For one clear and obvious example, is there dignity in this world for Palestinians of Gaza? What crime have they committed to be cursed with the current bombardment of their homes with blatant disregard for human rights, while the UN closes one eye?
Is there dignity in the world for all such victims of modern day abuse of their dignity and human rights? I am also thinking of the minority Christians of Afghanistan or Syria or Iran, and especially the girls in the Boko Haram kidnappings, and all those facing fear and torture under the ISIL regime? I received a photo image of a raped and murdered Christian girl with the cross forced into her. Is the UN not “seeing all these crimes?”
Why do we, a so-called humane and dignified world of the 21st century, allow such abuse of human dignity of others as if we have no choice to stop them? Do we really have no choice and are we really at a complete loss of what to do with such ‘terrorising groups’ and their form or hatred for the rest of the world not aligned to their particular worldview?
Whither human rights of our universal form?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec 10, 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris. The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. The full text is published by the United Nations on its website.
The Declaration consists of 30 articles which have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions, and other laws. The International Bill of Human Rights consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols.
In 1966, the General Assembly adopted the two detailed Covenants, which complete the International Bill of Human Rights. In 1976, after the Covenants had been ratified by a sufficient number of individual nations, the Bill took on the force of international law.
To date, the UN website states that 192 nation-states have signed the UDHR but one significant member of the world community has not signed this charter. That nation-state is Saudi Arabia, and the note states, so have not some other Islamic nation-states. Their argument is that it is against their Islamic worldview. Does that make the signatories unIslamic?
A simple summary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be found in the link here .
I reviewed all 30 articles of the charter and found out that there is possibly only one article that these so-called ‘Islamic nations’ could possibly object to; premised on their interpretive worldview about apostasy. Article 18 of the UDHR states ‘everyone has the right to practise and observe all aspects of their own religion and change their religion if they want to’.
Is one’s personal faith a God-given right?
I have a friend who makes the statement and argument that, “We all have no choice as to where and under what conditions or environments we are born with!” According to him, that premise also defines our consequential ‘choices’ of faith matters.
I do not agree with his starting assumptions because they deny and exclude the concept of human free will and all the choices we make daily over many matters relying on our consciences; which is the essential reality which defines our very humanness!
One of the features of every human being’s dignity is the freedom of the human will and that fact gives humans much choice as to how they live their lives. We therefore choose where we live, have our being, and how we chose to live out our lives of destiny. While there are absolutes for all faith-based systems; most moderns believe they have no limits and so promote all kinds and wrongs as rights.
Therefore, most systems or cultures have rules for order in society and so long as these rules are adhered to; most people can choose to live, even if materially poor, somewhat ordinary lives. That is part and parcel of being human with free will.
The Palestinian quandary
But, when we see the daily bombardment of Palestinian homes without care, or with complete disregard, or other equally terror-driven wrong-doings around the world, we have to ask some basic questions like, is there human dignity in the world?
If there is meant to be equal human rights protection in the world, which agency then is really responsible to protect and preserve these rights and obligations promised under the UDHR? If it is not the UN; then, who else is it? The so-called ‘Super Powers?’
Therefore I find all their collusion with Israel with such blatant moral corruption by closing one eye to the destruction and obliteration of the Palestinians homes in Gaza, totally unacceptable. All this is done in the name of their hatred for an equally non-legitimate group called the Hamas!
Two wrongs never make one right. Israel and Palestinians are both recognised members of the UN, and if the UN secretary-general cannot broker a meaningful end to such atrocities, I think he should resign. Frankly, I am ready to take over; or fail also.
In my mind and heart, the Security Council of the UN is fully responsible for the current mess and they, too, should admit failure to protect and preserve the UDHR, and equally all resign.
Unless the UNSC takes some serious measures to stop this massacre of the Palestinians, almost all of whom are civilians, I fear that something more adverse is about to happen. I pray not, but I fear there will be; as the anger breeds all over the world against Israel as the sights and sounds are being delivered right into all our homes by media.
These dangerous images will motivate other groups of self-effusing individuals to plan and set themselves up against all this hurt and pain, and then we will be at the brink of the another global crisis no less than that of 911. Let us stop it before it happens.
I only speak as a civil society actor without formal authority or power, other than ‘of the pen’ against all such privatised and personalised interests with total disregard for the human dignity of the marginalised and fringe peoples; but which deeply hurts the heart of God.
