Religious Freedom and Human Rights - Essay Example

Religious Freedom and Human Rights al Affiliation Religious Freedom and Human Rights The tremendous value of a basic humanright of religious freedom is becoming obvious for contemporary society. Still, it remains a matter of a serious international concern. Practically every day a countless number of people worldwide are exposed to explicit discrimination, harassment, persecution, sometimes even groundless imprisonment and violence due to their creed, beliefs or, on the contrary, disbelief in the existence of God or gods. Numerous places of worship are burned to the ground and cemeteries are destroyed (Bielefeldt, 2012, p. 20). In spite of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees and protects fundamental human freedoms, there are a lot of cases of their brutal violation. According to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2013, around 400 Shiite and 80 Christians were murdered during the attack of sectarians in Pakistan and are exposed to serious danger in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Different religious minorities, including Hindus, are subjected to oppression and physical abuse in Bangladesh due to political instability in the country. Buddhist groups demolished churches and mosques in Shri Lanka. Falun Gong followers and Catholic clergymen were incarcerated and tormented in China (“International Religious Freedom Report,” 2013, p. 2). So, several questions arise: do people really have the freedom of faith and where lies the difference between religious liberty and religious extremism? The purpose of the paper is to define the concept of “religious freedom”. Further, it will analyze the impact of this notion on human rights. Also, it will evaluate the importance of religious freedom for the functioning of international system. Definition of Religious Freedom Though it is popularly believed that religious freedom originated in Western culture, there is persuasive evidence indicating that this concept came from ancient Persia, Sumeria, Africa and China. In conformity with Persian Documentation and Hebrew Scriptures, around 2,600 years ago Cyrus the Great implemented the policy of adopting tolerant attitude towards people of different religions. This regime restored Jewish outcast’s right of returning to their fatherland. Other holy texts pointed out that there must not be any coercion in religious beliefs (Hertzke, 2012, p. 109). Freedom of religion is universally acknowledged to be one of the fundamental human rights. It is stated in different declarations of the United Nations Organization, international agreements and national legislation. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) defines this notion as the right of every person to freedom of choosing what faith to practice and what beliefs to follow. This involves the freedom to freely demonstrate one’s religion in worship, practice, teaching and observance, either personally or within certain community, in private or in public; also, dressing up in religious clothes and symbols, sticking to a specific diet, taking part in rites connected with particular periods of life, etc. Besides, nobody should be exposed to compulsion which would hinder his right to follow the religion according to individual preferences. Freedom to demonstrate one’s beliefs can be restricted only to that extent which is essential for securing public safety, well-being, order or fundamental freedoms of other people. Parents have also a right to raise and educate their children in accordance with their personal beliefs and principles (United Nations, 1976, p. 178). Moreover, Article 6 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief lists the following freedoms of an individual: right to revere and congregate, and establish houses of worship; right to set up and support suitable humanitarian or philanthropic organizations; right to produce, obtain and use works concerning religious ceremonies and traditions; right to create, publish and spread materials in this field; right to give lessons on religion in appropriate institutions; right to get voluntary financial assistance; right to choose and appoint leaders; right to follow the days meant for rest and celebrate religious rites and holidays; and finally right to establish relations with other people or communities at both domestic and international levels (“General Assembly,” 1981). Freedom of religions also presupposes the right to change one’s creed of beliefs without compulsion and pressure. This aspect arouses considerable controversies and heated debates, especially in countries where dominant religion is Islam, since it is considered to be illegal for Muslims to shift to another faith (Farr, 2011, p. 7-8). Impact of Religious Freedom on Human Rights It is a truth universally acknowledged that basic characteristics of human rights, such as universalism, equality and freedom, should be also applicable to the understanding of religious liberty, as it is provided by the mentioned above UN declaration and international agreement. First of all, it is a fundamental and worldwide right of all men which is not given them by governments or other social groups. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all people are bestowed with conscience and dignity, and thus they are entitled to choose their own creed and their own path in the religious sphere. However, freedom of faith and beliefs should be exercised in such a way which will not discriminate and infringe other inalienable human rights (Bielefeldt, 2012, p. 5-6). It is extremely necessary to bear in mind that there is no specific hierarchy of basic individual freedoms. All the rights are of equal importance and worth. They are not absolute and can be restrained in certain manner. Freedom of expression is one of the significant constituents of religious liberty. This involves the right to adopt particular beliefs and teachings, and undertake different activities related to the faith, though within provided restrictions. As it is stated in Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, any support of religious hate which provokes hostility, discrimination, prejudice, persecution or even violence should be strictly forbidden by law. In such a way the rights of other people will be protected (“Freedom of religion,” 2010, p. 6-7). Securing an unlimited freedom of faith can be a double edged sword. Nobody will deny the fact that it is quite difficult to find an appropriate and harmonious balance between one person’s right to religious liberty with another individual’s wish to be free from groundless intolerance and prejudice. Both depriving people of this right and, on the contrary, giving it to people without any reasonable restrictions can lead to terrible consequences and violation of other fundamental human freedoms. One of the instances which perfectly illustrates such statement is the situation with Muslims in France. Recently, the French government has adopted the law which prohibits wearing hijab by Muslim women (it is a scarf or veil which is used for covering woman’s head and neck as a form of protection and decency). In this way the French officials have violated the person’s right of religious freedom and expression declared by Article 18 of the ICCPR. To make matters worse, the Minister of Education gave the order to expulse from educational establishments all the female pupils or students who put on hijab. At the same time, nothing was done to the students of other religions. Roman Catholic students can still openly wear a crucifix, Sikh male pupils have freedom to put on turbans, and Jewish male students cover their heads with yarmulkes. So, only female students who practice Islam suffered from terrible injustice and discrimination. Their rights to religious expression and education were also violated. This situation has sparked strong protests of the whole Muslim community. The Union of Islamic Organizations in Europe showed considerable concern about the law which is considered to infringe Muslim religious liberty in the country. They even induced all other religious institutions and international organizations, which ensure the exercising of human rights, to protest against it (Wing & Smith, 2006, p. 756-760). Besides, few would agree with the fact that giving excessive religious freedom for certain groups is beneficial for them and for society. This can be demonstrated by another conflict of Muslim community with France. The French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, has recently published the cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, earlier created by a Danish periodical. This greatly offended the adherents of Islam and caused disastrous consequences. There was a brutal terrorist act in the capital of the country. Several gunmen who were the members of Islamist terrorist group attacked the office of Charlie Hebdo. As a result, 13 people were murdered and 12 people were severely injured. So, the most valuable human rights – the right to life and security were brutally violated. In addition, there was an infringement of liberty of expression and press. This cruel act of terror caused strong public protest (Crouch, 2015, p. 1-13). Thus, extremists, people who got too much religious freedom, decided that they are entitled to deprive other people of their fundamental freedoms and take their lives. Importance of Religious Freedom for the International System There can be no doubt that freedom of religion is a basic human right and an essential aspect of the proper and harmonious functioning of the international system. However, in spite of significant progress since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, only the small number of people can freely exercise this right without being persecuted or discriminated. As a matter of fact, more than 71 percent of the world’s population suffer from restraints of their religious liberty. They are subjected to hatred, coercion, physical and mental abuse, and other forms of violence. In some countries people are not able to establish the houses of worship or other religious organizations, their own houses are destroyed by the extremist groups. Such oppression considerably weakens the possibility of the establishing genuine democracy and freedom and can lead to breach of international peace (Hertzke, 2012, p. 118-119). It is quite obvious, that governments which cannot secure human rights to religion and beliefs are unlikely to protect other fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, speech and assembly, freedom from false imprisonment and torments, etc. (Farr, 2011, p. 8-9). For instance, North Korea passed the laws which completely prohibit the creation of any religious institutions and severe penalties for any kind of illegitimate religious activities. In Egypt, the authorities under the rule of Hoshi Mubarak did not take any actions to prevent ill-treatment of such religious minorities, as Shia Muslims, Bahai and Coptic Orthodox. The similar situation is experienced in such countries, as Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Sudan, Burma, Pakistan and others (Leo & Argue, 2011, p. 5). So, the absence of the religious liberty in the state is a definite proof of its weak democracy. The elimination or infringement of this right can causes great tension at the national and international levels and prompt flourishing of different extremism groups. That is why, it is extremely important to protect the people’s freedom of faith. Conclusion To conclude, freedom of religion is an essential cornerstone of the peaceful and democratic international relations. As it was illustrated by the examples above, the violation of this right sparks serious conflicts between different religious communities and even leads to brutal acts of terror. Such situation can significantly threaten the world peace and security, destabilize countries’ economies and expose the well-being of their people to a grave risk. For this reason, it is necessary to find a golden mean between religious liberty and other human rights. They should exist in harmony and unity in order to provide a better and fairer life for all people without any discrimination and ill-treatment on the ground of their beliefs. References Bielefeldt, H. (2012, Jan 11). Freedom of religion or belief – a human right under pressure. Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, 1-21, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://www.polwiss.unierlangen.de/professuren/menschenrechte/UN%20Sonderberichterstatter/ojlr.rwr018.full.pdf Crouch, P. (2015, Jan 23). Je Suis Charlie: The Charlie Hebdo Newspaper Massacre. Massachusetts: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. Farr, T. (2001). Roots of the international religious freedom report. Issues of Democracy, 6 (2), 6-9, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/soc/ijde1101.pdf Freedom of religion or Belief – how the FCO can help promote respect for this human right. (2010, Jun 30). www.gov.uk, 1-27, PDF Document. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/35443/freedom-toolkit.pdf General Assembly. (1981, Nov. 25). United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/36/a36r055.htm Hertzke, A. D. (2012). Religious freedom in the world today: paradox and promise. Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, 17, 108-133, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://www.pass.va/content/dam/scienzesociali/pdf/acta17/acta17-hertzke.pdf International Religious Freedom Report. (2013). United States Department of State, 1-13, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/222225.pdf Leo, L. A., & Argue, D. (2011). International Religious Freedom: Why It Matters and How to Protect It. International Affairs Review, 20 (1), 1-12, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://www.iar-gwu.org/sites/default/files/articlepdfs/LeoArgue_-_International_Religious_Freedom.pdf United Nations. (1976, Mar 23). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Treaty Series, 999 (14668), 171-346, PDF Document. Retrieved from https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20999/volume-999-I-14668-English.pdf Wing, A. K., & Smith, M. N. (2006). Critical Race Feminism Lifts the Veil?: Muslim Women, France, and the Headscarf Ban. Davis: University of California, 39 (743), 743-790, PDF Document. Retrieved from http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/39/3/articles/DavisVol39No3_WING.pdf Read More