Human Rights Declaration based on sharia signed thirty years ago

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, which was signed by 45 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference. The document, which interprets human rights according to Muslims views, on the basis of sharia law, came in response to the UN s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

WORLD SEPTEMBER 15. 2020 07:39

The 45 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference signed the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam at the 19th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers on 5 August 1990. The document was created as a response to the United Nation s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which included aspects Muslim countries could never accept, making its full adoption impossible.

The adoption of the Cairo Declaration by Muslim countries was a reaction to Western expectations, bringing the UN s UDHR – conceived in and reflecting Western social norms – in line with the Islamic world view based on Sharia law. The declaration acknowledged the importance of protecting human rights, but it also laid down that „all the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari ah”  and „the Islamic Shari ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration”.

Article 1 of the document states that „All men are equal in terms of basic human dignity and basic obligations and responsibilities, without any discrimination on the basis of race, colour, language, belief, sex, religion, political affiliation, social status or other considerations”. It is added, however, that „the true religion is the guarantee for enhancing such dignity along the path to human integrity and „no one has superiority over another except on the basis of piety and good deeds”. However, according to sharia, there is only one true religion, and as Islam states: „There is no deity but God,” and „Muhammad is the messenger of God.” The Cairo Declaration starts by stating that all human beings are subordinated to Allah.

Throughout the document, it can be observed that human rights, which are also specified in the UN s Declaration of Human Rights, are subjected to Islamic law.

Regarding violence, the document says that: ” Safety from bodily harm is a guaranteed right. It is the duty of the state to safeguard it, and it is prohibited to breach it without a Shari ah-prescribed reason.”

The Cairo Declaration also states that parents have the right to choose the type of education for their children provided that it is in accordance with ethical values and the principles of sharia. The document says everyone has „the right to express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the principles of the Shari ah”.

The aim of Cairo Declaration, a „Document on Human Rights in Islam” is to „serve as a guide for Member states in all aspects of life”. However, the document has received some criticism in recent years. 

In an article published in 2018, Nobel Prize-winning author Shirin Ebadi says if the declaration is seen as a way for Muslim countries to implement the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, then there is no problem with it. If, however, the declaration was made to counter the UN human rights declaration, then Muslim states are treading a wrong path.

For if Muslims grant themselves the right to adopt their own human rights declaration on the basis of their religion, then they would also have to grant this right to followers of other religions. Then a multitude of human rights declarations would be proclaimed: one Jewish, one Buddhist and many more, and – quite obviously – these would be incompatible with universally valid and enforceable human rights.

On the occasion of the Cairo Declaration s 30th anniversary, AfD parliamentary group spokesman Jurgen Braun said told the German Bundestag: this declaration made all human rights subject to Sharia law. It thus documents a clear rejection of human rights by the Islamic states. He said that the amputation of the hand in the case of theft, or stoning in certain instances of adultery, is permissible by the Cairo Declaration as means of punishment set forth by sharia for the perpetrators.

WORLD

Tags:

cairo daclaration, Islam, muslim conference, un