THE TANDEM PROJECT
UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
AN
Issue: Inclusive Dialogue between the West and Islam
For: United Nations, Governments, Religions or Beliefs,
Academia, NGOs, Media, Civil Society
Review: According to the Implementation Plan for
2007-2009 “the Alliance of Civilizations was
established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and
One key objective of the
Implementation Plan for 2007-2009 is; “develop, support and highlight projects
that promote understanding and reconciliation among cultures globally and, in
particular, between Muslim and Western societies. These projects should be
related to the four main fields of action of the
In pursuing these
objectives, the Alliance of Civilizations will
maintain and demonstrate through its choice of activities a universal perspective. At the same time, a priority emphasis
on relations between Muslim and Western societies is warranted given that
cross-cultural polarization and mutual fear are most acute within and between
these communities and represent a threat to international stability and
security.”
It has been suggested the
name of the Alliance of Civilizations was a reaction
to The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of
World Order, written by Professor Samuel P. Huntington, Albert J.
Weatherhead III Professor at
Excerpts from Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World
Order
begin on
the third page followed by an Issue Statement
Closing the Gap - International
Standards for National and Local Applications*
Objective: Build understanding and support for
Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights –Everyone shall
have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion - and the 1981 UN
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination
Based on Religion or Belief. Encourage the United Nations, Governments,
Religions or Beliefs, Academia, NGOs, Media and Civil Society to consider the
rule of law and international human rights standards as essential for long-term solutions to conflicts based on religion or
belief.
Challenge: In 1968 the United Nations deferred work on an International
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Religious Intolerance, because of
its apparent complexity and sensitivity. In the twenty-first century, a
dramatic increase of intolerance and discrimination on grounds of religion or
belief is motivating a worldwide search to find solutions to these problems.
This is a challenge calling for enhanced dialogue by States and others;
including consideration of an International Convention on Freedom of Religion
or Belief for protection of and accountability by all religions or beliefs. The
tensions in today’s world inspire a question such as:
Should the United Nations
adopt an International Convention on Freedom of Religion or Belief?
Response: Is it the appropriate moment to reinitiate
the drafting of a legally binding international convention on freedom of
religion or belief? Law making of this nature requires a minimum consensus and
an environment that appeals to reason rather than emotions. At the same time we
are on a learning curve as the various dimensions of the Declaration are being
explored. Many academics have produced voluminous books on these questions but
more ground has to be prepared before setting up of a UN working group on
drafting a convention. In my opinion, we should not try to rush the elaboration
of a Convention on Freedom of Religion or Belief, especially not in times of
high tensions and unpreparedness. - UN Special Rapporteur on
Freedom of Religion or Belief,
Option: After forty years this may be the time,
however complex and sensitive, for the United Nations Human Rights Council to
appoint an Open-ended Working Group to draft a United Nations Convention on
Freedom of Religion or Belief. The mandate for an Open-ended Working Group
ought to assure nothing in a draft Convention will be construed as restricting
or derogating from any right defined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights, and the 1981 UN
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
Concept: Separation of Religion or
Belief and State – SOROBAS. The First Preamble to the 1948 United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads; “Whereas
recognition of the inherent
dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human
family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. This concept suggests
States recalling their history, culture and constitution adopt fair and equal
human rights protection for all religions or beliefs as described in General
Comment 22 on Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
UN Human Rights Committee,
Article
18: protects theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not
to profess any religion or belief.
The terms belief and religion are to be broadly construed. Article 18 is not limited
in its application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs with
international characteristics or practices analogous to those of traditional
religions. The Committee therefore views with concern any tendency to
discriminate against any religion or belief for any reasons, including the fact
that they are newly established, or represent religious minorities that may be
the subject of hostility by a predominant religious community. Article 18: permits restrictions to manifest a religion or
belief only if such limitations are prescribed by law and necessary to protect
public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms
of others.
Dialogue & Education
Dialogue: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki
Moon, at an Alliance of Civilizations Madrid Forum said; “Never in our lifetime
has there been a more desperate need for constructive and committed dialogue,
among individuals, among communities, among cultures, among and between
nations.” A writer in another setting has said, “The warning signs are clear:
unless we establish genuine dialogue within and among all kinds of belief,
ranging from religious fundamentalism to secular dogmatism, the conflicts of
the future will probably be even more deadly.”
Norms and standards on
human rights and freedom of religion or belief are essential as universal rules
for peaceful cooperation, respectful competition and resolution of conflicts.
International Standards on Human Rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief is a
universal platform for genuine, inclusive dialogue within and among nations,
all religions and other beliefs.
Education:
The 1981 U.N. Declaration states; “Every child shall
enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter of religion or belief
in accordance with the wishes of his parents, and shall not be compelled to
receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents, the
best interests of the child being the guiding principle.” With International
Human Rights safeguards, early childhood education is the best time to begin to
build tolerance, understanding and respect for freedom of religion or belief.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Direct Link to Alliance of Civilizations website: http://www.unaoc.org/
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Excerpts: Excerpts are presented under the Eight Articles of
the 1981 U.N. Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Examples of extracts are presented
prior to an Issue Statement for each Review.
2. 1 No one shall be subject to
discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons or person on the
grounds of religion or other beliefs.
2. 2 For the purposes of the
present Declaration, the expression ‘intolerance and discrimination based on
religion or belief’ means any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or
preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its
effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of
human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.
The
Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
Samuel P. Huntington,
THE ISLAMIC RESURGENCE *
* Samuel P. Huntington: “Some
readers may wonder why “Resurgence” in “Islamic Resurgence” is capitalized. The
reason is that it refers to an extremely important historical event affecting
one-fifth or more of humanity, that it is at least as significant as the
American Revolution, French Revolution, or Russian Revolution, whose “r” is
usually capitalized, and that it is similar to and comparable to the Protestant
Reformation in Western society, whose “r” is almost invariably capitalized.”
While Asians became increasingly
assertive as a result of economic development, Muslims in massive numbers were
simultaneously turning toward Islam as a source of identity, meaning,
stability, legitimacy, development, power and hope, hope is epitomized in the
slogan “Islam is the solution.” This Islamic Resurgence in its extent and
profundity is the latest phase in the adjustment of Islamic civilization to the
West, an effort to find a “solution” not in Western ideologies but in Islam. It
embodies acceptance of modernity, rejection of Western culture, and
recommitment to Islam as the guide to life in the modern world. As a top Saudi
official explained in 1994, “Foreign imports’ are nice as shiny or high-tech
‘things.’ But intangible social and political institutions imported from
elsewhere can be deadly – ask the Shah of
The Islamic Resurgence is the
effort my Muslims to achieve this goal. It is a broad intellectual, cultural,
social, and political movement prevalent throughout the Islamic world. Islamic
“fundamentalism,” commonly conceived as political Islam, is only one component
in the much more extensive revival of populations. The Resurgence is mainstream
not extremist, pervasive not isolated.
In similar terms, a distinguished
scholar of Islam, Ali E. Hillal Desouki, sees the Resurgence as involving
efforts to reinstitute Islamic law in place of Western law, the increased use
of religious language and symbolism, expansion of Islamic education (manifested
in the multiplication of Islamic schools and Islamization of the curricula in
regular state schools), increased adherence to Islamic codes of social behavior
(e.g., female covering, abstinence from alcohol), and increased participation
in religious observances, domination of the opposition to secular governments
in Muslim societies by Islamic groups, and expanding efforts to develop
international solidarity among Islamic states and societies. La revanche de Dieu is a global phenomenon, but God , or
rather Allah, has made His revenge most pervasive and fulfilling in the ummah, the community of Islam. In 1995 every country with a
predominantly Muslim population, except
Economic development in
The causes of the renewed
conflict between Islam and the West thus lie in fundamental questions of power
and culture. So long as Islam remains Islam (which it will) and the West remains
the West (which is more dubious), this fundamental conflict between two great
civilizations and ways of life will continue to define their relations in the
future even as it has defined them for the past fourteen centuries.
Conflicts between the West and
Islam will focus less on territory than on broader inter-civilization issues
such as weapons proliferation, human rights, democracy, and control of oil,
migration, Islamist terrorism, and Western intervention.
Leaf, he wrote this in 1995, six
years before
This is all a little sobering,
but a fascinating read as we see the U.N. Human Rights Council begin to take
control from the EU and North America, and as we see the price of oil spike and
the fight for control between the West and Islam continue. Oh well, according
to
In the wake of the Cold War, the
increasing intensity of this historical antagonism has been widely recognized
by members of both communities. In 1991, for instance, Barry Buzan saw many
reasons why a societal cold war was emerging “between the West and Islam, in
which Europe would be on the front line: “ This development is partly to do
with secular versus religious values, partly to do with the historical rivalry
between Christendom and Islam, partly to do with jealousy of Western power,
partly to do with resentments over Western domination of the postcolonial
political structuring of the Middle East, and partly to do with the bitterness
and humiliation of the invidious comparison between the accomplishments of
Islamic and Western civilizations in the last two centuries.”
In addition, he noted a “societal
Cold War with Islam would serve to strengthen the European identity all round
at a crucial time for the process of European Union.” Hence, “there may well be
a substantial community in the West prepared not only to support a societal
Cold War with Islam, but to adopt policies that encourage it.” In 1990 Bernard
Lewis, a leading Western scholar of Islam, analyzed “The Roots of Muslim Rage,”
and concluded: It should now be clear that we are facing a mood and a movement
far transcending the level of issues and policies and the governments that
pursue them. This is no less than a clash of civilizations – that perhaps
irrational but surely historic reaction to an ancient rival against our
Judeo-Christian heritage, our secular present, and the worldwide expansion of
both. It is crucially important that we on our side should not be provoked into
an equally historic but also equally irrational reaction against that rival.”
Similar observations came from
the Islamic community. “There are unmistakable signs,” argued a leading
Egyptian journalist , Mohammed Sid-Ahmed, in 1994, “of a growing clash between
the Judeo-Christian Western ethic and the Islamic revival movement, which is
now stretching from the Atlantic in west to China in the east.” A prominent
Indian Muslim predicted in 1992 that the West’s next confrontation is
definitely going to come from the Muslim world. It is in the sweep of Islamic
nations from the
In the 1980s and 1990s the
overall trend in Islam has been in an anti-Western direction. In part, this is
the natural consequence of the Islamic Resurgence and the reaction against the
perceived “Gharbzadegi” or Westoxication of Muslim societies. The “reaffirmation
of Islam, whatever its specific sectarian form, mean the repudiation of
European and American influence upon local society, politics, and morals.”
On occasion in the past, Muslim
leaders did tell their people: “We must Westernize.” If any Muslim has said
that in the last quarter of the twentieth century, however, he is a lonely
figure. Indeed, it is hard to find statements by any Muslims, whether
politicians, officials, academics, businesspersons, or journalists, praising
Western values and institutions. They instead stress the differences between
their civilization and Western civilization, the superiority of their culture,
and the need to maintain the integrity of that culture against Western
onslaught. Muslims fear and resent Western power and the threat which this
poses to their society and beliefs. They see Western culture as materialistic,
corrupt, decadent, and immoral. They also see it as seductive, and hence stress
all the more the need to resist its impact on their way of life.”
Throughout Islam the small group
and the great faith, the tribe and the ummah, have
been the principle foci of loyalty and commitment, and the nation state has
been less significant. In the Arab world, existing states have legitimacy
problems because they are for the most part the arbitrary, if not capricious
products of European imperialism, and their boundaries often did not even
coincide with those of ethnic groups such as Berbers and Kurds.
These states divided the Arab
nation, but a Pan-Arab state, on the other hand, has never materialized. In
addition, the idea of sovereign nation states is incompatible with belief in
the sovereignty of Allah and the primacy of the ummah.
As a revolutionary movement, Islamist fundamentalism rejects the nation state
in favor of the unity of Islam just as Marxism rejected it in favor of the
unity of the international proletariat. The weakness of the nation state in
Islam is also reflected in the fact that while numerous conflicts occurred
between Muslim groups during the years after World
War II, major wars between Muslim states were
rare, the most significant ones involving
In the 1970s and 1980s the same
factors which gave rise to the Islamic Resurgence within countries also
strengthened identification with the ummah or
Islamic civilization as a whole. As one scholar observed in the mid-1980s: “A
profound concern with Muslim identity and unity has been further stimulated by
decolonization, demographic growth, industrialization, urbanization, and a
changing international economic order associate with, among other things, the
oil wealth beneath Muslim lands…Modern communications have strengthened and
elaborated the ties among Muslim peoples. There has been a steep growth in the
numbers who make the pilgrimage to
The sense of Muslim unity has
also been reflected in and encouraged by the actions of states and
international organizations. In 1969 the leaders of
Movement from Islamic
consciousness to Islamic cohesion, however, involves two paradoxes. First,
Islam is divided among competing power centers each attempting to capitalize on
Muslim identification with the ummah in order
to promote Islamic cohesion under its leadership. Second, the concept of ummah presupposes the illegitimacy of the nation state and
yet the ummah can be unified only through the
actions of one or more strong core states which are currently lacking. The concept of Islam as a unified
religious-political community has meant that core states have usually
materialized in the past only when religious and political leadership – the
caliphate and the sultanate – have been combined in a single ruling
institution.
ISSUE STATEMENT: Many people are not in agreement with many if not most
of the parts of this analysis by Professor Samuel P. Huntington. Be that as it
may, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of
World Order, written over twelve years ago, points to real tension
between the West and Islam, reflected in the need for the very promising United
Nations sponsored Alliance of Civilizations and the
book serves as a background for a dispute on the United Nations Human Rights
Council over the “right to change one’s religion” in the draft resolution on
the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on
religion or belief.
It has been forty years since the United Nations
General Assembly decided in 1968 to defer work on a draft Convention on
Religious Intolerance. It may be another forty years before they take up work
again on such a human rights instrument. There are several options;
to not draft a Convention on Freedom of Religion or Belief, to wait to begin
work on a Convention until we have a less divisive world, or act now in the
face of challenges in the twenty-first century.
See History; United Nations, Human Rights and Freedom
of Religion or Belief, 1967, in the
attached Word Document to see what may have changed. There are human rights
indicators that show progress, as the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations
suggests, while continuing a Clash of Civilizations.
The Clash of Civilizations was
apparent on
9. (a) To ensure that the constitution and legislative
system provide adequate and effective guarantees of freedom of thought,
conscience, religion and belief to all without distinction, inter alia, by the provision
of effective remedies in cases where the right to freedom of thought,
conscience, religion or belief, or the right to practice freely one’s religion,
including the right to change one’s
religion or belief is violated.”
Link to U.N. Human Rights Council draft resolution
(A/HRC/RES/6/37) on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of
discrimination based on religion or belief:
http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/HRC/resolutions/A_HRC_RES_6_37.pdf
Until this is reconciled,
people need to take seriously the need for dialogue called for by United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, at the Alliance of
Civilizations Madrid Forum; “Never in our lifetime has there been a
more desperate need for constructive and committed dialogue, among individuals,
among communities, among cultures, among and between nations.” A writer in
another setting has said, “The warning signs are clear: unless we establish
genuine dialogue within and among all kinds of belief, ranging from religious
fundamentalism to secular dogmatism, the conflicts of the future will probably
be even more deadly.”
Norms and standards on
human rights and freedom of religion or belief are essential as universal rules
for peaceful cooperation, respectful competition and resolution of conflicts.
International Standards on Human Rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief is a
universal platform for genuine, inclusive dialogue within and among nations,
all religions and other beliefs.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
* Preface Closing the Gap – International Standards for National and Local
Applications, considers the question of a Convention on Freedom of
Religion or Belief followed by a Response from the Special Rapporteur on
Freedom of Religion or Belief and The Tandem Project Option and Concept
including a program for human rights-based Dialogue & Education.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Tandem Project: a non-profit, non-governmental
organization established in 1986 to build understanding and respect for
diversity of religion or belief, and prevent discrimination in matters relating
to freedom of religion or belief. The Tandem Project has sponsored multiple
conferences, curricula, reference materials and programs on Article 18 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion - and the 1981 United
Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
The Tandem Project
initiative was launched in 1986 as the result of a co-founder representing the
World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) at a 1984 United
Nations Geneva Seminar, Encouragement of
Understanding, Tolerance and Respect in Matters
Relating to Freedom of Religion or Belief, called by the UN
Secretariat on ways to implement the 1981 UN Declaration. In 1986, The Tandem
Project organized the first NGO International Conference on the 1981 UN
Declaration.
The Tandem Project
Executive Director: Michael M. Roan, mroan@tandemproject.com.
Documents Attached:
An Alliance and a Clash of Civilizations
HISTORY - UNITED NATIONS & FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
The Tandem Project is a UN NGO in
Special Consultative Status with the
Economic and Social Council of
the United Nations