History of Human Rights free essay sample

In 1990, the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam was established in order to create human rights laws in the nation of Islam. The Cairo Declaration states all the basic human rights that people of Islam had, but the problem with the document is it restricts those same human rights by stating in article 24, â€Å"All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shariah. † If the Shari’ah has a contradictory statement to what is in the Cairo Declaration, the human rights of any individual may be restricted, because the Shari’ah has more control over the rights of individuals in Islam. The Cairo Declaration is differs from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because it still restricts individual’s freedoms, unlike the Declaration of Human Rights which enables human rights. The existence of the Cairo Declaration suggests there was a weakness in the international human rights movement in the 1980’s and 1990’s, because it shows that Islam still has the power to limit the natural rights of its citizens. We will write a custom essay sample on History of Human Rights or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The 1990 Cairo Declaration differs from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because the Cairo Declaration has sections that conflicts some of the rights of humans in the Declaration of Human Rights. In section 19d of the Cairo Declaration it states, â€Å"There shall be no crime or punishment except as provided for in the Shariah,† this can include stoning for adultery, a cruel and inhumane punishment. In the Declaration of Human rights, Article 5 states, â€Å"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. † Clearly, section 19d of the Cairo Declaration differs from Article 5 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because the Cairo Declaration allows for cruel punishments of individuals who commit criminal acts such as adultery or theft, while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights believes that violates the rights of humans. Another conflict between the two documents is between Article 10 of the Cairo Declaration and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 10 of the Cairo Declaration states, â€Å"Islam is the religion Of true unspoiled nature. It is prohibited to exercise any form of pressure on man or to exploit his poverty or ignorance in order to force him to change his religion to another religion or to atheism,† while Article 18 of the Declaration of Rights states, â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.   Under the Shari’ah, if one were to leave the faith of Islam, that individual would be punished with death, so it restricts the rights of those living in Islam to have the freedom of religion, which conflicts with the Declaration of Rights, which gives all people the freedom of religion. Another difference between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Cairo Declaration is the Cairo Declaration is subject to the Islamic Shari’ah and the Shari’ah is the only source of reference of explanation or clarification of the articles in the Cairo Declaration. Basically, the whole Cairo Declaration is based upon the Shari’ah, which limits the rights of individuals and the Universal Declaration of Human rights is not based on a religious aspect that limits human freedoms. An example of the Shari’ah limiting the rights of humans in the Cairo Declaration is in Article 19a, it states, â€Å"All individuals are equal before the law, without distinction between the ruler and the ruled,† basically stating that all people are created equal, just like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The problem with Article 19a is the Shari’ah only gives women’s testimony in court is only half of a man’s. Since the Cairo Declaration is subject to the Shari’ah, women do not have equal rights of men under law, so not all individuals are equal under the law. The fact that the Cairo Declaration exists suggests that the 1980’s and 1990’s international human rights movement was weak, because the people of Islam did not get full human rights, for the Shari’ah and the Cairo document were limiting their rights. The Cairo Declaration gave the people of Islam all the basic fundamental rights, but at the end of the document, it repeals most of the rights it has already given by stating that the document itself was subject to the laws of the Shari’ah, which limits some of the rights given in the Cairo Declaration. The 1980’s and 1990’s international movement was weak, because even when it tried to have the fundamental human rights established in all areas, there were areas such as Islam that found a way to limit its people’s freedoms, while still creating a declaration that â€Å"gives† them their fundamental rights. Other areas like Islam, found ways around giving their people the fundamental human rights, causing the international human rights movement to be weak and ineffective. The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam is a document that gave the people of Islam basic human rights, but then limited those rights by being subject to the Shari’ah. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights differs from the Cairo Declaration, because the Cairo limits the freedoms of the people of Islam, but the Declaration of Rights gives all humans fundamental rights. Article 24 and 25 of the Cairo Declaration are the reasons the people of Islam have restricted rights, instead of all the fundamental rights a person should have according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Work Cited The organization of Islamic Confernce. Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Welcome to the United Nations: Its Your World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. . Honor Code On my honor, I pledge that I did not give nor receive any help on this assignment.