Universal Human Rights as religious principle

Could have been written by a baha'i...but no...

"The example of the Baha'i faith is one way to discredit the idea that universal human rights are in fundamental conflict with the belief in a supreme being. Baha'is have actively used the tools of the United Nations to try to protect their followers from being persecuted for their beliefs. Bahai's have not only benefited from the machinery of human rights, but advocate universal human rights as a point of religious principle. The principle could be extended to other faiths. After all if you believe that a supreme being created the universe, then surely the universal cannot be in conflict with its creator?"

Found on The Guardian thanks to Marco...impressive!

New blogs with legal insights

Two new(ly discovered) blogs of interest to lawyers (even if not only :-)):

• The Baha'i Epistolary Blog,

with for example a very interesting post on Due process or another one about the Baha'i scope for political activism

• Seeking Justice,

about the situation in Egypt from a legal perspective.

Religious Plurality in Society : Some Thoughts Pertaining to Legal Policy

Abstract of the Young Legal Scholar Lecture given by Dr. Emanuel Towfigh

To continue the discussion on the topics that were adressed at the conference.

Following the very interesting discussions still going on, about loyalty to the Government and fighting for rights, this subject bears a lot of potential debates.

One of the most insistent smouldering conflicts in Western societies is associated with the increasing degree of religious plurality. At the turn of the millenium the subject of religious plurality became something of a vogue, with a great deal of attention being devoted to it by academics working in a wide range of disciplines.

Particular interest was roused by the intensifying conflict between the "enlightened" or "Western" world, on the one hand, and the "Islamic" world, on the other, especially in the sphere of (global) politics. Latent antagonism flare up with grim regularity, serving as a painful reminder of the unresolved conflict and preventing our societies from attaining real peace and stability.

The complex of the themes relating to plurality in society, to the state and religion, will undoubtely concern us for some time to come and our ability to secure social stability in the long term will very much depend on a satisfactory solution for this problem being found.

Against this background the presentation considered from a Baha'i perspective the question of how religious plurality in society should be dealt with - even though the Baha'is themselves have neither a clergy no special items of obligatory clothing such as a kippa or headscarf, and although they, as "exotic" but well-integrated individuals, very seldom give cause for worrying about how to deal with religious plurality.

Loyalty to Government and fight for respect of rights

Read on the american baha'i website

The US Supreme Court ruled out the principle "separate but equal" in a famous Brown v. Board of Education case.

But this decision Sweatt v. Painter contributed to pave the way for this major evolution.

The story of Heman Marion Sweatt, an afro-american baha'i law student who got the authorization to enter a white only university illustrate a limit to the principle of loyalty to the government.

Baha'is are loyal to their government and respect legal rules, but they are entitled to fight for their rights in all legal manners.

This is in substance also the recommendation of the Universal House of Justice to Egyptian baha'is who are still denied the basic rights of citizenship (for a regular update).

Towards an "Equal Standard of Human Rights" : Reforming Legal Safeguards of Human Rights in Light of the Baha'i Teachings

Just before publishing the next abstract trying to start make this blog living...a question :
is there anyone out there reading and thinking about commenting one day? ;-)

Abstract of the lecture given by Prof. Brian Lepard

To continue the discussion on the topics that were adressed at the conference

Baha'u'llah taught, nearly one hundred and fifty years ago, that by agreement of the leaders of the world, an "equal standard of human rights must be recognized and adopted."

In 1948, the UN Declaration of Human Rights purported to establish such a global standard, but on the basis of secular principles. The presentation explored and articulated a Baha'i perspective on necessary legal safeguards of human rights, examining the revolutionizing character of Baha'u'llah's teachings on human rights and how they can help reform and vitalize the emerging international law of human rights anchored in the Universal Declaration.

How corporate misdeeds lead to strengthened principles of ethics, justice and transparency in corporations

Abstract of the lecture given by Nishat Ruiter

To continue the discussion on the topics that were adressed

at the 10th European Baha'i Conference on law

The lecture explored how various companies have undergone massive changes in their legal and compliance departments due to increase compliance, the rise of corporate crimes, and changing culture in corporate management. As a result, the role of the in house counsel has substantially evolved from a legal advisor to a business partner and on-demand counsellor for strategies, business growth and direction. As legal departments navigate through murky waters of compliance, ethics and profitability, principles of ethics, justice and transparency gain higher ground in the way corporations conduct business.

Religious Liberty under Siege in an Intolerant World : A Baha'i Perspective on the Role of Law in Protecting Freedom of Religion

Abstract of the lecture given by Prof. Brian Lepard

at the 10th European Baha'i Conference on law

Every day millions of human beings are deprived of the right to practice their religion freely; indeed, many are tortured or killed in an effort to extinguish their religious freedoms. It seems that around the world intolerance of religious freedom is relentlessly growing, despite the adoption of many laws, both national and international, purporting to safeguard this essential liberty.

The presentation examined the role of law in protecting religious freedom. It first examined the various historical and contemporary perspectives on the nature of religious freedom and on the kind of legal safeguards appropriated to ensure it. Then it outlined the Baha'i approach to this problem based on principles manifest in the Baha'i writings, an approach that can help to integrate these competing perspectives, but also transcends them. Finally, the paper suggested implications of a Baha'i point of view for the reform of domestic and international legal standards and procedures intended to uphold freedom of religion.