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S. Dundonon: On Islam - Interfaith Youth Forum in London
Written by Sepideh Dundonon
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I will never let anyone oppress any other, and if it occurs, I will take his or her right back and penalize the oppressor. As long as I am alive, I prevent unpaid, forced labor. Today, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion. People are free to live in all regions and take up a job provided that they never violate others' rights. No one can be penalized for his or her relatives' faults. I prevent slavery and my governors and subordinates are obliged to prohibit exchanging men and women as slaves within their own ruling domains.
These are the words of Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE in the Cyrus Cylinder -- the words of a man who can be seen as writing the world’s first declaration of human rights. Such a declaration is key to understanding the role of human rights in our world today.
The build-up of this project and the presentation of it here today is a learning experience for all. It is through such means that we are able to understand what the true meaning of human rights and dignity actually is and how it relates to Islam.
In the past and present, there have been millions of individuals who have aided those who have had their human rights violated. Such people, many of whom are surely gathered in this room today, have contributed tremendously to the aiding of such individuals. Many have helped by rolling their sleeves up and actively aiding those who are in need, and numerous others have made financial contributions. Such generosity of individuals is a necessity in completely tackling the violation of human rights.
Islam is a religion of peace; the literal meaning of the word Islam is actually peace. But how can a peaceful environment actually be achieved? Why is it that key world figures are constantly talking about world peace, but they have done nothing to establish it? Why is it that, in the 21st century, violation of individuals' human rights is still occurring? It is only through acquisition of the true meaning of Islam that we are able to understand the significance of human rights and dignity. And, as Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha has stated, "The true meaning of peace refers to the inner freedom and spiritual elevation of each individual."
Human rights can be defined as the rights of each individual to be treated equally, fairly, and respectfully without prejudice, discrimination, violence, or injustice. Individuals who have infringed and who are continuing to infringe on human rights are basing their actions on what has been a creation of society. Anything that is created by society has no value in religion, as it is a creation of that which is not grounded in knowledge. So, as humans, it is our responsibility to destroy that which individuals in the past have created and that which they are still practicing today.
At the time when society was murdering young girls, the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said to the people, "Do not kill your daughters." Through this he was telling humanity that women have rights, and he was establishing the role of women in society and demolishing the behavior of individuals who had discriminated against women.
When we are talking about life and living, the being of a human person is that which has existed since birth and will continue to exist into eternity. It is this eternal being that each individual must acknowledge in order not to be so narrowly circumscribed by his desires and needs on a social level. Discovery of this being will enable each individual to act with knowledge and to know his or her constant, true self. It is through this means that there can be absolute elimination of violations of human rights and a peaceful and harmonious world can be created.
In the teachings of Islam, the true identity of the human being is equated with the Divine, as proclaimed by the words La Illaha Illa Ellah – "There is no other God but God." The true rank of the human being is not based on definition or social attributes. The true human right of each individual is the realization of his or her rank as created in the image of God. As Amir Al Momenin (peace be upon him) has said, "Whoever sets right his inward self, God sets right his outward self."
Human rights cannot be forced upon people. Only through education and gaining knowledge can one aim to tackle human rights. Any other action will destroy the rights of individuals. When each individual has realized the truth of their being, he or she will not be vulnerable to external influences that society has created but his or her actions will be based upon knowledge instead. Only in such an environment will it be possible for there to be true peace and harmony in our world.
So, it is our responsibility, especially the young people of today, to be making this change. The longer we fool ourselves into believing that someone else will tackle this problem, the worse the situation will get. Anything that is forced upon people will not endure, for there will be no foundations and the structure will not be there. Therefore, each individual should be aiming to build the foundations of knowledge within themselves so that they can aid others who are subject to violation of their human rights.
Educational systems need to be revised so that children know their true human rights as well as the human rights of others from a young age and can defend these rights. Imagine a young child hearing in the news that their religion kills innocent people. How do you think that makes a young child feel? Does it show respect towards any religion or any society? Surely behavior such as this gives individuals from a young age the wrong message about religion and leads them onto the wrong path.
A successful human society can only be attained through the outward and inward harmony of each of its members, and their harmonious existence in a unified system.
In the international Herald Tribune on November 8, 2008 there was an article about Islamic states that are the creators of terrorist activities now establishing schools in which terrorists are trained away from their existing ideology and towards living a normal life. Are these people aiding us in establishing human rights for humanity? Weren't these people the ones who created terrorist activity in the first place? How can they perpetrate such crimes and then try to rectify their mistakes?
Also, when we examine the Lebanon war which took place in 2006, we see that the Jewish and Muslim adherents were fighting because of belief in their religions and meanwhile violating the rights of individuals to live peaceful lives. How can people who believe in one God, but have different means of expressing their beliefs, do this?
When we hear about such things, we need to question what the true meaning of religion is, because there is the religion that society has engendered and then there is the inherent truth of religion. In order for every individual to realize the truth of his being, he must recognize his true self and purify himself away from what society has molded him into. Only through such means will it be possible for there to exist true human rights for each individual and to establish of peace and harmony in the world we live in.
Sepideh Dundonon is from the MTO Sufi Society and prepared this paper in conjunction with Niyaz Sharifi, also of the MTO Sufi Society, and Zishan Jawi.