Europe not facing up to its Human Rights responsibilities
Members of the European Parliament have added their voices to the human rights criticisms of the EU wich were brought to the fore by the Human Rights Watch report released last week.The MEPs have been focusing on the apparent lack of attention being given to the human rights abuses taking place against Chechen society, and their newly adopted resolution highlights aspects worthy of concern such as the contol Putin now has over Russian civil society.
The HRW global report is introduced with strong criticism of the USA's 'do as I say, not as I do' policy concerning human rights. Britain and Canada are also mentioned early on as places in which rights protection is being undermined.
'These governments, as well as other members of the European Union, also continued to subordinate human rights in their relations with others whom they deemed useful in fighting terrorism or pursuing other goals. That tendency, coupled with the European Union’s continued difficulty in responding firmly to even serious human rights violations, meant that the E.U. did not compensate for this diminished human rights leadership.'
A huge focus of the report is, quite predictably, the so-called 'war on terrorism' and the ways in which governments use this threat of terrorism to justify brushing aside international human rights obligations.
Terrorism is an enormous threat to human rights but 'the willingness to flout human rights to fight terrorism is not only illegal and wrong; it is counterproductive. These human rights violations generate indignation and outrage that spur terrorist recruitment, undermine the public cooperation with law-enforcement officials that is essential to exposing secret terrorist cells, and cede the moral high ground for those combating the terrorist scourge.'
The 'global leadership void' when it comes to defending human rights has been taken advantage of by China and Russia, where an increase in economic power and lack of regard for human rights has resulted in new alliances. This, in turn has put more pressure on Western governments to follow the trend, for fear of losing economic opportunities and political allies.
Despite a few areas in which certain governments and organisations have put pressure on others to uphold their responsibilities, the tone of the report is sombre. Defence of human rights is in a poor state, and the most powerful nations and groups of nations in the world are doing nothing to repair it.
posted by Becca @ 1:29 PM
25 Comments:
Oh, uh huh. Okay.
Pity the Chechens and their political leaders who kill and murder to spread Islam...
But don't bother pitying the Sudanese Christians getting slaughtered in the numbers approaching the Holocaust. Don't bother pitying the Ethiopian Christians getting slaughtered by the Islamic murderers there, either.
No... just pity those that get killed when the West fights back. Pity those that hate the West. All of the outrage is over "freedom fighters" (who kill outside their country) but not over the children getting beheaded. Or the women being blown up. Or the little boys and girls that were shot in the back by muslim murderers.
You're way too predictable and your sentiments are... frankly... sickeningly one-sided.
So, you must be muslim. Been beat yet? Gang raped? Genitally mutilated yet? Go Islam, huh?
Wonderful.
What I find predictable and sickening is the way everything seems to be a question of religion to you. Muslims and Christians. Muslims and Christians. Muslims and Christians.
I have no pity for terrorists but plenty for those innocent individuals caught up in unbearable situations, whether they be Sudanese Christians, Chechen Muslims, Bangladeshi Hindus, whatever.
If you make up your mind before reading my posts that you hold the opposite position to what I've written, you're going to miss the point, which seems to have been consistently the case.
Fine. Let me scroll through all the Sudanese posts you've made then. Or the Indian ones. Or... hmmm wait, still looking for them.
No, really. Wait.
Don't like being called out for deliberately supporting those who so hate the West?
If you hate religion so much, then let's couch this in terms of the "human rights" you loudly pretend to champion.
What happened to the "rights" of the little toddlers who were shot in the back of their heads and backs by "Allahu akbar!" Chechen muslims?
They don't count?
In fact, I think I should point out that directing irritation at me for pointing out the religious aspect in these matters is silly.
Maybe you should direct your irritation at muslims for making every issue a religious one. Maybe you should remember that in Islam, non-Islamic lands are Dar al Harb or "the Lands of War!" It is not just some little quaint anachronism that the Quran demands jihad. It is the obligation of every muslim to wage jihad until Allah is supreme and all other religions dead.
It is their obligation to kill and murder unbelievers. The Quran demands it. If they were to suddenly come down with a sudden case of Western secularism, the cost to them is paradise.
They have nothing to lose by murdering. This is why the murders will continue.
It's not my fault that Islam is a political murder cult. It's not my fault that Islam is at war with infidels.
But, of course, blame the West, right? That macro fits in with your micro "save the murderers" line of thinking. Blame the innocent.
Why the innocent? Why must the innocent suffer, Becca?
At the top of the page it's written 'Postings relevant to my work in Warsaw'.
I am on a EU voluntary programme hence the occasional mention of European actions, I live in Poland hence the dominant homophobia theme, and I work with predominantly Chechen refugees hence the references to discrimination against them.
I'm not 'supporting those who so hate the West' I am supporting the groups of people I come into contact with who are so unfairly discriminated against. I am not supporting the Chechen murderers, but those people who are Chechen and who are unfairly labelled as terrorists because of their nationality... or indeed religion.
They are the innocent surely?
Wow. You get all the 'interesting' characters at your place, Boo.
Interesting that the tone of these comments is so nasty. Stay off the personal stuff,will ya? And just listing wrongs done to one group is not really a debate, el Duci.
If there were christian Sudanese being shot in the back of the head in downtown Warsaw then I am sure that this blog would be the first to write about it. But there are a lot of Chechans here because this is the main stop off point for women, kids, the old trying to get away from a war zone, on there way to somewhere else. And Poland has a duty of care when they are here.
That's all people like Boo are saying. Poland has to live up to its own human rights rhetoric. It's a ssimple as that.
(Poles also instinctivly support Chechans because they are being oppressed by Russians - something Poles know a little bit about.)
O, and el duci - why pick such a stupid alias? You should try vegetables.
Opinions and viewpoints are always personal, Beat. Ms Steel made her point about what this particular blog relates to - which is why I did not answer her and she had the last word in that exchange.
Don't like my alias? Mussolini was a rabid anti-communist - something I would have figured you could relate to...
What amazingly terrible thing happened to you in the past that you continue with your vicious and manipulative posts.
Not only do you continue to make every point Becca blogs into the east/west, Christian/ Muslim battle, you seem to believe that you have a god given right to insult people in their thousands. Your first comment is disgusting, are you that unsure of your own views and beliefs that picking holes in other peoples is satisfying?
I would seriously consider improving the tone and manner of your posts.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This happened. Read it all if you have the courage.
It's easy to ignore the truth and then sit back, calling other people inflammatory and "haters" when they expose the truth.
How convenient for you that you can ignore what's happening around you. How convenient for you to have no outrage over what Islam is doing to those who are not muslim over the .
How convenient to blame me for calling attention to the sickness that is Islam. Must be wonderful to be you in your own little world, denying the atrocities commited every day.
I will never apologize for the truth. Color me courage; color you cowardice.
edit - poor link
I've seen that website before Mussolini.
My problems with your arguments remain the same. Using horrific images of terrible crimes committed in the name of Islam does not prove anything. It does not give anyone the right to disciminate against a person because of his or her religion. That's false logic.
With google and a few hours I'm sure someone could come up with such a website for any number of religions, the thing is, it doesn't help the situation at all.
Once again, I don't for a second defend murderers, whether they kill adults or children. I agree with you that shooting kids in the back is totally unjustified and sickening. Where we disagree however is clear.
That's an interesting link you include about the Sudanese children being murdered. It clearly states on the linked page that the genocide in Darfur is against African Muslims. Actually the reality is a little more complex, with
indiscriminate killings against civilians. My point is, that this is not a simple 'Muslims are evil' issue and as long as people are using this as an excuse to discriminate against Muslims, the situation will continue to disintegrate.
Fine, Becca. If you have the time, please indicate to me the facts that Islam is peaceful?
Surely I'm so wrong and deluded and sick and all that finding such evidence is just as easy as breathing.
Using MEMRI or any other Arabic translation service, please find where Islamic clerics have called for the murder of infidels to stop. Out of 1.3billion muslims worldwide, if the majority are peaceful, there must be hundreds of millions of protests, marches, news stories of movements... if not over a billion.
If I'm so wrong...
When religion calls for murder, you believe there is no "right" to discriminate?
Just allow the murder? Oh yeah, that fits in with the culture of death thing. Murder babies and save the murderers so they can murder more innocents.
Anyway, if I'm so wrong, I'd like to see proof. I have always been willing to admit I'm wrong - the act proves I'm learning. Please educate my ignorant mind to this massive muslims movement for peace that I am so obviously missing.
"Terrorism is an enormous threat to human rights but the willingness to flout human rights to fight terrorism is not only illegal and wrong; it is counterproductive."
Terrorism is a threat but?
Terrorism kills people. It beheads little girls. It burns children in fire. It blows up pregnant women. It annhilates handicapped people.
"Human rights" that America has been accused of violating... like the lack of a 4th hot meal per day at Gitmo? Wool prayer rugs instead of silk? Free Qurans to the prisoners instead of... I dunno.
That kind of thing is more threatening than murdering children?! Your attitudes are not cohesive with healthy humanity, Rebecca. There is something decidedly twisted about your values.
America goes out of its way to treat our prisoners better than anyone else in the world. NO OTHER country treats their prisoners better.
Muslims? They behead their women prisoners.
But America is the evil in your eyes. Very twisted and just plain wrong.
Point: It is easier for me to point out your logical stumbling blocks. They are instantaneously apparent with just a few seconds reading of your posts. Whereas mine, the best you can apparently do is claim I've got problems with nothing to back up those claims - no reference, just assumptions and dismissals of any proof I present.
Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away.
Placing humanity into the hands of someone who celebrates death and ignores the atrocities would be a tragedy to mankind.
I think ALL people are special, and should live in peace. When a political murder cult wishes to detroy peace and murder, you freakin' betcha I'm going to discriminate.
I refuse to see any sense in ignoring one person's murder to point the finger at someone else's attitude. Strain at the gnat and swallow the camel...
We have a problem here Muss. I see that we’re getting ourselves into a vicious cycle of you saying Muslims are evil and backing this up with grizzly murders followed by me saying that murderous extremists do not give anyone the right to extend this and use it as a reason to discriminate against all Muslims. These are our basic positions as I see it, and I’m sure you’ll correct me if I’m wrong.
We agree that terrorism kills people. We disagree on the human rights America has been accused of violating (I was thinking more of torture and indeed murder) but actually I have never called America evil; you are putting words in my mouth.
I am no expert, and I welcome discussion but maybe it’s an idea to bring this discussion to a close because I don’t think we’re getting anywhere with it.
If you’d like to find out about Muslims who encourage inter-faith discussion and underline the peaceful aspects of Islam I’ve heard of
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and
Imam Abdul Feisel.
There’s also a pretty interesting discussion forum with some Muslims who would disagree that protests are not held against the violence perpetuated by extremists.
I read those links you provided - did you? Try this from the "gap bridger" Abdul Feisel Rauf
In your link, he dances around the women in Islam issue and claims Muhammed was a feminist. If I scourged you with a metal whip so that your flesh ripped and you bled - would you call me a feminist?
My link shows how far he's willing to "bridge the gap"... Basically the West is to blame for everything and needs to submit and apologize.
Bring the discussion to a close? Why? Is it bothersome? Uncomfortable? Boring? I discuss things to air opinions and viewpoints that are critical to a functioning society. I do not look for agreement, although if that happens, then society is closer in one tiny aspect to common sense consensus - and that whether I change my mind or someone else does.
America and torture. Who have we tortured? I know the answer but I ask because you might otherwise claim I crammed the muslim issue back into the conversation.
So you claim America's tortures complicate the world? Well... I don't like torture and I'm sure there are other ways of extracting information from people against their will. Do you consider the torture that Americans receive as less odious? How about when any female is gang-raped by muslim captors (every single surviving instance)? Is rape awful, or is that cool? How about when the muslims shoot the women in the head just because she's an infidel? Or saw it off? Is that cool?
What is worse? American depriving muslims of sleep (sleep deprivation "torture") or when a muslim captor saws off some family-man's head after viciously beating him?
In particular, I am not using the muslim practice to pick on muslims. Rather I want to illustrate that whatever forms of information gathering we use, it is more humane than practices in other cultures.
America: put underwear on their head and take a picture.
Islamist: gang-rape the Christian AIDs worker.
Hmmm..... those Americans are just so horrible...
Perhaps explain why you think that America needs to be singled out as the standard-bearer for all the hate and derision that peaceniks conjure?
Why is American "torture" the seed of hysteria while other countries get no mention?
You quote "so called war on terror..." as if it's not. Explain to me what evil America and the evil Bush have gotten us into?
Did 9/11 happen, or not? And why, in your opinion?
Of course, if you're bored with it, never mind.
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