OIC Press Release
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| 15 March 2002 |
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, described the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the torture, humiliation, and brutal massacre being perpetrated against the Palestinian people as a flagrant violation of human rights. She reiterated the call made by the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, for the need to comply with international law and recognize that peace and security in the Middle east require a comprehensive political solution.
In a statement addressed to the participants in the Symposium on "Human Rights in Islam" being organized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Geneva, Mrs. Mary Robinson paid tribute to the OIC initiative of organizing the Symposium, commending the existing close cooperation between the UN. Commission for Human Rights and the other UN agencies on the one hand and the OIC on the other. This cooperation has produced several joint programs and resolutions, such as the Third Millennium Declaration and the Work Program on the Year Devoted to Dialogue among Civilizations, which affirmed that a genuine dialogue must be based on the respect of human rights, tolerance, and understanding. Mrs. Mary Robinson stressed that this symposium constitutes a landmark on the road to such a dialogue, particularly in the light of current world events and their repercussions, including the misunderstanding prevailing in many parts of the world today towards the Islamic religion and civilization.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recalled the pioneering role played by Islam since the beginning of the early centuries of its history in enriching human civilization through the noble principles and values it advocated, which contributed to renaissance in the sciences, arts, and other facets of life, especially in favor of women and children. She extolled the positive contribution of the Islamic States throughout the ages to enriching human civilization through their integration into the international system of the UN, which is working to spread peace and understanding among all the peoples of the world and to secure the respect of human rights without discrimination.
Thereafter, the third working session of the Symposium on Human Rights in Islam got underway under the Chairmanship of Dr. Mokhtar Mbow, former UNESCO Director General. In this session, three research papers were presented as follows: (1) "Human Rights of Civilians during Armed' Conflicts" by Dr. Mohammad Saleem AI Awa, Islamic scholar and University Lecturer from the Arab Republic of Egypt; (2) "The Role of the Organization of the Islamic conference in Human Rights" by Dr. Mohammed Azzeddine Abdul Moneim, Professor at Suez Canal University; and (3) "The Right to Life and Human Dignity" by Dr. Abdul Kabir AI Alawi AI Madghari, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco. Deliberations then took up the issues raised by the three papers.
In the fourth session held under the Chairmanship of Dr. Omar Jah, Professor at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization in Malaysia, four papers were presented to the symposium on the issues of "Human Rights and the Family", "The Right to Freedom of Expression, Scientific Research, and Information", "The Rights of Women from an Islamic Perspective', and "The Approach of Modernism". These were presented by Dr. Ahmad Sidqi AI?Dajani, member of the Palestinian National Council and member of the Moroccan Royal Acadmey, Dr. Mourad Wilfred Hoffman, Legal Consultant at the Islamic Centre in Germany, Dr. Mokhtar Mbow, former UNESCO Director General, H.E. Dr. Shadli AIQlibi, former Secretary General of the League of Arab States.
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