Of all the rights that have been known to the world today,the rights to freely embraced one’s chosen religion is what i’m interested in.People who call themselves human,agreeable or not,will have the tendencies to stand on one religion.Life is all about searching and hold onto faith.And along the way of that ‘searching’,one should have the freedom to choose.
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.
Moreover, freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. It is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thomas Jefferson said (1807) "among the inestimable of our blessings, also, is that of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will;”
In a country with a state religion, freedom of religion is generally considered to mean that the government permits religious practices of other sects besides the state religion, and does not persecute believers in other faiths.
On term of idealogy and theory,many scholars and intelligence agreed that all people should have ‘this’ and ‘that’ right for religion.But in reality,people are being pressured when they claimed their rights.In some cases,people are even afraid to express their religion,because there are certain event when belonging to some religion makes them didn’t fit into the surrounding.
People tend to be prejudice,judgemental and synical,based on one’s religion.This cold-silent war seems unstoppable because of the intolerance of one race against another. To what the world claim to be basic rights,this clearly shows no respect for individual or community rights.
I am speaking of hate crimes which plague our society. They are no different from today than centuries ago when slavery was allowed. One race against another. One religion against another, it is all the same. Hate is the opposite of tolerance. We can only live together through an expression of tolerance of the differences each of us brings into this world. We should embrace the differences and share the differences. For this is how we learn, through each others' differences. Tolerance in all cultures is the basis of peace and progress.
Many countries was founded on the basic idea that all man and women are created equally, with liberty and justice for all. We must respect and preserve the rights of all, for when the rights of one is threatened the rights of all are diminished.
I have a friend in German,and I would like to leave you with his story to ponder.He said,”In Germany they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Muslim. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
We should remember,tolerance and mercy have always and in all cultures been ideals of government rule and human behavior. Today, we call these ideals human rights. Human rights are to be respected and preserved if we are progress as a society and as a people.
Honestly,being a muslim myself,I feel more concerned of the rights of Islam as a religion,and of my brother and sisters of islam in a non-islamic country.So,this article will be discussing more on the rights of muslims to manifest Islam as their religion .
Scholars have admitted that Islam is the most misunderstood religion of all world religions. Misrepresentations and misperceptions about it are causing many to hurriedly develop an unjustified Islamophobia. This syndrome is actually a “fear of the unknown” as these people do not really understand what Islam is all about.
Recently,we heard many news and cases been reported all over the world regarding the hate and prejudice of people towards Islam.For most of muslims in Arab countries,maybe this happenings never occured to them,because Islam is the majority and muslims have the most unlimited freedom in doing their islamic obligations.But in certain country like France,Belgium,Russia,United States and Australia,which Islam is minority,muslims are being pressured a lot.
They are being burdened because of what they believed,despite that they are the original citizens of that country.They didn’t even a migrants or a tourist,thats their own country,their great-great-great grandfather are the one who open the country and help establishing it,and yet after they convert,they are immediately being treated like an alien and as if they didnt belong there.
A minute ago,they still have their rights as the citizen,after they say their syahadah,it seems like their rights vanished through the thin air,just like that.What happened to the declaration of rights that have been told to be the rights of all people dispite of their religion?Why are some country acting too bious towards Islam?
I kind of have this sort of theory,obviously through my reading and observation,the hates towards Islam have been increase promptly after the September 11 incident.It have swap the tenderness and tolerance of the world for Islam in abundance.Even after some group of people and certain organization had claimed that that incident is just an act,a play,a conspiracy,a stategically-plan-hate controversion to extinguish Islam in the eyes of the world-there is no proof that directly pointed those are Islam’s doing,people have been blinded by that accusations.
Truthfully,in this world of globalisation,where media and internet is the key of communications,people aren’t being able to think by themselves and see the truth anymore.They let the media to think and answer for them,and many of us,just believed what media told us.We have been brain washed by an evil conspiracy,yet we dont know it.What a pity and shame life to live on.
Nevertheless,on the other side of this whole unfortunate incident,there are lots of goodness coming.As people said,for every cloud,there is a silver lining –after the September 11,the books and material concerning Islam have been sold out tremendously.That indicates lots of people wanted to getting to know Islam better and maybe some people are really opening their minds to actually think,and not totally absord what all the media are saying.
It have been reported that the statistics for people to convert into Islam have been increase drastically through this years,especially in America.This is what really puzzled me.If Islam and islamic countries have been bombarded with thousands of ridiculous accusations,why are the number of people converting Islam are still increasing?As if,if you are pressing the big balloon,the baloon didn’t poop,but it just withstand the pressure and bounce back.This is what God said in the Holly Quran,”for each and every difficulties,there is a way.”
As we are discussing about Islam,of course we can’t put aside the importance of obligating Islamic Law.The problem nowadays is not on being a muslim itself,but the hardship one’s obtain when wanted to do the obligations.
For example,if one are an employee of a non-muslim based company,he surely have some difficulties in carry out his amendments.There are cases when the employer are pastering the rule that solat and covering the aurah are not permitted,because of lots of childish reasons,for example,if doing so,people will get scared and will arouse the extreme of expressing religion.
I would also like to enlighten the situation of our sisters in Islam in several countries in europe,including Spain and Belgium,when recently,their parliament have discussed and planned to ban the wearing of niqab or face veil and burqa in public.Meanwhile,France have put their foot a step forward than any Europian country,when they have already forced the banning of the face veil,last month.
In Britain, a group of women who wear a niqab,were launching a campaign called ‘Veil Justice’, to defend their rights to wear it.Wearing a niqab have been quiet a phenomenon in Britain,where we can see there are a lot of them,in streets,rather than any other europian country-although there have been reported that there are cases of abuses and attacked from feminist and certain organization that protesting the face veil.
However,many of them(muslimah) believed that there are two major opinions of Muslims Scholar regarding the obligatory of wearing the niqab,and many of them are choosing to wear the niqab by their own accord,without any pressuring or order from anyone,let olone their father of husband.
I have heard and read many articles regarding this and was very astonish to know that people that wearing the face veil in non-islam country are in their 20’s,really independent,university-based education and got a prefessional job.It is different in certain Arab country where niqab is almost like a tradition,an order from family or ruler,and wearing it didn’t give any shocking experience for the people around.I got the feeling that women who in non-islam country,who have the strenght to wear the niqab,are very brave indeed.They have their own strong interpretation of faith towards God,committed to defend their rights to wear it and they live by it proudly.
They are brought and raise in those country,there are proudly seeing and saying that they are British and are a part of the society.That’s why they are demanding their rights.People nowadays are loudly expressing themselves,their sexual orientation,believes,fashion,religions and whatever their differences they could have,from whatever classes of society they belongs to.So what about niqabiah?Why there are such protest and act of hindered towards it as wearing a face veil never hurt people,they just doing it for themselves.Is there any casualties for people who seeing or intereact with niqabiah ever reported?I doubt so.
If people are admitly to be more open minded today,claiming that this is the new world,when sexual orientation and the act of porn and vulgarities are accepted to the level where the marriage of men-men and women-women are permitted,laying and walking stark naked are allowed,and porn and sex magazines,which is more harmful and reflect a true shame of a community are being seen as a common,why wearing a niqab,hijab,or burqa,the disciple of covering the fitnah and shame are being attacked instead of those mentioned above?
Why should they been questioned or force to reason themselves ,as people who wore bikinis or not even much clothes on are perfectly accepted?They can go freely anywhere they want and do not have to explained themselves.In their case,they should have the same rights as other faiths and other citizens.Are converting to Islam and expressing their believes decreasing and minimizing their citizenship and rights as a native born?If it is,what’s the use of the United Nations Universal Declaration Of Human Rights on 1948?
p/s-----> this is 6 pages assignment on Human Rights course, i should send it before tomorrow.It provide me some carry mark for my finals.Yeah,i know its long-boring-tend-to-drool kind of article..but then,why don't you all have a go with it?and give me responses,k.
(can't believe i'm actually doing faculty of law's homework!)
