Issue of Human Rights In Muslim World.......

[Hippu]

This might sound heavy for my friends in this site but I request all to read the same patiently....

When we discus issue of Human Rights, I feel the problem is more or less universal in nature and also someway related to religion.

Almost all religions of the world behave in a cruel manner in extremity. All of us know Galileo was inhumanly punished by the Italian Pope, the supreme sacred holy leader of Christianity simply because his experimental confirmation that earth was not the center of universe, (not even the solar system and it moves round the sun not the reverse) has no religious sanction (as Christianity had already accepted Ptolemy's theory of second century). Those are the days in which Christianity was at its zenith in curbing free-thinking, liberty, human dignity and scintific temper.

In India also, before 19th century Hindus treated the widows no better than the muslim fundamentalists treat their women today. At present the situation is better with hindus simply because of the all round religious reform carried out by many social reformers during 18th century. No parallel reform were taken in muslim religion either in India or any part of world… and therefore the result we see in terms of Talaq, burkha, fatwa (quite similar to not very old Indian terms of Sati, Untouchablity, child marriage and widow torture).

So I want to drive the point the Human Rights Issues we encounter in Muslim World are Mostly related to religious extremitism... Don't u thik religion played a villanious role in curbing women rights and creating hatred among people of various religions...

I remeber Bangladesh made 'fatwa' illegal... similar reforms are necessary in other issues like Talaq and also in other religions.

So one of the the solutions to human rights problem is reform in all religions … some religion require it more some less, revision in all religious text book. Don’t u think it looks more logical to have a revised edition of Bible, Koran or Gita every year with all outdated unethical, unscientific lines erased just like all our other science books!!!

Regards
Hippu

[Vaazoo]

Hippu, good thread. IMO, human rights are related to both culture and religion. Take for example the case of arranged marriages, which is the norm in the subcontinent. For a western woman, it would probably be a "women's lib" issue, but not in our cultures. For us, it is a part of society. I may not have been able to express myself clearly, but i hope you get the idea.

[Hippu]

Dear Vaazoo,

Thanks for ur complement. Its good that u gave some thought on the issue in this forum. Actually this issue has been discussed at length in one of the thread in open board. Anyway I welcome ur view point.

Yes I got ur idea. Yes I agree issues are (practically) of different intensity at different places. But dear friend, some times situations are analysed in absolute terms. Like the case of arranged marriage - i agree, this is a part and parcel of life majority of the society. but if one analyses some of the negative consequences of this social tradition, u can come across following - i) dowry death (which is a regular news in India at least ii) Less rights to girls in selection procedure, or u can say in many cases they do not have any right iii) no right for the young people to love, as this is not considered healthy for the society. iv) since many a times decissions are with traditional medieval parental mind - so many unncessary things like family back ground, economic status comes as the prime criteria for marriage, where as the independednt choice of the boy and girl are given least importance. v) Last, but most important is the - arrange marriage keeps alive the caste system. i guess, u can very well understand and imagine the easiest and most effective way of removing caste system is to do intercaste marriages, so that the new generation does not have caste, or does not worry about caste much. Also interreligious marriages are required to remove the poison of religion from the heart and mind of people.
So i being in the subcontinent strongly feel and advocate inter caste, inter religious love marriages whilch i feel can create a better society.

regards
hippu

[Vaazoo]

Dear Hippu, once again, i agree with you. With changing times, our cultures and societies change too, both for better or for worse.
This is what i am trying to say, if such issues were to be treated as rights, then a great deal of resistance would be met by them. the society will not accept many of them which seek to directly change the a characteristic of a society. Like you said, inter religious marriages remove some of that poison. The President of India is of a lower caste from Kerala, and his wife is Burmese, as an example.
And i have to say that India has come a long way in removing those gender inequalities, but i wont be complacent, for a LOT has to be done.
Now i talk of a different topic altogether. The original thread is Human rights in the Muslim world. Here again, like you said, "issues are of different intensity at different places." in Saudi Arabia, for example, the laws still seem centuries old IMO (cutting the limbs of thiefs, stoning of people), but those rules are not there in Bangladesh, are they? Hence i would look at it more as a regional and cultural issue and less as religious, for you'd agree there are moderate and relatively orthodox Islamic states, and each one has seperate issues.

[Hippu]

A matured view point... nice to learn ur thoughtas and feelings.

Yes, change can never be overnight, but we can always aim for an acclerated reform.

Ur observation on muslim countries - yes, there are issues whice are not govern by religius principles, but other mediaval cultures and attitude - like the one u cited - stoning people to death, cutting limbs - are thoroughly inhuman and barbaric.

regards
hippu