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Human Rights

Human Rights - Overview

Background Information

Human rights are "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education.

  ·                     “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”—Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

·                     “All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and related. The international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis”

—Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, World Conference on Human Rights, 1993

Civil and political rights are a class of rights and freedoms that protect individuals from unwarranted government action and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.

Political rights include:

o        Natural justice (procedural fairness) in law (such as the rights of the accused, including the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal remedy)

o        Individual political freedom, including rights of individuals (freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of movement) and the right to participate in civil society and politics (freedom of association, right to assemble, right to petition, right to vote)

Civil rights may include:

·                     Ensuring peoples' physical integrity and safety and to make sure people were not forced into labour.

·                     Protection from discrimination (based on gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, etc.)

·                     Equal access to health care, education, culture, etc.  

Civil and political rights were among the first to be recognized and codified. In many countries, they are constitutional rights and are included in a bill of rights or similar document.

The question of who civil and political rights apply to is a subject of controversy. In many countries, citizens have greater protections against infringement of rights than non-citizens; at the same time, civil and political rights are considered to be universal rights that apply to all persons.

When civil and political rights are not guaranteed to all as part of equal protection of laws, social unrest may ensue. Civil rights movements over the last 60 years have resulted in an extension of civil and political rights. 

Quran’s guidance in relation to the rights of people is vast and multi-faceted. Justice is the negation of violence, oppression, homicide, abuse of power and tyranny. Justice is the core of morality.

Quran has strongly emphasized the significance and implementation of justice and equity. In Islam, there is justice for everyone. There is no discrimination on the basis of power or position. Islam has therefore uprooted all the sources of evil. Nobody is above the law. After laying the foundation of respect and equality of man, Islam prescribed a complete charter of rights for humanity ranging from moral rights to religious, economic, social and political rights.

The Islamic concept of human rights and freedoms is uniform and of universal character, which is independent of historical and regional boundaries of time and space. The Islamic concept of human rights originates from the commandments of Allah Almighty, which were conveyed to the Ummah through the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Islamic teachings and values are universal without any discrimination and biases of caste, creed, colour and religion. Human rights within Islam is based on the principle of protecting the five important indispensables i.e. Religion, Life, Intellect, Offspring and Property.

For Further Details Visit Website :-

• www.humanrightsmovement.net

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