Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman degrading treatment or punishment.Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.Article 19.
These are some of the Human Rights listed by the United Nations.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
At the moment, these rights are inherent to every terrorist.
Terrorism is a term used to describe violence or other harmful acts committed (or threatened) against civilians by groups or persons for political, nationalist, or religious goals. As a type of unconventional warfare, terrorism means to weaken or supplant existing political landscapes through capitulation, acquiescence, or radicalization, as opposed to subversion or direct military action.
To me, this is a dilemma.
Should terrorists have the luxury of Human Rights?
If you think terrorists are entitled to Human Rights then ask yourself why?
The dilemma presents itself like this.
To effectively fight terrorism(this means to prevent it), we need to know what is being planned before the event occurs. To get this information we sometimes have only one means, through torture of suspects. This violates the suspects' human rights.
At the moment, the civilized world values human rights more than the value of information obtained through torture. This doesn't mean that torture isn't practiced, it just means that torture is immoral/illegal because it violates human rights.
Why is torture bad?
Well in extreme cases it can lead to death.
Torture can leave physical scars as well as mental scars.
Torture can disable permanently or disrupt normal physical functions.
Torture can humiliate and offend a persons' dignity.
Torture is degrading, brutal, disturbing, inhumane.
Human rights. Why are they so important?
Because we consider ourselves civilized. We are not rude, barbaric or savage.
And yet, the terrorist, by his/her actions is in fact barbaric and savage.
The dilemma is now clearer. We are judging the terrorist by the standards of a western civilized society and give the terrorist the inherent rights of a civilized person.
A terrorist does not value western civilization, does not want to be part of it, but instead wants to disrupt and destroy it.
So, we give the terrorist the rights and privileges of the society that the terrorist wants to destroy.
Are the terrorists entitled to the rights under law that they do not recognize?
Terrorists whose actions are in the name of Islam only recognize Sharia Law.
Do they deserve Human Rights?
You be the judge -
8 comments:
Some of the folks in Gitmo are treated so well they don't want to leave.
Terrorists shouldn't be tortured, just put to death in a vat of pig guts. After a fair trial of course.
A society is measured by how they treat their prisoners and animals.
I would prefer that we keep the moral high ground on this one.
Why do terrorist make terror action towards The Western world? Is it because they feel terrorized by the Western world and this is their way to try to stop it?
No one attac unless they feel thretened. So what is actually the message they try to get out to the Western World?
In what way are we thretening them?
It's wrong to say that all we do is correct.
A former member of Al Zawari's inner circle says terrorism is not about revenge it's about conquest and export of sharia law to all nations.
There is no excuse in the world for targeting and murdering innocent people.
Kirsten, I suggest you read the book Future Jihad by Walid Phares and try to understand the mind of the terrorist.
Hammer, you are right, and I say that only because I have read the book Future Jihad.
As usually, I see the whole thing in a broder way and I think it's best to shut up. Not that I accept terrorism but I see terrorism done from the other part of the world too. ONLY IN ANOTHER WAY... but it is still terrorism.(know what I mean?)
I will try to get the book though, Lexcen.
The reason for this post is that torture has become a major moral/legal issue.
When the threat to civilization emerges (terrorism) we to do two things: 1. Understand the mindset of the terrorist 2.Re-evaluate the ways and means at our disposal to combat this threat.
This requires a radical shift in the way we deal with threats to civilization because the threat as it appears now, has never existed in this form before.
Historically, threats from subversive groups were dealt with brutally and effectively because there was no democracy,no concept of Human Rights,no accountability by government/ruler to its constituents. As a civilized society we no longer conduct pogroms, ethnic cleansing, Spanish inquisitions. We pride ourselves on our humanity. It is our humanity that is being exploited and used as a weapon against us.
I fear for the future because our civilization will either be destroyed by those who want to return us to medieval values, or it will be destroyed by an overreaction that will result in a new pogrom.
Here is the quote I was looking for:
He's exasperated now, visibly angry at what he sees as a willful Western foolishness.
"Stop asking what you have done wrong. Stop it! They're slaughtering you like sheep and you still look within. You criticize your history, your institutions, your churches. Why can't you realize that it has nothing to do with what you have done but with what they want." - Dr. Tawfik Hamid
There is a danger to democratic societies of political correctness toward Islam. Violence committed in the name of Islam and the inequality of Muslim woman can never be accepted by democratic societies. There are many moderate Muslims who are risking their lives to reform Islam. These moderate Muslims are engaged with the Islamic fundamentalists in a life and death struggle for the heart and soul of Islam. We need to form an alliance with moderate Muslims in their historical struggle to dramatically reduce recruits for terrorism.
Such an alliance will lead to a Reformation of Islam. The Equality of Women and the Renunciation of Religious Violence are essential cornerstones in the Reformation of Islam. There can be no polite political correctness here. Tolerating - intolerance is no longer an option.
Following is a Declaration of Universal Religious Rights and Freedoms that will lead to this Reformation.
POPE BENEDICT: A GOD/ALLAH OF REASON OR AN IRRATIONAL GOD/ALLAH
A GOD OF REASON AND ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM
A DECLARATION OF UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
AN ISLAMIC REFORMATION
Islamic Fundamentalists have taken Islam and turned its teachings into a murderous medieval ideology – that the killing of infidels in the name of Allah will be rewarded in heaven - allowing the Islamists to sexually molest for all eternality 72 virgins, in 72 mansions, and 72 beds – that the murder of millions of non - believers is a religious duty, women are inferior to men - their virtual slaves to be denied education, beaten, killed for adultery or other sexual transgressions (real or imaged), covered from head to toe, people can be mutilated and tortured, barbers giving hair cuts can be killed, music and movies banned, women practicing folk dancing murdered, schools teaching young girls blown up, anyone who believes in a different interpretation of Islam to be killed and on and on. Muslims have paid a terrible price at the hands of these Fundamentalists. Children mutilated. Grand parents brains blown all over the street. Women, children, old and young. Over one hundred and fifty thousand Muslims have been slaughtered in the most horrid, unimaginable ways since 9/11.
Against these ridiculous crazy teachings, the Western World is intellectually collapsing – freedom of speech is collapsing. Anyone who writes or puts on a play exposing these teachings can be killed. In the face of this onslaught, moderate Muslims are being pushed to the background and running for cover. Western Governments are running for cover. Mosques are being taken over by radical Islamists from the Saudi Arabian Wahhabbi sect.
There is a disaster that awaits the world’s nations if religious extremism is not defeated. The fact that people believe that they will go to Heaven as a reward for mass murder is truly frightening. It’s just a matter of time before one of these religious maniacs straps a nuclear weapon on their back and blows up an entire city.
The Pope in his recent speech on God and Reason has shown the way forward. A very important event occurred recently when 36 Islamic Scholars sent the Pope a communication in which they agreed – that in Islam, Allah is – “A GOD OF REASON.” This important declaration - perhaps one of the most important by a group of such eminent Islamic scholars must be seized upon. The Pope should call for a world religious conference on the scale of Vatican 2 bringing together all the top religious leaders and scholars from EVERY world religion to draft a DECLARATION OF UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS. This Declaration will form the basis of an historic alliance between Christianity and Islam to turn the murderous fundamentalist tide before it is too late. Again - before a nuclear weapon is exploded in the Name of Allah in a Western City killing millions.
Following would be the format of this Universal Religious Declaration.
DECLARATION OF UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
There is only one God
God is God
God is a God of Reason.
God is not an irrational being. If God is irrational then God is not God.
Ordinary people on the street understand the words – “reason” and ‘irrational”. Any such declaration must be kept simple - not an intellectual rambling on of the Philosophy of Reason. (For a very important article on the Philosophy of Reason and Pope Benedicts controversial speech I draw your attention to article – “Socrates or Muhammad?
Joseph Ratzinger on the destiny of reason” by Lee Harris.)
God Being a God of Reason Therefore:
All violence in the Name of God/Allah is the GREATEST evil anyone can commit. Suicide is an evil act in every religion. Suicide bombers killing themselves and others in the Name of God/Allah – this is the Supreme evil act. The second most evil act is killing, maiming, and torturing others to the Greater Glory of God/Allah. The concept of Jihad as religious holy war must be condemned. All references to violence in any holy book/text are not the word of God but the word of man. No God who is God would ever instruct anyone to commit acts of violence against any other human being. Violence in religion must be totally and completely renounced – WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION. There is no heaven for these murderers. No mansions. No virgins. Just the black hole of eternal damnation. You cannot climb to heaven on the corpses of the murdered. If God /Allah believes in violence then God/Allah is irrational and therefore God/Allah is not God/Allah.
God Being A God of Reason Therefore:
Women and men are equal in the eyes of God/Allah. Women are the equal of men. Women are not valued by God/Allah as worth 50% of men. God/Allah did not create women to be the chattel or slaves of men. Females have full rights in society before the law, under the rule of law, can dress any way they freely desire without fear of death, walk the streets without a male relative escort, do any occupation, receive all educational rights, drive planes, trains, automobiles, fly to the stars, choose their own husbands etc. These equal rights of women in society are very important. Their exercise without fear of violence - without the fear of being victims of Honor Killings must be declared WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION in any such declaration. If God/Allah is a sexist then God/Allah is irrational and therefore God/Allah is not God/Allah.
God Being A God of Reason Therefore:
There are many ways to God/Allah. Each individual has the total and complete right to find his/her own way to God/Allah or not. Religious freedom is the right of all mankind. The right to build churches, mosques etc. To practice ones religious beliefs non – violently is a corner stone of all civilized societies. The right to change ones religion without fear of death. Only an irrational God/Allah would order people put to death for not believing in religion or deciding to change ones beliefs from one religion to another religion. Religious freedom is an unimpeachable right.
God Being A God Of Reason Therefore:
All human beings are created equal. All races are created equal. God/Allah does not wish that any human being be a slave. No one person is the lesser of the other. To use religion to spread hate against other races, religions in places of worship, employing television or any other medium, teaching hatred to the young in schools – this is evil incarnate. If God/Allah is a racist then God/Allah is irrational and therefore God/Allah is not God/Allah.
God Being A God Of Reason Therefore
God/Allah blessed man with an intelligence to reason, to explore, to seek the truth of any question – total freedom of thought. To think and reason without fear of jail/death. It is against the will of God/Allah to threaten anyone with death, torture or prison for freely exercising his God/Allah given brain. The human brain is the greatest gift God/Allah has ever bestowed on man. It was given to mankind to purse - the arts, literature, sciences, intellectual pursuits. Its free exercise is the will of God/Allah. Declared WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION. If God/Allah is anti intellectual then God/Allah is irrational and therefore God/Allah is not God/Allah.
God Being A God Of Reason Therefore
All mankind has the right to freedom and democracy, equality before the law, freedom of action, freedom of thought, right to elect their leaders. God /Allah does not want dictators and tyrants to rule over other men. NO EQUIVOCATION. If God/Allah does not believe in the right of mankind to Freedom and Democracy then God/Allah is irrational and therefore God/Allah is not God/Allah.
Pope Benedict has opened the way to a great reconciliation of the world religions. A Grand Conference issuing this Universal Declaration of Religious Rights and Freedoms to be read in every Church, Synagogue, Mosque would be the start of an alliance between faiths against ALL religious extremists. A turning point in the struggle for the minds of young people especially young Muslims who are being constantly bombarded by a religious evil ideology.
Intolerance can never be tolerated in a free and democratic society. Those who refuse to accept Western democratic rights and freedoms, the teachings of a God of Reason, must be cased out into the darkness. Those Islamic Clerics who refuse to sign this Declaration must be kicked out of their Mosques and denied membership in the World Counsel of Religions.
Written By
Larry Houle
E-mail: intermedusa@yahoo.com
www.godofreason.com
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