Human Rights and International Agreements

Question 1

What is a right?

Answer 1

A moral or legal entitlement to have or do something.

Question 2

What are religious rights according to the UN?

Answer 2

The right to manifest theistic, non-theistic, and atheistic beliefs in both internal and external manners.

Question 3

Define human rights.

Answer 3

A right that is believed to belong to every person.

Question 4

What are rights in terms of legal, social, or ethical principles?

Answer 4

Rights are fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory.

Question 5

Why are rights important?

Answer 5

Rights are essential in disciplines such as law and ethics, especially in theories of justice and deontology, and are fundamental to civilization as established pillars of society and culture.

Question 6

What does the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy say about rights?

Answer 6

“Rights structure the form of governments, the content of laws, and the shape of morality as it is currently perceived.”

Question 7

Have human rights always been recognized?

Answer 7

No, human rights have not always been recognized and have their beginnings in various religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions.

Question 8

What does the UN Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948) define?

Answer 8

The basic rights of a human person.

Question 9

Who was a key figure in the instigation of a worldwide way of protecting freedom?

Answer 9

Franklin Roosevelt.

Question 10

Why was the UDHR constructed?

Answer 10

It was a response to the destruction and evil of WWII, including Hitler’s death camps, Stalin’s Gulags, and Nuclear Bombs.

Question 11

What are the three levels of universal understanding in human rights?

Answer 11

1. Concepts - Rights of every human being related to identity, beliefs, experience, and context.
2. Content - What makes these rights universal and how diverse groups can agree on them.
3. Context - Understanding and implementing human rights.

Question 12

Which countries abstained from voting on the UDHR and why?

Answer 12

Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Soviet-bloc countries abstained. Saudi Arabia objected to Articles 16 and 18, which conflicted with their understanding of Islam.

Question 13

What are the two international covenants agreed upon after the UDHR?

Answer 13

1. The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
2. The Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Question 14

What documents has the UN developed related to religion and belief?

Answer 14

1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
2. The Arcot Krishnaswami Study (1959).
3. The 2 International Covenants on Human Rights (1966).
4. The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981).
5. Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990).

Question 15

What does the preamble of the UN Declaration recognize about human rights?

Answer 15

The inherent dignity rights of all members of the human family and states that dignity rights are the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.

Question 16

What is the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)?

Answer 16

It was formed in response to WWII atrocities, led by Eleanor Roosevelt, and sets the bare minimum standard for the treatment of human beings by the UN.

Question 17

What was the Arcot Krishnaswami Study?

Answer 17

A UN Submission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities that reviewed religious human rights and resulted in the Draft Principles on Freedom and Non-Discrimination in Religious Rights and Practices.

Question 18

What does the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam state about religious freedom?

Answer 18

It does not have articles specifically devoted to religious freedom but states that race, color, language, sex, religious belief, political affirmation, and social status are not grounds for discrimination.