We have all seen the dramatic scenes of war and natural disasters that are the subject of prime time TV news.

The more we see the more immune we seem to become from these most distressing scenes of mass killing and destruction, and of the constant waves of refugees uprooted from their homes marching endlessly across our screens.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind each and every one of us of the basis of the worlds Human Rights history. I will discuss this from a secular point of view and from the Islamic point of view. I will also talk of the challenges we now face as a global community in refugee protection and finding solutions to their problems.

The most widely known and publicized document in the western world which proclaimed in 1948 the basic principles, which are the foundations of "Freedom, Justice, and Peace in the world" is the much-quoted UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Through this declaration the UN sought to educate all peoples, and all nations through every individual and every organ of society to promote respect for these rights. It promotes that measures should be taken to effectively observe these rights and freedoms by law in order to eliminate tyranny and oppression.

The following are fourteen out of a total of thirty articles set out by the UN Assembly:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs…

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination in violation of this declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

No one shall be subject to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes of the UN.

1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

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.

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services. The right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the UN for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the UN.

More than thirteen centuries prior to the UN proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Islamic Shariah gave us the simplest and shortest approach to combat oppression and injustice. Allah (swt) says in the Quran: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not despise each other ). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is ( he who is ) the most righteous." (Sura XLIX: 13)

Allah addresses all mankind, not just one specific tribe or nation, explaining that mankind is descended from one pair of parents – Adam and Eve. Thus no human has the right to claim racial superiority. Though people are spread throughout the earth and differ in race, language, and colour, such differences cannot erase their brotherhood on the contrary, Islam requires people to come to know each other and cooperate to overcome life’s trials.

On the occasion of his farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet (s) said: "O people, verily your Lord is one and your Father is one. All of you belong to Adam and Adam was made of clay. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab; nor for a white skinned over a black skinned nor for a black-skinned over a white skinned except in piety. Verily the noblest among you is he who is the most pious."

The scheme of life, which Islam envisages, consists of a set of rights and obligations by which everyone should live. Disregarding these laws can only lead to injustice, oppression and utter waste and failure. These rights can be divided as follows:

1. The rights of Allah which every man is obliged to fulfil.

2. Rights upon his own self.

3. The rights of other people over him.

4. The rights of those powers and resources which Allah has placed in his service.

The Shariah clearly discusses each and every kind of right and outlines the ways and means, which the obligations can be simultaneously, implemented so none are violated.

The most primary and foremost right of Allah is that man should have faith in Him alone. He should acknowledge His authority and associate none with Him. This is the quintessence of the Kalima: "La ilaha illallah (there is no God but Allah)."

The second right of Allah on us is to accept wholeheartedly and follow His guidance (Hidayat) – the code He has revealed for man – and to seek His pleasure with all the bidding of the mind and soul. We fulfil the dictates of this right by reposing belief in His Prophet and by accepting his guidance and leadership.

The third right of Allah on us is that we should obey Him honestly and unreservedly. We fulfil the needs of this right by following Allah’s Law as contained in the Quran and Sunnah.

The fourth right of Allah on us is to worship Him. This is rendered by offering of prayers and other ibadat.

It is a fact that man is more cruel and unjust to himself than to any other being. On the face of it, it may seem an astonishing thing to suggest. How can a man be unjust to himself particularly when we often find he loves himself the most ?

How can he be his own enemy? On deeper reflection one can see there is truth in this statement.

The greatest weakness of man is that when he feels an overpowering desire, he, instead of trying to resist it, gives in to it, and in its gratification, knowingly causes great harm to himself.

One man may take to drinking and becomes addicted at the cost of money, health, reputation and everything he has. Another is so fond of eating that he spoils his health and endangers his life.

Another man becomes a slave of his sexual desire and ruins himself in over–indulgence.

These are a few of the many extreme examples.

Islam’s clear objective is to establish poise and balance in life and forbids all things that are injurious to man’s physical, mental, or moral existence.

The law of Islam strongly disapproves of one’s remaining idle and jobless. Man is encouraged to use for his comfort and welfare the powers Allah has bestowed on him and the resources He has spread in the earth and heavens.

Man need not suppress even the sexual desires; however they should be controlled by seeking its fulfillment in marriage.

Man has the right to enjoy the comforts and pleasures of life whilst remaining pious in the midst of life and its problems. This is how he can be true to his own self.

As the Shariah has enjoined man to fulfil his personal rights and to be just to his own self, it has also asked him to seek this fulfillment in such a way that the rights of other people are not violated.

The Shariah has tried to strike a balance between the rights of man and the rights of the society so that no conflict may arise between the two. All must cooperate in establishing the Law of Allah.

Islam has strongly forbidden the telling of a lie in every shape and form, because it degrades the liar, causes harm to others and becomes a source of menace to society.

It has totally forbidden theft, robbery, bribery, forgery, cheating, and usury for whatever man gains by these means is really obtained by causing loss and injury to others. Gambling and speculation have been prohibited for in these one person gains at the cost of thousands of others losing.

Murder, bloodspilling, the spread of mischief, disorder and destruction have been made crimes, because no one has the right to take away the life or property of other people merely for his personal gain or gratification.

These limits and restrictions have been imposed by the laws of Islam to prevent a man from encroaching upon the rights of others. It does not want man to become so selfish and self centered that in following his own desires he tramples the rights of others and violates all sanctions of morality. Allah says in the Quran: "If the truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein, would have been in confusion and corruption" (Sura XXIII:71)

The severest harms caused by desires are those that come from rulers who’s duty is to establish justice and peace on earth. When they obey their own desires, show partiality to the strong, and oppress the weak – the result is the spread of corruption on earth, war and revolution which result in ruin and human tragedy as witnessed throughout history.

Islamic law not only protects the individual from assaults on his life, body and reputation, but also extends to the protection of his honour and respect from humiliation and degradation. Allah says: "The honour belongs to Allah, His Prophet and to the believers." Only free, honourable and dignified people are fit to carry the message of Islam.

Any attempt to enslave and degrade a believer would be met with revolt as a Muslim has dedicated himself to Allah and is a slave to Him only, so he cannot see anyone big enough to fear or to surrender to except his Master.

Allah (swt) has honoured man with authority over His countless creatures. Everything has been harnessed for him. He has been endowed with the power to subdue them and make them serve his objectives.

But this does not mean man has been given a total liberty. Creations’ rights upon man are that he should not waste them on fruitless ventures, nor should he unnecessarily hurt or harm them. When he uses them for his service he should cause them the least possible harm, and should employ the best and least possible injurious methods of using them.

It is forbidden to kill animals merely for fun or sport as this is depriving them of their lives without necessity. The method of slaughtering has been fixed to minimize pain to the animal whilst retaining the most useful properties of the meat.

Beasts of burden, and animals used for transport are also to be treated with care – to starve or beat them or to extract intolerable workloads from them is strictly forbidden. Even to catch birds and imprison them in a cage with no special purpose is considered cruel.

Vegetation is also considered to possess life, so even the useless cutting of trees and bushes is not approved. Islam does not allow the waste of even lifeless things: so much so that it disapproves of the wasteful flow of too much water. Its avowed purpose is to avoid waste in every conceivable form and to make the best use of all resources – living and lifeless.

Despite the noble intentions of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the clear injunctions in the Islamic Shariah regarding Human Rights and obligations, the world is still witnessing many types of oppression such as poverty, recurrent famine, environmental degradation, conflict and insecurity fuelled by political repression.

The gap between Industrialised nations and third world countries continues to increase. The amassing of wealth in these countries is in strong contrast to the impoverishment in developing countries. Over the years developing countries have been forced to rely more heavily on the importation of basic food sources such as wheat, and on the other hand the suppliers have been dumping grain into the sea to ensure the prices remain high due to limited supplies.

Usury on world bank debt has reached astronomical heights, with no end in sight. At the same time 60% of village dwellers and 25% of city dwellers have no access to clean drinking water.

Spending on education and health services have also decreased markedly in developing countries.

These elements and the wars and disasters resulted in the following - at the end of the 1970’s there were a recorded eight million refugees cared for by the UN High Commission for Refugees - these were mainly from Africa.

During the 1990’s this figure reached 27 million with the refugees stagnating in overcrowded camps in countries which had no capacity to absorb the huge numbers.

Now we see over 250,000 children dying each week from easily curable diseases, and over 150 million suffering from starvation. Over 40 million children over the age of six are now forced to leave school due to lack of funding.

As an International Aid Organisation, Human Appeal International’s (HAI) responses to these human tragedies can only ever cure the symptoms of these conflicts, but we all need to work as part of a global community to remove the root causes.

HAI has aimed its efforts in projects in the socio–economic sphere with aid going to build infrastructure, create employment and encourage education.

HAI operates throughout Africa, Asia and Europe. Our field offices are active in Sudan, Senegal, Mauritania, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kashmir, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Kirghizia, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. We also have fundraising offices in England, Denmark and Italy .

The following is a brief overview of the programs carried out by HAI to assist communities in aiding themselves.

*Founding and operating mobile and fixed clinics as well as establishing child care centers.

*Supplying necessary medical equipment and medicines to hospitals and clinics.

*Participating in health education and preventative health programs.

*Organizing children vaccination campaigns against contagious diseases.

*Supporting the programs and activities of charity and voluntary organizations in needy countries.

*Providing potable water to drought-stricken areas by digging wells in these areas.

*Implementing technical and agricultural projects that help to obtaining production tools for local communities.

*Establishing special centers for rehabilitation and care of homeless children and orphans.

*Establishing Kindergartens, Schools and Technical training centers.

*Providing financial aid and scholarships for poor students.

*Providing schools and technical institutes with necessary equipment and furnishing requirements.

*Setting up urgent relief camps during Natural disasters and wars.

*Providing disaster stricken areas with tents, blankets, medicines and other urgent relief materials.

*Sending trained teams of volunteers to disaster stricken areas for relief operations

HAI is committed to providing communities all over the world with a trustworthy and professional means of assisting their less fortunate Brothers and Sisters of the Muslim Ummah. By raising the awareness of the community and helping them to discharge their Islamic duty we hope to obtain the pleasure of Allah (swt).

We would like to thank you for your presence today and hope that you have gained some insight into the plight of our brothers and sisters and understand our Islamic and moral obligation to assist them in their need.