Colonialism in Arab garb
By
Baheyeddin Hassan
What does the universality of human rights mean? It means that all nations are entitled to the same basic rights, the poor and not-so-powerful as much as the rich and powerful. To exclude any people from such rights is an act of racism, a throwback to colonialist ideology.
When the universal declaration of human rights was being drafted some colonial powers wanted to exclude their colonies from the provisions of the declaration. Thankfully they failed, due to an outcry from the Third World. A half a century has elapsed since then but the same mentality still survives, albeit in a different guise. Colonialists used to argue that Islam and Eastern Christianity are not conducive to progress and modernity. The colonialists have gone but the argument hasn't, for we find in our midst Muslim and Christian Arabs who argue that the very nature of our faith denies us the same rights that citizens -- including Arab immigrants -- enjoy in formerly colonial countries.
In advocating human rights we are hardly embracing foreign ideals. Actually, we are trying to banish the spectre of colonialist ones. We cannot accept the contention that our nations are unqualified for civil rights or self-rule. I find it ironic that some Arabs are trying to sell us second- hand colonialist perceptions while claiming to stand up for a distinctive Arab and Islamic identity. What they advocate is nothing but recycled colonialism in Arab and Islamic garb. Far from defending an indigenous tradition, they are trying to revive the worst of imported concepts.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is the director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
