by the Islamic law Sharia law. The king is expected to comply with the Sharia law (Sasson 2001). The Quran states the political rights of the individuals of the people of Saudi Arabia. There are no political parties are allowed and there are no elections, which are conducted according to The Economists 2010 Democracy Index. In Qatar, the political system is the Constitutional monarchy, which has the head of state and head of government. In the year 2003, the constitutional referendum became the constitutional monarchy. All along the kingdom of Qatar has been ruled by the royal family until they held the first legislative election in the year 2007 and 2011 (Freeman 2002). The legal system of Qatar involves both the civil law and Islamic law. Politics in UK, Italy and France In the UK, the system of government is unitary democracy which is governed by the constitutional monarchy. The monarchy is the head of state while the prime minister is the head of government. The political system in the UK is multiparty and each individual has the right to choose which party he or she should belong to. The two biggest parties since the year 1920s are the Conservative party and the Labor party. The chief of state of UK is the Queen Elizabeth 11 although she takes little part in the government. The monarchy appoints the prime minister (Freeman 2002). In Italy, the political system is conducted in a parliamentary system. It is a democratic government with a multiparty system. The monarchical system was abolished in the year 1946 through a referendum. The constitution of Italy was written by Constituent Assembly of Italy. The prime minister leads the council of ministers who have the executive power (Freeman 2002). The sovereignty belongs to the citizens of Italy. The State is the Res Publica and it belongs to the people of Italy. The president has many duties which replaced the king and is elected for seven years. France on the other hand is a democratic republic. The head of state is the president while the head of government is the prime minister. France operates under a multi party system constitution and people have their rights to join any party of their choice(Brownlie 2002). The president appoints the Prime Minister who then forms the government. The French parliament is made up of two houses which are the national assembly and the senate. The citizens of France have the right to vote in their leaders in a democratic manner. Religion in Oman, KSA and Qatar On the side of religious freedoms, the Basic law in Oman provides for freedom of religious worship. However, the republic declares that Islam is the state religion and Sharia law is the source which provides legislation (Shaw 2008). The law prohibits any discrimination against any religion. It also provides freedom of religious rites as long as the religion does not affect the rights of other people or religions. Less than 5 % of the Oman populations represents groups which are non Muslims. All religious organizations must be registered according to the law. In KSA, the government does not recognize any other religion and the Sharia law do not protect the freedom of religion in the country. All the people are expected to follow the interpretations of the Sharia law. Although there are minority groups which do not practice Islamic law, they are not guaranteed the freedom of their worship (Sasson 2001). The minority groups practice their religions privately at heir homes. There are dialogues which are going on concerning the freedom of worship, but so far Islam is the state religion. Oman is another Islamic state. Although the government policy practices freedom of religion, there are some restrictions which are imposed on minority religious groups. Since Qatar is an Islamic state, the government prohibits importation and publication of non-Islamic materials. Although Qatar is an Islamic state, there are minor groups which practice Christianity, but privately (Brownlie 2002). The Sharia law prohibits use of religious symbols in public places. Religion in UK, Italy and France UK is one of the Western republics which guarantee its citizens' freedom of worship. The religious rights are explained in the constituent legal requirements which are devolved government, national, European and international law. There is no state church in the United Kingdom (Doebbler 2006). Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides for freedom of worship, religion and freedom of thought. One of the most dominant state churches includes the Church of England. Islam is also practiced by minor Islamic groups. In Italy, freedom of religion is guaranteed under the constitution of 1947 of the republic of Italy. Initially, Roman Catholicism was considered the state religion. With the promulgation of the new constitution in the year 1947, the Italian republic started practicing multi religions. Currently, the dominant religion is the Roman Catholic, although there are some minor religions such as Islam. About 97.67% of the Italian people are baptized by the rites of the Roman Catholic, although there is freedom of worship and people are allowed to join any faith as long as it is not against the constitution (Doebbler 2006). France on the other hand practices freedom of religion. Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1789 provided rights of freedom of the people of France. The 1905 French law provides that people have freedom of worship and they can form any religion although in accordance with the law. There are many religions in France and the people of are free to join any religion of their choice. Some of the most common religions include Catholic, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Armenian Christianity among others. However, Catholicism is the primary religion in France (Doebbler 2006). Conclusion The main religion in Eastern countries is the Islam while in Western countries the main religion is Christianity. The Eastern countries such as Oman, KSA and Qatar are practicing the freedom of speech as stated in their constitutional laws. There is freedom of speech although the speech does not violate the constituents in the constitution. Same case applies to Western countries such as the UK, Italy and France, which have clauses in their constitution to protect the rights of their citizens. Oman, Qatar and KSA have no political systems in their government and they practice kingdom system while France, UK and Italy have many political parties and the citizens have the right to join any of the political parties. The major religion in Eastern Countries is Islam while in Western countries the main religion is Christianity. From the analysis and facts discussed in the essay, it is clear that Western countries are far ahead in terms of freedom of speech, religion and politics than Eastern countries. In Western countries, people have the right to choose what they feel is right for them. However, this is different in countries like KSA, Qatar and Oman where governments provide strict measures and legislations on what needs to be done. References Alston, P. (2005). "Ships Passing in the Night: The Current State of the Human Rights and Development Debate seen through the Lens of the Millennium Development Goals". Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 755–829. Brownlie, I. (2002). Basic Documents on Human Rights, 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Doebbler, Curtis F. J. (2006). Introduction to international human rights law. New York: Oxford University Press. Freeman, M. (2002). Human rights : an interdisciplinary approach. Cambridge: Polity Press. Sasson, J. (2001). Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia. London: Windsor-Brooke Books. Shaw, M. (2008). International Law (6th ed.). Leiden: Cambridge University Press. Read More