Human rights in this era are subject to the effects of two opposing forces, The first is terrorism in its blatant, modern form, beginning with Bin Laden’s bombing of the towers, which represented a development of terrorism that has existed for ages, and which represented a blatant attack on basic human rights,The second is combating terrorism in ways and means that sometimes do not adhere to the standards imposed by international legitimacy, which suffered a setback after 9/11/2001, after it was affected by the repercussions of the awakening of a new terrorism, the likes of which human history has never known.
Human rights must be the main feature of international politics, and the primary international actor, within and outside every country and everywhere, and must be free from the traditions of power politics and selfishness, and especially from the principle of particularities that characterizes the official Middle Eastern local view of human rights.
Regional particularities conflict with the universality of human rights known since 1948, which was developed in 1966, and which pertains to civil and political rights, such as the rights to liberty, life, belief, expression, organization and voting, then economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, education and treatment, and finally the category of peoples’ rights or collective rights, such as the right to self-determination and the right to live in peace, In general, it cannot be said that all countries give the same degree of importance to all the mentioned rights, nor do all countries adopt the protection of all these rights or even recognize them.
Historically, it can be said that modern Western civilization has been the most proactive in adopting and defending human rights in this era, In contrast, Arab countries have been the least proactive in adopting and defending human rights from ancient times until this moment, despite the opportunities available to Arab countries to join the system that serves them, or rather, serves everyone, i.e., humanity. Their interaction with Western civilization has been unhealthy, hesitant, and resistant, They did not benefit from it, considering it a “pollution,” and they did not realize that their renaissance and progress are impossible without benefiting from the experiences of other civilizations, especially the Western one, which now holds the reins of historical initiative and the vital driving force in all areas of life, economically, socially, politically, and even culturally, etc.!
Freedom is the origin of all human rights, Bread has no taste without freedom, and freedom has no meaning without bread, Thus, the Arab states have failed to practice freedom, and they have failed to produce bread, Despite this, they remain in their isolation and seclusion, insisting on their backwardness and relying on the Creator!
If we take the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam of 1981, we would find oddities and wonders, The first of these oddities was considering the source of human rights to be divine, While the declaration was supposed to examine and scrutinize human rights, we see it discussing the rights of God, Among the rights of God is calling on believers to submit to His will, which was expressed in the Quran and by the Seal of the Prophets, The declaration states:
We Muslims…etc., as if human rights pertain only to Muslims! We begin with our servitude to God, the One, the Almighty, as if servitude were a human right, Is the attribute “the Almighty” a praiseworthy attribute meant to glorify the Creator, or is it meant to denigrate Him? Among the rights proclaimed in the statement is the right to believe that God is their Guardian in this world and the Hereafter, that all will return to Him, and that He alone possesses the guidance and righteousness of humankind, Then comes the belief in the true religion, Is belief in the true religion a human right when other religions exist? Then comes the acceptance of the human mind’s inability to devise the most upright way of life, Is this false admission of incapacity a human right? Humans are not so incapable, Then comes the starting point of knowing that God has favored believers over much of His creation, Is the certainty that God has favored believers over others a human right? The Creator does not favor one type of His creation over another. Favoritism is not a human right!
There are significant differences between the United Nations human rights system and other human rights systems, Those who sign the United Nations human rights system are not entitled to sign the program of another system, such as the jurisprudential system, However, many countries do this in full view of the United Nations without any significant consequences, The reason is that the presence of these countries in the United Nations is not that important or effective, meaning that this presence is merely formal!
Human rights in this era are subject to the effects of two opposing forces, The first is terrorism in its blatant, modern form, beginning with Bin Laden’s bombing of the towers, which represented a development of terrorism that has existed for ages, and which represented a blatant attack on basic human rights,The second is combating terrorism in ways and means that sometimes do not adhere to the standards imposed by international legitimacy, which suffered a setback after 9/11/2001, after it was affected by the repercussions of the awakening of a new terrorism, the likes of which human history has never known.