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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.49
December 4, 2000
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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net
Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
BISMILLAH IR-RAHMAN IR-RAHEEM
1) THE
Asian Muslim Action Network (A.M.A.N.)
JOINS THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 55TH YEAR
ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN IGHTS ON
DECEMBER 10, 2000
The commemoration of the 55th Year anniversary of the
International Declaration of Human Rights falls on the 14
Ramadhan 1421. This coincidence of the call to safeguard
human life and dignity with the observance of Sawm during the
Holy month of Ramadhan among the Muslim communities the world
over is indeed portentous especially as we, Muslims, are enjoined
by Allah's decree to be steadfast in our vigilance for that which
is just and good. Human rights in Islam is as much a concern as
upholding the essential Qur'anic values and principles of Truth,
Justice, Compassion, Freedom and Equality as embodied in our
religion. For, the adherence to the respect of Human Rights is
itself the only guarantee that such values and principles could
thrive and prevail.
Today, as millions of humankind suffer from the brunt of
hunger, deprivation, discrimination, alienation, lack of security
and various other maladies due to the denial of basic rights, we,
as Muslims, must commit ourselves to the eradication of the root
causes of these sufferings -- the unabated greed and hunger for
power of the few, among others.
Therefore, we at the Asian Muslim Action Network (A.M.A.N.), a
Muslim initiative for networking advocacy efforts toward the
attainment of the goals of Islam, call on all our member
organizations and individuals, AMAN's friends and partners, as
well as the rest of the world to proclaim the call for the
respect and the promotion of Human Rights. In particular, we
extend our hands in solidarity with other peace-loving
organizations like the Religious Groups for Human Rights (RGHR)
by committing to the following specific actions as also our
own:
1) Support the campaign against torture and all forms of
inhuman and degrading treatment, particularly those acts
perpetrated by law enforcement authorities;
2) Desist discriminating against persons on the basis of
gender, caste, religion, ethnicity, language or other human-made
distinctions;
3) Participate in initiatives to redress the grievances of
relatives of the disappeared, including the bringing to account
of all those responsible, irrespective of status;
4) Adopt measures to combat mounting malnourishment among
children and lactating mothers; and
5) Take action to ensure just and equal treatment of migrant
workers.
Assalamu alaikum. Peace Be with All!
"Lo! We revealed it [Qur'an] on the Night of Power.
Ah, what will convey thee what the Night of Power is!
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
The angels and the spirits descend therein, by permission
of their Lord, with all decrees,
[That night] Peace until the rising of the dawn."
97:1-5
Asian Muslim Action Network (A.M.A.N.)
Secretariat, c/o Mr. M. Abdus Sabur, Secretary General
2) DHAKA AT DAWN
In Dhaka I hear a strange call as the Muezzin harks,
I hear footsteps thundering down the hills of Chittagong,
I hear the cries of violated virgins muffled by the screeching of
the crows,
I hear the cracking of tired bones,
Yearning for few Takas of cheated labor.
In Dhaka I hear a strange call as the Muezzin harks,
I hear the crumbling of parched soil where once a Garo* woman
sowed her seeds,
And I hear the blood raging in my vein longing to quench her
thirst.
In Dhaka I hear a strange call as the Muezzin harks:
That I ask why is the self-same voice that has taught me how to
love
Now rings with so much hatred.
And why is the self-same tongue that has spoken to me of Peace
Now snarls with vengeance.
In Dhaka as I hear the Muezzin hark,
I turn toward the Qiblah and as I recite the Estighfaar
I listen to the rumbling of the Hills..
The Rights of Minorities:
In Bangladesh where Islam has been made a state religion, some 3
million Indigenous People collectively calling themselves
Adivasi,
and people belonging to religious minorities as Hindi, Buddhists
and
Christians suffer discrimination and oppression by the majority
Bengolee Muslim aristocracy and elite. The Chittagong Hill Tracts
Adivasi and the plain land Adivasi now clamor for constitutional
recognition of their right to self-determination and demand for
their
rightful claim to ancestral lands that were forcibly taken away
from
them and now are occupied by majority Bengolee people.
Mucha-shim Quiling Arquiza
3)
28 November 2000 CAFOD STATEMENT ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF SEATTLE
One year on from the humiliating failure to launch a new round
of trade talks at Seattle, CAFOD, the Catholic aid agency, claims
that little has changed and the World Trade Organisation gives
the impression of being an organisation with neither momentum nor
mandate.
Duncan Green, CAFOD's Policy Analyst, said: "The year
since Seattle has been deeply disappointing. The WTO is bogged
down in wrangling over comparatively minor reforms. The EU is
still arguing over whether to open its markets to the exports of
the world's poorest countries. The North appears intent on
ramming its agenda down the throats of the developing world. The
atmosphere is one of suspicion and cynicism, and few signs of a
new deal for the world's poor." For further information
please contact Fiona Fox on 020 7733 7900 or ffox@cafod.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
Duncan Green has spent the last 15 years visiting countries in
the developing world to assess the impact of globalisation and
has interviewed the developing country epresentatives to the WTO.
Steve Alston www.cafod.org.uk/
4)
Human Rights: Brief SITUATION REPORTS :
4.1 ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD : India has a Long Way to Go ,
UN Wire
The nutritional state of India's children is improving slowly,
but the country remains far from its goal of significantly
reducing
malnutrition, with India still accounting for one-third of the
world's malnourished children, according to UNICEF. The
recently released 1998-1999 National Family Health Survey found
47% of India's young children to be underweight, slightly below
the 52% level found in the early 1990s. In addition, Global March
Against Child Labor's report released last week documented 111
million child laborers in India, 10 million of whom are bonded
servants.
4.2 NEPAL/BHUTAN: TALKS SET TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF
REFUGEES - JRS
Another round of talks between Nepal and Bhutan is set to take
place this month in a bid to reach a solution to the plight of
Bhutanese refugees in camps in eastern Nepal. The tenth round of
joint ministerial level bilateral talks will start on 25
December, according to Radio Nepal. "The Bhutanese refugees
have welcomed these `glad tidings' and look forward with great
hope," said JRS field director for Caritas Nepal, PS Amalraj
SJ.
4.3 BANGLADESH: AUTHORITIES IGNORING WIDESPREAD TORTURE
- Amnesty
"Widespread and persistent torture" is being ignored
by Bangladesh's government authorities and political parties,
according to an Amnesty International report released today.
Torture in custody and political violence have cost scores of
lives, Amnesty said. "Victims can be children, women, the
elderly, political dissidents, criminal suspects or innocent
bystanders," according to the report. "neither
governments nor the opposition parties past and present have
shown serious determination to confront the practice and prevent
it."
4.4 BURMA: MONKS USED TO RECRUIT FORCED LABOR
The ruling State Peace and Development Council appears to be
experimenting with new means of recruiting unpaid labor for
infrastructure projects. According to reliable sources, military
authorities in Karen State have been turning to local Buddhist
abbots to recruit villagers for road-building and other
construction projects. Sizeable donations were being offered to
the senior monks in exchange for their cooperation.
5)
MR. AHN JAE-WOONG appointed the General Secretary of CCA
RGHR joins AHRC in congratulating Mr.Ahn Jae-Woong on his
election as the General Secretary of Christian Conference of
Asia.
Posted on 2000-12-04
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