I am Maryam from Iran. I was a lecturer
in university and I was teaching in Chemistry.
However, I had been arrested and jailed
because of my beliefs.
I was advocating separation of religion
from politics, because I believed that secularism is a way for people to enjoy
their human rights.
I believe that religious states cannot
provide democracy, freedom and human rights for their citizens, so secularism
is the only solution for religious societies.
Today is 10th December,
the day of Human Rights, the rights of everyone regardless of his race, gender,
belief and nationality.
Human Rights are consisted of all
rights of people such as the right to live, having clean air, water and food,
proper hygiene, freedom of speech, freedom in selection of dress, etc.
However, how is the situation of human
rights in this world?
Are all mankind living in a safe planet
and having access to their human rights? Are the rights of each human equal to
others everywhere in all countries?
For example do the people who are
living in Africa or Asia have access to their human rights equal to those
living in Europe or North America? Do we care about them equal to the people
living in Europe?
Although Human Rights were a main issue
for people since thousands years ago and even we know the first Human Rights
charter by Cyrus the great, the Persian Emperor, however the modern human
rights is a new achievement of mankind.
The Human Right Council of United
Nation is not older than 10 years and the presence of NGO’s and their reactions
to the governments and the members of United Nation is a new approach. Although
the mankind have done a lot for establishment of Human Rights, we must work
more.
We believe that Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
If we want peace, justice and humanity
in our society, we should want those for the entire world. We all the mankind
are living in the same boat.
We cannot isolate parts of the world
and ignore what is happening outside.
Unfortunately the world powers
have changed the world to the current situation as we observe now. Actually
they have other priorities except than Human Rights. So this is the reason that
nowadays the roles of NGO’s and people have become more important.
As you know, at the end of 2015, the
representatives of 190 countries came together in the UN assemblies at New York
to plan for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and world peace, so they
promised to try for a combat against poverty, hunger and injustice and to save
the environment, energy resources and world security.
However, we never forget that without
our efforts and the endeavours by NGO’s, these aims will not be attainable.
Now please take a look at some areas of
the world:
Africa: The continent with Hunger,
Poverty, widespread diseases such as Malaria and HIV, lack of or inadequate
hygiene and education, ruling dictators and finally death of countless people
every day.
Syria: The country with routine
massacre of innocent people specially children and women with an extensive
religious and ethnic cleansing by an internal war.
Turkey: Extensive violence of freedom
of speech and press, too much people have been arrested or jailed just in less
than 1 year.
Iran: The country with 37 years
massacre of people, violence of human rights, lack of freedom, Racial Discrimination
with a constitution based on Sharia (religious manuscripts belonging to 1400
years ago) which authorise the rulers to whip people just for drinking,
amputate the people for theft, stone the people for sex even the children and
execute the political prisoners and the prisoners of conscience. The prisons
are full, because there are huge people who have been jailed for long years
just due to a simple expression against the rulers.
Although too much criminals are
becoming the rulers, but the dissident scientists, authors, physicians,
lawyers, human and civil rights activists have been jailed. Mr. Kazemeini Boroujerdi, is an obvious example for violence of human
rights in Iran, he is a religious leader who has been jailed for 11 years
because of his advocating secularism.
When I speak about the situation of
Iranian prisons and prisoners, most of my Dutch friends remind me the situation
of medieval in Europe. However, I say we have the real medieval in Middle East
but in modern time!
I strongly believe that promoting human
rights for Iranian people will bring about peace and freedom for all the Middle
East. Because first we have to separate the Religion from Politics and change
the domestic constitution based on modern laws and International Charter of
Human Rights. In this situation, the religious wars will be ended and Syria and
Yemen can come back to peace again.
So we believe that peace and democracy
in Middle East will lead to world peace and security because the religious
states, radical and terrorist groups cannot remain alive if we hold and promote
secularism for all Islamic countries.
So the world powers such as US and
European countries should draw their special attention to the Middle East and
the civil and human rights activists who are active in this area. Therefore the
Amnesty International can develop its activities in this area and get more
support for promotion of secularism and peace.
We hope for a better world with peace
and justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment