Human Rights 1

A Definition HUMAN RIGHTS are rights to which all human beings are entitled just because they are human, regardless of the society, the culture, or the times in which they live. 2

Human Rights ≠ Civil Rights Human Rights are rights to which all people are entitled, whether or not they are acknowledged and enforced by government Civil Rights are established by law, and they are acknowledged and enforced by government  Human Rights give powerful “moral authority” to our arguments and our political actions. 3

A Very Old Idea Philosophers in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, in the Middle Ages, and in the Age of Enlightenment were all familiar with the belief that human beings have certain “natural rights” just as a matter of the laws of nature. (It is an idea born and raised in Western Civilization) 4

More Modern Examples of “human rights” thinking US Declaration Of Independence 1776 “We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness…Whenever Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” French Declaration of the Rights of Man 1789 “The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties…” 5

Examples of “human rights” thinking United Nations Charter 1945 WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to affirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, AND FOR THESE ENDS to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, 6

Human Rights Documents IF there are human rights, THEN we should be able to identify them, write them down, and agree on them. 7

Commission on Human Rights Chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin Roosevelt Australia Belgium Belarus Chile China Egypt France India Iran Philippines Panama Lebanon United Kingdom United States Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Uruguay Yugoslavia 8

U.N. arguments for “human rights” Because recognizing the natural value and the equal and permanent rights of all members of the human family is the basis of freedom, justice and peace in the world; Because ignoring and despising human rights resulted in barbarous acts which outraged mankind; Because the greatest hope of the common people is the creation of a world in which human beings will have freedom of speech and belief, and freedom from fear and want; Because it is essential to develop friendly relations between nations; Because Member States, in co-operation with the United Nations, have promised to achieve the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms; And because a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge: 9

Human Rights Statement  The U.N Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) The U.N Universal Declaration of Human Rights 10

Converting principles into a treaty 1948 UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1966 UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 11

Ratified the treaty Signed but did not ratify the treaty Neither signed nor ratified the treaty 12

Signed, not ratifiedNot signed, Not Ratified China Comoros Cuba Nauru Palau São Tomé and Príncipe Saint Lucia Antigua and Barbuda; Bhutan Brunei Burma Fiji Kiribati Malaysia Marshall Is. Micronesia Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Solomon Islands Tonga United Arab Emirates Vatican City The ICCPR Treaty as of

How can the world respond to human rights violations? Take military action against the nation? Support insurrections within the nation? Boycott all business and travel with the nation? Impose trade penalties on the nation? Adopt a UN resolution condemning the nation? Publicly criticize the nation? Talk privately to the nation? 14

Arguments against “human rights”  Philosopher Jeremy Bentham ( ) said that the very idea of natural rights was pure nonsense, in fact “nonsense on stilts”.  Where do these rights come from? Who says they are rights?  Jeane Kirkpatrick, US ambassador to the United Nations during the President Ronald Reagan years, called the Universal Declaration on Human Rights “ a letter to Santa Claus”.  Human rights are unrealistic, cost too much, require very high taxation  Iran's President Ali Khamene'i "When we want to find out what is right and what is wrong, we do not go to the United Nations; we go to the Holy Koran (Qur'an). For us, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is nothing but a collection of mumbo-jumbo by disciples of Satan." So, in 1990, a number of Islamic nations meeting in Cairo, Egypt, crafted their own Islamic version of a human rights statement.  Rights are culturally relative, not universal 15

An Alternative Human Rights Statement Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (1990) Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (1990) ISLAMIC OR UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS? THE OIC’s INDEPENDENT PERMANENT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (2012) In our Course Web Site File Cabinet 16

17 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 1969 People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, 1969 Republic of Chad, 1969 Arab Republic of Egypt, 1969 Republic of Guinea, 1969 Republic of Indonesia, 1969 Islamic Republic of Iran, 1969 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 1969 State of Kuwait, 1969 Republic of Lebanon, 1969 Libya, 1969 Republic of Mali, 1969 Malaysia, 1969 Islamic Republic of Mauritania, 1969 Kingdom of Morocco, 1969 Republic of Niger, 1969 Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1969 State of Palestine, 1969 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1969 Republic of Senegal, 1969 Republic of Somalia, 1969 Republic of the Sudan, 1969 Republic of Tunisia, 1969 Republic of Turkey, 1969 Republic of Yemen, 1969 Kingdom of Bahrain, 1972 Sultanate of Oman, 1972 State of Qatar, 1972 Republic of Sierra Leone, 1972 Syrian Arab Republic, 1972 State of the United Arab Emirates, 1972 People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 1974 Burkina Faso, 1974 Republic of Cameroon, 1974 Republic of Gabon, 1974 Republic of the Gambia, 1974 Republic of Guinea-Bissau, 1774 Republic of Uganda, 1974 Republic of Iraq, 1975 Union of the Comoros, 1976 Republic of Maldives, 1976 Republic of Djibouti, 1978 Republic of Benin, 1983 Brunei-Darussalam, 1984 Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1986 Republic of Albania, 1992 Republic of Azerbaijan, 1992 Kyrgyz Republic, 199 Republic of Tajikistan, 1992 Turkmenistan, 1992 Republic of Mozambique, 1994 Republic of Kazakhstan, 1995 Republic of Suriname, 1996 Republic of Uzbekistan, 1996 Republic of Togo, 1997 Republic of Guyana, 1998 Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, 2001 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

An Alternative Human Rights Statement Bangkok Declaration (1993) …international human rights agreements unfairly focus on "one category of rights," i.e., civil and political rights, while ignoring the right to development and the rights of sovereign states to order their own affairs. …international human rights agreements fail to respect "the interdependence and indivisibility of economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights, and the need to give equal emphasis to all categories of human rights.” 18

Universal Human Rights or Cultural Relativism 19 Dr. Daniel Kawuma Ugandan-American Human Rights Activist

Human Rights Monitoring/Advocacy Groups Amnesty International Human Rights Watch U.S. State Dept. Annual Reports 20 The U.N Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe U.N Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (1990)