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H. Chirzin: Interfaith Council for Peace, Human Rights, and Integrity

Peace as a human right

In the age of globalized human community and a shrinking world, interfaith dialogue and cooperation is no longer just a commendable endeavor but a historical necessity. Dialogue is not mere communication of words, but a new way of understanding, thinking, and reflecting on the religious belief of others and their meaning. The faith community now has to move the agenda from interreligious tolerance to understanding, acceptance, respect, celebration, and action. Developing new initiatives and agendas for cooperation is essential in our age of history.

Interfaith cooperation will call for some basic parameters, ethics, and common standards to be achieved. There is a need for a global ethic that transcends and governs interfaith relationships, dialogue, and action. At the same time, the interfaith community should also promote human rights standards and a mechanism for a common standard of achievement in peace, justice, and integrity in the more globalized world.

Human rights are conducive to peace, and there is no peace without human rights protection and promotion. Human rights are an indispensable condition for peace, which means that the separate value of peace cannot be attained without securing the basic value of human rights. To state that there is a right to peace means that this right is already included in the catalogue of human rights or that it must be immediately included in the national, regional, and international protection mechanisms as well as in the standards of interfaith dialogue, communication, and action. This right to peace was solemnly proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in the Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace on November 12, 1984:

"The General Assembly,
Recognizing that the maintenance of a peaceful life for peoples is the sacred duty of each State,

  1. Solemnly proclaims that the people of our planet have a sacred right to peace;
  2. Solemnly declares that the preservation of the right of peoples to peace and the promotion of its implementation constitute a fundamental obligation of each State."

According to Article 55 of the UN Charter, "universal respect for, and the observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms" is instrumental in "the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations."

In its Preamble, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights lists, in the first place and before reasons related to justice, dignity, and worth of the human being, the conviction of the General Assembly that "recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." Similar wording appears in the identical first paragraphs of the Preamble of the two International Covenants on Human Rights.

The General Conference of UNESCO has been very fond of language indicating that "peace cannot consist solely in the absence of armed conflict but implies principally a process of progress, justice and mutual respect among the peoples." A peace founded on injustice and violation of human rights cannot last and leads inevitably to violence.

Dialogue and action should be platforms which enable the interfaith community to find ways to work together for the good of the respective religions and their communities and even for the nations, humanity, and the universe as a whole. The way we conduct and develop the dialogue should stimulate a sense of mutual concern and a spirit of togetherness, a sensitiveness to the need of fellow humans being and all creatures (rahmatan lil ‘alamien).

The basic principles of international humanitarian law are formulated in various international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Civil and Political Rights Covenant, which bind all signatory (member) states.

We should be aware of the various documents within which international humanitarian law is enshrined, particularly in countries where laws are not adequate to guarantee the rights and security of its citizens. The following is a list of some of those laws that may be applicable in the protection and promotion of the rights to peace by interfaith community:

  1. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  2. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  3. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
  4. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
  5. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
  6. Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or One's Convictions
  7. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
  8. Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  9. The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

Strengthening peacebuilding in the interfaith community

In each age of history, humankind, and faith communities, have to give answers to life’s mysteries and challenges; yet they can never consider their answers absolute or final. They must go beyond the boundary of their possibilities in order to find themselves. This is their openness to the future which characterizes their innermost existence on the threshold between the vanishing today and the newly appearing future. Human beings are creatures of hope, peace, and justice. And therefore, we have to develop deeper and more sincere interfaith dialogue and action for human fulfillment, peace, justice, and integrity (Mukhlishina lahuddin, hunafaa).

Young people of different faiths and traditions involved in NGOs and PVOs in different parts of the world, have been able to accomplish an enormous amount of good work because of the advantages they bring to conflict situations in promoting a peace culture and development. The Center for Religion and Civilization Studies of Muhammadiyah initiated a promising program of Peace Generation and has launched a Manual with 12 Student Books on Peace Education for the young generation. Peace Generation and other NGOs have been actively involved in peace and conflict resolution training as well as social action. Through humanitarian assistance in food, health, and shelter, countless lives have been saved by this kind of activity. Human rights advocacy has prevented repression, torture, detentions, and death in many countries by the committed youth groups. Communities in post-conflict situations have been assisted towards rehabilitation and economic viability through reconstruction programs. Many local agencies have acquired conflict resolution skills because of training and intervention.

In the quest for a peaceful and sustainable world, the Dialogue among Civilizations is being undertaken by the United Nations and related activities are being carried out among religious and civil societies. With the United Nations declaring year 2001 as the “Year of Dialogue among Civilizations,” there has been a growing acknowledgment for such noble endeavors. The International Youth Forum 2008, which took place in Bandung, Indonesia, from June 23-30, 2008, coorganized by PSAP and the Initiative of Change, Indonesia, was also a great forum for such promotion of interfaith dialogue and action and also dialogue among civilizations, especially among the young generation for their common future.

In Asian countries many local NGOs and PVOs work with internally displaced people during a conflict. Most of the work done at this stage focuses on various aspects of humanitarian assistance and normally includes the provision of shelter (camps), food, medicine, clothing, water, and sanitation. Psychosocial services may be needed as well as the development of coping mechanisms for war-affected people.

In many cases, conflicts are not static and can change in nature very quickly; thus, the NGOs' activities need to be flexible enough to adapt to these changes. Relief work must continue and some preemptive reconciliation work can be done in camps for refugees and internally displaced people who have a reasonably stable population. Peace Generation, together with various stakeholders and networks, has been initiating some peace education and development activities. This work includes preparation for peace, conflict prevention, and sustainable development such as:

  1. Peace education for youth and women's groups
  2. The formation of peace groups in the local community
  3. Working with local and traditional leaders (ulama and Pesantrens)
  4. Building an indigenous capacity for coping with conflict prevention
  5. Strengthening local institutions for conflict resolution and prevention
  6. Exploring traditional and culturally appropriate reconciliation mechanisms
  7. Collaboration in peace and development programs of other NGOs and PVOs
  8. Developing an effective network of interfaith action for peace and development

Proposed future agenda for cooperation on peace and human rights

The interfaith community now needs more than ever a Global Council for Interfaith Action for Peace. We need a forum that can nurture continuing discussion of ideas, beliefs, and visions of the future. An effort must be made to combine action with discussion, and we also have to consider joint projects and action. Some proposed future agendas for cooperation include:

  1. Interfaith cooperation for peace and integrity in the globalized world faith community should be human-rights based and action oriented.
  2. An interfaith council should seek major involvement of women and young people in this dialogue for life and humanization for peace and integrity. The UPF and the interfaith council should strengthen and empower the Peace Generation as it has been initiated by the Center for Religion and Civilization, HAMKA University, and the Islamic Forum on Peace, Human Rights and Development in Indonesia.
  3. An interfaith council must lead to specific proposals for interfaith cooperation for peace and integrity.

For more background materials on a proposal for an interreligious council at the UN, click here.

References

  1. Arquiza, Mucha-shim and M. Abdus Sabur (ed.), “Interfaith Conference on the Culture of Peace,” Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), Bangkok, 2001.
  2. Chia, Edmund, “Towards a Theology of Dialogue, Schillebeeckx’s Method as Bridge between Vatican’s Dominus Iesus and Asia’s FABC Theology,” Doctoral Thesis, the University of Nijmegen, 2003.
  3. Chirzin, M. Habib, “Social Communication in an Islamic Perspective,” dalam Eilers, Franz Josef (ed.) , “Social Communication in Religious Traditions of Asia,” FABC-OSC Books, Vol. 7, Manila, 2006.
  4. Dimitrijevic, Vojin, “Human Rights and Peace,” in Janusz Symonides, “Human Rights: New Dimensions and Challenges,” UNESCO Publishing, Ashgate and Dartmouth, Brookfield, 1998.
  5. Eilers, Franz Josef, Svd (ed.), “Interreligious Dialogue as Communication,” FABC-OSC Books, Vol. 6, Logos (Divine Word) Publications, Inc., Manila, 2005.
  6. Engineer Asghar Ali, “On Developing Theology of Peace in Islam,” dalam M. Abdus Sabur et al. (ed.), School of Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation, Asian Resource Foundation (ARF) and Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), Bangkok, 2005.
  7. Gremillion, Joseph and William Ryan (ed.), “World Faith and the New World Order,” Interreligious Peace Colloquium, Washington DC, 1978.
  8. Internationalis, Caritas, “Working for Reconciliation,”  Caritas Internationalis, Vatican City, 1999.
  9. Kamaruzzaman, Kamar Oniah, “Interfaith Dialogue: Moving Forward; Setting Premises and Paradigm”, in Camilleri, Joseph A. (ed.), “Religion and Culture in Asia Pacific: Violence or Healing,” Pax Christi Australia, Melbourne, 2001.
  10. Vadassery, Sebastian, “Religious Dialogue: A Journey of Hope,” in Prajna Vihara, Journal of Philosophy and Religion, Assumption University of Thailand,  Vol. 5, No. 2, Bangkok, July - December, 2004.