StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Human Rights in Islam - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of this paper "Human Rights in Islam" will make an earnest attempt to compare the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the human rights that are established by Islam, explaining their differences and similarities in content and scope…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.7% of users find it useful
Human Rights in Islam
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Human Rights in Islam"

? Compare the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the human rights that are established by Islam, explaining their differences and similarities in content and scope. NAME Course Title/Number 30th March 2012 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was originally drawn up in 1948, and stipulates thirty articles which are an attempt to categorize rights that it is believed every human being should have access to. Many of the articles in the UDHR seem undisputable, and so many countries agreed to the original UDHR that it has now taken on the appearance of international law (Morsink, 1999). There are, however, other areas of the UDHR that have caused controversy. There are those who believe that the UDHR represents the Judeo-Christian tradition in a very secular way, and therefore some of the articles are in violation of certain religions traditions, such as Shariah law. The purpose of this paper is to explore the UDHR and compare it to the stipulations of Islam, finding similarities and differences between the two. This will show that, whilst the majority of the articles represent facets of Islam, there are a number of areas in which the UDHR fails to represent this religious tradition. One of the most obvious similarities between Shariah law and the UDHR is that they both oppose discrimination based on race, gender, language, nationality or religion. The Quran suggests that ‘when the Trumpet is blown, no ties of kinship will exist between them on that day, nor may they question one another’ (The Quran, 23:101). This essentially makes reference to the fact that Allah will not discriminate based on these things on judgement day. The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) is essentially an Islamic version of the UDHR, and also includes this sentiment as the very most important thing, which suggests that there is a high amount of compatibility between the two. Islam itself is seen to be a very all-encompassing religion, as it encourages people of all races to convert to the religion, again suggesting that the UNDR and Islam are similar in content in this department. Another element that is common to both the UNDR and Islam is the focus on women’s rights and equality between genders. For example, the CDHRI suggests that women have ‘equal human dignity’ (Hashimi, 1997) and therefore should be treated as well as men are. Islam and the CDHRI also both place emphasis on the fact that men and women both have the right to choose their own spouses regardless of race or pressure from outside parties. The UDHR also expresses this, suggesting that ‘Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution’ (United Nations, 2012, Article 16). The reference to dissolution is also important, as Islam is well-regarded for being one of the first religions to allow women the right to divorce their own husbands by choice (Hashimi, 1997). Both Islam and the UDHR place an emphasis on living quality. It seems sensible to both parties to encourage living standards to be the best possible, as all humans have the right to live cleanly and safely. The Quran puts this sentiment very nicely, suggesting that ‘he who saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind’ (The Qur’an, 5:32). There are further quotes which support the fact that Islam is for the preservation of human life, rather than destroying it, and saving a life is incredibly important in the religion. The aim of Islam is to ensure that everyone lives a long and happy life (Hashimi, 1997). Similarly, the UDHR suggests, in article 25, that ‘everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family’ (United Nations, 2012). This is yet more evidence for the fact that the UDHR and Islam stand for several similar principles in a number of matters. There are, however, a number of times in which the UDHR does not account for the perspectives and rules of Islam and Shariah law, which is exactly why the CDHRI was drawn up; to express the sentiments of the UDHR in a more Islamic-friendly way (Hashimi, 1997). Perhaps the most striking difference between the two is that the UDHR suggests that ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression’ (United Nations, 2012, Article 19). The Quran, however, does advocate this but in a slightly different manner; the right to freedom of opinion and expression is limited by Shariah law. The CDHRI expresses this neatly by altering the original article slightly to make it more relevant to Islam, so that it becomes ‘Everyone shall have the right to express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shari’ah’ (Brems, 2001). It is important to note that, whilst both these articles aim at protecting the freedoms of the individual, Islam needs to ensure that the rules of Shariah are not broken. Another important problem between the views of the UDHR and Islam concerns free religion. Article 18 of the UDHR suggests that ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance’ (United Nations, 2012). Evidently, there are a number of problems allowing this within a religion that sees itself as the ‘true religion’ and worshipping the ‘true God’. Leaving Islam, for example, would mean breaking several of the important Shariah laws which make the religion what it is (Hashimi, 1997), and therefore this cannot be sanctioned. By the very nature of the two entities that control these laws, it is impossible to compare them in this way as Islam has a right to protect itself and its believers, and is likely to do this by not sanctioning those who wish to leave. It is obvious that there are a number of similarities and differences in the beliefs and scope of Islam and the UDHR, so much so that the religion felt that it was necessary to tailor the UDHR articles to Shariah law to produce the CDHRI. Islam as a religion is generally very accepting, and emphasizes the rights of others, particularly women. Both encourage society to make sure that everyone is cared for properly, as everyone has the right to a healthy and long life without fear or preventable illness. Islam and Shariah law make it difficult to apply the UDHR rules of freedom of expression and belief to their own culture, because the very nature of any religion is to follow the proposed rules. Many of the rules of the UDHR have been simply altered to make a reference to Shariah law, and some have simply been omitted. It is interesting to judge the similarities and differences between the two sets of rules. References Brems, E. (2001). Human rights: universality and diversity. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Hashimi, M. ?Ali. (1997). The ideal Muslim: the true Islamic personality as defined in the Qur?an and Sunnah. Islamic Books. Morsink, J. (1999). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: origins, drafting, and intent. University of Pennsylvania Press. United Nations. (n.d.). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved March 30, 2012, from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Human Rights in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1446174-islamic-culture-week
(Human Rights in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1446174-islamic-culture-week.
“Human Rights in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1446174-islamic-culture-week.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Human Rights in Islam

Importance of International Law on Human Rights

This paper "Importance of International Law on human rights" focuses on the fact that human rights have described as the inalienable moral entitlement to all persons equally, by virtue of their humanity, irrespective of race, nationality, or membership of any particular social group.... nbsp;… human rights are often violated on the pretext of state or public emergency, however, a country's sovereignty and legitimacy are increasingly coming under challenge from the international community, whereby it might ultimately result in isolation, extreme economic sanctions, and invasion by other countries....
8 Pages (2000 words) Case Study

Reason for the War in Afghanistan

Among many other nations, the American government felt that there was a need to defend the human rights of the vulnerable children and women in the Arab nations where mistreatment of such groups was very rampant.... The Taliban government had been ruling with the extremist version of Islam throughout the country hence violating countless human rights and propagating a lot of abuse on the children, women, girls, and ethnic Hazaras (Roy-Bhattacharya, 2012).... He stated that a nation that respected human dignity could always consider alternative means of solving conflicts for the sake of civilian casualties....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes

This research paper proves that islam gave preference to men over women.... According to the research paper "islam Advocates for Equal Rights of Sexes" findings, gender imbalance and thus subordination of women cuts across every area of life and across all communities on the planet.... While the teaching of islam does not condone the idea, Arabic customs do and that is what most people mistake for islam.... Muslims give women the position of a useless object around the homestead, this is in spite of the Holy Qur'an giving clear guidelines about what the rights of women really are....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

The Role of Orientalism in Western Conceptions of the Islamic Tradition

In Western Democracy and Islamic Tradition: The Application of Shari'a in a Modern World, Melanie Reed rises a matter of Human Rights in Islam.... The essay "The Role of Orientalism in Western Conceptions of the Islamic Tradition" investigates conceptions and misconceptions of Islam from the point of view of the Western society as the violation of human rights, religious intolerance, militarism, and women's position in Islamic society.... “While most scholars would agree that minimal human rights standards exist, the correct implementation of such standards is a topic of hot debate....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Free Expression and Universal Human Rights

The main argument in my paper is that there is a reported movement in the universal community that is undermining the basic foundation of free expression and universal human rights.... Various Islamic nations that work together under OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) have… They have passed their annual resolutions in UNHRC and GA asking for action against the religion defamation calling for regulations that will prevent This development necessitated a strong response from the nations and NGOs that respect human rights, but even the discussion has been compromised....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

United Nations Resolution 62/154

The concept is upheld as implied through the court case of Australian Capital Television v Commonwealth (1992) 177 CLR 106 which held that while the Constitution did not give explicit rights to freedom of speech, it did give implicit rights in concerned to freedom of political communications.... hellip; This assignment will begin with the statement that the United Nations passed a resolution proposed on 6 March 2008 to condemn the concept of religious defamation and to encourage the world to unite under the agreement that respect, human rights, and fundamental freedoms should be due to all regardless of race, sex, language, or religion....
10 Pages (2500 words) Assignment

Polygamy in Islamic Law

omen's rights supporters or the modernists rebut the above arguments.... This paper ''Polygamy in Islamic Law'' discusses that polygamy has been a controversial issue in the Islamic community.... From the Orthodox, Ulama argues that Polygamy is part of the Islamic Shari'ah.... He gives men the authority to take more than four wives if one wants....
7 Pages (1750 words) Literature review

Criminal Law in Saudi Arabia

The questions aim at drawing distinct lines that exist between these two aspects of the law in Saudi, examining the ways in which they can be used to enhance a right focus on human rights in Saudi (Alrabaa, 2010).... hellip; Issues of human rights have been the center of heavy criticisms in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the East....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us