The Muslim perspective of humanity and the equality of human beings. Information from the Quran, quotes fro Mohammad.
The entire philosophy of human rights is based on the premise that all humans are equal. No one is superior to another through his nationality, race, lineage, colour, sex, wealth or status. This is the fundamental message of Islam. If there is no hierarchy of humans, then it follows from consequence that there is no master over a slave. This latter statement may surprise you, as though slavery is not prohibited in Islam, it is extremely disagreeable. If you have a slave then you must feed him with what you eat, dress him as you dress yourself, provide him everything that you choose for yourself - it's so expensive you'd prefer hiring him instead.
The process of social and moral disintegration begins with the lack of respect for others and their rights. Islam seeks to inculcate in its followers a strong sense of morality and duty towards other fellow beings. The sanctity of life, property and honour of another must be observed at all costs and at all times. Several human rights activists consider the death sentence for killing, or amputation of a hand for theft or stoning to death of adulterers as ruthless, brutal and inhuman but fail to acknowledge the fact, that imposition of capital punishments deters the incidence of crime and safeguards and protects the rights of the society in general. No man must bear the consequences of others actions or be left vulnerable to injustices by others. What could be fairer than that?
The Holy War in Islam is a largely misunderstood concept, thanks to the Muslim fundamentalists and radicals. It is war for a cause and essentially - for the protection of human rights! The word Islam means peace and submission to the will of God. Under no conditions whatsoever, does Islam allow attacking the civilian population or harassing them in any way. At this point, the reader may make a very important distinction between terrorism and the Holy war, between the Islam claimed by Taliban and the Islam taught by the Holy Book, Quran, and the Prophet Mohammad (May peace be upon him). Perhaps, the best way of judging a religion is through its scripture and not by its people because the present is an era of evolution of sciences and decadence of societies, of tall buildings and shallow men, of noble ideas but ignoble actions. This trend is pervasive in all societies and cultures therefore it is improper to stereotype the Muslims based on over-hyped actions of a few. The primary source of guidance for the Muslims is Quran, which provides a comprehensive system of human rights and social justice. It is a living miracle in that, it has remained unchanged, unedited and un-tampered with, for over 1400 years now. Man is the subject of this Book and it therefore encompasses all matters from spirituality to material needs, individual growth and social development, economics and politics, legislation and justice.
As opposed to the common belief, Islam has given a very high status to women, so much so that after God, the first duty of a Muslim is towards his or her mother. Islam gave women the right to earn, the right to education, the right to inheritance and the right to divorce, at a time when the rest of the world treated them as unpaid housekeepers or objects of desire. The concept of Purdah (veil) in Islam, is not an attempt at the social isolation of women, rather it is so that women are not considered mere sex objects and treated as such. It is not meant to downplay the role of women in the society rather it facilitates achieving this end with honour and dignity. Islam does not encourage polygamy. It is allowed only because adultery is more detestable than polygamy. Also, it is a system of support for women who are not financially or economically independent. A man can have more than one wife, if and only if, he can sustain her, and is equally fair to all his wives in all matters.
To sum up, Islam stands for emancipation and not suppression, empowerment and not oppression, liberty and not slavery, peace and not war, harmony and not discord, universality and not sectarianism, democracy and not tyranny. And the teachings of Islam are for all those who through their own free will embrace Islam, for as the Book says, "˜There is no compulsion in religion'.
