In the Name of the Most High
The issue of human rights is one of the most fundamental human issues and also one of the most sensitive and controversial ones. During the recent decades, this problem was more political than being either ethical or legal. Although the influence of political motives, rivalries, and considerations have made difficult the correct formulation of this problem , but this should not prevent thinkers and genuine humanists from probing into this problem and ultimately reaching a conclusion.
In the West,
though the issue of human rights was raised by the thinkers of the
post-Renaissance period, it is only since the last two hundred years or
so that it became an issue of prominence among the political and social
issues of Western society and an issue of fundamental significance.
Perhaps, when we examine the causes of many social changes and political
upheavals, we will find the marks of its presence and its principal
ideals. During the last decades this emphasis reached its climax in the
West. With the formation of the UN after the Second World War and the
subsequent drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a
concrete model came into existence as a result of this emphasis that can
serve as a criterion and basis of our judgment and analysis of the
ideals voiced in this regard during the last two hundred years and
especially in the last few decades.
We Muslims,
of course, know very well that the Western world and the Western
civilization have paid attention to this matter in the recent centuries.
But Islam has dealt with it from various aspects many centuries ago.
The idea of human rights as a fundamental principle can be seen to
underlie all Islamic teachings. And this does not need any elaboration
for a Muslim audience. The verses of the Quran and the traditions handed
down from the Prophet (SA) and the Imams of his Household (AS), each
one of them emphasizes the fundamental rights of man, something which
has started to attract attention in recent years - this is considered an
obvious fact among Muslims, and there is no need for the scholars to be
reminded about this fact. However, I would like to say, that today it
is a big responsibility on the shoulders of the Islamic community to
make this reality known to the world, and not to allow those essential
teachings of Islam to be lost in the storm of political clamor and
propaganda.
There were some questions which can
be raised in this regard, and to answer them is my principal aim today.
Of course, in the course of the conference you scholars would carry on
useful and profound discussions on various aspects of human rights,
which will itself serve as a source of information for the Muslim world
and enlighten them about the viewpoints of Islam in this regard.
No comments:
Post a Comment